On our potty walks, Chaka stops suddenly and just looks at me with a sad face. Why?

[Chaka829]

Hello all,
I know I've posted so many questions already...and I am so grateful for all of you here on PV and your great advice...I don't know what I would do without PV.
So...every time I take Chaka for a potty walk...he will suddenly stop walking and stare at me with the saddest look on his face and he won't budge...I try and sweet talk him in a happy tone and encourage him to keep walking with me and I gently tug on his leash but he still won't move...so I end up picking him up, giving him kisses, and then putting him down again so he'll start walking....
Any advice?

[Wally 'n' Leto]

He's trained you well.

Try carrying a treat pouch with you, and when he stops, don't pick him up. Call to him and encourage him to walk, even if it's in a different direction. When he does, praise and give a treat. Once he's good, start gradually replacing the treat with praise. He'll get the idea.

Have you thought about taking a basic obedience course with him? Wally was a so-and-so at first, and the classes really got us working as a team instead of at cross-purposes.

[Chaka829]

He's trained you well.

Try carrying a treat pouch with you, and when he stops, don't pick him up. Call to him and encourage him to walk, even if it's in a different direction. When he does, praise and give a treat. Once he's good, start gradually replacing the treat with praise. He'll get the idea.

Have you thought about taking a basic obedience course with him? Wally was a so-and-so at first, and the classes really got us working as a team instead of at cross-purposes.

Petsmart has an obedience class...I think it may be for puppies though, I'm not sure. I wonder if it's any good. And I will try the treat pouch method...he's a sucker for treats. I think that might work.
It's funny thought because he only does this when I take him out, not when hubby takes him out...

[Wally 'n' Leto]

He's trained you like Wally's trained me. I got in trouble in agility last week -- Wally doesn't like the wobble board so he balked and looked at my treat pouch, and I reached in and got one without even realizing he'd suggested it. LOL Just make sure he does what you want before getting out the treat, not the other way around.

I've heard that the Petsmart classes can be hit or miss. Can you look in the yellow pages for dog training schools close to you and go and watch a few classes till you find one you like? Or even better, ask your vet for a recommendation to a school that uses positive reinforcement methods only. It's amazing how many trainers still think that punishment is acceptable. In our neck of the woods, a common way to get obedience dogs to take dumbbells is to pinch an ear till they yelp, then shove the dumbbell in their mouth and let go of the ear, so the article is associated with the cessation of pain. Supposedly, they learn 'faster' that way.

Our trainer taught us the 'hard way'... and I got Wally to take the dumbbell in one 5 minute session, using praise and treats only. THAT'S the kind of school you want.

[Chaka829]

Is it wrong to tug on the leash a little? I'm not yanking or pulling by any means but I'm so cautious with him and I want to make sure I'm not hurting him at all...

[Hellas]

Chaka is your first dog, isn't he? I think you would both benefit greatly from a good obedience class. The point of a good class isn't that you go there to teach the dog commands, but that it teaches you how to build up a good connection with you dog and how to train him on your own. Ideally, the class would contain both practical excercises and theory. Once I understood HOW dogs learn, training my dogs became so much easier. I still make plenty of mistakes of course, but it's made a world of difference.

If I were you, I'd search for a trainer who uses clicker training. That way you will know that the methods are based on positive reinforcement, which is the scientifically proven method. It works incredibly well with pugs. Until you find a class, I think you would be helped by reading a really good book about dogs' learning process and positive training.

Right now, you are teaching Chaka that it is a good idea to stop and look at you because you will reward it with cuddles. Dogs are simple in that they will do what works. As long as you reward a behaviour, they will typically repeat it. So the first thing to do, is to stop giving him what he wants when he stops. The second thing is to try and make the walk - and yourself - more interesting for Chaka. Surprise him with small obedience excercises (like sitting or whatever) several times during the walk and reward. Throw some small treats on the ground and let him use his nose to find them. Shake it up a little bit. Sometimes, reward him just for walking nicely at your side. This way, he'll learn that it is a good idea to pay attention to you and that walks are fun. I've taught my dogs the command "walk". This has come in handy many times. Winston (who I'm sure is Chaka's soul mate) likes to stop too on leash walks. He doesn't enjoy them much. If he's off the leash, he can run for a solid hour and half.

I would actually avoid rewarding him right after he has stopped and started walking again. The reason is that recent research shows that dogs are able to understand the connection between doing an unwanted behaviour - stopping the unwanted behaviour - getting a reward. So he can start doing the unwanted behaviour knowing that it will be rewarded.

That's just my quickie, amateur advice. A class would give you much more to work with.

[Hellas]

And I would avoid tugging on the leash at this point. Sometimes it can't really be helped, but it's not a good training method. Pulling often creates more resistence.

[Russ]

Mz Tilly will do this, she won't budge but if I squat down to her level and then call her she will come to me and will continue a walk. She does not walk far these days, but she has always done this, just stop and sad-face me. I don't know what goes on in her brain but it involves me on her level, it seems.

[pugaddiction]

Just a thought here, but who picked up Chaka from his previous home. He may be associating that with being taken away again. He likes his new home and doesnt want to leave it I am sure. I agree that an obedience class with you will help him tremendously to bond with each other. Poor Chaka is just a little confused right now, but all the love that you are giving him will pay off in the end big time for you and him.

[sugarskullz]

Is it wrong to tug on the leash a little? I'm not yanking or pulling by any means but I'm so cautious with him and I want to make sure I'm not hurting him at all...

Do you have his leash attached to a collar or harness? Pugs should NEVER be leashed by their collar. When you take him out walking on a leash, always have him in a harness, as pugs like to pull and the tugging from their collar could cause damage to their trachea.