Puppy Leash Training: A Guide for New Owners | Schemes and Mind Maps Training and Development

Puppy leash training

Before a puppy can learn how to properly walk on the leash, he has to learn that the leash is

okay. This is known as leash training. If you start your puppy on the leash correctly, he will

learn to love walking on the leash and can quickly move into correctly walking with you on

leash.

A puppy can begin to learn about the leash as early as 8 weeks of age, although it’s unlikely he’ll

actually go for any walks at that point. Instead, you can teach your puppy what the leash is all

about. This should happen between the ages of 8-12 weeks of age. The longer you wait to leash

train, the harder it can be, depending on the dog. All sizes of dogs should be leash trained, even

if the dog is small enough to pick up.

Some people like to acclimate a puppy to the leash by allowing him to drag the leash around the

house. This can be an effective method for some puppies, but it can also be frightening for other

puppies. Plus, a puppy can become tangled in the leash or caught on something. If the puppy

has a bad experience, he will remember it, and he could even become wary of the leash

altogether.

Most puppies can become leash trained quite easily without having to let him drag the leash

behind him. You can begin working on this task in the house or in your yard. All it requires is a

flat collar on the puppy (or a harness for very tiny puppies, if desired), a 6 foot long lightweight

leash, and a lot of really yummy treats.

Here is how you would begin your leash training:

Take your puppy to the spot where you would like to begin. This can be done by

carrying the puppy there or allowing him to walk without the leash to the spot.

He should already have his flat collar on.

Attach the leash to his collar and give him a treat as you do so.

Every puppy is different, but most puppies don’t react to the leash until you begin to

move.

With your leashed puppy next to you, move one or two steps away from him, keeping the

leash loose and without tension. Hold a treat down next to your leg and call the puppy to

you with his name and a Let’s Go (the command for future walking exercises).

Allow the puppy to walk to your hand and give him the treat for the effort.

Move a step or two away, say his name and Let’s Go and again hold a treat down by your

leg where you want him to move to. Reward him with lots of praise and treat when he

does.

Continue in this manner for a short session of about 5 minutes. Keeping it short is the

best idea for the first week of leash training.

Once your puppy is comfortable on leash, you can begin to teach him how to correctly

walk on leash.

Partial preview of the text

Download Puppy Leash Training: A Guide for New Owners and more Schemes and Mind Maps Training and Development in PDF only on Docsity!

Puppy leash training Before a puppy can learn how to properly walk on the leash, he has to learn that the leash is okay. This is known as leash training. If you start your puppy on the leash correctly, he will learn to love walking on the leash and can quickly move into correctly walking with you on leash. A puppy can begin to learn about the leash as early as 8 weeks of age, although it’s unlikely he’ll actually go for any walks at that point. Instead, you can teach your puppy what the leash is all about. This should happen between the ages of 8-12 weeks of age. The longer you wait to leash train, the harder it can be, depending on the dog. All sizes of dogs should be leash trained, even if the dog is small enough to pick up. Some people like to acclimate a puppy to the leash by allowing him to drag the leash around the house. This can be an effective method for some puppies, but it can also be frightening for other puppies. Plus, a puppy can become tangled in the leash or caught on something. If the puppy has a bad experience, he will remember it, and he could even become wary of the leash altogether. Most puppies can become leash trained quite easily without having to let him drag the leash behind him. You can begin working on this task in the house or in your yard. All it requires is a flat collar on the puppy (or a harness for very tiny puppies, if desired), a 6 foot long lightweight leash, and a lot of really yummy treats. Here is how you would begin your leash training:  Take your puppy to the spot where you would like to begin. This can be done by carrying the puppy there or allowing him to walk without the leash to the spot.  He should already have his flat collar on.  Attach the leash to his collar and give him a treat as you do so.  Every puppy is different, but most puppies don’t react to the leash until you begin to move.  With your leashed puppy next to you, move one or two steps away from him, keeping the leash loose and without tension. Hold a treat down next to your leg and call the puppy to you with his name and a Let’s Go (the command for future walking exercises).  Allow the puppy to walk to your hand and give him the treat for the effort.  Move a step or two away, say his name and Let’s Go and again hold a treat down by your leg where you want him to move to. Reward him with lots of praise and treat when he does.  Continue in this manner for a short session of about 5 minutes. Keeping it short is the best idea for the first week of leash training.  Once your puppy is comfortable on leash, you can begin to teach him how to correctly walk on leash.

What should you do when your dog does: Flailing and crying: Puppies can look injured and desperate on leash. A puppy will often jump, fall down, flail, and cry when you move one way and he doesn’t want to go the same way. The best thing to do is to wait him out. He won’t hurt himself, and he will stop the antics. It’s kind of like a tempter tantrum. Just stand and wait. When he stops for a moment and is sitting or standing there, hold a treat down by your leg and call him to you. You can even squat down to his level to get him to come over in the beginning. He is only doing this behavior because the leash can be frightening or frustrating at first. He is resisting the feel of the leash and resisting the control that comes with a leash. Sits down and won’t move: Some puppies express themselves by sitting or lying down and refusing to move. They are similar to the puppies that flail but these guys just won’t move. It is still a form of resistance. Resist the urge to pull the puppy! Dragging a puppy only makes him not happy on leash and makes him resist the leash more. Instead, encourage the puppy to move. That may mean squatting or kneeling down, using a high pitched happy voice to call him over, rewarding him for small efforts, etc. Once he moves, continue moving a step at a time, and before you know it, he’ll be moving. If he still has reluctant moments, you can invite a friendly dog over to teach him that walking on leash is easy. A puppy that would refuse to move on leash with you will be up and moving in no time on leash to follow another dog. Both flailing/crying and not moving at all are forms of resistance that are short lived. These are behaviors that only occur when a puppy is first learning about the leash. If you keep the leash a positive thing and don’t attempt to pull a puppy one way or another but instead encourage and reward him for moving, you’ll see that he gives these behaviors up in no time.

Puppy Leash Training: A Guide for New Owners, Schemes and Mind Maps of Training and Development

Related documents

Partial preview of the text

Download Puppy Leash Training: A Guide for New Owners and more Schemes and Mind Maps Training and Development in PDF only on Docsity!