Hope someone out there can help, I have a 12 week old puppy had all its jabs, and it will not walk on a lead, will drag the lead all round the garden, no problem, if I or anyone pick the lead up it stops dead, so we have cajoled, no joy, bribed, no joy, just walked tugging, no joy, think I know where the problem has come from, and it is my fault we havea  very large garden and until he had had all his jabs he had the freedom to roam the garden as he wanted.  Know I should have started him on the lead sooner, now I have to find a painless stressfree solution for both of us, otherwise he is going to spend the next 15 years in the garden.  He is of a stuborn breed anyway, I dont know if I should remove all his free roaming until I get the lead sorted or not.  any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Have you tried just following where he leads with no tension on the lead.  I am sure he will move sooner or later when he stops dead, so you will just have to wait.  With my own breed that are stubborn rather than sensitive he would just jolly well have to walk, but make it the better option.  small sharp tugs, and also a favourite food reward if he shows any co-operation.

As for freedom in the garden, it isn't that relevant to this unless he does not respond to your calls or runs away from you when you want him.  In that case leave a long line on him and reel him in if he doesn't recall.

He should not have the opportunity to disobey any command.  If in doubt don't command him.

Most of my pups have objected at first to the lead. This latest one is the opposite ;) What I used to do was to put the lead on the pup in the house and just hold it. When the pup moved, I moved. When it stopped, I stopped. It got used to someone on the end of the lead. I would only do it for a few minutes each time and gradually build up. Once I removed the lead I would make a fuss of the pup if it had been good and would play with it. If it hadn't moved, or objected, then I would walk away without making eye contact, and try again after about 10-15 minutes. They soon realised that having a lead on usually meant there was fun afterwards so didn't object too much. Then the problem of walking to heel started :)

I did have a little chuckle when i read this as this is what happened to us. I only in fact started trying our puppy with the lead before we started puppy classes and he refused to walk with it! Then he decided that he would roll himself over every time we put him on the lead it was very funny for other people to watch but i was very stressed about it at the time!

I don't have a magic cure all i can say is just persevere you will get there with it in the end it just takes patience your puppy will eventually get used to the lead and realise that it means nice walks to interesting new places!

xx

Don't be tempted to leave it and see if he is better next week  as what that will teach is that if he objects to something you will stop making him do it.

He needs to learn that it will result in pleasnat things if he co-operates, but also that you are not giving in to him.

thanks for all the replies I have tried most things now as I said, and am of the same mind as Brainless.  i.e that I just have to make him do it until he realises stopping dead is not an option.  Again they only way he will move is if tugged, which seems to defeat the object of treatiang for good behaviour when I have forced him to move, will of course persevier, and hopefully he will get the message soon.

Have you tried the lead walk outside of your garden? Just thinking that if you drove somewhere new and exciting and put him down his curiousity would get him moving.
Or in the garden, put his food bowl down/special treat/favourite toy a few feet away, then walk him over on his lead to it. Just a couple of ideas.

Remember you need to cajole rather than force.  If he moves even if you ahve had to tug treat him, this will then encourage him to do it himself.

I'm of the same mind as Lori, it is his first week on lead, it is not necessarily the lead but walking somewhere unknown, most pups are apprehensive and will just sit down and not want to move forward, not really anything to do with being on a lead, but walking away from his 'safe' home and garden. Not many pups enjoy their first walk and don't know what to do.

Pick him up and carry him away from his area, his front door, his back garden.

Pop him on a grassy area, he will soon start to sniff and just as advised already let the lead sit loose and slack, follow him around ;-) Do this for a couple of days and then on the third day, say "come, this way" and gently walk away gently tugging on the lead, stopping every couple of seconds for more sniffing, or if your lucky puppy struts infront or at heal.

It is all about letting him feel safe in areas where he can definitely smell other dogs, letting him get used to his new surroundings, before you know it he will be wagging his tail when he sees the lead and looking forward to his walks. :-)

Another good tip (used this on Dudley when she was a stubborn puppy ) Is to take two people out and get one to walk in front and call the pup and encourage them to walk towards them :)

Haven't taken him anywhere unknown yet, just had the lead on, trailing then picked it up, when he stops dead.  all of this done on land he has always known.  he was a little better today for a while then reverted to the 'no way hosay' option.  he will pull me along, or at least expects me to follow, but will not let me dictate where we go.  Such fun.

