Why won't my bulldog walk on a leash? Tips to get her moving?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Adorable picture! It sounds like he is scared. So you want to take it slowly. Use treats and your other dog to help him. Coax him to go short distances with the treats. he could be afraid of loud noises or cars. If this doesn't work it sound like a severe phobia and you should hire a veterinary behaviorist or trainer. I and most vets are not fans of extendable leashes. I would get a regular to help gently pull him Good luck!

Hello. The best thing to do is start slow & put the harness on for a few minutes 2-3 times a day. Reward her with many treats & lots of petting to calm her. Then attach a leash & just let her drag it around for a few days. Once she seems comfortable, ask her to follow or approach you while gently pulling on the leash. I always have a tasty treat in my hand to encourage her. With just a little time & patience, all dogs will get used to being on a leash & harness. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using corrective collars like a pinch collar or gentle leader. These can help stop the pulling behavior. You may also look into the low voltage shock collars. These collars emit a small shock that is similar to being snapped by a rubber band. You can use this to correct the behavior and these collars can all be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Congratulations on your new dog Hazel. New situations can be very stressful and it sounds like she may have not had a lot of training or exposure in her previous home. Find treats that she really seems to like. You may need to experiment around with different ones. Once you find the treats, reward her for approaching you with a treat. Reward her for sitting next to you or any other healthy activity that involves her being interested in you. This will quickly form a positive association. You will not always need to reward this behavior but for right now, it’s important. To train her to use a leash, hook it to her collar and allow her to drag it around. She will eventually move and get use to the weight. Then start to pick up the leash and slowly follow her as well as encourage her to walk with you. The key is to use high value treats, talk softly, keep things positive and be patient. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

3. WalkingtheOtherWay In order to reinforce a dog’s natural tendency to follow, once your dog pulls out in front, you should turn quickly and walk the other way. Reward once you feel slack on the collar. This can cause a walk to go no more than a few feet at the beginning, so be patient. The pull back should only be strong enough to get your dog’s attention. Excessive force, especially when using choke chains, may cause neck trauma. For more information, please contact your veterinarian or a trainer who uses humane training methods.

Patience. To get her used to it, when you can keep an eye on her, hook it to her collar and let her drag it around the house. Every time you out it on her, give her a treat, lots of praise and show her lots of enthusiasm. Practice off leash in a puppy-safe, potty safe area and reward your pup for sitting. Give one treat for sitting and additional treats for remaining seated. Once you have her undivided attention, run the other way to incite a chase. Stop after 5-7 steps, before she catches up. When she gets to you, she sits and gets a reward. Now she has the idea that it’s fun to follow you. Next, repeat the same process with a lightweight leash attached to her flat collar so she gets used to the feel of the leash. Of course, make sure that she can’t get it snagged on anything or you’ll be adding an extra day or two to your training! After you’ve practiced that a couple of times you’re ready to hold the leash. In fact, you can often skip that leash dragging stage. Your pup is already used to following you when you sprint or head the other way. So, you can walk but with quick little steps so it looks like you are sprinting to get her to follow after you. Make sure that you keep the leash in a loose arc the entire time. Alternatively you can go for variation two. Walk to the end of the leash, but without letting the leash tighten. We want to avoid any pressure at first since pressure might scare her. When you get to the end, remain with your body facing forward while looking back at your puppy or face your body slightly sideways so you can see her more easily. Then lure her to you with a treat. Do this 3-6 times in a row or more until you can rapidly walk away and when you stop and lure she readily catches up to you when she sees the treat. Next, repeat the process but don’t show her the treat until after she catches up to you. Once she follows you 3-6 times, she will most likely start to walk with you as you begin to walk away.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes dogs can get scared even when there does not appear to be anything scary in sight. Remember that they can hear and sense much better than us so he may be perceiving something that is near which you may not. This can improve but it can certainly become a bit difficult at times. I recommend that you start taking him out for longer periods but very slowly over the next several weeks. Encourage him to stay out with treats and positive words. Also, in the beginning just take him out without walking initially just to get him used to his surroundings. Eventually little by little he will learn that going outside equals getting treats and attention and will improve with time but it does require time and patience. You can consider using the Thunder shirt for him which you may find online and can help a lot in these cases. Good luck and have a great day!