Rugby and Walking
Submitted by buddies1220 on April 9, 2012 - 8:36pmHello everyone!
So I wanted to get some advice as we have been having difficulty with Rugby on the leash. The issue is NOT pulling... It is getting him to move! He was fine on walks and is great off leash but over the past week he has been very difficult/stubborn and the only way to get him to really walk has been to bribe him with treats. This obviously is not our preferred solution and we would love any advice!
He is fine off leash.. .but not on?
is that the only difference? or is he wearing a harness while on the leash and nothing while off?
Gizmo is night and day w/ her harness... Stubborn as a MULE with it ON! we also found out, she doesnt like anyone in front of her - if Dottie gets a few steps in front. she'll' BUTT PLANT, almost like saying MOMMY get back HERE !
Last steps taken May 26, 2014 -- Been rolling along ever since . . . .
You've got it!
We usually walk him with a regular collar as he is not the biggest fan of the harness. I guess the major issue is that he stops for everything... People, cars, other dogs, etc. But sometimes he just doesn't want to move at all...
Chef D is not the biggest fan of the harness either
He walks much slower in the harness than the collar. I'm a fast walker and it drives me nuts.
He also gets in these moods where he doesn't want to go in the direction I want to go in. For example tonight. He wanted to go to the bar. He hasn't been there in a week and I guess misses it. I just wanted to take him for a quick potty break. When he noticed I was heading home and not to bar he dug his heels in the ground. It's actually kind-of funny. At first he was just stopped, then he was pulling in the direction of the bar. People who walked by were laughing at his sad looking face. i just had to wait it out for a few minutes. Sometimes I have lure him with treats or someone on the streets who he wants to follow.
Chef D's Mug Shot
We went through this
Oliver loves to roam around off leash but when we put his leash on we would also drag behind and have to be constantly encouraged to move. The only time he would walk well would be if we were on a walk outside the neighborhood where things were new. We ended up starting to use a prong collar. He got a gentle correction if he fell behind and after one day he walks like a champ. Its so much better now because we can take him anywhere and not worry about not being to get back home. A little tough emotionally at first to use the prong collar but the result has been night and day and like I said, now he can go to so many other places because we dont have the fear of being stuck or having ot carry him back.
I had to resort to a prong
I had to resort to a prong collar too, but in my situation it was to stop Otis from pulling me when he got older. It was not my first choice of training device, but I had tried every "no pull harness" on the market. I finally gave in and bought one after attempting to take Otis to our block party..I came home with rug burn on my hands and a pulled muscle in my back. The prong collar works very well for us as well..and because I have more control over him he is able to go more places with me as well.
Where you live, is it getting warm out?
The ground can be up to 15 degrees warmer then the air up where you are. Could be just getting too warm to walk during the day. Try earlier in the morning or later in the evening for walking.
And if that isn't it, it could be just plain ol stubborn Bully behavior! Sophie used to do that all the time:-)
Amy and Sophia
We live in NYC
I would be concerned about the heat but it is just starting to get warm and his two biggest walks happen in the early morning and around 7pm. I just hope it's a phase as we really want him getting good amounts of exercise and him not moving isn't exactly accomplishing that...
When Otis was a puppy he
When Otis was a puppy he HATED walks. He would sit down and not move and/or turn around and head for home. I would be lucky if I could get him to the stop sign at the end of my street. As he got older he stopped doing it, now he loves walks and we walk very far when it is cool out. Hopefully it is just a phase for your bully too!
Same experience with Molly
I always joked that if I tried to go in a different direction than she wanted or she just didn't feel like walking, she would put the "brakes" on by planting her front legs firmly down. I cant tell you how many people actually stopped and laughed at me tryng to get her to move and she would sit there staring at me! She has gotten a lot better on the leash but I did use lots of treats to train her. I also found that walking her with my friend and her dog helped too. Not sure if you can walk Rugby with another dog or not but Molly was eager to keep up! Molly still stops to sniff everything and looks when she hears the slightest interesting noise so now I'm working on her focusing so she will go to the bathroom. It is really frustrating in the mornings when I need to get to work!
Kippah loves to walk
She loves going for walks but she is still a puppy.
But I do know what you are talking about when you say they plant it and that is that. We were asked to sit in on the new group going through the Advanced Training. The trainer likes to have a graduate there to demonstrate. So last week she was teaching them to walk in pace with the owner, and part of the CGC test they use a figure 8. One turn the dog must walk a little faster and then immediatly slow down after the curve to stay in stride, on the other turn the dog slows their stride to keep in pace. We did one figure 8, and then I went to continue into the second one and I felt a tug......Apparently Kippah only contracted to do a figure 8, not a figure 16. I looked back to see what the tug was and she was sprawled out flat , back paws pointed to the ceiling. she was done! How embarrassing!
Loves and Smooches, Kippa and Mama (Annette)