I have 7 y.o. Lhasa apso that I rescues 1 year ago. She was found with her collar embedded in her neck, and it had to be surgically cut out. She will not walk with a leash, and she is a different dog if I even put a collar on her (and I don't blame her.) She actually visibly shakes sometimes when she even sees the leash. How do I remedy this and eventually walk her?
Thank you..!

I would lay the collar next to her intill she gets used to it. Then I would hook the leash on to the collar after she was OK with the collar on her. Just let her walk around by her self with the leash hooked on the collar. She is pretty old to be trying to teach to walk on a leash but it might work

Have you tried a harness that goes around her body instead of her neck? That might relieve some of her anxiety. The above poster also has a good idea about laying the items out for the dog to get used to, and then attaching the leash for her to drag around.

As a side note, I applaud you for resucing a dog, especially one who is up in her years! Good for you for giving this furball a nice, safe, loving home!

Have you tried a harness that goes around her body instead of her neck? That might relieve some of her anxiety. The above poster also has a good idea about laying the items out for the dog to get used to, and then attaching the leash for her to drag around.

As a side note, I applaud you for resucing a dog, especially one who is up in her years! Good for you for giving this furball a nice, safe, loving home!


Thanks, she has been an absolute thrill to have. I had just lost my best friend and little brother, Buddy, to a heart attack at 3 yo, and when I saw this dog, I knew she was my new little girl. Thanks for the compliment

i would lay the collar next to her intill she gets used to it. Then i would hook the leash on to the collar after she was ok with the collar on her. Just let her walk around by her self with the leash hooked on the collar. She is pretty old to be trying to teach to walk on a leash but it might work


Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try.

Golfratt, I agree with Jillian's suggestion. I don't see any good reason to put your dog through more stress after what she has been through. A harness is the best solution and will work very nicely for her problem. It isn't always necessary for a dog to wear a collar, or to walk a dog with the leash attached to a collar, especially given her background. The collar serves a dual purpose of identifying your dog in case she gets lost. You can attach her Id, rabies tag, & license (if you need one in your municipality) to the buckle on the harness. Just make sure she is never outside without her harness on. You are a wonderful person for giving that poor girl a new chance in life.

Also, to go off what Ruby mentions about the ID for your dog, you can have a microchip implanted into her neck, which will identify her. My dog has one, and it worked quite well when the little brat jumped the fence and got put in doggy jail!

Yes, you are right Jillian. I didn't suggest the microchip because I thought it might be problematic for her.

golfratt, I agree with Jillian's suggestion. I don't see any good reason to put your dog through more stress after what she has been through. A harness is the best solution and will work very nicely for her problem. It isn't always necessary for a dog to wear a collar, or to walk a dog with the leash attached to a collar, especially given her background. The collar serves a dual purpose of identifying your dog in case she gets lost. You can attach her Id, rabies tag, & license (if you need one in your municipality) to the buckle on the harness. Just make sure she is never outside without her harness on. You are a wonderful person for giving that poor girl a new chance in life.

Thanks for the compliments. It really pisses me off to see pet stores selling puppies when there all these poor guys that need homes. Compliments to anyone who has saved one of these guys...

If you have had her a year and she still doesn't trust you enough to accept a leash and collar, it may take more than the above suggestions. A harness still has a strap that goes around the neck, and as different as it seems to us, it may still be a collar to her. Do you have an area where you can can safely let her walk off lead? You may even need to carry her back away from the road before putting her down. I have found dogs that would be gone in a flash off lead at home will stick to you in strange places. Take the leash and collar with you. Let her associate the fun of a walk with you with them. Perhaps at home, leave them lay near her food and water dish. Move them to by her bed or crate at night.

Do you have a friend with a dog that would allow you to walk it while she watches? Perhaps let her see a group of people with their dogs enjoying being on lead.

I seldom suggest a professional dog trainer or behaviorist, but this may be the severe case where a good one may be the only answer. Unfortunately finding a good one may be difficult. You could start with asking your vet. Perhaps a Lhasa rescue group would be interested and able to help. If she came from a good one, they would have solved t problem before placing her with you. You may find a rescue near you starting at
American Kennel Club - Breed Rescue dog dogs puppy puppies (http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm)

Try improving her bond with you through these exercises:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

thanks for the compliments. It really pisses me off to see pet stores selling puppies when there all these poor guys that need homes. Compliments to anyone who has saved one of these guys.....

The people that drive me up the wall are those that post questions here and similar sites showing they haven't even read one general book on dogs, but they want help on breeding questions. I hate having to delete overly critical answers I would liked to have posted myself.

Labman, although I agree with your suggestion for a behaviorist, please be aware that most harnesses do not have straps that go around the neck. I have 4 different brands of harnesses and they all have straps that go over the shoulders. They do not touch the neck area of the dogs at all. They work very well as a substitute for collars with the "rescues with issues" that I retrain.

Perhaps you are right about the harnesses. One of the reasons I value your participation here is that you have more experience with dogs that didn't get a good start than I do.