Puppy can't be walked around the block

[ygi]

I have a 7 month old puppy, she's a mini poodle and very energetic. I drive her to a local countryside walk in the evenings where she is left off-lead and allowed to run around, which she loves. I want to also walk her in the mornings or during my lunch hour (I work from home), but I don't have time to drive her somewhere suitable to be off-lead so it would have to be our local neighbourhood, but it is really difficult trying to walk her at the moment.

She pulls constantly, even though she's small I've hurt my wrist from constantly having my hand pulled forward on the lead. She will walk on her two back legs like a human (I think this a poodle thing?), and whines/pants in frustration. She just wants to run. I walk quite quickly anyway, but it's not quick enough for her.

I've tried to tire her out with playing tug of war before the walks but it doesn't help. I've tried to stop in my tracks when she starts to pull but I think it makes her feel more frustrated and wound up. She has been trained to do 'heel' but she will only listen at the end of walks when she's got some of her energy out. I'm not sure what to do. She needs to be exposed to residential streets, cars, bikes, prams, etc. She is afraid of cars, which I am trying to do desensitisation to, but she's so frustrated from being on a short lead that she's not really in the calm mindset to work on it. I'm also conscious that in the winter when it's dark before and after work she will have to get used to walking around the neighbourhood.

Does anyone have any advice?

Respectfully I disagree. This is a 9 month old puppy. 40-60 minutes walking plus garden,enrichment and playtime is fine imo

given the lack of sleep during the day and the constant desire to play fetch and the over excitement on walks - it’s just as likely to be jacked up adrenaline and over tiredness . Teaching an off switch is a huge part of bringing up a live wire pup and without it behavioural issues usually arise.

OP…I wouldn’t walk her on the roads right now but I also wouldn’t reduce her walking. You need to find better spots for now and book a 1-1 with a qualified trainer to advise you properly. Sitting in the fr on t garden is a great idea, so definitely do that in the meantime as long as she can do so without losing the plot

She's been to puppy classes. The trainer said she was confident but sometimes conflicted with things - like wanting to go up to another puppy but then changing her mind at the last second

If you do get a trainer in, I wouldn’t use this one tbh! That’s the very definition of a pup lacking confidence!!! Doesn’t sound like you’ve had very good advice so far

@Dunnocantthinkofone I completely disagree with you. Two twenty minute walks a day is pitiful for a young dog - no wonder she’s so bouncy and won’t sniff or relax - she’s just so excited to actually be being walked!

EDIT: I totally agree with teaching a settle/off switch but that needs to be done alongside plenty of age-appropriate exercise.

There seems to be a real trend these days for mental stimulation and training dogs to settle - which is all well and good, but they also need proper aerobic exercise alongside that.

@tumblingdowntherabbithole
fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion. I take it you advocate ignoring the 5 minute rule to protect young dogs joints then? Given that this pup is actually only 7 months old, not the 9 I originally thought

40-60 minutes actual ‘walking’ is not where it ends (nor should it) The dog has playtime, several hours access to the garden for free play and an undisclosed amount of ‘fetch’ (OP, that’s risky at such a young age- please limit thus and protect your pups growing body)

I’d reduce the amount of time she spends off lead haring around at top speed. If she’s anticipating that every walk, then of course she’ll be fired up on adrenaline and hard to handle. Do tons of boring pavement stomping. The aim isn’t to tire her out but to calm her down. Her breed is highly strung anyway!

Heel isn’t taught on a walk going from A to B. If she’s pulling like a steam train, while you’re pulling her back saying “Heel!” through gritted teeth, she’s learning that heel means pulling! So, for now, scrap the idea of teaching heel out on a walk. Don’t use the command at all on a walk. Use “Let’s go” or something to tell her you’re setting off.

Heel should be taught as a position, her head next to your leg. Start teaching it a step at a time in the kitchen. Make her stand or sit at your left side and take one step forward whilst tapping your leg to keep her attention. There shouldn’t be any tension on the lead. You want her to take literally one step alongside you. Then stop. Reinforce the correct behaviour with the word… “That’s HEEL. Good HEEL.” At this stage, you’re describing the correct behaviour so she learns the word, she doesn’t yet understand it as a command. If you manage 3 or 4 steps, you’re doing well. Do it several times a day, while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.

If she starts to move ahead of you or pull, turn her away in a circle. Easiest done by turning into her and pushing her around with your leg. Assuming she’s placed to your left, you’d push your left leg into her and turn her away from you. Re-set the position and start again.

Once you’ve mastered heel in the kitchen, you teach it on the drive or the garden. Somewhere without so many distractions. You want her listening to you. Again, you’re not looking for a 20m walk, just several steps. Lots of stopping and turning. Using the command only when she’s in the correct position and not pulling.

