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halt3rtop

Innisfil, ONT

JH
Posts:25

02/29/2012 9:10 AM
ok, so the little turd i have discovered LOVES to pick up rocks in his mouth. not big ones, small pebble like ones when we're walking. i took him to the vet for his first check up, and the vet says "he'll grow out of it, hopefully." have your pups had this issue when walking them on leash? another issue i've run into, is when i leash him up, and say "ok bullet, let's go for a walk/pee", he plants all 4 of his 4's, and i literally have to drag him to come out of the house. i feel so bad, but my friend says i'm doing the correct thing by either jolting the leash and pulling him (i feel awful for doing this!) or picking him up and putting him down outside, and not to let him do what he wants to, otherwise he'll get into a nasty habit. the leash he currently has is a 15ft retractable. and he ONLY does this when it's time to leave the house to go for his morning/evening walk. again, have you guys had this issue? i don't know if it's because i live on a busy street, and the cars freak him out a bit, but, it's really ridiculous, and i don't want to scar him by doing something incorrectly. and other than the rock picking up on the walk, he does well. help!

weerubbertummy User is Offline

Ayrshire, Scotland

MH
Posts:726

02/29/2012 9:27 AM
Sounds like maybe he has found the big world a little overwhelming. I had the same problem with Keely until a few weeks ago and i think it was cars that triggered it but she's over it now. I was advised by a lot of people on here just to slowly desensitize her to it and it's worked. The leash thing, there's always 2 arguements about what you should do about this - one is to drag the dog, the other is to make the dog want to move forward of it's own accord. I personally agree with the second option, i dont think forcing a dog does any good long term, but even moreso i really strongly feel that anything which results in the dog being dragged by it's collar (whether with the leash or not) will cause problems further down the line and i've seen that happening eg dogs that are sensitive to having their neck/collar/general head area approached by a hand etc by the way, picking him up when he's scared will only probably only reinforce his behaviour. I would only recommend doing that if it's an emergency or a matter of safety. I had that problem with Kintra regularly when she was a pup ie just stopping when walking and i only went as far as to lightly tug the leash once, and if that didnt work i made a complete fool of myself by jumping up and down and squealing like a loony to entice her along, and that worked.

Miss you forever Kintra baby xxx

Texas Belle User is Offline

Austin, TX

MH
Posts:7834

02/29/2012 9:30 AM
I wouldn't worry about the rock thing as long as he isn't eating them. I have had several that like to pick up small rocks and carry them around. I think they like the feel in their mouth. Also my two that like to pick up rocks turned it into a find game. I would rub my scent on the rock and toss it into the yard and they would go and find the one rock with my scent on it. As for leaving the house, you need to figure out what the issue is and also change the dynamics of when you leave. Does he do this is you leash him up away from the door and then lead him to the door and out? What about if you go out the back door and around the house instead of out the front door? Is it all doors? I would try getting him distracted and playing and then see if you can get him out the door with the toy. Otherwise you are turning the beginning of an outing into something not fun. Dragging him out the door is only going to make it worse and carrying will be a problem when he gets big. So you need to figure out what is scaring him and nip it in the bud now. As I said, changing the scenario of leaving may help. Think about leaving from his perspective. It could be the door opening, something outside, etc.

Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna) Yellow Rose GSPs "A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato

pixie bee

MH
Posts:4448

02/29/2012 9:42 AM
ok bullet, let's go for a walk/pee" For starters - stop saying this ^ Have a treat ready,bait him the entire time you are putting the leash on,give him a few bites to let him know your serious about giving treats, and bait him past the door frame. Don't say anything. I would not pull,yank etc to get them moving. I would use enough pressure to get them moving, then let up and presure until moving, then let up. If treats don't work, try bouncing a ball out the doorway.

"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle

Splat

Illinois (Northern)

MH
Posts:3128

03/01/2012 5:35 AM
like mentioned change the way you go out for the walk...Like Pixie bee Says stop saying lets go for a walk.... Like Texas Belle says try a different door...is your backyard fenced in or do you always need a leash to take him out?

smatulewicz User is Offline

Michigan

MH
Posts:1187

03/01/2012 5:24 PM
Bella still will grab a little pebble from time to time...they are the same size as treats after all, why not test it out lol... but she immediately realizes that they are no fun and spits them out. As someone mentioned, if he isn't eating them..I wouldn't worry. He is just exploring and learning his world, testing his nose.. Bella will lick fuzz off the floor to see if it is something yummy. Bella has never learned the world "walk" because as puppy she hated "leashed" walks. But it is cold here, and her world was not only noisy and new it was cold too. We just say "Ok let's go" to anything that she gets to go in the outside world... so she loves those words now even if it ends up being a leashed walk. But as a pup, her first few weeks of walking were mostly tail somewhat down... she grew out of that as she gained confidence. But still needs to find her confidence in any new situation. She has also never had an issue with the leash though, because since we do not have a fenced yard, each potty outing involved leashing. I wouldn't suggest pulling him out, he will only resent the leash more. AND I definitely wouldn't carry him (even though it is sooooo tempting when they are little and snuggly), because could just grow to expect this and prefer it! Coax with treats... make it a game. Go in and out in and out in and out using treats until he is so used to it, it is no big deal. You'll probably find you then have to work on not bolting through doors once he gains confidence. We have bella sit and wait at any door until she is given permission to enter/exit. But with stairs, we had to coax with treats and make it a game, and now she LOVES stairs. It all falls into place as they learn and build confidence. Well, mostly lol