Gail-
 
We've had a fair bit of success training one of our ferrets, Grendel,
to walk on a leash.  He won't heel, but he does go in a (more or
less--perhaps straight by any ferret's definition) straight line and
will go where we want him to go too.
 
We did two things to get him used to the idea of taking walks.
First, we took him outside and down town alot while we were holding
him.  This made it so "outside" wasn't so big and scary.
Second, we let him run around the house with his harness on.  This
got him used to the idea that we weren't trying to strangle him when
we put it on him.
 
The leash training bit was a mixture of technique.  We started by
letting him walk wherever he wanted to go while he was on the leash.
Then, when we tired of walking through bushes and crawling around
underneath cars and garbage bins, we started encouraging him to walk
towards my boyfriend while I held the leash.  This worked some, but I
think it was a combination of coaxing and me dragging him along
behind that worked.
 
We were very persistent about getting him to do it.  He "walked" some
after about an hour and the next day he was much better.  We did this
daily for about a month.  We've never giving walking Grendel a second
thought since.  We can get his harness and leash (now a retractable
one--A good idea, since ferrets tend to "walk" in spurts, stopping to
smell, racing ahead) out now, put it on him and he'll run to the
door.  He still walks best on paths (I think he uses the edge of the
concrete as a guide for "straight").
 
We also have three that don't walk.  We have lived in a FFZ all their
lives (Grendel lived in WA for a year).  We just haven't given
Gilbert the time needed to learn to walk and Miss Lily is absolutely
terrified of OUTSIDE.  We haven't had the time or the opportunity to
try Boomer out.
 
Also, not to discourage you, but just to let you know, Seldon, a
friend's ferret, started going for walks with Grendel about a month
after we started walking Grendel.  Seldon has never learned to walk
as well as Grendel, needs lots of encouragement, and won't go very
far.  Seldon's playmate Dors walks just like Grendel though and so
now Seldon rides on a shoulder and Dors walks.  It seems like some
ferrets aren't as game as others.
 
Best of luck with the walking.
Grendel, Gilbert, Miss Lily and Boomer and their owners
 
[Posted in FML issue 0718]