i tried a collar and lead on my 11 week old bullmastiff today. he just dropped to the floor and refused to move!!!!     is this normal?.....anyone else had the same experience........?..he starts training on wednesday. hopefully they'll tell me how to get him over it#!!!!...is there a magic way???

sorry dont know how to cure as i was only 5 when we were having problems with our dog and i cant remember how to make it stop!!! but i know that it is quite a normal responce as i looked after a italian spinonie for our friends and when ever we tryed to put a lead on her she tryed to bite it and she would try and run away from it and end up rolling over herself!!, really very funny to watch :D Hopefully all will be cured at training. Good luck! :) and tell me how it went!!

sarah xxxx

Were you trying the collar for the first time too as well as the lead, all in one go, or do you mean you were trying having the lead attached to the collar for the first time?

The first time(s) you put the lead on, put it on and walk off to leave it laying on the ground beside him, rather than putting it on and expecting to be able to lead him around the house with it.  Put it on, and if he sinks to the ground and looks like he can't cope, move right away and start having fun with one of his toys so that he has no choice but to walk around in it because he wants to come and have fun with you.  Just leave it on for a short time, say 5-10 mins then take it off and maybe try again later. After a couple of days, progress to holding it so that he gets used to the resistance feeling of you being on the other end, then eventually you may be able to pursuade him to walk round the garden on the lead.  Hmm, took us ages though!

By the way, this is just what I remember as the advice from The Perfect Puppy book.  Oh yes, and it also says before you start leading him on the lead, put a finger through the collar and hold him back occasionally so that he gets used to the feeling of being held back.

Hi
Our lab pup was a totaly nightmare on a lead to start with. She would drop to the floor and not move an inch. I done the thing with leaving the lead on her in doors for a bit and she would run arounf all happy but the minute we opened the front door that was it.
She loved the kids tho so in the end we would make the kids walk in front of her and she would follow, she was so busy trying to keep up with them she never noticed that she was out in the big wide world.

Our bullmastiff pup was a bit the same but it only took 2 attempts to get her out, again we made the kids and this time our lab walk in front and she followed.

Oh yeah a food treat helped aswell, everytime they got to the end of a new street a gave them a treat, when they where walking fine, i left the treat untill we got home.

Debbie

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