# 9 week old puppy won't walk on leash



## Crackerjill (Jun 28, 2014)

We are brand new puppy owners! Yay! We picked our boy Sandor up from the breeder last week. He's a beautiful white GSD. 

We live in the city and have to walk about a block to the park for bathroom breaks. He was doing fine and walking with us really well actually, staying right beside us and not pulling on his leash or anything. And then over the past day or two he's decided he doesn't walk to walk anywhere and just lays down. You can pick him back up, gently tug his leash, call him with treats....nothing works. The only way to get him to the park for a bathroom break is to carry him and he's going to quickly become WAY too big for that! 

Even once he's at the park, instead of using the bathroom he just lays down in the grass, sometimes for over an hour....without ever going pee or poop.

Is it just because he's so young and it's too much walking? Or is this something we should find a way to correct? And how do you correct that?? 

He's also started grabbing/chewing on his leash, so we've started letting him carry sticks/toys when he does walk.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Did something happen at the park? My boy did this when he was small and now looking back I'm thinking he didn't like it there


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Is he otherwise active off leash?


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## Crackerjill (Jun 28, 2014)

Nothing happened at the park that I can think of that would have made him upset. He likes to be there, once he's there. He will lay around and lounge in the shade for hours happily, he just doesn't like the walking it takes to get there.

He's not super active yet. He's still in the sleepy puppy phase. He will play/be active for 10-20 minutes at a time, and then sleep for 2-3 hours after.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I just reread your post. He lays down at the park as well. No, mine was a diff situation. 

I'd say this is weird. They're pretty active at that age. I'd check him out

ETA and this just happened over the last few days. Def check him out. Vet.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Vets probably unnecessary. Plenty of puppies that age are like that. I wouldn't worry too much about leash walking right now. I'd be more focused on keeping the dog engaging with me when I asked for it.


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## Crackerjill (Jun 28, 2014)

Sounds good. We'll keep an eye on it. He wasn't feeling great 2 days ago (We were going to switch his food and were gradually changing it, but it was still making him sick- after researching this forum I found that GSDs have trouble with Blue Buffalo, so we are going to stick with what the breeder was feeding him). He's had chicken and rice with some pumpkin for his last 4 meals- the last one with some of the old food mixed in. He's been much happier and more playful since switching the food back.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Your decision but a pup getting to the park and laying down for an hour doesn't sound right. Especially since it just started happening. 

But yeah, I guess you can wait it out.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

I think some puppies need to be desensitized to the leash. Somehow the leash is shutting him down (if there is nothing medical going on)

I would put the leash on him in the house and allow him to drag it everywhere (under supervision of course!)...reward him at random intervals and see if that helps with getting used to the leash.


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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

When my guy first came home at 9 weeks, everything was new to him, so I went slow on the walks. I think the first time we made it a block. Got better each time. He soon started loving them. I didn't force anything on him. If he started acting a little skittish, I would head back towards the house. This only lasted for a short period of time. I have socialized him environmentally to many places and nothing has bothered him. 

I think you will be fine. If he isn't wanting to walk, don't drag him along. He will start to come around in my opinion. Let him settle in and work on gaining his trust and focus on you. Hopefully it's nothing


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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

lalachka said:


> Your decision but a pup getting to the park and laying down for an hour doesn't sound right. Especially since it just started happening.
> 
> But yeah, I guess you can wait it out.


I also think it's a little awkward for him to lay down for an hour with all the different activities going on at the park in my opinion. Surely something would trigger him to interact. Again, might not be anything. Let him settle in and see if he starts to improve.


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## Crackerjill (Jun 28, 2014)

He will sit up and watch the things going on around him, and if another dog comes up to him he will interact with it. 

I think we might have just been expecting too much from him walking wise. If I carry him to the park, he is great walking back. Will walk/run the whole way and is actually good about staying with me.

We also took him to the suburbs and let him play with 2 family dogs in the fenced yard. He LOVED chasing the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as the big guy was playing fetch.


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## Kobethegermanshepherd (Aug 18, 2014)

how is your dog now? my puppy is also nine weeks old and he doesnt like to walk either. If i bring him out he will lay on the grass. He is slightly better off the leash and he will try to follow me more. but mostly he will just lay on the grass. is this normal ?


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## Crackerjill (Jun 28, 2014)

He is fantastic now! He's 4 months old and walks great on his leash. He also likes to run, so we do short runs on the grass path near our home (don't want to do anything long or intense).


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## Maxil (Jun 1, 2014)

Kobethegermanshepherd said:


> how is your dog now? my puppy is also nine weeks old and he doesnt like to walk either. If i bring him out he will lay on the grass. He is slightly better off the leash and he will try to follow me more. but mostly he will just lay on the grass. is this normal ?


He does follow you so there is no problem lol, I would do the same if that was my first time to see grass :3 anyways don't worry he will get bored sooner or later, attract him with some treats


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Kobethegermanshepherd said:


> how is your dog now? my puppy is also nine weeks old and he doesnt like to walk either. If i bring him out he will lay on the grass. He is slightly better off the leash and he will try to follow me more. but mostly he will just lay on the grass. is this normal ?


I don't know, but my puppy didn't love walking at 8-9 weeks either. She would just flop down and rest every half block or so. I decided to stop having an agenda for walks and that the goal of the walk was not to log distance but to get her out of the house on the leash and enjoy doing something together.

That adjustment in attitude helped me; time and development helped her.


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