Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 10 week old blue Doberman puppy. She is very smart, friendly and energetic. She will sit and goes potty outside most of the time. The problem is when she gets really excited and pulls on her leash. How do I get her to walk nicely?

>>I have a 10 week old blue Doberman puppy. She is very smart, friendly and energetic. She will sit and goes potty outside most of the time. The problem is when she gets really excited and pulls on her leash. How do I get her to walk nicely?

>>>>>>>>>>>

The trick to this is to never walk forwards with a dog who is pulling forwards. You can stop, walk backwards, make a sharp about-turn or right-turn, or even get dramatic and turn left and fall over the dog! That gets their attention! But never go forward with a dog who is pulling forward and pulling means ANYTIME THE LEASH GOES TIGHT.

Don't try to decide how much pulling is too much. The guide is a leash that is hanging, not stretched taut. This has to be the lifelong way you handle the dog. It pays off, because then all other training is easier and more humane.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thank you for your reply. It is definitely helping her leash training. She is 12 weeks old now. She is having problems with her pen. She stays in it for a few hours at a time while I am at work. My mother-in-law watches her during the day. She takes her out every few hours, feeds her and plays with her. She hates being put in the pen. She has started flailing about and nipping when I try to put her in. My mother-in-law is afraid to put her back in after she feeds her. I've tried leaving special toys in her pen. I have a radio on. What can I do to get her calm in the pen.

>>Thank you for your reply. It is definitely helping her leash training. She is 12 weeks old now. She is having problems with her pen. She stays in it for a few hours at a time while I am at work. My mother-in-law watches her during the day. She takes her out every few hours, feeds her and plays with her. She hates being put in the pen. She has started flailing about and nipping when I try to put her in. My mother-in-law is afraid to put her back in after she feeds her. I've tried leaving special toys in her pen. I have a radio on. What can I do to get her calm in the pen.

>>>>>>>>>>

It sounds like she has learned that putting up a fuss will cause the human to back off. You're going to need to get some help in person with training. This will only get worse if you don't start good training now--and she will get bigger and more defensive.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47