How To Train Your Puppy
To Walk On A Leash
1. If your puppy has never worn a collar, you should have a collar ready for your puppy as soon as you get home. Get your puppy accustomed with and comfortable wearing a collar. At Vom Haus Schutz German Shepherd K9, we teach the puppies to wear a collar from birth so your puppy is comfortable wearing it. Your puppy will know how to accept you putting the collar on and off without any hesitation from the puppy.
If you do need to collar train your puppy, place it on him/her when you feed or are playing. This provides a bit of a distraction from the collar. They will roll around trying to dislodge it, or try their best to scratch it off. When they are doing this it is important that you don't take it off. Wait til they have settled down and forgotten about it before you remove the collar.
2. Once your puppy is happy wearing his/her new collar, it's time to introduce the leash. Same thing again, you just want to get the puppy comfortable with the leash and to show them the leash is not to be feared. Any light weight, thin leash is fine for this step. We attach the leash to the collar, and let the puppy run around and play with the leash on.
You want to make sure you stay with the puppy, so they don't get tangled up on anything.
To start, just walk around the house with the leash in hand, and your puppy trotting along side you. When he/she is walking along on a
loose leash, give plenty of praise, petting and even some treats if you like. When the puppy strains on the leash, stop immediately. Don't yank the puppy back over to you with the leash, just call him/her back over to you and give praise when he/she comes.
Most of the time, they will be willing to come, as the puppies love to be near you. If they don't come on their own, NEVER EVER KEEP WALKING WHEN YOUR PUPPY IS PULLING ON THE LEASH, THIS ONLY REWARDS THEIR BEHAVIOR AND REINFORCES THE HABIT, reward them with a pet and praise when they come. I also get them into the habit of sitting when they come. Soon your puppy will come, sit and learn that the leash is no harm to them. Your puppy has to learn that when he/she pulls on the leash, they will get nowhere. If he/she wants to continue walking, it has to be by your side on a loose leash. The same rule applies if your puppy sits down when you are walking. Don't yank them forward towards you, just call them over and reward him/her when they arrive.Then set off walking again with your puppy by your side.
With weather permitting and time allowed, we try and teach the puppies about the leash outside also. For our outdoor lessons, we use a "Long Line" (about 50 feet) so we always have contact with the puppy.
Make these first leash training sessions short, sharp and fun. At this early stage, you will find that your puppy loves to follow you around everywhere - use this to your advantage!
This method of training a puppy to walk on a leash is suited to very young puppies, it requires no pulling from you or your dog. The result is a nice loose leash hanging down between you and your dog. All it takes to achieve this is to follow the above steps, then apply some patience and persistance.
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Vom Haus Schutz German Shepherd K9 Pine Bush New York (845) 283-3229
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On A Leash... 
