You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You’ve heard the cliche? and, in all likelihood, you’ve probably used it once or twice during your life. It is much easier to teach a puppy how to do something the right way than for him to learn the wrong way and have to reteach him the correct way. That includes training your puppy how to walk on a lead. The sooner you start teaching him, the easier it will be and the faster he will learn.
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5 Tips To Train Your Puppy On The Lead
#1. Do it now.
Everyone loves a cute puppy, right? A puppy who runs up and leaps on you is adorable. But, imagine a 70 pound dog doing the same thing. Not so adorable anymore. Start training your puppy how to properly walk on a lead from the time you bring him home rather than waiting until he is older and has already developed bad habits.
It’s much easier to get them used to something early on in their life than trying to re train them at a later date.
#2. Give your puppy the chance to get used to his collar and lead.
Before you ever put your puppy’s collar and lead on, give it to him. Let him sniff it and even play with it, if he feels like it. That way he will be more receptive to you putting it on him.
Choose a collar that you fits snug but isn’t too tight that it hurts his neck. The general rule of thumb is: If you can put two fingers between your dog’s neck and his collar, you’ve got the collar secured just right.
#3. Use plenty of positive reinforcement.
Puppies don’t understand nor do they respond well to punishment. Positive reinforcement is arguably the best and most effective means of training your puppy on lead. Praise your puppy when he does something right and always have plenty of treats on hand to give your puppy for a job well done.
Making sure your puppy loves the treats is important. It’s much easier to train them when the treats are something that they really love.
#4. Implement exercises to teach your puppy to walk.
Once you put the collar and lead on your puppy, don’t just go outside. Instead, start with a simple exercise inside. Walk a few steps with your puppy, stop, and tell him to sit.
When he sits, lavish praise on him and give him a treat. Do this exercise until your puppy gets the hang of it.
And remember practice makes perfect. Your puppy won’t necessarily get it straight away.
#5. Go outside and try it for real!
You started teaching your puppy to walk on a lead indoors where there were minimal distractions. Now that he’s got the hang of walking – and sitting when you stop and tell him to – he’s ready for the big time. It’s time to go outside! Follow the same technique as you did indoors – walk a short distance, tell him to sit, and reward with a treat.
Eventually, he will learn to walk long distances because he loves it and you can put the treats away.
We would love to hear how you got on lead training your dog. And if you need puppy visits for your dog then get in touch. We can visit them as many times as day as you need to play and let them out to the toilet while you are at work. Then once they are ready for walks outside we can do that too.
