wierd new behavior...need help

[zweena]

I am a first time dog owner, and I have an 11 week old rot/german shep/pit puppy. He is absolutely great, we started taking him out on walks 3 times a day about 2 weeks ago. But as of two days ago he started refusing to leave the house. We try to take him on walks but he will just sit on the ground and resist moving, I end up carrying him to the park or beach, and on the way home he acts the opposite by running and pulling the leash to get back. I do not understand this behavior especially since he used to not have a problem with it. As far as I know he has not had a bad experience while out, and we have tried coaxing him with treats but so far nothing has worked. Any suggestions or insight would be much appriciated!

[oc_spirit]

This is very common puppy behaviour The reasoning behind it is that in the wild the pack would go off to hunt for food leaving the pups behind. Sometimes a "babysitter" would stay behind to care for the pups but if it was a small pack sometimes the pups had to be left alone. It's a natural instinct for the pups to stay very close to the den so as not to end up getting eaten by a cougar or another pack of wolves. Your puppy feels the same way. He knows he shouldn't follow you while you "go out on the hunt" because the world is too big for him yet so he wants to stay where it's safe. What I would do is pick up OC and carry him to the end of the street then put him down and keep walking very non-chalantly. Being already that far from the "den" and me having a passive attitude he realized there was nothing to fear and his curiousity would take over so he wanted to keep going. Every walk I'd carry him less and less until finally he was walkiung right out the door himself.

[flyndog]

Just to clarify a bit, domestication has changed dogs from their wolf ancestors in several ways. Denning and pack behavior are two examples of differences. Domestic dogs do not form the tight, close-knit packs that wolves do and usually only come together for short periods for some specific reason. Perhaps because of that, domestic dog puppies and wolf puppies do not have *quite* the same denning instincts. In fact, around 12 weeks old is when domestic dog puppies begin to start distant exploration of their environment and become more and more independent of their mothers. I agree, it is normal for puppies to be a little wary of new things and you can help him get over that by being patient. The leash and collar can be particularly disturbing and annoying. I would suggest that you stop carrying the puppy completely and coax him with something he thinks is particularly yummy like tiny bits of hot dog or chicken or puppy-sized Cheerios. Make squeeky, kissy, happy noises to coax him to follow you. Back away from him and coax him instead of trying to drag him along behind you. He will follow if coaxed and lured. And when you give him the treat and tell him how good he is, he will want to follow you more and more.
Kit

[calgal]

I had a Min-Pin that I took for walks each day for years. Then all of a sudden he started refusing to go any further, and that could be a mile from home, a block, or any distance. We never did figure out why he started doing that. With your puppy it could be sore feet. It takes a few months to get puppy feet all calloused. Look at his pads to see if they are peeling or tender to touch.

[bigdoglover]

Everyone has great advice. My 2 cents says: Just take the pup into the yard with you (if it's possible), and play on leash. Let him drag it around the yard, play a really easy game of hide and seek, roll around on the ground, etc. Then start extending the distance after he gets comfortable. He'll soon realize being with you is fun, and go with you anywhere!!