Teaching puppies to walk on a leash
How exciting! The first walks with your puppy are coming up. Out in nature, your furry nose can romp around and soak up lots of new impressions! But even if your little darling should discover his environment in peace, it is important that you start as early as possible with the leash training, so that you do not have to train him, for example, pulling on the leash at an adult age laboriously. When it can start with the leash training and what you should pay attention to, you will learn here!
Training puppies to walk on a leash: From what age?
When your little furry darling is about 8 weeks old, you can already start the first exercises with him.
If you start leash training with your furry nose as a puppy, it will be easier for you in the future. Training an adult dog to walk on a leash is often a great challenge. But don't worry, we can help here too - with these tips, you can get your four-legged friend out of the habit of pulling on the leash.
Easy walking on the leash: This is how it works with the leash leadership
Not too many training steps are waiting for you with your little puppy - when training, it's rather your approach that plays a decisive role to train your nose to walk on a loose leash. This is the method we recommend for walking your puppy:
- Only walk with loose leash: For the beginning, it's best to take a straight route where you can walk side by side. If the leash remains loose during the walk, you should reward your furry nose directly with a treat. As soon as your puppy pulls on the leash, stop and talk to him. Wait until you have his attention - only then change direction. If you change direction with your sniffer, don't tug him while you do it. Repeat these steps until you see the first successes.
- Slowly increase the training: Start with a crisp 10 minutes a day and increase the duration of your training session as you start to see improvements in training. If your puppy is already relatively relaxed on the leash, you can gradually introduce small commands, such as "leash" or "by foot".
Our tip: As an owner, you should always keep an eye on your pet's behaviour, because you know your darling best! Does he show the first signs of stress, fatigue or excessive demands? Then break off the training and try it another day!
Leoni from the Wir lieben HUNTER Team:
"I always made sure to keep a lot of eye contact with my Ari during training. That way I could get her attention and at the same time read from her behaviour how she was feeling. Even today, we communicate a lot with our looks and it feels nice to communicate like that without words."
Leash handling training: What you need to bring as a dog owner
Even though there are many distractions waiting for your puppy outside and he will probably want to go on new adventures, you as the dog owner should stay strong and be able to resist his cute googly eyes. Ideally, you should only approach training together when you are both completely relaxed and motivated. In this way, the human conveys security and trust to his dog:
- Positive body language
- Patience
- Praise
- Loving consistency
Harness or collar for leash training?
Keep in mind that such a collar or harness for your little darling is still quite new. So that he does not associate the collar or the chest harness with negative feelings, these aids should fit particularly well and not pinch anywhere.
But what is more suitable for leash training with your puppy, collar or chest harness? Even though a collar is best for situations where you need a short leash, you should prefer a chest harness for leash training with your young dog. Especially in the beginning, your curious pup may suddenly sprint off. With a chest harness, sensitive areas on the neck are relieved in the event of a strong pull.
Our tip: Do not accustom your four-legged friend to a collar until the pulling on the leash subsides. It is absolutely sensible that your puppy knows and accepts both aids - collar and chest harness.
Which leash is suitable for leash training with a puppy?
As a new dog owner, you may be overwhelmed with the huge selection of dog leashes. Generally speaking, however, an adjustable 2-meter leash will give your puppy enough freedom to explore, but also the safety of its dog owner at the same time.
Conclusion: The way is the goal
With consistent leadership, lots of treats and in a relaxed environment without many distractions, your four-legged friend learns best to get used to his leash. Your challenge is to persevere! Because even if it seems as if there are no successes, every training session in which you train in a relaxed manner is important.
If you do the training together, you can look forward to a strong bond and harmonious walks! If the leash remains loose during the walk, you can take on the next challenge and learn, for example, the "heel" command - it will certainly not be boring with your young whirlwind so quickly!
Have you already made your first experiences with leash training? Share your successes and challenges with us - we are looking forward to hearing from you!
