Page 19 - Issue 2_2018

Pawsitive Tips

By Caryl Wolff

Leash Training Puppies: Part 2, Walking Your Puppy

By now your puppy is used to wearing his collar or harness. He may
even be excited when you pull it out and before you ever put it on
him because he knows he gets some treats! Now we’ll introduce your
puppy to walking on the leash outside.

Follow Me

Your puppy likely follows you
everywhere, so why not trans-
fer this to walking next to you
on a leash? An easy way to start
leash training is to hook him Reward Good Heeling
to your belt like an umbilical
cord and have him follow you
around the house. • Have him sit while you attach the leash to his collar or harness.
• Hold the leash in the opposite hand that your puppy is walking on
Keep in mind that he might - if he walks on the right, hold the leash in your left hand and the
only follow you around now. treats in your right hand.
As he develops and grows,
the world is going to be much • Reward for position. Give him the treat next to your knee and say
more interesting than you are! “good dog” every time you give him a treat. Again, one treat per
So don’t count on his staying at second until he’s got it down.
your side forever.
• Gradually lengthen the time between treats - instead of a treat
every second, give him a treat every 2 seconds. Then every 3 sec-
Start with Leashless Indoor Walks onds, etc. 5 seconds is the longest interval between treats.
Begin to teach indoors to minimize distractions. If you don’t have con- • Start giving the treats at random - at 1 second, at 3 seconds, at 4
trol of him inside, you’ll have a hard time controlling him outside. seconds, etc.
• Without a leash on, call your puppy to come to you and walk with • Tell him “Heel” when he is walking next to you. Don’t yank him
him next to you. into position!
• Walk in a straight line with your puppy between you and a wall Practice these steps several times a day in the house for at least a week,
indoors so he can’t wander to the side. Give him a treat every then practice outdoors. Your backyard is perfect to start because you
second and say “good dog” at every step. can control some of the distractions.

• If your dog is tiny, put a treat in a ladle or use sticky treats such as Leash Training Tips
peanut butter on a spoon with a long handle so you don’t have to
bend over so far and so his reward happens the instant he gives • Keep the lessons short - aim for a minute of good heeling position
you the behavior you want. when you first start.
• Repeat this scenario for a couple days, and then hook the leash to • Don’t reward if the leash tightens. Stand still if he pulls and let
your puppy. him figure out you won’t move unless the leash is slack. It takes
some puppies longer than others, so be patient. The first few les-
Practice with the Leash sons may take longer than a minute while he figures this out. The
one-minute lesson refers to walking with him by your side for one
Your puppy likely follows you everywhere, so why not transfer this to minute.
walking next to you on a leash? An easy way to start leash training is to
hook him to your belt like an umbilical cord and have him follow you • Train at mealtimes because your puppy is hungry and you feed
around the house. him even though there are distractions. Add some delicious treats
to his kibble. When you “treat” him, give him one piece at a time,
Keep in mind that he might only follows you around now. As he devel- sometimes feeding kibble, sometimes treats. Vary it so he never
ops and grows, the world is going to be much more interesting than knows what he is going to get. Caren Holtby & Kim Floyd©
you are! So don’t count on his staying at your side forever.
Reprinted with Permission 2018
petsafe.com
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