What does he do if he's not on a leash?

 Quote: Joey Harris

we currently just use a regular buckle collar...but i have to pull him along to get him going...or a quick jerk...sometimes harder than others because i get frustrated with him...and i know that is my fault...

would i be better off skipping the walk for a few nights and just let him run around in the back yard...supervised of course...working on different commands?

If it were me, that's what I'd do. Make sure you are interspersing your training with lots of chances for play and exploration. The back yard, especially if fenced, is a great place to just let the pup be a pup.

Also, just a thought, but if you are jerking the pup alot on his walks, maybe that's why he's so hesitant to go on his evening walk. Try luring him with a yummy treat instead...

we keep him on a leash about 90% of the time in and outside...even if outside he is dragging it around...off the leash he seems ok...hes a lab...loves to explore....he is never left unattended...someone is always out with him...i may be working on the yard, fixing something but always out with him...trying to keep an eye on him all the time...

he really is a good puppy 90% of the time...just taking this new route to training...and maybe my expectations are too high...havent had a puppy in 14 years...

and our other lab...we had put to sleep was almost human...best dog i ever had...and we trained him in ways that now id get blasted for...but i didnt know any better either....but he was awesome...i guess i maybe just setting my goals too high right now...not used to having a puppy...im used to a dog that was basically self sufficient

Joey,

you never know what will frighten a pup enough so that he no longer feels comfortable going for night time walks. What might seem like absolutely nothing to us seems horrendous to them.

Either that, or your pup has now learned that if he resists, he gets to go home and play in the backyard (you posted that you did that once, and it only takes one time for the pup to learn that if he balks during the walk, he gets what he wants)
I think that might be it because you said when you turned around to go home, he was fine.

Please don't use the prong for this. Using it to teach a pup to drop something that might be harmful to him is fine, but if you're pup is already funny about going on walks, pulling out a prong right now might set you back more than you know.

I would reward him for any walking he does normally during the day. If he's fine during the day I would take that opportunity to reward him then so that he gets the idea that walking on the leash is the best thing in the world because it's full of treats etc etc.

Wendy

The reason I asked about the leash is that sometimes a puppy who spends all its time on a leash will fight it. It all depends on your setup of course, but if it's possible, give him some time to run loose in your yard if you can do it safely. He should follow you willingly and get in the habit of doing so. Often, they start to fight the leash on principle. Not saying you should walk him all over the neighborhood w/no leash, but I typically don't use a leash until a pup's natural inclination is to follow me wherever I go. Then, they seem to not notice the leash at all. Also, I think the freedom my dogs had as puppies has helped them to be content not to run off; I don't have a single dog who cannot be loose outside with me w/out running off, and it truly is not because of extensive training; it's just that they are used to hanging out w/me and have tasted freedom, and they know it's not all it's cracked up to be. A dog who has been on a leash it's entire life is, IMHO, more likely to bolt at the first opportunity. This is just my personal opinion based on my experience.

Safety is first priority; if you don't have a truly safe place to let him loose, don't do it. Lure him instead. Jerking on the leash will only make him resist, though. That's a fact.

Take this with a grain of salt; more people will probably disagree with me than agree, but this is just what works for me, and what an old-time breeder I respect very much suggests to puppybuyers.

When I train my puppies, I will take a wooden spoon, with a little peanut butter on the end, hold it out in front of them, and it seems to motivate them to move forward.

I currently have a 18 week old pup, and I started doing more long line training, with recall at first, then got more into leash walking (I got him at 8 weeks of age).

I wanted him to learn to explore, and have a bond with him.

He was very stubborn on his leash at first, then he settled in just fine.

Good luck

Yep,
Even if I have to out of my way, I always go and find someplace the pup can be safely let go to explore on a regular basis. They can't out run you, YET. So if need be you can keep them out of trouble. And it's a great time to start shaping recalls, retrieves, etc. But let him explore some stange areas on his own Joey, it'll help with building his confidence.
You'll probably be surprised how close he'll actually stay to you. But don't be too overbearing or motherly. He'll be fine. Just keep watch and follow.

The hard part is coming. lol
Randy