12 Wk Old Saint Balks when we try to walk her

[new2saints]

Hi, Everyone,
Bailey my 12 week old Saint is doing wonderful in most training areas except one.  She balks when we try to take her for a walk on the leash.  She has had the leash on outside when I take her potty, but as soon as we try to go for a walk, she plops her butt down and refuses to go.  I have tried everything.  We have tried treats and praise, but she still will not move. I have tried just pulling her for a little ways, and sometimes she will go and then be fine, but sometimes she still just refuses.  Any good ideas?  It is hard to get in some exercise each day, when walking her is such a struggle

new2saints

[newflvr]

I had the same problem with my first Newf.  He just point-blank refused to go for a walk.  My husband used to get behind him and try to push his rear end!  No luck!     He may be just too young.  If I remember correctly, with Newfs, the recommendation is one minute of exercise for each week of age...so 12 minutes at the outside at his age.  By the time Otis was 4 - 5 months, we could go for short walks and he was fine.  At a year, we walked for miles.  I'm sure he just needs some time to grow.

[jules]

Have you tried walking her with a lead harness leash.My sainy Spotakiss takes walks ok but Im thinking of buying one because it always feels like Im pulling him alot.I guess he likes to stop and smell the roses,  so to speak.By the way shes so cute.Spotakiss is still a baby at 5 months.

[new2saints]

I was told that putting a balker on a harness is very dangerous.  I am just going to continue to work with her everyday, and hopefully she will outgrow it!  Your baby is beautiful, too, by the way!  I love the name!  How did you come up with it?

new2saints

[jules]

Well we named Spotakiss because of a large spot on his cheek.we ttok the name Sparticus and played with that.Here a pic of the spot.

[Sullivan]

We had the same problem with Seamus.  We found a treat that was really special and would coax him a little bit at a time with a ton of praise if he followed.  Then we just lengthed the time on the leash, and eventually he got used to it.  Sometimes we would jog and say his name like we were really excited and going to do something really fun.
Also there is a lead technique I read about in "Puppy's for Dummies".  It involves tying the leash around your waste and walking with him around the house.  It is kind of complicated and too hard to explain, but the dog trainer who wrote the book swears by it.  We found that book to be extremely helpful.  Check it out if you get a chance.
Hope this helps.

[mastiffmommy]

I think a lot of puppies have the same problem, all kinds of breeds, I have had the doubtful pleasure to act like an idiot with a few of mine when they act like that.

You say you have tried treats and praise. I said in a post in another topic "most things with moderation" well hehehehe, this is one of the times no moderation at all is handy.

It helps if you are two, one holding the leash, loosely and when she puts her little behind down and refuses to move, one of you goes ahead of her, say maybe 10 feet or so to start with, go down on all fours (yep.... I am serious lol...) then you pat the grass, asphalt or whatever you happen to be on, sound like an idiot and say "ohhh cooooome here puuuupppiiieee ee yeeeeyesss oooowwwweeee yyyouuuurr suuuuch a goooooood pppuuuupppiiii ieeee" with a kinda high pitch voice (yes everyone around will stare at you, thinking you escaped from somewhere, ignore them!!!) when she comes, I am pretty sure she will after enough silly talk from your part, give her a treat and make a big fuss of how good she was, then keep walking, when she does it again, well hehehe take turns (my husband never did want to take turns tough, imagine that), with a little time, she will get furtherer and furtherer between the "heavy butt rutines" and after awhile you can just squat down and then work your way up to standing. Doesnt it sound like a lot of fun?!!!!! lol..... I have used that method on all my "down-butters" and it has worked real well, usually they walk fairly well on a leash when they are 12-14 weeks old, if you start when they are 8-9 weeks old.

Marit

[Yaz]

Wow, I was pretty excited when I saw your posting - our Saint is 10 weeks old and he's been balking on the leash since we got him three weeks ago. Ironically, he has no problem with the leash - it's when  I try to make him go somewhere he doesn't want to go that he balks. If we are walking outside our home and he does his business across the street, he immediately turns around to cross back to our home and when I try to coax him into a walk he flatly refuses. He's got a very social and great temperment, but I think he's still under the delusion that he has options in what he does *grin*. He starts basic training in a couple of weeks so if I can't get him walking on the leash before classes start I'm going to have extra work cut out!

