my 10 week old puppy did NOT want to go for walks last night

[nate94gt]

just got my male pup a week ago. Every night i take him on walks around the block (small block) and play w/ him in my yard. However last night when i tried to walk him at home, he did NOT want to go. He stayed put, and when i walked and called him to come, he just sat there, then started jumping up and around like he was trying to get out of his collar/leash. I'd finally keep tugging the leash until he came up to me, so i'd start walking again, and he wouldnt move. When the end was reached (like a 6' leash) he would start doing the jump and shake again and act like a stubborn dog.
so that walk i turned around at the first corner (less than 100 yards) instead of continuing around the block
So i tried taking him out later and he did the same thing.
I dont know if he was just tired and didnt want to go or what. He still seemed to have some energy cuz when we headed back to the house, he was running. There was a neighbor dog that was barking so he may have been scared.

Assuming he will try this again tonight, tomorrow, or whenever, what would be the best way to correct this?

[aldelgreco]

Originally Posted by nate94gt

just got my male pup a week ago. Every night i take him on walks around the block (small block) and play w/ him in my yard. However last night when i tried to walk him at home, he did NOT want to go. He stayed put, and when i walked and called him to come, he just sat there, then started jumping up and around like he was trying to get out of his collar/leash. I'd finally keep tugging the leash until he came up to me, so i'd start walking again, and he wouldnt move. When the end was reached (like a 6' leash) he would start doing the jump and shake again and act like a stubborn dog.
so that walk i turned around at the first corner (less than 100 yards) instead of continuing around the block
So i tried taking him out later and he did the same thing.
I dont know if he was just tired and didnt want to go or what. He still seemed to have some energy cuz when we headed back to the house, he was running. There was a neighbor dog that was barking so he may have been scared.

Assuming he will try this again tonight, tomorrow, or whenever, what would be the best way to correct this?

i don't know if this is the right thing to do...but mine would always do that.
i took him to a baseball field near the house that was unfamiliar and completely enclosed, and we just began walking until he inevitably started with that violent "shaking" to get unleashed.
at which point, i dropped the leash, and walked briskly away from him and would not even look at him. i got to the fence, jumped it and looked back. by this time, he was staring intently at me. So, I turned around again at which point, he got up and bolted over towards me.
I jumped back over the fence and made him sit patiently while i took his leash off, then put it back on again, to mimic the behavior that i would normally provide him with at the house prior to a walk. we then proceeded to walk all the way home with no problem.

A puppy harness can help, too. They like being pulled over a greater surface area and in a less vulnerable part of their body, so that is also an option.

[brunie's mom]

He probably was scared and did not want to leave his safety zone. Very common for puppies.
The best way is to keep on taking him...don't let his fright get the best of him.
Take some very tasty treats with you (tiny pieces of hot dog, or cooked chicken , or cheese) and lure him further away from the house with your tasty treats. Show him the treat and let him smell it...but don't give it to him till he walks with you a bit. You could also take a squeeky toy and squeek it and make it a game of him following you to get the toy. Praise and encourage him.

Gina

[aldelgreco]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

He probably was scared and did not want to leave his safety zone. Very common for puppies.
The best way is to keep on taking him...don't let his fright get the best of him.
Take some very tasty treats with you (tiny pieces of hot dog, or cooked chicken , or cheese) and lure him further away from the house with your tasty treats. Show him the treat and let him smell it...but don't give it to him till he walks with you a bit. You could also take a squeeky toy and squeek it and make it a game of him following you to get the toy. Praise and encourage him.

Gina

I have only one rot, so this may be the case...but with certain shepherds, no amount of tasty treats can get their focus off of the fact that they do not want to be on that leash.
If treats fail, and it is something as serious as not adhering to a normal walking regiment, then some gentle "negative punishment" is OK, I think.(which sounds bad, but isn't.... because it is a double-negative and a type of correction used in 100% positive dog training) All negative punishment is is making something desirable go away due to one of their behaviors. Unlike Positive punishment, negative punishment does not have to be as well-timed and can be much more subtle, even bordering on the positive reinforcement side of the operant spectrum due to the fact that they will be reinforced positively within a noticeable timeframe of the execution of the small bit of negative punishment.

