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Please give me some ideas of the best way to teach an 8 week old puppy to begin walking on a leash. I having been giving him treats to get him moving with it. He will try to walk on the opposite side to where I am holding the leash. I know I am supposed to have no tension on the leash. He is just starting to get the idea. We are only practicing inside, because outdoors he considers it a game and lunges all over the place. I know this will take some time and lots of practice. Do you all have any ideas or tricks to help?
Yeah 8 weeks is young so just keep it on him and stand CALM and don't engage in the play - then walk. Once he learns what walking is he'll forget about the game. I don't know how to tell you to have him stop messing around in writing so I'm just gonna say stay CALM and step forward towards him...do not engage playfully or with a high voice or WORDS. I might put one finger up in the air and say shhhht. That's about it for me with words LOL. I might say "ok" or "lets go" sometimes. But I want them to follow me instinctively not to "training tricks".
Speaking just makes dogs excitable they don't understand ENGLISH! They understand body language.
He'll give up eventually just like if it were his dog mother she'd show him it's not time for roughhousing etc. WALKING is the BEST exercise mind and body NOT wrestling, tugging etc.
My guess is he thinks he can tell YOU what to do LOL. Are you using a soft energy? Use a calm confident energy. Are you tugging? Stop. OR always win and don't do it for long. As a dog walker it's on my PROHIBITED LIST.
Are you leashing him to go out for bathroom? You should be. You don't want him to just think he's in control of everything and can be out there in the fenced yard all day fooling around LOL. (if you have a fenced yard which I'm assuming since you didn't say the leash is a problem going to the bathroom)
I would go OUTSIDE. He needs the enrichment (houses are cages) and once he figures it out he'll love it. I don't use treats for much but yeah, for walking forward for a treat that will work just as well outside as inside. I actually use the smell of the treat to get their attention I don't give treats over and over again.
He also needs to learn to WAIT at the door and sit there until you OPEN IT , STILL SITTING THERE, and be INVITED to go out. NOT ahead of you.
This is one of the most important exercises that you can do and sets the tone for your entire relationship if you do it right. CALMLY even if it takes 50 attempts. Which it shouldn't.
Good for you "no tension on the leash" is the most important thing.
And of course NO RETRACTABLES because he can't feel your energy going down the loose leash.
I always suggest a cotton canvas training leash. 6 foot but they go all the way up to 30. But for other purposes, use a SIX foot for walks.
I use leather in my dog walking business, too. You can tie knots in either one so you don't drop it if they pull away. One where the dog will be two feet from your side, one in the middle and one at the top.
If you ABSOULTELY can't get him to stop fooling around you can put a harness so he can't REACH the leash (I assume he's biting the leash and stuff?)...but not long term. Only until he learns how to go for a walk and get IN THE ZONE. Then go back to collars because harnesses are for PULLING.
Have fun with your puppy!
Last edited by runswithscissors; 07-17-2014 at 08:23 AM..
when my dog was a pup I left the leash on while we were in the house for a few hours. just dragging it around helped her to get used to it. I also tether trained my girl. the breeder had lots of dogs, with so many in and around the house, she had some tethered with a long lead. they felt like they were in the house being part of the family without being underway. while I don't do this in the house. I do always have her on a long, long leash when we are outside or I am working in the garage. she knows she has the freedom to walk around even chase or bark at something in her yard. but the tether keeps her from danger and me from worrying about her getting hurt. it has come in very handy and has also helped with walking on the leash. she expects thee is an end to how far she can go. many times when she has the opportunity to run off she doesn't because she knows she is on a rope that has an end.
the other thing you can do is walk the pup with a high value treat, held down by your side. if the dog is food motivated it may help.
Yeah 8 weeks is young so just keep it on him and stand CALM and don't engage in the play - then walk. Once he learns what walking is he'll forget about the game. I don't know how to tell you to have him stop messing around in writing so I'm just gonna say stay CALM and step forward towards him...do not engage playfully or with a high voice or WORDS. I might put one finger up in the air and say shhhht. That's about it for me with words LOL. I might say "ok" or "lets go" sometimes. But I want them to follow me instinctively not to "training tricks".
Speaking just makes dogs excitable they don't understand ENGLISH! They understand body language.
He'll give up eventually just like if it were his dog mother she'd show him it's not time for roughhousing etc. WALKING is the BEST exercise mind and body NOT wrestling, tugging etc.
My guess is he thinks he can tell YOU what to do LOL. Are you using a soft energy? Use a calm confident energy. Are you tugging? Stop. OR always win and don't do it for long. As a dog walker it's on my PROHIBITED LIST.
Are you leashing him to go out for bathroom? You should be. You don't want him to just think he's in control of everything and can be out there in the fenced yard all day fooling around LOL. (if you have a fenced yard which I'm assuming since you didn't say the leash is a problem going to the bathroom)
I would go OUTSIDE. He needs the enrichment (houses are cages) and once he figures it out he'll love it. I don't use treats for much but yeah, for walking forward for a treat that will work just as well outside as inside. I actually use the smell of the treat to get their attention I don't give treats over and over again.
He also needs to learn to WAIT at the door and sit there until you OPEN IT , STILL SITTING THERE, and be INVITED to go out. NOT ahead of you.
This is one of the most important exercises that you can do and sets the tone for your entire relationship if you do it right. CALMLY even if it takes 50 attempts. Which it shouldn't.
Good for you "no tension on the leash" is the most important thing.
And of course NO RETRACTABLES because he can't feel your energy going down the loose leash.
I always suggest a cotton canvas training leash. 6 foot but they go all the way up to 30. But for other purposes, use a SIX foot for walks.
