Our German Shepherd puppy hates his leash

by Jamie
(US)

When my dog was a little puppy my mother and I were both already in the habit of going for walks. It wasn't anything very elaborate, we'd just wander around the neighborhood a little and enjoy the fresh air.

When we decided to get a puppy, of course the first thing that occurred to use was how much he would love joining us on these walks. Puppies love walks, right?

Of course, we gave him a little while to grow up first. He was tiny when we got him (possibly even a little shy of 8 weeks, the vet wasn't quite sure). We cuddled him, and played with him, and did our best to teach him how to deal with wearing the leash as people who really didn't know very much about dogs or dog training.

When we finally started walking him with us, the first few times went fine and he seemed happy to be out exploring the world. Then, one day, we got a little carried away. Instead of sticking with a more puppy appropriate distance, we kept walking and walking along the same kind of route that we had often used without him.

For quite a while, everything seemed to be fine. Then he started to slow down. We managed to coax him along a bit, figuring we'd have him home soon. Then he finally decided he'd had enough of this and laid down on the side of the road, and absolutely refused to get back up again.

After a while of trying to convince him to start walking again, we finally gave up and my mother walked home to get the car so we could drive the poor little guy back. Once he got home he got a long drink and a good long puppy nap.

For a couple months after that, I think we may have been the only people in town with a dog that would run the other way when he saw someone touch the leash. (Of course, he did eventually learn to love walks once he gave them another chance!)