I would never yell at them when they are fighting the leash or ever even let them know that it was something i even wanted to communicate with them about it in any way. It's like my mom used to say "this is not a discussion" : )

[brunie's mom]

Most Rotts are very food motivated....that's why they are so easy to train.
This is a 10 week old puppy....I would not advise the OP to start dragging it around... does not matter if it has a harness on or not. A harness is not recommended on a Rottweiler, unless you are teaching it to pull or to track.

Being positive and teaching with rewards works really well. Hope the OP gives it a try.

Gina

[nate94gt]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

He probably was scared and did not want to leave his safety zone. Very common for puppies.
The best way is to keep on taking him...don't let his fright get the best of him.
Take some very tasty treats with you (tiny pieces of hot dog, or cooked chicken , or cheese) and lure him further away from the house with your tasty treats. Show him the treat and let him smell it...but don't give it to him till he walks with you a bit. You could also take a squeeky toy and squeek it and make it a game of him following you to get the toy. Praise and encourage him.

Gina

which is why i semi-continued on his walk. i did not let him "win" per say, though i did not take him for the full walk, i did not let him stay back and then have me fellow him. I made him follow me.
I'll try the treat thing tonight if he doesnt want to go. I could see a lot of (half/quarter) treats being used tonight :(

[gilby00]

to get my pups comfortable with the leash, i put them on it and let them explore on they're own I just follow while holding the leash, little by little I start guiding them w/leash. each time we go longer on lead.

[aldelgreco]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

Most Rotts are very food motivated....that's why they are so easy to train.
This is a 10 week old puppy....I would not advise the OP to start dragging it around... does not matter if it has a harness on or not. A harness is not recommended on a Rottweiler, unless you are teaching it to pull or to track.

Being positive and teaching with rewards works really well. Hope the OP gives it a try.

Gina

I never recommended and would never recommend "dragging around" a 10 week old puppy.
(insert sad face here since i don't know how)
i don't know where on earth you got that.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by aldelgreco

A puppy harness can help, too. They like being pulled over a greater surface area and in a less vulnerable part of their body, so that is also an option.

This where I got the idea of you pulling your puppy.
Positive is still the way to go...with reward and praise.

Gina

[nate94gt]

well now he's getting worse.
I take him to work w/ me and we would go outside multiple times a day (to go to the bathroom and for a short walks when he gets hyper).
Now he fights that. He wont even get outdoors before he starts trying to shake off the leash.
At home, in my backyard, he'll star to try to shake the collar, and if we go to the front yard, he'll just sit and then lay down and wont move.
I dont know how to coax him for i could see going through a LOT of treats (partial ones at least) this way.

[brunie's mom]

Yes...you will go through lots of yummy treats. That's fine feed him a bit less of his meals.
Let him drag his leash around the house when you are supervising...and leave his collar on except when he is in the crate.

Have you got another dog that he could go out with? This may just give him his confidence back...or he will be so occupied with the other dog...he will forget what he is scared of.

Gina

[nate94gt]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

Yes...you will go through lots of yummy treats. That's fine feed him a bit less of his meals.
Let him drag his leash around the house when you are supervising...and leave his collar on except when he is in the crate.

Have you got another dog that he could go out with? This may just give him his confidence back...or he will be so occupied with the other dog...he will forget what he is scared of.

Gina

he always wears his collar and he doesn't have TOO much of a problem with his leash, just sometimes. I took him out this morning and when he'd get stubborn I could coax him with a few bits of his food. I just need to figure out why he's acting up sometimes. If I let him guide the way he has no problem, just sometimes when I try to guide him he'll act up