I use leather in my dog walking business, too. You can tie knots in either one so you don't drop it if they pull away. One where the dog will be two feet from your side, one in the middle and one at the top.
If you ABSOULTELY can't get him to stop fooling around you can put a harness so he can't REACH the leash (I assume he's biting the leash and stuff?)...but not long term. Only until he learns how to go for a walk and get IN THE ZONE. Then go back to collars because harnesses are for PULLING.
Attach the leash and let him drag it around a bit to get used to the feel. Give treats to create a positive association with the leash and also to distract / prevent him from chewing on the leash.
Pick up the leash with a very light touch and lure pup around with a treat, toss a toy just a couple feet away and let him get it. Your hand holding the leash should follow the pup's movement so as not to create any pressure or tension.
Holding the leash, coax the pup to walk with you. Reward with a soft, stinky treat (not a boring dry biscuit) every time he takes a couple steps with you. If he pulls off in the 'wrong' direction simply stop moving and coax him back to you. A high pitched "pup pup pup" and lowering your body is usually effective in getting pups to follow you.
This isn't exactly how I leash train but it is close enough to give you the basic idea:
He is a BABY so have realistic expectations and be patient with him. Being leashed feels very unnatural to dogs at first, so we need to make it a pleasant experience in order to form a positive association with this new concept.
Another trick I use to get nice leash walking is I teach 'heel' without a leash. I use a stinky treat right in front of the dog's nose to keep pup walking at my side. Dog can lick or gnaw at the treat as we walk and I actually give a treat to the dog every few steps. Once pup shows understanding of this activity, I raise my criteria and occasionally bring the treat from the dog's nose level up to my chest / eye level and expect the dog to look up at me while we walk. I encourage with praise and rewards, giving the treat when the dog takes a few steps looking up at me. I gradually raise my criteria as the pup succeeds, meaning it takes more and more steps next to me, looking up at me, to earn the reward. Before long I've got a heeling puppy and adding a leash to the equation doesn't change the picture much at all if the pup is already used to the steps at the beginning of this post. With this technique, you end up with a pup who walks nicely on leash and is very unaccustomed to the feeling of pulling or tension on the leash. Really that's what you want - a dog that finds the feeling of pulling on leash to be quite foreign. Dogs that are used to that feeling of leash pressure have no qualms about pulling you around on leash because they are so accustomed to the sensation.
when my dog was a pup I left the leash on while we were in the house for a few hours. just dragging it around helped her to get used to it. I also tether trained my girl. the breeder had lots of dogs, with so many in and around the house, she had some tethered with a long lead. they felt like they were in the house being part of the family without being underway. while I don't do this in the house. I do always have her on a long, long leash when we are outside or I am working in the garage. she knows she has the freedom to walk around even chase or bark at something in her yard. but the tether keeps her from danger and me from worrying about her getting hurt. it has come in very handy and has also helped with walking on the leash. she expects thee is an end to how far she can go. many times when she has the opportunity to run off she doesn't because she knows she is on a rope that has an end.
the other thing you can do is walk the pup with a high value treat, held down by your side. if the dog is food motivated it may help.
What a good idea. I could put a longish lead under a heavy chair while I am in a tiled room and he could be with me. This way I wouldn't have to worry about an accident in carpeted areas.
First things first! You need to start with a very long leash (at least 10 feet long) and you want to teach your dog to want to walk where you are walking. Attach the leash and start moving. Encourage the pup to come along with you -- try to encourage him to keep his eyes on you even if you use treats. Then try to walk away from him. Keep changing directions and encourage him to come along with you - you can use a gentle tug if you need to get his attention and then keep talking to him. You should go thru this step at least once a day for a week. If you skip this step, WHICH IS CRUCIAL, your dog might never learn how important it is to keep his eyes on you, which is really important with any training you might want to do in the future. A lot of people just click a leash on a dog and then start walking without going thru this training first -- it is a big mistake.
People are giving you great suggestions. I have always used treats and rewarded them when they do a behavior I want. With Chaos who was the Star student in puppy class the night we went outside walking ( as it was an indoor class) I used the clicker and would click her when she was in the heel position I wanted. On the outdoor walk all the other puppies went balistic as the distractions were too much and they were pulling and tugging and little Miss Chaos trotted along at a perfect pace in heel position ignoring all the distractions. All the other owners were amazed but it was the fact that I used some clicker training when we were doing our " home work" as with past dogs I have found it speeds up a dogs learning when used correctly. This was not a clicker class just a regular puppy class but the instructor did go over clickers and suggested people give them a try. The puppies all learned how to heel off leash before they learned to do it on leash too and I think that helped too. Actually being an indoor class they learned many things off leash and were even taught to go to their " spot" . We all brought a rug or pad to use as their spot and the puppies were so cute when they were told to go to their spot as there would always be one that went to the wrong spot then the puppy that belonged on that spot would not know what to do and would start whining. We had so much fun in puppy class that I really suggest it even in you have raised many dogs in the past. Being and indoor class puppies that were not done with shots were allowed as the vet that started this program feels more dogs die due to poor socialization then will die from getting sick from any other puppy in class. I am sitting here laughing just thinking of that class and it was 3 yrs ago! What A bunch of silly puppies and we still run into most of then around town every now and then and the dogs get so excited to see their old classmates! I think Puppies are a lot of fun to train and making training a game makes it fun for both of you.
I am not one to ask...my old man had me fooled when he was a pup.
I thought he had leg problems from being abandoned at a young age (>5 weeks), so I would carry him on his walks wheneverhe whined to be picked up and carried.
I know.
You don't have to tell me how it's not a walk if the dog is being carried.
I was doing this until he was about 9 months old and topping 40-50+lbs. That's when I learned I was being scammed and he just liked to be carried like a spoiled baby!
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