Ensuring that your Rottweiler puppy can walk on a leash well is an important skill to have for both you and your puppy.
This skill ensures that you can keep your puppy safe and under your supervision while allowing your puppy to explore and do its business outside.
However, this skill can sometimes be a challenging one to learn. So, why won’t your Rottweiler puppy walk on a leash?
The most common reasons for your Rottweiler puppy not wanting to walk on a leash include not having enough leash training, having already exercised enough that day, or the puppy may be scared by something in its environment. However, in some cases this behavior may be due to a medical condition. If you suspect this, be sure to take your pup to the veterinarian for a check up.
What medical reasons could cause your puppy to not want to walk on a leash?
How do you tell if your puppy has exercised too much already or if they are just scared due to too many stimuli?
What can you do to help make sure that your puppy walks better on a leash?
Let us now find out!
Why Your Rottweiler Puppy Won’t Walk On A Leash
Training your Rottweiler puppy to walk on a leash is an essential aspect of many people’s lives.
Not only does the leash provide a way for you to keep your puppy close to you and under your supervision, but it is also an excellent way to protect and guide your Rottweiler puppy when they need to be taken for a walk for a potty break.
Therefore, it is an essential skill for your Rottweiler to learn, especially at a young age when they do not have a good grasp on the world yet.
But why exactly may your Rottweiler puppy refuse to walk on a leash?
Some of these reasons can be fixed easily, while a few other reasons may require you to take your puppy to a class or two to help them relax and let go of some fears.
Let us have a look at a few possible reasons this may occur.
Your Puppy Won’t Walk On A Leash Not Due To Not Enough Leash Training
If your Rottweiler puppy will happily walk around but as soon as you put a leash on them, then they refuse to walk, this could just be a lack of leash training.
Training your Rottweiler puppy to walk on a leash needs to be done constantly and consistently; otherwise, the puppy may forget their leash manners.
To start training your puppy, you need to ensure that the leash and collar have a proper introduction to the puppy that is filled with positive feedback, or the puppy may make negative associations with them.
This will lead to the puppy not wanting to walk on the leash.
You also need to make sure that the collar fits the puppy correctly and that the leash is not too heavy for them, or it may cause the puppy discomfort, which could cause your puppy to not want to walk on the leash.
Training your Rottweiler puppy to walk on a leash takes a good amount of patience, a lot of positive reinforcement, and a firm but gentle hand.
If you cannot train your puppy on your own, you should take your puppy to a basic obedience class where they will help you train your puppy to walk on a leash.
Your Puppy Won’t Walk On A Leash Due To Medical Reasons
Medical issues can be a valid reason why your Rottweiler puppy may not be walking well on a leash or may not want to walk at all on a leash.
So, if your puppy is having difficulty walking on a leash, take the puppy to your local vet and get them checked for any possible injury before you come to the conclusion that your puppy needs more training or that the puppy has behavioral issues.
We need to remember that dogs are excellent at hiding pain, including puppies, so you need to check your puppy’s paws for any possible foreign objects stuck in them and to ensure that they do not have any wounds.
If you cannot see anything, then still have a vet check them out as the puppy could have an internal injury, like a sprain.
These types of injuries will make your puppy not want to walk. Be sure to not force your puppy to walk before you have ruled out any possible medical issues that the puppy may have.
Your Puppy Won’t Walk On A Leash Because He has Already Exercised Too Much
If your Rottweiler puppy was walking fine, but then your puppy starts to try and lay down on the way back, then you need to consider if the walking route you took was a bit too long for your puppy.
This is especially true when it comes to puppies, and it should be a cause for concern as puppies should never walk until the point of complete exhaustion.
If a puppy does this, then this could cause orthopedic problems later on as their joints are not connected properly yet, and overworking them is easy to do.
If you find that this is common for your Rottweiler puppy, you may want to shorten your walk routes by a large amount and instead offer some brain games for your puppy to play.
This will help exercise their muscles and entertain them, as Rottweilers are very intelligent dogs, so they do require mental stimulation anyway.
Your Puppy Won’t Walk On A Leash Because He is Scared
We need to remember that dogs are more sensitive to environmental stimuli than humans, especially puppies, as they do not know how to deal with certain things, and they can get easily overwhelmed.
So, sometimes smells, sounds, movements, people, and places can cause them to become fearful of their environment.
If your Rottweiler puppy has not or is not currently going through a socialization training class, then your puppy may be more fearful of new and unknown environments.
This fear can be a big reason for your puppy’s refusal to walk.
If you are not sure if this is the cause of your puppy not wanting to walk, then there are some signs that you can look out for.
These signs are:
- tails tucked between legs
- ears laid back on the head, and
- the puppy may crouch; they may also seem to have a weird breathing rhythm and breath heavily.
You might also notice that your puppy stops in one particular area every time as they are scared of a specific smell or sight in that area.
These triggers may not be noticeable by you, but for your puppy, they are very real. This means that it is your job to be acutely aware of your Rottweiler puppy’s particular behaviors.
If this is the case, then try to avoid these areas, and do some desensitization and counterconditioning training with your Rottweiler puppy.
You can do this by having some mouth-watering treats for your puppy on hand when you go walking and make sure that you help your puppy make good associations with their environment and surroundings.
Before we move one, you may find it useful to watch this video. The trainer gives excellent advice geared specifically towards Rottweiler puppy leash pulling.
Helpful Tips To Get Your Rottweiler Puppy Walking
If your Rottweiler puppy has stopped walking or has never wanted to walk on a leash, then there are useful tips that you can utilize that may assist with these issues.
Firstly, you need to ensure that your Rottweiler puppy is healthy, so take your puppy for a check-up.
Once you get the “all clear,” then you can begin with some techniques to help your puppy walk nicely on a leash.
You need to make sure that you introduce the collar and leash to the puppy in a friendly and calm way, so they have a good association with them.
If you are able to, then the best solution to this issue is to take your Rottweiler puppy to a basic obedience training class, as this is the easiest way to train your puppy with professionals there to help you.
If you cannot do this, you need to make the walk full of fun and positive encouragement and make walking on a leash fun and exciting for your puppy.
Teach your puppy the “come” command as well, as this will help get your puppy’s attention and help them walk with you on the leash better.
Remember to keep a bag of delicious treats for your puppy with you as you are walking with them, as this will aid in positive reinforcement around the whole situation for your puppy.
You can use any number of different treats, but we often find ourselves using Wellness Soft Puppy Bites. They are grain free, all natural, and your pup won’t fill up on them. This makes them ideal for training sessions.
Related: Should Rottweilers Eat a Grain-Free Diet?
When you are first training your Rottweiler puppy to walk on a leash, try and do some indoor leash walks first.
This will minimize the distractions that your puppy will face, and it will most likely be in an environment that your puppy is comfortable with too.
This means that your puppy will focus on you more and is less likely to be afraid of certain areas or other stimuli.
Final Thoughts
There are some reasons as to why your puppy may not want to walk nicely on a leash with you; some of them can be fixed quite easily, while others will require a bit more dedication and patience to help your Rottweiler puppy overcome.
You need to be careful and remember not to overwork your puppy; otherwise, this can cause some damage to your puppy’s joint that they will struggle with for the rest of their lives.
Good luck with your leash training!