Leash Training Your Puppy

It’s never too early to train your pup to walk on a leash. As a matter of fact it’s often a bad idea to wait until the pup has grown a bit to get them used to being on a leash. Young dogs take time to adjust to wearing collars and leashes so make sure that you start this practice as soon as possible. The sooner they get used to the idea of wearing a collar the easier it will be on both them and you.

Buy a good pup collar with an id tag on it before you start training. Personally I always have my cellphone number etched onto the pups id tag - just in case they manage to sneak out. This has worked on at least once occassion. Don’t use a choke collar during leash training - it gives the dog the wrong idea about what’s going on. When you’re putting the pups collar on do so gently and with care but do make sure it’s firmly closed - this can be difficult to judge at times with the amount of puppy fat on their necks. The puppy might paw, whine and scratch at the collar at first but will then adjust to it - once you don’t fuss over it then neither will the pup.

You can now attach the leash to the pups collar. Again do this very gently - you don’t want the puppy to associate the collar and leash with fear or pain. With the leash attached let the pup stroll around the house so they can get used to the idea of the leash being there. A great idea is to attach the leash to the pups collar as they receive a meal from you - this develops a pleasant association for them in their formative years.

Once the pup is comfortable with the fact that there is a leash attached you can now pick up the leash. Don’t lead the puppy around - instead let him lead you to wherever he’s going. This allows the dog to still associate freedom of movement with the collar and leash being present. Praise your puppy as often as possible during leash training - every aspect of this training needs to be as pleasant and rewarding for the dog as possible for there to be true long term benefits.

Leash training a new pup is a challenge in itself it’s not something you can ignore - it’s absolutely essential for the pups safety. The sooner the training starts the more rewarding your relationship with your little doggy buddy can be.