So the day arrived, we could go outside for a first walk. I decided on just a 10 minute walk around the block. Bailey is used to travelling short journeys in the car, and I always put his lead on him for this, so he is used to the lead. It went quite well. He automatically 'sits' whenever he comes to me... which I guess is a good thing, however, he walked behind me and wasn't pulling in front (which was good), but whenever I turned around he 'sat' (expecting a treat I think). I took some treats with me and tried to treat as we walked (without 'sitting') occasionally, so that he gets used to the idea that he needs to keep walking. Any advice on how to keep him walking? Maybe a retractable lead, so that I can walk a bit further away from him than I can with the short lead? (He usually follows me, so I thought a retractable lead would work better?
I wouldn't use a retractable lead on a pup for a couple of reasons. Firstly I don't think it's safe on a pavement or roadside as any dog can step into the road accidentally and get knocked over, so you need your dog next to you. Secondly retractable leads exert a constant pressure so i think might discourage loose lead walking. (I'm not completely anti retractable leads - I used one in the countryside when Molly was in season, but she could by then walk on a loose lead.) I think you could try chirruping/ making kissy noises to encourage your pup forward. Or better still, drive to a safe, secure off-lead area and let him loose. You can encourage him to chase you by running for a few steps and reward when he gets to you. Good luck.
I echo what Joy has said. It is important to walk on lead but finding somewhere NOW to go off lead will be great for recall as your puppy WILL automatically follow you. Gentle encouragement on lead and you could look at clicker training for this. Have a read up on any articles on the site. I also would not start with a retractable lead, I don't see a positive for it in your current circumstances. Enjoy your little walks, lots of encouragement and praise and patience.
Exciting times! It's very important that you get him off the lead as soon as possible, in a safe area. He will instinctively stay with you and getting him used to this early on saves a lot of problems later on, when he is confident to explore on his own. So, drive him to a safe place and let him off. If he trots off, turn around and walk the other way. Be unpredictable. He will follow you. Give him lots of fuss and treats for coming to you. It's a scary step for you to take, but very valuable. Also clip the lead on and off several times in each walk, making sure you give him a treat every time it goes on. By doing this consistently with my two, I now have dogs who, at a year of age, trot over to me when I get their leads out on a walk, sit in front and wait to be attached, as opposed to one that runs off when he sees the lead because he knows it means the end of his freedom. Always keep associations with the lead positive. When you are practicing lead walking, there's nothing wrong with luring him into position with a treat to start off with. Generally, the procedure from training with food goes like this: (assuming the use of a clicker, which I use because it's great for shaping behaviour) 1. Lure dog into position, click and give that treat. 2. Lure dog into position, click but give a treat from your other hand. 3. "Fake" the lure: use the same movement, but don't have a treat in that hand. Click and treat from your other hand. 4. User the same movement as in 3, but with the dog knowing that you don't have a treat in that hand. C&T. Once he is responding to this visual cue very confidently and consistently, you can add a verbal cue if you wish: 5. Say your cue word, then do 4. Repeat a few times. 6. Say your cue word and wait 5 seconds. If he "gets it' and offers the behaviour, even after a small pause, C&T. Otherwise, go back to 5 for a few more iterations before trying 6 again. And there you have it; a behaviour linked to a verbal cue of your choice. You want to make sure you fade the lure quickly so it doesn't become a bribe - try to do 1, 2 and 3 within five or so repetitions. The rest, take your time and expect it to take a few sessions - each session no more than five minutes at this stage, and going back at least one step when you start a new session. If he doesn't understand what you're asking at any stage, you've moved on too fast, so go back a step or two. Even if you go all the way back to the beginning, you'll find that he will move through those early stages quicker and will gain confidence, which is a good thing. Sorry, I've rambled on a bit there! One last thing; I wouldn't discourage him sitting when you stop; I would simply work through the above technique to ensure he is sitting neatly by your side. I generally want my dogs to sit by my side without a verbal cue when I stop (the cue to sit becomes me stopping, so it shouldn't need a word at all, unless I want them to continue to stand), so this is a good habit to get into at a young age.
If you're interested in clicker training (and I would encourage anyone to try it), then there are some great articles to read on the main site: Clicker Training Resource Pages
Thanks for all the replies; really helpful. He's getting much better at keeping moving on his walks and he still walks behind me most of the time. There is a large grassy area on my estate and we have some off-lead time on there. He does follow me everywhere I go, which is a good thing. If he's sniffing something, calling his name doesn't distract him very well at all though! I live on a quiet estate, we extended the walk to going along the main road this morning (still keeping to 15 minutes). He did very well coping with some large vehicles driving past him... treats were a great distraction.
