a new puppy

Hi Everyone,
Just wondering if anyone can help me with a little problem i am having with my new puppy, Lucy. She is a 12 week old jack russel x and now she has had her second booster i have started training her to walk on a lead. The problem is that she will not walk with me! She will walk with my partner for hours but when i take her out i always end up carrying her all the way! Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to get her to walk with me. Any advice is greatly appreciated. :)

Hmm.. When Riley was a baby she walked on a leash but she pulled a lot. Have you ever seen "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic? (we have it on demand). His philosophy is to let the dog know you are in charge, maybe your puppy doesn't think you are and therefore doesn't want to listen to you because you aren't making him (I'm assuming this).

What we did with Riley (we went to a very firm obedience school that worked wonders with her) was to walk with a short leash and wear a choke chain or a pinch collar (pinch is more humane). If she is lagging behind, just give her a little correction by pulling her up with a few little tugs, do the opposite if she is pulling. Make her go where you are going. She has to know she is with you, not that you are with her. We did this because Riley is a lab and pretty much all labs need pinch collars, I don't know if the same would be necessary for a little jack russel but I would consider it because if you pull with a regular collar on it can hurt their neck.

When you say she won't walk with you, what do you mean? Does she just sit down and refuse to walk? Does she pull like crazy? What exactly is she doing?

She just sits down and refuses to walk. I thought maybe she doesnt like the lead because when i drop it and walk away she will come after me.

I had that same problem with my siberian husky when she was little.

In my opinion they do this to get your attention.
When the puppy refuses to walk, you pick it up.
picking the puppy up just gives it reinforcement to keep doing the bad behavour.


I would bring treats along. bribe the puppy with a treat. when she starts to walk towards the treat you then walk with her.
After about 5 seconds of walking give her a tiny piece of a treat or lotsa positive reinforcement. eventually she will be able to walk with you the whole way. :).


good luck :)

Start her on puppy classes asap or get a harness. That is how Buster learned to walk with me and I gently take him out of a situation by his collar where he is barking at Tiger and he follows :) Good luck! :)

I agree picking up the puppy will only reinforce the behavior. You say she will walk with your partner for hours, is that on leash?
Try going for a walk with your partner and the puppy, switching back and fourth on who is holding the leash. Remember she is just a puppy and can't be expected to walk perfectly on lead. You can also try luring her with food in front of her nose to get her to walk. Start out with very short walks until she starts walking for you. You don't want walking on a leash to become a bad expererince for her.
I also think puppy classes are in order. Good luck.

Timber did this with me because she was scared. Too many new scary things for her! :) So I would pick her up and carry her and then put her down every five or so minutes and let her sniff around. Then I'd repeat. Eventually she learned that she was fine.

However, now I know it's better to stay away from walks altogether until the pup is 4 months. The risk of parvo is much too big! You might want to try waiting two weeks until your pup has had her last parvo shot.

Thanks alot everyone. I will be trying out all the advice you have given me and i will let you know how Lucy and i get on. :)

Beenie used to refuse to walk on a leash too when she was little. She eventually did but it took a few weeks. I would take her out everyday, twice a day and try to walk her. Initially she wouldn't go past the driveway but then, gradually, she started walking longer distances. A little patience and your 'lil sweet pea will do the same.