Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to take us through how to teach your puppy to walk on a lead.
In our training video, Jon takes us through, step by step, how to train your new puppy to be accustomed to a lead and walk sensibility by your side. Although puppies can't go outside to walk until they've had all of their jabs, which is typically around 12-16 weeks old, walk training can begin right there in your living room!
Training your puppy to walk on a lead
- Try not to teach your puppy to be triggered by the word 'walkies' as you want to approach walking with a calm and positive manner.
- Be sure to desensitize your puppy to the lead itself, as well as it being put on and off. Do this multiple times a day, rewarding the puppy calmly with food each time.
- During lead desensitisation, do some basic training on the leash that doesn’t involve walking. ‘Sit’ is a good one to start with.
- Teach your puppy early on that pulling on the lead doesn't mean go! Simply hold the lead until your puppy tires out or loses interest. When the leash is loose, wait a short while and unclip or engage your puppy in play, training or just gentle calm affection.
When your puppy is used to the leash and stable enough to do so, we can progress training into the garden.
- After choosing which side you'd like your puppy to walk on, walk in small anti-clockwise circles. Reward walking without sniffing and focus. The food can be food or positive voice inflexion.
- If the training is going well, increase the size of the circle and increase the length of your training.
- Use the natural physical barriers around you, to help or keep the training interesting. Garden fences, walls and even a bush or tree can be used to teach puppies not to walk in front of us.
- Reward good pace control and any focused walking. If the puppy starts to race ahead, step in front and block them with your leg. Pair this with a firm NO. Let them settle and start again.
- Puppies have short attention spans. Keep sessions relatively short depending on your puppy’s character.
- We also want to train puppies to not chase things whilst on a lead. To do this, throw a toy away from the puppy. They will be tempted to follow it. When they do, firmly say ‘No’ whilst holding the leash firmly.
Keep repeating the exercise until the puppy controls the impulse to lunge or chase.
If you see any element of the puppy controlling the behaviour, mark it with ‘good’ or a click and reward. This will be time for a jackpot reward.
Comments (0)
Leave a comment