Arnold, my 15 week old male rottweiler, is coming along really well. Most of his "puppy habbits" are much easier to deal with now that he's a bit more mature. On to my question..
He's a LOT better about walking with me now, and will go further than just 2 houses down, haha. He'll go around the block or just about anywhere I want to go with him. My only issue is that he wants to stop every few steps to smell/chew/taste everything. I know this is normal puppy behavior, but I'd like to know if I should be doing anything to keep him focused. I'll give him a small pull if he starts heading off the sidewalk, and that usually works to keep him going, but sometimes he's more stubborn and will plant himself to stop. Should I pull harder and make him keep walking even if he struggles? I can easily over power him, but when he's older I'm sure it will be more difficult so I dont want him to form bad habbits. Would a prong collar be appropriate for this, or is he too young? I've read in a few places on this site that a prong collar is like power steering for a dog! Right now he has on a cheapo nylon collar. Up to this point I've been careful not to "over correct" or be too hard on him since he's young, but I guess I dont really know what age is ok to start harder corrections.
Thanks,
Ryan

15 weeks seems a little young to me for a prong collar.

I'm a big fan of prong collars and use them on all my dogs--but when they were puppies, I just used an ordinary flat collar--until about 6-7 months old.

At this age, the challenge is for YOU to be more interesting to him than those other distractions. Take a pocketfull of treats--the really good ones that he thinks are special--and lure his attention back to you when he strays or stops. Then praise big. You might also keep up a running conversation with him as you walk--talk to him, use your silly "puppy voice" to get and keep his attention.

And when all else fails, turn and go the opposite direction. If he's out ahead, turn around and go in a different direction. If you're in a place where it's safe to let go of the leash, drop it and RUN in the opposite direciton. He'll follow---then praise him for that too.

"Crazy walking"--the technique of frequently changing the direciton you're walking worked wonders for me. It works best in a field, or somewhere where there's no sidewalk to telegraph the path you're walking. Then just start walking randomly. Turn every few seconds and head in a new direction. He'll quickly realize that you are unpredictable and he'd better pay attention becaues you're crazy and you might do anything!

After he's better at walking without the prong--you're pretty sure he gets the concept--then in a few months, you can get the prong and begin introducing corrections. Which with a prong will be small corrections. Simply wearing the thing makes most dogs mind their leash manners.

As a *general rule*, I wouldn't put anything other than a flat, buckle collar on a pup that age.

The trick is not to find a way to yank him away from all those interesting things, the trick is to be more interesting than everything else in the first place, so his attention never wanders.

Treats, toys, clap your hands, talk in an embarrassingly sweet excited voice, etc, all to help keep your pup's attention on you.

However, you should take frequent breaks to let him smell. He's a pup, his attention span is short and its good for his developing temperament to explore and learn that the world is a safe place.

Using willpower to overcome a puppy's resistance is really setting yourself up for even bigger battles when all those hormones kick in and he weighs 70 lbs.
You don't ever want to turn your relationship into "me vs the dog"... it should always be "us, together, against the world".

Play with the puppy. Let the puppy be a puppy. Its easier to teach the dog how to focus, be precise and turn his enthusiasm down a notch when he gets older. Its very hard to put it back in if its been smooshed out as a pup.

Great responses from Aaron and Tracy! I would do what they suggest. I too am a huge proponent of prong collars, but like they stated, this puppy is too young to use one. Make yourself more interesting, but also let him explore so he becomes comfortable with his surroundings.

 Quote: Ryan Rubel

My only issue is that he wants to stop every few steps to smell/chew/taste everything. I know this is normal puppy behavior, but I'd like to know if I should be doing anything to keep him focused.Should I pull harder and make him keep walking even if he struggles?

I like cheese, and so do most of my dogs. At this stage in life a very light hand will help you infinitely later. Usually once a puppy knows following along gets them a reward while on leash usually I use a light tap (emphasis on the light) and the moment their head swings around they get an enthusiastic YES! and a cheese nibble.

A prong being called power steering for dogs is correct. IMO though it's not needed for about 90% of dogs where training and solid ground work would do the job for life, no fancy metal headgear required.

Thanks for the responses! I'll try this tonight for sure. Being more exciting rather than giving little tugs makes sense.
Thanks!

I have a 80 day old dobermann that walks in loose heeling. I could make him do that with 7 days of training. It is still a work in progress.

I constantly talk to him while I take him on a walk (1 Km or so) and by the time I come back I am tired from all that talking. It is tiring, but it works. By the time you notice that he has stopped to sniff some thing, it is already too late. I always keep an eye on him and if I feel that his attention is going to drift away from me, I start walking a little faster and I say things like "foose Kaizer..yaaayy...goopp puppy ...such a good boy...you are such a good boy kaizie..whose a goobb boy". I mean the yammering goes on and on...if I saw myself passing me by, I would think that I was mentally unstable. If he happens to lag behind or forge forward, I either start walking faster or even run a bit saying "Foose Kaize.. foose foose" and the moment he starts picking up the pace, I start praising him...or if he forges forward, I either pop the leash gently and say "Nien" and the moment he falls back, the praises start flowing, or if I feel like he is going to forge forward, I just say his name in a stern tone and if he decelerates, again the praises start flowing. But for this to work, 1) Your puppy must know that when he hears the stern voice he better listen to you or else bad things might happen to him. I do this not during obedience , but during feeding time. No one is allowed to touch the food bowl unless I say it is OK. Invariable when the pup makes a mistake, I will say his name in a deep tone, then Nien and give him a bite in the neck(behind his ears) with my index finger middle finger and thumb, just a gentle bite, but usually they get the point after a few times. 2) Your entire attention should be focussed on your puppy when you take him for a walk, you should be continously watching him and try to read his mind and see if he is focussing on you and the road ahead or is he letting his mind wander. I always try to stop the puppy from making a mistake before he makes it and give him constant praise. So if I am walking him for ten minutes, every 30 seconds or 60 seconds he gets a feed back on how he is doing. I dont look at him when I walk, but I try to feel what he is doing by how the leash feels.

I am not a professional trainer nor do I have any credentials, I am just sharing with you what has worked for me.


Ram

 Quote: tracy collins

"Crazy walking"--frequently changing the direciton you're walking

Reminds me of a Ron White joke.

"They arrested me for public intoxication. I was intoxicated in a bar. THEY threwwwwwwwww me into publiccccccc. Arrest THEM!"

I think it is from that Ron "the tater salad" white album. I love his comedy. Has he made any new albums lately?