Training your puppy to walk on the leash should be done gradually and in stages just like any other form of training. Some people put a collar and leash on their puppy and walk out the front door and expect their puppy to just trot along beside them. You wouldn't tell your puppy to stay and walk across a busy highway and not expect him to follow you. Leash training should begin at home either inside the house or in the backyard and it should be done slowly.
How do I get my puppy to wear his collar and leash?
Buy a very light weight collar and leash for your puppy. Even if he is going to be a large dog, start with a collar and leash that won't be too heavy and won't irritate him too much. There are many different designs available from your local pet shop.
Put the collar on loose enough so that it is not rubbing against his neck and tight enough so that it can't be pulled over his head. Let your puppy get used to the collar. If he starts scratching at it, tell him not to with your voice (use a gruff and sharp sound) and redirect him onto something positive like a toy or a game of ball. Attach the leash and just your puppy drag it around with him. Do not leave your puppy on his own with the leash attached in case he comes to some harm.
When it is feeding time, clip your puppy's leash to his collar and hold it above the ground while he is eating. Eating is always an enjoyable time for puppies and by having his leash attached he will associate this pleasure with his leash.
Start practise walking
When your puppy is ready, pick up his leash and lead him around the house or backyard. Use a high pitched voice to encourage him and slap your hands on your legs. It is best to start this kind of training where there are no distractions. Distractions take your puppy's attention away from you and what you want him to do. Children, the cat, other dogs and food are all forms of distractions. When your puppy is trotting along beside you, use his name to encourage him. Give him treats to keep his attention on you and to reward him for walking nicely.
When you think your puppy is ready, take him outside. For the first few walks, just walk him up and down the street or stay in your backyard. Choose different times of the day when there will be different things for your puppy to get used to. There will be many distractions on the street so you might find that he isn't paying as much attention to you. You can either persevere or wait for your puppy to get used to these new distractions or you can take a step back and work on his leash walking inside where there are no distractions.
What if my puppy is frightened when we are out walking?
Many ordinary things that you see every day may startle your puppy and make him scared. These might be loud trucks, trains rumbling past or even the warning beeps of a pedestrian crossing. Remember dogs have excellent hearing so normal sounds to us may seem much louder to them. Also, your puppy may be coming in contact with things that to him are exceedingly strange but normal to you. Things like plastic bags moving in the wind or large fallen logs may startle your puppy. When you are walking for the first few months, be prepared by looking ahead.
Regardless of what has startled your puppy, it is important that you don't tell your puppy that it is OK to be frightened and that he does have something to fear. A fearful dog will attack if it is under threat and if it can't attack the thing that has made it frightened, it may attack you. This is called re-direction and happens often with family dogs that have been frightened who have never attacked or bitten before.
It is important to be Cool, Calm and Confident when you are out walking with your dog. He will be looking to you - at the other end of the leash - for guidance. He wants you to tell him how to behave. If you cuddle and talk to him like you would a child or baby, he will learn that there is something to fear and that he should keep displaying signs of fear. A fearful dog may become an aggressive dog if not checked at a young enough age and will bite and attack. You don't want this to be your dog.
Look directly at your puppy; talk in a firm voice; even pat the side of your leg and encourage him to keep walking. If you can't, hold him in a sit and wait for whatever he is fearful of to pass. If you can, don't pick up your puppy. Let him know by your actions and your voice that he has nothing to fear and that he is safe.
Why is taking your dog for a walk important?
Walking our puppies is one of the most important things we can do and is as important as proper nutrition and providing a safe and warm sleeping area. It is much more than just getting some exercise. It gives your puppy the opportunity to start socializing with other dogs, animals and objects as mentioned above.
Give your puppy time to stop and sniff where other dogs have been to the toilet. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and can read lots of different information from just sniff of another dog's urine. It might seem yuk to us, but they can find out what other dogs are in the area; if they are boys or girls; if girls, whether they have had pups or not; the age of the other dog and lots more. Dogs are very territorial so when you start taking your puppy out for walks, he's going to want to know what other dogs are in the surrounding area.
Walking also simulates hunting in the pack. Remember: your dog is closely related to a wolf so he will think and act like one. If you have a dominate dog it is important that you leave the house and go through the gate first when going out for walks. This is one technique used to establish pack leadership in your dog's mind. When out walking, your dog will want to explore his environment by smelling and seeing and even tasting whatever he can find.
It is not a good idea to let your dog pick up and eat anything he finds on the ground so don't be worried about introducing a 'leave' command when you're out walking. It is best to take your young puppy out for short walks more often than one long walk. They do become tired very quickly and you don't want them to resent going for a walk.
My Puppy Just Doesn't Walk Properly
Your puppy will pull on the leash and weave in front of you when you first start training him to walk. This is annoying and can be dangerous if you trip over him. Here are some tips that will help:
Keep the leash short enough so your puppy can't run in front too far
Keep the leash in two hands across the front of your body. It will give you more strength.
For large breed puppies or puppies that are very strong; loop the leash around your thumb and close your fist around the two lengths. This will give you added strength and more control over your dog
If you want to use treats, put your hand beside your knee and wait until he reaches your hand, then treat and praise him for good walking
Always praise and reward your puppy for doing the right thing the second it happens; like all good training timing is essential
Use your voice to correct your puppy back to your side
Do not yank on the leash. If he is pulling too far ahead, give it a sharp tug and release it again immediately. You don't want to get into a pulling competition with your puppy because you will get tired a lot quicker than he will
You could stop and make your puppy wait each time he lunges ahead
You could try turning him around and walking in the opposite direction when he lunges ahead
Stop at the kerb and get your puppy to sit and wait. Give him a 'walk' or release command and start walking again. Your puppy is never too young to learn road safety.
Whatever you do; don't start nagging your puppy either by yelling all the time or pulling on the leash all the time. Your puppy will develop a sense of learned helplessness and simply switch off and not listen to you at all. When training your puppy, choose a length of the street that you are going to train him; it might be until the next road or the shop on the corner. Make him sit and then give him a 'walk' command.
When you have walked along this distance and done some training, regardless of how successful you think you have been, put your puppy into a sit and give him a 'release' command. This way he will come to understand that there are times he has to listen and learn and other times he can just be a normal puppy.
As your training skills improve, you can lengthen the distance to do your training but you will have to be patient. There are so many interesting and new things to see and smell and taste that it takes time for your puppy to understand what the long thing hanging off his collar is for and why you think it is so important.
Your puppy may also refuse to walk and just sit and wait for you to pick him up. Don't forget that the outside world if full of weird and wonderful things and your puppy may be over whelmed by them. If this happens, it would be best to take your puppy back inside and resume leash training there. You can use your voice to encourage your puppy and call him to you, but it is not a good idea to pick him up and carry him. He will get used to this and expect you to do it every time.
Remember: always give your puppy the opportunity to correct his behaviour and do the right thing. It is up to you to teach him what is acceptable and what is not. Reward acceptable behaviour; discourage unacceptable behaviour by using loud unpleasant noises, withdrawal of attention or treats or leaving your puppy on its own. Never hit or strike your puppy; you will only be teaching him that violence is an acceptable behaviour in your pack and he may use it on other pack members or friends including children.
Sue Day is a dog behaviourist with experience in puppy training, dog agility, obedience, and re homing shelter dogs. Sue owns Messy Pawz Dog Training which advocates positive training methods. Sue has made a lot of information available for free on her website: http://www.messypawz.com.
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