Hello,
I just brought home my 8 wk old male rottweiler (pictures below!) this past weekend. He turned 8 weeks on Monday. Things are going very well so far, I think.. He knows "Sit" and knows "Go Potty!" and will pee right away when asked to. My only issue is taking him for walks. I want to take him just down the street and back to burn some energy. I play with him all the time, but it's nice to get some outdoor exercise right before bed. So here's the problem..
He wont walk with me. He fights the leash and will sometimes just plant himself and not want to move. I can easily pull him, but I don't want to do that and ruin trust between us if that's not the correct thing to do. I read on this forum in another thread that offering treats and making it fun is a good way to go, which worked for me for a little while but I went through a ton of treats in a short walk (4 houses down?).. What's the trick here? What am I missing?

Also one more thing.. He chews at the leash while walking. Do I give a little snap on the leash or is it far too early for that? I hope I'm not moving too fast, I just want to nip these problems in the butt while he's young. Pictures of Arnold below!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m271/godhand123/Arnold/DOG024.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m271/godhand123/Arnold/DOG010.jpg



Edited by Connie Sutherland (04/08/2010 10:30 AM)
Edit reason: change large embedded pics to links

What a cutie pants!

For me, yes 8 weeks is to early to correct, but it is not too early to imprint the right behaviors.

So, here is what I would do about the walking. Put Arnold on a 6 ft or longer leash. Clip it on and let him drag it. So now your job is to make following you/walking so much fun, he could never dream of being anywhere else.

So here is my walking protocol for my 8 week olds. No more than 10 minutes, and bring cool stuff. So I bring a pocket of chicken dogs and cheese, a piece of leather and a ball on a string.

I call my pup in and mark and reward, I will jog away (slowly) and have the pup chase me and when he gets to me I mark and reward. I will pull the leather and/or the ball on the ground and play with the pup BUT only when he is following me or coming in to me. If the pup turns away, I go in the opposite direction and pretend to be having the most fun ever and mark and reward when they follow....Works every time!

Great suggestions, Niomi!

Thanks for the information! I will try these things for sure. A trainer at my local pet store suggested I used a harness instead of a collar so he wont be able to bite at the leash easily and wont pull on his neck.. is this a good idea?

What do I do when he just sits and refuses? Is there any point where I should pull on the leash?

Ryan, don't use a harness on him. This encourages pulling...

Try Niomi's suggestions and let us know how it goes...

Don't worry too much about the leash biting at this point...if you have a rag with you, you can distract him with it to get him to bite the rag instead of the leash. Pups explore with their mouths, so biting stuff is normal...

Great! I will try this tonight!