Let’s Talk Walking the Dog
Are you just starting to train your puppy to walk on a leash? Or do you have an overzealous dog that takes you for walks? Can you let your dog off leash in the park without worrying if "Rover" will come back?
Leash Training Do’s
-Use treats and praise to keep puppy at your side.
-Keep the leash loose at all times. If you see your puppy starting to pull ahead, abruptly reverse directions so that puppy finds himself suddenly behind or beside you instead of forging in front of you. Don’t wait until the puppy is clear at the other end of the leash, pulling ahead before you take action. The leash should always remain loose except for that one split second it takes when you’re reversing direction. Do not drag your puppy back to your side. Use a quick tug, then immediately release so the leash is slack again. If it doesn’t all happen in 3/10ths of a second, it’s taking too long and your puppy will not learn to walk nicely on leash. Put another way: Instead of correcting your dog after he is already pulling, do not give him the opportunity to pull. If he never pulls, he will never learn to pull. You must correct him BEFORE he pulls!
-Practice now before your pup learns to pull. Since your pup is unable to walk the streets yet, begin teaching him to walk around your house and yard. He should be taught not to pull before hitting the streets.
Leash Training Don’ts
-Do not let your puppy pull you around.
-If you cannot correct the puppy in time, do not reward his pulling by letting him continue on his way. Better to slowly just turn around and go the other way, or stop in your tracks and say, "We are not going one inch further until you stop pulling." Then wait, it may take 30 seconds; it may take 20 minutes. Do not move until your puppy is in control. Now you can start over and give the correction before he starts pulling again. If again you are too late in your correction, start again.
-Do not yank and pull on your puppy’s throat and neck.
-Never use a choke collar.
This is one item that is awesome for helping with those dogs who tend to take you for a walk. I used it on my 110 lb rotti and it worked wonders for us. I also had an elderly client with a great dane who was able to use the system to teach not only how to walk, but for jumping, pulling and barking. I would highly recommend this to anyone training their dog.
Some Helpful Websites:
Veterinary Partner - how to teach an old dog new tricks
Puppy Chow - leash training a puppy
YouTube - leash training video
ASPCA - leash manners
Do you have any ideas or helpful hints for the other readers? If so please leave a comment so others may learn.
Tags: puppy, dog, training, YouTube, leash
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