I think too many people worry to much about 'the lead' if you can get your puppy to watch you ,walking to heel is simple I would put the lead on and let it trail in the garden have lots of nice treats sausage ,chicken hold it over his nose encouraging him to walk around to heel giving losts of praise and treats pick up the lead occasionally then let it drop , get him to sit treat, heel treat . Sit him infront of you take step back call him to you (make it fun) pick up lead walk a couple of steps drop the lead still heel walking he will soon forget about the lead and you are teaching him to walk by your side rather than pulling in front when he is older.
I personally think recall is more important than the lead , call him to you all the time during the day treating when you do I do this with a puppy very early on then when I go to the park for the first time I let them off the lead (let it drop) calling them to me continually and treating ,I find they wont venture far when so young and love to have the freedom to sniff and play with leaves but return to you when you call them.

Ah memories...

When I first got my lurcher puppy, years ago, I had terrible problems with him on the lead at first. I tried in the house first of all and he backed away, I went with him but obviously not quickly enough because the SECOND he felt the TINIEST bit of pressure, he threw himself on the floor, legs in the air, and screamed the house down. I mean SCREAMED. I immediately took the lead off and he recovered. Now I know for certain that there was not enough pressure on his neck to cause any injury - it was simply that he had always been (and remained so) extremely touch-sensitive.

I phoned a dog trainer and took him in the car to her house. I had told her about the problem and she sounded a little skeptical. I got the impression she thought I was a novice owner exaggerating... anyway, we got to her house, put the lead on and took him outside. She set him down and the same thing happened. Puppy, screaming his head off, lying on his back waving his legs in the air. Curtains down her road twitched and some people even came outside to have a look at what, from the sounds of it, was a puppy being tortured and possibly killed....

"Ooh. I see what you mean now" she said.

We eventually cured him, fairly quickly, by enticing him along with treats. And once he learned that going out on the lead meant FUN, he was fine!

I had a dog about 18 years ago that I honestly thought would never get used to a lead.  She was allowed to run round the house with it trailing, but as soon as I touched the lead, she acted as if she'd been beaten.  She dug her heels in, jumped, twisted, laid down, it was a nightmare.  I had tried the tempting with treats thing, and about everything else that I could think of.  I asked advice at a local pet shop.  The owner had shown GSD's for many years.  He asked if she liked her food, yes, she was a good eater, and on 4 meals a day.  It took less than a week!  I would advise anyone trying the method, to split meals up if on less, repitition is important.  All my dogs sit and watch me prepare their food in the kitchen.  I would put Penny's lead on, and leave her watching with the others.  For some reason, she seemed unperturbed at having the lead loose, probably distracted at watching food!  Once all the dishes were filled, I would pick Penny's bowl up and open the kitchen door, and walk all the way up to the top of the garden.  Her eyes never left the bowl of food as she walked with me.  Once at the top of the garden, I would pick up her lead, and walk back into the kitchen before putting her bowl down for her.  After the first day I didn't leave her lead loose to walk up the garden, but she wasn't interested in me holding the lead, she was watching her bowl.  As I said, it took less than a week, and until I lost Penny at nearly 16 years, she loved her lead and walks.

One of my pups hated her lead at first.  She was fine with it trailing behind her, but as soon as I picked it up, she stopped dead, and then rolled onto her back and wouldn't get up.

I got a bit stressed out about it, but then decided to ignore it.  So we carried on with the trailing lead, and me picking it up.  When she rolled over, I ignored it, but carried on holding the lead....a real battle of wills!!  The first time, I stood there for at least 20 minutes!  Then I think she got bored, jumped up and walked off, with me at the end of the lead.  I gave her a treat, and a fuss, then let her off her lead (on my land, so she was safe) It happened a few times, but she got better every time.

She's the only dog I've ever had that brought a lead to me when she fancied a walk!!

Oh I hope I have your luck, I have two of them doing it, one 10 weeks and the boy 12 weeks, will try the food distraction, I.e. the walk with the food that sounds like it might be a possibility.  thanks and will let u know how i get on.  treating doesn't work, I am not trying to walk both of them together as I know they will feed off one another,