[mastiffmommy]

Did you try the "silly rutine" if that does not work, try to bring him, either carry, take the car or however is a good way for you, bring him a bit away from the house, not too far but far enough for him to feel that he is not still on "home ground" then try do the "silly rutine" to make him take a few steps away from the house, start with only a few, when he has done that, turn him around and walk him back to the house, dont let him decide, it is better you make the decision and only have him take those few steps before turning. Tell him what a good puppie he is and give him treat when having taken those steps. If this works, try to do it if possible a couple of times a day, and when he is "safe" with the few steps, make it a tad bit longer, and work your way up like that. Hopefully this will work, the thing is to try and have more imagination than them lol....

Good Luck

Marit

[new2saints]

OHHHH!!  What a beautiful puppy !!!!  Bailey is starting obediance training the end of May.  Last night went better.  She balked every once and a while, but my daughter came with me and we tried the whole silly thing.  It worked pretty well.  Then Chelle (DD) would just run away from her and Bailey would chase her.  This worked well, too.  Thanks for all the suggestions!  I am going to try take her for walks twice a day and see if I can get her to go better each day! 

new2saints

[amajac]

I had a Saint Bernard named Troubles, I made her go for a walk one day, I thought we were doing well, she cruised to the park, walked around the lake but then about four blocks from home she spied a twin mattress someone put out for the trash men!  She plopped down and refused to budge.  I sat on the curb for 40 minutes while Miss
Troubles rested up for the walk home!!! 

So far Austin seems to enjoy walks, although he can't seem to focus on the goal, he is easily distracted by other dogs, windchimes etc.  He heads up everyones sidewalk like we are there to visit.

Cheryl and her furkids, Smokey, Mr. Spock, Warlock, Mouse and Saint Austin the Adorable.

[LuvmyMal]

We had the same problem at first. Then one day I met up with a friend that had a dog and Tonka just started walking right behind him. She is 14 wks now and loves to walk! I think that the other dog had something to do with it, then she realized it wasn't all that bad, also try letting your dog pull the leash as you walk beside it, then gradually pick it up and hold it very loosely. I swear they have a mind of their own and do what they want when they want!

[mastiffmommy]

Thanks, this is funny, my Galahad (puppy on pic) has done well since we got him, that only a few days ago though, but he had never been on a leash, so did real well. Today he started a new thing, he didnt sit down, he decided that would be too easy, he rolled over on his back, then to his side and there he was, looking at me as if I was crazy, wanting him to walk now when he was having such a nice time in the sun lol...... So now we are two doing the "silly thing" My husband tries to stay out of my way when I am fixing to go for a short walk, he says it makes him look like a dork lol.... But my 13 year old daughter, hehehe I can still tell her what to do, so she is the one having to try to look like she doesnt know me even though she is holding the leash while I am down on all fours patting the ground with people looking at me like "okay lady, where every you escaped from please please let them come pick you up real soon" So now we can keep the fingers crossed for eachother lol..

Ohhhh and you with the dog called Troubles, my cats name is Trouble, she is beyond all help, she will never get trained, never get any mannors and always get her way lol..

Marit

[waffles717]

Hi there,could tell me is the Harness,better in the front lead,or Back the one we got is in the front but it is called easy walker but so hard to get on her!!!!l,ml!!!

[Saintly Girl]

My Saint will be one on Tuesday and he still does it sometimes.  It helps if I am walking my cocker at the same time.  Sometimes, you just have to sit and wait.  I have never experienced this before I had a Saint.  I use good old milk bones but even that doesn't work all the time.  Good luck and hopefully yours won't be as stubborn as mine.  One thing I noticed is that Mawell will stop when he knows he is on the way home.  It's like he doesn't want the walk to end.  What we do is plan our walks in a circle so there is not point where we just turn around.  We walk in a circle and he doesn't know we are heading back.  Saint, or for that matter, all large breeds can be quite head strong.  Good luck.