Then you move it onto the pavement, somewhere quiet away from other people. Slow paces, a few at a time, lots of stopping and circling.

I’m not a huge fan of using food as a training aid but you might want to try a high reward treat in your hand to keep her attention on you as you step forward.

100% agree with @tumblingdowntherabbithole

At six months, my Goldie puppies get more exercise than 2x20 minutes a day - and these are dogs that are often predisposed to joint issues. The 5 minute rule is there to stop people damaging their dogs joints through their own foolishness. But, very often, young dogs can go a lot further than the 5 minute rule would suggest.

More broadly...we can all bleat on about 'my dog does x or y' but the fact is, if after significant exercise and mental stimulation, a dog is still behaving in a way that suggests they have excess energy then are not getting what they need. Puppies conk out when they are exhausted. They go through a witching hour and then they crash - this dog is not doing that.

And please, for the love of god, I wish people would stop giving your dogs sodding kongs and puzzle matts and lick matts! Actually train them. That is far more useful than sticking them in front of a toy that gives them food = energy. Yes, these things are good. But they should not be a way to keep your dog entertained and they are not a substitute for good training. Instead of giving a dog a kong, go into your garden and teach it how to loose lead walk. Much more effective and, in this case, clearly needed.

@Dunnocantthinkofone the five minute rule has been debunked 🤷‍♀️

But even if it hasn’t been, 20 minutes of exercise twice a day is nowhere near enough. There’s no wonder so many dogs have behavioural issues when they get so little exercise. Playing in the garden simply doesn’t count.

@LandSharksAnonymous I’m totally with you - everyone seems to just want to shove food or puzzle toys in front of their dog constantly - what exactly is it teaching them?

Yes, use puzzle toys and yes, use kongs - but only as an addition once all their other needs are met, not as something they get everyday!

How you attach your lead seems key

The five minute rule is completely debunked and was never evidence based in the first place.

Trotting a young dog around on a lead at human pace for an indiscriminate period =bad. playing fetch =bad. Playing off lead at young dog pace = good.

More than anything though, some young dogs need to be taught firmly that their human means business. Pulling = an end to their fun.

Despite the propaganda, some dogs who are poor at impulse control (eyes my gun dog …) dont get it easily, and when they do, need constant reinforcement. Everyone is more relaxed with a halti by roads and free rein off lead.

Fear is another legitimate reason. Some fearful dogs feel very insecure being constrained by a collar and lead, or even any kind of double clip harness.

I understand haltis are considered aversive by some, but i genuinely think for some anxious dogs, they take the heat out of the situation.

I think a toy poodle puppy's exercise needs can't really be compared with a golden retriever puppy? I have been told by our vet to do 20-30 minutes twice a day and so that's what I've been doing.

It's also well and good saying not to give her a Kong or licky mat - apologies but like the majority of dog owners I need to work for a living I can't just constantly play/train her. They're a good tool to use in moderation to reinforce calm behaviour when it's needed, like when I'm working.

The vet may well have said that, but it's clearly not working if you're coming home from walks stressed and injured. Either way, 20 minutes of exercise twice a day is a very, very low amount for a young, energetic dog.

In terms of needing her to be calm when you work - the last thing you want to do is give her food for that. You're just putting energy into her body and not giving it anywhere to go.

OP would you not just try to increase the lengths of her walks and do some short training sessions with her each day to at least see if it works?

Im no expert but I was a bit suspicious of the 5 minute rule when I first starting walking my dog. I’ve been building it up and we’ve just done a 30 minute walk at lunch time, probably less than 3 mins of that was on the lead - the rest off lead. We came home, he took 20 mins or so to wind down (although he didn’t have the zoomies as such) and is now conked. He is just over 3.5 months old (Labrador)

Could you up the walks to 2 30 min walks? Might make a fair amount of difference.

7 months is a very testing age! I have a shihtzu - meant to be a calm pup, but at that age she was on the go constantly, and walking wasnt fun. It does get better though!

My advice would be - lots of puzzles to mentally tire, sniffy games. I play a game where i hide lots of tiny treats all over the garden and house and have taught "find it" for her to hunt them out. Takes her an hour or so to find them all and gets her nice and tired by the end. Also do lots of training on the walks. Theres a company called absolute dogs - you can find them on facebook. They teach training using games, which are really good. If you can get a mix of mental and physical on the walks, you might find that helps a lot.

Don't underestimate how tiring it is for dogs to use their brains!. As @LandSharksAnonymous says, puppies conk out if they're mentally exhausted. But she'll only get mentally exhausted if she has to use her brain, not if she just plays. I would be adding in as many short (definitely not more than 5 minute) proper training sessions for things like sit, wait, leave it and off course loose lead walking, as you can, and see whether that uses up some of her energy.

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