Leash, collar, tieout questions

Cedar, is this little guy outside by himself?  Is that why you are using the tie-out?  I've just never used a tie-out on a puppy.  Is this for when you aren't home?  Do you have a crate for him?  If you are using it for when you aren't home, then I would use a crate instead of tie-ing him up outside by himself.  Crates are wonderful tools to help you with a puppy and I always recommend getting one.  I didn't used to believe in them until I tried it, now I LOVE them!!! 
 
Don't worry, he'll get used to the collar, but when they are real little like that I put them on a leash and they are tied to me or to a family member at all times, unless they are in their crate.  When I say all times, I mean ALL times.  This does a couple of things for you:
1)  Will let you keep an eye on him and what he gets into, it makes it easier to know when he needs to go outside to potty
2)  He will come to understand that you are in charge and that he needs to follow your lead
3)  If he isn't tied to me, but we are in the same room and I'm letting them run around and play, then the leash is an easy way to gain immediate control over the little guy so I can gently pull him away from what I don't want him to get into.
 
Also, you said he was just 7.5 weeks old, is that right?  Be aware that this is really early for a pup to be away from his mom and litter-mates, (most states it's against the law to take them until they are at least 8 weeks old) so you are going to have a lot of work to do on socializing him and teaching him bite inhibition and pack interaction.  So glad to hear that you are already in on the puppy class!!!  Great first step!
 
I love puppies, and now that you have signed on you need to provide us with pics!!  The cost of admission here!  Please feel free to ask questions, there are tons of really knowledgeble people around here!  Welcome to the forum!

Hi - No reason for concern on the tie out. To answer some of your questions.
 
1) Yes he is in a crate at night and if we aren't around. Right now I took off this week and my wife took off next week to help with the housebreaking. At night he sleeps in the crate and that is going well. If I leave and place him in the crate he will cry the whole time.
 
2) No he isn't on a tie out if I'm not around. He is too young to be left alone and tied outside with no one around. We have plenty of hawks here so I would also be afraid he could be lunch for someone!
 
The tie out question comes more after the leash question. If I put him on a leash now he just tugs and pulls to the part where I'm worried he would strangle himself. Is there a way to get puppies use to these new items?

Hi Cedar06
 Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new pup!
 
A pup under 8 weeks will be a little slower then one who is 8+ weeks old, leash training is a backwards battle...LOL! Backwards being thats the direction they tend to go when we want to go forward. Nothing that lots of praise, treats and a longer leash won't fix.
 As far as the tie out goes, I personally prefer an ariel cable set up once the pup knows how to walk on leash and knows boundries. If your property isn't fenched and you want to give your pup the freedom while still being contained maybe you might consider an x-pen.
Sounds like you are on the right track, it's just you haven't had a pup for some time.
 
Enjoy the forum and we love puppy pictures!!!

Cedar, sorry, I didn't mean to come across accusingly, if I did, I apologize, totally not my intent.  I just wanted to make sure I understood what you were asking for.  We used a tie-out for our Malamute when I was a kid so that he could be in the front yard with us.  (He wasn't trustworthy enough not wander off or "protect" us from other dogs to not keep him on something)
 
As for the leash training, in my experience, which isn't huge but was sometimes trying, I found that when I just put a leash on the pup and let them drag it around everywhere they got used to it pretty quickly.  I would try that first and let him get used to it that way.  If he is just pulling it along behind him, before long he'll forget it's even there.  Give him a few days and he'll get used to it.
 
Again, welcome to the forum, can't wait to see pics of the puppy!! 

Welcome to the board! I agree that if you let the pup drag the leash around the house, he'll get used to it so much faster.  Since he's so young and won't have had all his shots yet, you can't really take him for walks around the neighborhood so dragging the leash around will prepare him for that.  We did it with our puppy and at 4.5 months old we still do it, and will for a while yet.  As said in a post above, this greatly reduces his chances of making otty mistakes, too, since you're right there with him.  Knock on wood but were sittin' on 6 weeks without a mistake.   Kudos to you for crate training.  You mentioned that you know he cries when you're not there so maybe you can try a few things to comfort him like leaving the radio on low.  A puppy kong (a lifesaver) filled with plain yogurt or cottage cheese and then frozen will help, too.  When you are home, crate time is still good for him so that he can see that it's his quiet resting place, not just the place he goes when you're gone. Congrats and best of luck.  Must have pictures!!

I just wanted to add I would use a harness on a tieout instead of a collar on your pup it will give him a little more freedom, he won't fight it as much.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. He does have a harness to wear. We haven't tried that though. He still doesn't like his collar! I like the idea of having him drag the leash I'm sure there will a lot of telling him no since he loves to put everything in his mouth.
 
My wife recalls the breeder saying she left the TV on all the time so the next time I leave I will be leaving the radio on for him. I have thought of the Kong idea but I don't know what to put in it. I say that since my last golden had major allergies and was allergic to everything so he couldn't get treats. I like the yogart idea since he gets a little every morning with his pill.
 
Lastly I didn't take any offense. I just didn't want you guys to think I was tying a 7 1/2 week old outside and coming in the house. My last golden was only tied out if I wasn't going to be right next to him. If I was working in the yard he would just stay somewhere close to me.

This little guy likely doesn't know WHY he's got this wierd thing on his neck...doesn't sound like the breeder put a collar on him as a youngster.  He's had a lot of changes this week, so be patient.  When I work with leash training my foster pups heres what I do.  The leash goes on (pups start wearing collars VERY young....like at a few weeks in my "kennel")  I start with the leash inside the house.  We go to a room without distractions (other pups or my dogs) and we just walk around....I use my happy voice and get really excited about the pup coming WITH me....if he pulls or tries to go the other way, well, I immediately plop down on the floor....he's gonna come in a hurry if my lap is right there for him.  Once we have the basic idea, we move outside.  Same rules apply.  I've gotta use that happy voice and be really excited about every single step he takes in the direction I want him to go.  Young pups remind me a bit of bucking bronchos the way they'll fight the lead!  And if they fight, I sit.  And praise like crazy for coming to me....and then we try some more.  And the pup might walk a good distance with me and then start fighting again, BUT, I keep their attention on ME..constant stream of chatter and good boys, and if they fight, my butt hits the ground again.  His attention needs to be on YOU and yours on him so that at the first sign of a struggle against the lead, you're ready to counter.  And yes, I usually do let them drag a lead around for a bit so they get used to wearing them.
 
Please don't use the word NO indiscriminately.  NO doesn't tell him what you WANT him to do.  Sometimes I couple No with another word...as in NO BITE....but I reserve the word by itself for absolute emergencies, like little puppy teeth getting ready to chomp on a live electric cord, or someone dashing headlong for the road.  So when I say no, it's got some major impact.
 
You can put just about anything in a kong, including a meal.  Just don't stuff it so full that it's a ton of work to get the food out at first or he'll get frustrated and give up.
 
Where are our pictures??????

After a day of chasing him around the yard so he won't put everything in his mouth I hooked his tieout to him on one end and me on the other. I just sat there and at first the tieout was a toy. Then he tried to go beyond the 12 ft and fought like a bucking horse. He did settle down but then the wife came home and it was all play time with her.