# My chi won't walk!



## Little_em00 (Jun 16, 2012)

I have an embarrassing problem, Rupert is 16 weeks and still will not walk on lead. He may take a couple of steps and then dig in the heels and point blank refuses to walk. People in the street comment on how 'tired' he must be with the little legs he has, we all know three steps cannot wear out a chi!! He walks so well off lead and loves running up and down our paddock, yet clip that lead on and he refuses to co operate! I have tried coaxing with treats and my vet suggested cream cheese on a wooden spoon for him to follow. Has anyone else had this problem and do they grow out of it?


----------



## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Still a baby that doesn't understand what you want! Thinks the leash is a restraint!! PATIENCE!! He will come around & get the idea. Gently tug on the leash & talk softly coaxing him to come along! One day it will click like he knew how to walk on the leash all along. Don't give up! When you are getting ready to take him for a walk, act all excited & make sure to say to him, "Ready to go for a walk!" Let him know it's a fun thing to do.


----------



## SV242 (Apr 6, 2012)

Try getting a couple of treats and hold it out in front of him while he is on the lead. When he walks to the treat praise him. Then you can have him walk a little farther each time to get the treat. It does hurt your back after a little while so hopefully he will pick up on it quickly, lol. I have also heard of others putting a small amount of peanut butter on a wooden stirring spoon and holding it out in front of him. I will also let them be in the house with the lead on but just let it drag behind him so he can get used to the feel of it on his neck (supervised of course).


----------



## Little_em00 (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks I will try this fingers crossed!


----------



## Angel1210 (Mar 14, 2011)

You could also try "supervised" play time with a short leash on him. I have a show lead (which just loops around the neck) for quick outside trips. I would put a lead on him indoors, hold the lead very, very loosley and play with him for just about 2 minutes, a few times during the day. That should get him used to having the leash on and he should get the idea that it means something good. Of course a small treat doesn't hurt either. lol


----------



## thatrandomgirl (Mar 4, 2012)

I second the suggestion of just letting him play while having a leash on.

Stella did the same thing your puppy did- she planted her feet into the ground and looked at me as if to say, "NOPE." It takes them a while to get used to the leash. One day I just hooked the leash on her and let her walk around with it on her own terms, so she could get used to it. Then when going back to taking walks and stuff, I'd just encourage her to come forward with very light pressure, then I'd praise her whenever she made progress.

Then one day, it just clicked. She still needs lots of work on heeling, but that's a whole different story. 

Good luck with your pup!


----------



## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

I agree with Nicole! Just leave the leash on him to roam around. You can even leave a shorter leash on; or just the harness and a little piece of rope or string so he gets accustomed to the "feel."

My beloved Kahlua used to be stubborn back in the day; but once she realized how fun walkies were that stopped lol. What I would do, since I knew she would snap out of her "stance" and happily trot if she "thought" she wasn't on the leash; is reach down and make the leash end Snap/Click (PRETENDING I was taking it off.) Once I did that, she'd do a little shake, and then happily lead the way. Maybe a little deceitful on my part but hey, she loves going for walks now, LOL!


----------



## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

are you using a collar or a harness?


----------



## Gee_Gee (Jul 26, 2012)

Pip is 14 wks and he is the same he walks for a little bit then his head goes down, tail between his legs and butt on the floor. The only thing that gets him walking again in either the cat has to come on walks too  or I throw a little stone (I Don't allow him to pick the stone up) and walk time becomes exciting again. It is easier/safer if you walk him on a harness. Patience is a virtue


----------



## Little_em00 (Jun 16, 2012)

He wears a harness as he does the scream of death if I try to attach the lead to his collar!! I think we have cracked it, he's started to walk on a lead when we are in parks and there is no one else around but not in towns, I wonder if because he is so small he must be scared of the big feet coming at him


----------



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Okay, I will write out my very LONG experience with this since I was in the same boat for a long time! Here's my experience and advice...

