Now! The sooner you start, the sooner your puppy will be able to safely walk with you outside in a predictable, controlled manner. This isn’t always an easy task but very well worth the effort! Puppies are easily overwhelmed and may initially be afraid of a new collar and leash. With patience and a loving manner, you will be able to help your puppy overcome his initial fear.
2. What kind of collar and leash should I buy?
Start by buying your puppy a lightweight collar (no choke collars!) complete with an id tag, a lightweight leash, and some healthy treats. Begin by putting the collar snuggly but not tightly around your puppy’s neck. Be prepared – he won’t like it at first! He’ll paw at the collar, shake his head and roll around hoping to shake it off. It’s important not to laugh at him (this will only encourage him to keep doing it) or scold him either. Hopefully your puppy will forget about his new collar after a few minutes.
3. What is the first step in leash training?
Congratulations! Give your puppy a treat once he has accepted wearing his collar. The next step is to attach his leash. Just attach it and let him walk around the room getting used to the feel of it. After 2 minutes, take the leash off and reward your puppy. Wait 15 minutes and attach the leash again, once more letting him just walk around getting used to the feel of wearing a leash. After a few minutes, take the leash off again. Keep repeating this process until your puppy is used to wearing his leash. Remember: attach, walk around the room, remove, reward with a treat, repeat. Tip: if you attach his leash to his collar at mealtimes, your puppy will associate his leash with a positive experience.
Once your puppy has accepted wearing his leash, pick up the other end. Just let him lead you around indoors. Let him think that this is a fun game as he leads you around indoors. Keep it fun and make sure that you don’t let him be in a position where he wants to pull or strain against the leash. Do everything to make this a positive experience for your puppy. Praise him with your words and treats when you ‘catch him’ doing something right (if he happens to walk over to you for attention, rather than straining against his leash, praise him!). Tip: limit your ‘indoor leash walks’ to 5 or 10 minutes, several times a day if possible.
4. When is it safe to venture outdoors?
When you and your puppy are feeling comfortable with your ‘indoor leash walks’, it’s time to venture outside! Start with short walks in low traffic areas where there are minimal distractions (like other dogs). Slowly, gradually, widen the area where you and your puppy walk.
Once your puppy has mastered walking on the leash outdoors, it’s a great time to teach him how to go up and down stairs. Start by sitting on the bottom step of a short flight of stairs. Go up one step and encourage your puppy to join you. If he follows you, lavish him with lots of praise and a treat. Continue going up one step at a time with more praise and treats for each step. Do the same when coming back down the stairs. Tip: Don’t punish your puppy if he’s not ready to climb the stairs and never try to force him. If he’s not ready, try again in a few days. Patience is the key.
Whew! Congratulate your puppy and yourself! You’ve mastered teaching your puppy to walk on a leash AND go up the stairs! Leash training your puppy can be time consuming but is absolutely necessary for his safety.
BJ Gabriel is a successful Webmaster and publisher of DogTraining4Lovers.com. BJ provides free Dog Training information in a free Dog Lovers Newsletter to help you have the happiest, healthiest and most well-behaved dog on the planet!
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