I've literally hit a brick wall today regarding Phoebe's lead training, it does bother me because I always said I'd love a dog I could take out for a nice walk during the day. I knew Chihuahuas were hard to lead train but this is getting ridiculous. It's a pretty long story but if anyone could help me I'd love you forever!

Okay so Phoebe doesn't mind her lead, she'll have it on and walk around (under supervision) and she'll even start licking it sometimes. I slowly introduced it to her with good associations and that's fine. She'll sometimes rebel having it put on but I think that's just because she's a little diva, once it's on she's absolutely fine. She always has her lead on whenever we go to my OH's but there's nothing that she dislikes that could make her associate her lead with bad things. She loves the car and loves my OH's house so I'm not sure that's the problem.

At my house she doesn't wear a lead in the garden becuase there's no need, but at my OH's she does because there's a lot of foxes and gaps in the hedges that she could potentially escape through. I doubt she would but it isn't worth the risk. She'll happy walk around my OH's garden at her own pace while she sniffs the grass, then when she's done she'll walk to the backdoor and to her bed. It's literally just when I apply any pressure (for example if she goes the wrong way) that she'll pull back and refuse to move. Sometimes if it's a slight nudge and she realises she's going into the wrong room she'll follow me.

Today, at my house, I put her on the lead in my house and gave her lots of praise when she walked towards me, but that's as far as she'll go. She literally just won't walk even if I'm holding her favourite toy smothered in chicken

I'm taking her out later with Jadine (Bumblefluff)'s dog so we'll see how she gets on. I've been doing tiny bits of lead training for almost a month now and nothing, I don't know whether she just absolutely hates it or whether she's just being stubborn.

__________________

Edit: A couple of people suggested just walking with her until she found her feet but that failed, she just got dragged along the lawn (she wears a harness) and wouldn't come near me for 10 minutes.

__________________

Sorry no advice but didn't want to read and run.

Have you tried encouraging her along with a really tasty treat?

__________________

Yeah, I tried it with some small bits of chicken but no budging. She isn't very food orientated so I've tried it with ridiculous amounts of encouragement (seriously, bordering on vomiting rainbows and unicorns) and her favourite toys.

Nada.

__________________

Ummmmm. Will she walk along with you without the lead on?

__________________

I would try clicker training.... put the lead on in the house, put Very slight pressure on the lead and click and treat. That way she start to associate pressure with something nice.

The problem with following her around putting no pressure on the lead is that she can't feel it so is probably not even aware it is still there.

So IMO you need to get her to start associating slight pressure on the lead with something nice and then move to outside and keep practicing it.

Then when she is got used to some pressure on the lead you can try walking around the garden and see if when you put slight pressure on the lead and treat her she will keep going?

__________________

Yeah, she's like a shadow when the lead isn't on.

I hadn't thought of it that way so I'll definitely try this. Thank you

__________________

Sorry no advice, but since your having no luck I thought I'd bump it for you.

I hope soon some more experienced people see this and are able to help!

Oh just thought.. Is she exited by other dogs and wants to see them to play or anything? you could always get a friend/Jadine's dog to stand at the end of a small stretch of pavement or at the bottom of the garden with her dog, with you holding the lead to see if Phoebe would try to go and see her? sorry I really have no idea.

Have you tried with two people? So you holding Phoebe's lead and someone at the bottom of the garden with their back to you and Phoebe, and them playing with her favourite toys, maybe Phoebe would want to see what they were doing and having so much fun with?


Sorry I'm not much help didn't want to read and run.

I hope lead training soon gets better for you!

__________________

Thank you for the advice, hopefully later on we'll make some progress with Jadine's dog. Might be embaressing though because I imagine Phoebe will just sit there like a little lump while Jadine and her dog trot along happily

I just don't understand the whole situation, it's so confusing! Phoebe doesn't hate her lead, loves being outside, loves meeting other dogs but yet she just will not walk

__________________

Must be really frustrating. If you have a load of patience you could wait her out. As in when you put the lead on and she just wont go forward for you, just stand your ground with the lead limited so she cant go anywhere. When she starts to know that you can be a patient as a monument and she isnt getting anything done, she might ease up, give her a yummy treat. Take a couple of steps and each time she digs her heels in just wait her out again. She will still learn that the only way she will go anywhere is attached to you. If you have lots of praise and lots of treats for each step or movement, maybe she will get it. Good luck. I had the other problem where I get pulled like superman!! The stopping thing is working for us - slowly!!