I used to have the same exact problem with Gemma and just until very recently, like I'd say the past week or two, she has cut out the whole stopping and refusing to move thing altogether. Now she only stops and resists moving when she wants to sniff something stinky. 

It took over two months for Gemma to walk like she does now on her leash and harness. She still absolutely hates putting her harness on but she gets over it as soon as we walk out the door. To get her used to her leash at first, I would let her walk around a little without me holding the leash, letting her drag it behind her on her own. Then I started holding it when she wasn't terrified of it anymore. However, she still wouldn't walk. She would just plant her butt and look at me like "Nope, not moving!" So, I just had to be patient. I literally just stood there holding her leash for 5-10 minutes at a time, constantly telling her to "Let's go!" As soon as she even took ONE step forward, I praised and praised and praised her. Usually this would make her very happy and she would walk up to me, but then as soon as she reached me and I tried to continue forward, she would stop and refuse to move all over again. After about 15 minutes of repeating this each day, it was back inside and try again later.

Believe me, the situation felt totally hopeless for a long time. I thought she would NEVER learn to walk on her leash, but all of a sudden, it just clicked with her. She liked being outside so she realized that if she wanted to explore, she was going to have to start walking with me. At first she would walk a bit, then stop for a bit, then walk for a bit, then stop. Then the walking part would start getting longer and the stopping would start getting shorter. It really just took a ton of patience and a lot of encouragement on my end. I was constantly telling her what a good girl she was whenever she was moving forward at all. Just constantly clapping and cheering "Good girl! Good girl, Gemma! Look at you! Good girl!" It was actually tiring how much I was having to cheer her on, lol. But it definitely helped boost her confidence.

When she could actually start completing a normal length walk (like 10-15 minutes of walking with just a few times of stopping and refusing to move), I started rewarding her at the end of our walks by letting her run freely outside in the apartment yard for about 20 minutes or more after each walk. After I started doing this, I saw a rapid improvement. She associated completing her walks with getting to run around in the yard, which she LOVES doing. She started completing her walks quicker and more efficiently each day. She does not get to run around freely until after she does her walk on her leash. She also does not get to go outside unless she wears her harness. Being strict about these two things I believe has greatly helped her understand that behaving while I put her harness on and walking while on her leash means that she is going to be rewarded. She does not get to enjoy being outside or running free unless she cooperates with these two things first. A little tough love goes a long way with these stubborn little monkeys!

Today at 5 months old, she walks without stopping for no reason. She only stops to sniff things. When she stops to sniff something and she is taking too long, I say "Leave it! Let's go!" and give her a gentle tug and she will start moving again. I have been using that phrase since the beginning when she was sniffing or trying to eat something on the ground and praising her as soon as she moved. She now understands that it's time to go when I say that.

Don't give up. Like others have said, he really is just going to get it one day. It came out of nowhere for Gemma. I honestly thought she would never walk like a normal dog. Really just this past week she has started walking 10 times better than she ever had before. All of a sudden, she just realized that walking is actually FUN!

Oh, another tip for you could be to have another leash-trained dog walk with you or ahead of you. That could really help Rupert understand how to walk like a big boy, and also make the experience more fun for him having a doggy pal to enjoy it with.

Good luck! Just keep at it every day! With consistency, he WILL get it. I promise!


----------



## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

Little_em00 said:


> He wears a harness as he does the scream of death if I try to attach the lead to his collar!! I think we have cracked it, he's started to walk on a lead when we are in parks and there is no one else around but not in towns, I wonder if because he is so small he must be scared of the big feet coming at him


oh ok. I was just asking because it could MAYBE have been the harness/collar thing, but he's already wearing a harness (which is great to hear). I don't know of any dogs that prefer a harness to a collar, but I didn't know if maybe that could be it..but now ya know it's not. Sorry I'm not more of any help, but there are some great advice givers on here, so glad you asked.


----------

