"Popping the leash repeatedly and sometimes pretty hard" on a 9 wk old puppy is useless and very bad for bonding and training. At 9 wks old you should be bonding with your pup, not correcting it. The pup needs a little time to acclimate to life! Chill out and work on housebreaking and bonding, he's probably a little freaked out from all the new sounds and smells, don't forget you have a 9 wk old puppy, not a year old dog, good luck to you both!

When Hans was that age he'd resist at times when we were taking him for a walk. We'd get to the edge of our property and he would stop, he wouldn't want to go on. I think it was a little fear of the unknown. We used treats to lure him.

I agree with what others are saying, he is still very much a baby. So give him a reason to want to follow you.

Also, they don't have a lot of stamina at that age. I know that seems like a strange thing to say, because they look like little furry balls of energy, like the Tasmanian Devil in the old Bus Bunny cartoons. If you watch them play, they'll go like hell, then stop and rest. If he appears to just want to sit or lay down it may be because he is getting tired. If so, let him rest a bit then head back home.

A while back I got great news from this forum. Use a hot dog that dangles down and lure the little guy when he is just afraid. I used this method for helping Cody to heel, he is improving. In fact when he heels he does wonderfully in our back yard, working on distractions in other locations...distractions like flies even grab his attention, he is very alert and ready to face exciting situations, and to him, everything is incredibly exciting. Your baby is so young, I would just encourage the little guy to learn that being with you is the greatest, no matter where you go. In my opinion, I would hold off on serious training and just make everything a game, like coming when called, and waiting at the door so you can go out first. You probably are doing those things already. Aren't our dogs the greatest blessing! Looking forward to tonight when I can take my Cody out for his walk. and I am going to be training my other two. I have three dogs, Bindi, 2 years, Cody 1 year, and our new dog Terra. She is a fearful dog so we are going at a snails pace. She has learned her name, sit, off, come and we are now on down. She is 11 months old now.

May God bless you

 Quote: Sharon Empson

Use a hot dog that dangles down and lure the little guy when he is just afraid.

ROTFLMAO

Here's nice video illustrating a good way to start your puppy off right, regarding walking nicely on the leash. This was posted before by Angela Burrell and I really liked it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6bX1zq5HBg

Use bits of real meat for food rewards, like cubed chicken or beef, in tiny pieces.

That video is great! I've been doing it all wrong the last couple of days. Time to start over.

Is there a different video somewhere because the link to that one has been removed.=(

 Quote: randy allen

Armin,
The time is now to start learning about inforcements. All POSITIVE.
If you don't know about marker training and shaping behavior, there are many many threads here as well as an e-book Ed has provided free of charge. Read them. Practice them.
Patience, it'll all work out.

And don't forget, the board is here for questions.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

second that.

at nine weeks with a UberHund its all "OMG!!! SO MUCH TO SEE!! SO MUCH TO DO! IT'S WONDERFUL WORLD OUTSIDE! WHY IS THIS PERSON HOLDING ME BACK? GIVE ME A BREAK I JUST GOT OFF THE TEAT I WANNA SEE IT ALL NOW!

I had a similar issue with my Dobe as a pup.

I would definitely not use any kind of leash corrections on a puppy that young. remember he has only been alive for a little over two months, and leashes can seem very unnatural to a pup, to avoid making an opposition to the leash you should marker train it like people have been suggesting.

My pup was put off by the cold and walking on icy, salty cement. so i just lifted my puppy up and carried him to the park where he could run and play on a long line and would experience the world in a very positive light.

Good luck with your pup!

Rob

Whoa whoa guys this thread is over 2 years old.
If the op doesn't have it under control by now, he pretty is getting tired of getting his knees skinned up.