Training Puppies to Accept a Leash

When you first bring your puppy home, leash training is a top priority. Training your puppy to walk on a leash will help you to build strong habits from day one. There is a simple way to leash train a puppy with a little time and patience. Soon your puppy will be walking on a leash like a pro!

Step 1

The first step involves getting your puppy comfortable with his collar. Choose a collar that is lightweight and fits well, but isn't too tight. Put the collar on when he's playing or eating. This will provide some distraction from the collar, helping him to accept it. It's natural for puppies to try to scratch it off, but they'll settle down fairly quickly.

Once the puppy is happy with the collar, introduce the leash. This is the first step in leash training, showing the puppy that the leash is nothing to be scared of. Choose a lighter, thinner leash and then clip it onto his collar. Let it drag on the ground and let the puppy sniff it or walk around for a short period of time. This will encourage the dog to understand that the leash is not scary and is fine.

Supervise the puppy during this period to make sure that it doesn't get caught on anything or the puppy doesn't chew it.

Step 2

After this step, pick up the other end of the leash and start by walking around the house with the puppy walking with you. During this time, be sure to give the puppy plenty of praise, petting the dog periodically and maybe even giving some treats if the puppy seems reluctant to follow.

When he strains on the leash, stop immediately and coax him forward again, praising him as you go. Avoid yanking or pulling the puppy as this will set up bad habits and teach your puppy that the leash is a bad thing.

Chances are, your puppy will want to wander around and go farther than the leash allows. When this happens, keep your ground and let him test the boundaries, but don't pull him towards you. This will teach him how far he can go while on the leash and also demonstrate that he has to stay within certain limits.

When you first start teaching him about walking on a leash, he'll probably pull or fall behind. When this happens, stop and call him back or encourage him forwards. The good news is that most puppies learn how to walk on a leash very easily with just a few lessons.

Step 3

After you've leash-trained your puppy inside the house, take him on short walks outside and in the yard. This is a great way to introduce him to walking on a leash and being comfortable on it both inside and outside. After you've taken this step, you can rest assured that your new puppy will be a great dog on a leash,

Experience

If you use this simple 3 step method for leash training a new puppy then in just a few days she will have 'got' it!