Page 18 - Issue 2_2018

Pawsitive Tips

By Caryl Wolff

Leash Training Puppies: Part 1, Introducing the Collar or Harness

This is a 2-part article on leash training puppies. The first part is about Training Puppies to Accept a Collar or Harness
the prep and getting him used to his collar or harness, and the second
is about the mechanics of training. Train before his meals so he’s motivated by hunger. You can mix some
small, delicious treats with his kibble. Vary rewarding with treat and
The prep is important because it likely will be a disaster if you clip the kibble bits so he never knows what he is going to get.
leash on your puppy and walk out the door and expect him to accept
the leash, being outside in a new environment, AND walking next to • Let him smell the collar or harness, and give him a treat.
you. That’s way too many things for his developing brain to process. He
may be frightened to go outside, and now you’ve compounded it by • Put it on his neck or back. Give him a treat while it is on his neck or
adding this thing that won’t let him go where he wants. He now has a back. When you take it off, the treats stop.
bad association with the leash, and the associations that he makes in
puppyhood can last a lifetime. • Repeat the process, lengthening the time it is on his neck/back to
about 10 seconds.
It’s much easier to teach a puppy to walk next to you than to teach an
older dog because you are teaching on a clean slate rather than eras- • Then fasten the collar/harness and give him treats. Repeat a few
ing and teaching a new way. My advice - begin the process immedi- times.
ately! And the process begins with teaching your dog to sit because
many dogs squirm or run away and have you chase them when you • Leave the collar or harness on him. Then give him the rest of his
are trying to put on the leash. Avoid this by training him the right way meal.
from the beginning.
• In the unlikely event that he scratches, whines, squirms, yelps,
Fitting the Collar rolls, or acts like he is being tortured when you first put on a collar
or harness, distract him by running around or playing a game.
Some breeders and shelters put colored cloth tape on their puppies’ Only remove the collar or harness when he stops trying to get out
necks to identify them. Your pup may already be used to having some- of it.
thing around his neck, which will make your job easier.
• Remove the collar or harness when you put him in a crate or pen.
Be sure that the collar fits correctly so it’s not too tight or too loose
because it can chafe your puppy’s neck. • Have him wear the collar or harness for a few days before begin-
ning leash training.
A collar should be about 2 inches bigger than your puppy’s neck, but
he should not be able to pull his head out of the collar. Stay tuned for the second part of the lesson, which is training your
puppy to get comfortable with walking on a leash.
Fitting the Harness
Reprinted with Permission 2018
I prefer harnesses over collars for a couple of reasons. One is that if petsafe.com
your puppy runs to the end of the leash, then he gets a real jolt to his
neck, which may damage his trachea. I would definitely recommend a
harness for smaller breeds like toy poodles that are prone to collapsing
tracheas.

The second reason is that when predators attack, they like to attack at
the throat. We don’t want our dogs to feel that they are being attacked
and have to run away from us when they are on leash!
The harness should be snug around his body so he can move freely but
not slip out of it. When you measure for fitting, measure around the
broadest part of the chest. Different harness manufacturers have differ-
ent standards for what they call a “small,” so you need to measure. Err
on the side of caution and get a larger one if it is not an exact size.

Debbie Gates©

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