Ok so we got a jack russell puppy a couple of months ago and he's been brilliant to be honest. We actually bought him at 5 and a half weeks even though you're supposed to wait until 8 weeks because as soon as he was weaned off the milk and onto food and water the people wanted rid of the litter and were just after the money, and we'd already fallen in love with him so wanted to give him a better home. As soon as we'd given him all his injections and he was 12 weeks old, we started walking him in our local park where a lot of dog walkers go. Originally, he was brilliant on the lead, and wouldn't run ahead or pull, would just walk beside me. Now as he's been getting older (he's now 4 months old) I've been letting him off the lead for a few minutes at a time to let him play with other young dogs in the park and to walk through the woods etc and he's still brilliant, will never go out of my sight and will always come when called. However, at least once on every walk when he's on the lead, he will just sit down and look at me. I'll carry on walking and let the extendable lead get to it's limit, but when I try and pull him or call him, he'll just lie down and refuse to walk. The only thing that will get to him run towards me is if I crouch down with a treat in my hand. He'll run over to me, get the treat, then sit down again and the cycle will start all over again. We can go through this routine for about five minutes at a time and it's very frustrating. I know that a solution could be to just let him be off the lead as he probably doesn't like it now he's been given freedom, but I was to be able to successfully walk him on his lead while he's still young (as he's extremely friendly and doesn't know his limits and will jump up at big dogs and every person he meets, and a lot of the time you can't predict if other people or dogs will be happy about him doing that). I also want to be able to walk with him on the lead when we're near roads too, and even in the park for a while longer until I'm 100% that I can trust him at all times.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this is happening and any dog training tips that I can do to make him want to walk on the lead better? Like I said, he used to walk on it fine, and it's only for about 5-10 minutes every walk, but it's extremely frustrating when he just refuses to get up and walk on the lead.
Thank you

Unless the sidewalks are hot, he's tired and thirsty, has to poop, then you tug sharply and make him walk. You need to show him that you are the alpha dog, including when he jumps on people - again, a sharp tug and this time a sharp NO.
I have a willful JRT too.

It's always a god ting to have y9our dog properly lead trained, not just for his safety while at dog parks but others dogs as well. When you are letting your dog free off leash you need to make sure they have 100% recall. I wouldn't recommend tugging sharply, you want this experience to be a positive one, not something that could possibly harm him.

Next time you are out for your walk, grab a handful of kibble, show him what you've got in your hand, and offer a piece when you first start. Start with a happy "let's go command" and start walking. When he sits, show him your kibble and ask him to "let's go", when he does what you expect treat with a piece of kibble. Every 5 steps or so, offer another piece of kibble and the command "let's go”. This is a great way to get your dog to work for their dinner or breakfast and an easy way to train. Making your dog work for their food is a great way to establish alpha. It's also part of the protocols for relaxation which can greatly help with behavior modification.


What were you testing Joy?

I would not suggest a choker, and if he is a pup pos reinforcement is your best tool, not yanking and tugging. I do agree get rid of the extendable leash, but get a gentle leader opposed to a choke.

I've had the best success with GL's, I don't agree with the statement of "once you take them off, you have an out of control dog", not true, all my dogs have been trained on GL's and Lady and Max were both quick learners, I no longer need to use them. Every SPCA I have worked at also uses them as they are the most quick tool to use when teaching a dog to walk on a lead as well as the heel command. The thing with chokes is it initiates the dogs natural instinct to pull, a GL does not allow them to pull. Some people do not have success with them, because like a choke, they are a tool and you need to know how to properly use them. Most chokes do not come with instructions, but if you bought your GL from a vet or a reputable pet store, they not only get professionally fit, but you get a tutorial on them as well. I'm sorry but maybe you got a faulty collar, I have 120lbs dogs who are strong pullers before they are trained, and in the 10 years I have been using GL's have never had one break.

The Martin Gale collar that you describe are the safest choke but are generally made for a dog whose head is smaller then their neck, it's just the way they are designed and they had the grey hound in mind.

And wow, did my post ever sound snotty, and I'll admit, Alty you are a smart lady, you know your stuff, but I just really feel strongly about not using chokers. I hope you know where I am coming from,

When I said 'tug sharply' I didn't mean yank, and it's especially useless when the dog is already way ahead. Many pros use a quick small tug timed exactly with the command, but when the dog is close by.

One problem with JRTs: low to the ground, neck bigger than head, collar comes off easily sometimes!

That's another good reason for a GL. Training techniques have come along way in the past 10 years alone, what was once kosher isn't so today.