How Early Should You Start Leash Training A Puppy?
Walking on-leash is an important skill that you will need to teach your puppy. However, many dog owners are unsure of when this process is supposed to begin. Leash training a puppy can start as soon as your new pup is comfortable in your home. Let’s break down leash training step by step…
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Congratulations on your new puppy!
This is an exciting time for any family as your family grows in a cute and adorable way.
Raising a puppy comes with a lot of responsibility including providing for your pup’s needs and, of course, training.
From house training to basic obedience, you will have to show your dog what you expect in different areas of your life together.
This includes, of course, walking on leash.
The process of leash training a puppy can start as soon as your pup is comfortable being in your home by introducing his/her collar or harness.
But that is only the start of the journey…
Today I’m going to break down the basic steps to leash training a puppy, including what you will need along the way.
Never forget that, above all else, you want to prioritize the bond and relationship that you are forming with your puppy.
So have fun, enjoy the time together and everything else will work out in time!
Leash Training A Puppy Step by Step
Familiarize Your Puppy with It’s Collar and Leash
The first thing that you will need to do is to allow your dog to get used to wearing his/her collar.
Starting at a young age, put the collar on your puppy, allowing it to walk around your house and go about its daily routine.
The goal is for the collar to be nothing out of the ordinary.
Note: If you are using a harness for walking purposes, use this same approach but with the harness instead of a collar.
As your puppy becomes familiar with the collar, attach a leash allowing him/her to drag the leash around the house.
During this time, you want to praise your puppy with attention, treats and playtime.
Not only will this help to eliminate anxiety and nervousness, but it will also create a positive association with the collar and leash.
A Note on Retractable Leashes
While retractable leashes are widely available, they are NOT recommended by most trainers for most situations, especially for training a puppy.
This isn’t to say that they don’t have their purposes.
However, they can create behavioural issues when used for training and can even be dangerous in the wrong situations.
The way that a retractable leash, if a dog pulls and puts tension on the leash, it releases more leash allowing them to explore further.
This encourages pulling which is exactly what you DON’T want your dog to do.
The extra distance also limits control over your dog if a situation should arise.
If your dog is approached by an aggressive dog, for example, you are going to have a far more difficult time taking control of the situation and keeping your dog safe.
Your dog will also have the chance to get into (or eat) things that it shouldn’t along your way (a genuine concern with puppies).
Related: ‘ResQWalk App | Raise Funds for Your Favourite Rescue Organization!‘
This isn’t even touching on the potential dangers of the leash itself including the increased risk that the leash will break or that the leash will be wrapped around a limb causing bodily harm.
For all of these reasons (and more) I do NOT recommend the use of a retractable leash when leash training a puppy.
Instead, I recommend investing in a standard 4- or 6-foot leash.
Personally, I use a 6-in-1 style leash that allows me to easily adjust the leash as needed for different situations.
Use Treats to Encourage and Reward your Puppy
Treats are a great way to encourage your puppy to walk with you on leash.
However, you want to choose the right treat for the job…
You want to select a treat that your pup is willing to work for. This will be different from dog to dog.
Some dogs are enticed by treats with a strong scent while others will respond to seeing a treat that they are familiar with at home.
To limit their exposure to harmful ingredients like preservatives, consider using homemade biscuit treats, plain chicken, or even their favourite vegetables.
Follow your puppy’s lead and don’t be afraid to change it up if you find that your first selection isn’t motivating them.
Teach Your Puppy to Come to You On-Leash
In the beginning, you need to understand that your puppy may be reluctant or nervous to walk on leash.
For this reason, you need to focus on encouraging your pup to walk even a couple steps while offering ongoing praise.
To do this, take a couple steps back from your dog while holding the leash in hand and call your dog to you.
You may choose to use a specific command if you are currently training your dog to respond to ‘come’ or even introducing clicker training at this point.
Start with short distances in the beginning, working up to longer distances over time.
When your dog does stand and walk this distance, greet them with praise.
You may have to crouch down to call your dog at first, to make it less intimidating, but the goal is to have your dog come to you when standing (as you will obviously be standing when walking).
Once your dog is coming to you regularly, you can start walking slowly as your dog follows along.
Don’t worry too much about leash etiquette in the beginning (having your dog walk directly beside you, etc.), this will come after your dog is comfortable being on-leash.
Start Introducing Leash Etiquette
Once your puppy is comfortable walking on leash, it’s time to start teaching them your expectations when walking on leash.
The good news is that your puppy is the IDEAL age to learn to walk without pulling.
Why? They simply haven’t developed bad habits yet… They haven’t developed any habits.
While you are walking, keep your dog very close to you with very little slack on the leash, continuing to praise them as you walk a couple steps at a time.
This will show your dog that you want him/her to remain close to your side.
Related: ‘How to Puppy Proof Your Home: What You Need to Know‘
Slowly, as your dog learns what you are expecting, you can slowly start allowing for more slack on the leash.
Don’t be afraid to take a step back if you notice that your dog is starting to pull.
Keep reinforcing what you are looking for using treats and praise.
Allow your dog to dictate the pace. Some dogs will learn much quicker while other dogs may not be as interested or may experience anxiety.
Remember to Be Patient
Leash training a puppy, like any form of training, is not going to be accomplished overnight.
This isn’t a sprint; this is a marathon.
Start with short training sessions, stopping when you notice your dog is getting easily distracted or appearing unfocused.
If you become frustrated, your dog will pick up on this and potentially see leash training as a negative or anxiety building experience, turning them off the process.
For more tips, tricks, and advice on how to train your pup, check out my previous post: 7 Effective Leash Training Tips
Do you have experience in leash training a puppy? What tips, tricks and advice do you have to offer new dog owners?
I can’t really remember how we got out dog use to their collar or leash, it was so so so long ago now. But the tips make a lot of sense. Our main problem with our dog was getting them to go outside. The first walk our dog got was me carry her around our area so she could see it wasn’t scary
Aww, I’m glad your pup had an owner that was willing to take the time to show them that there is nothing to be afraid of. Our boy is a bit of a scaredy-cat too, so we constantly had to show him that things were safe in the beginning.
I have never had a dog so never realised how important things like this are! xx
It makes a big difference in your ability to manage your dog on-leash down the road. Especially for those of us who love bigger pups. My 85lb German Shepherd mix is all muscle and she could pull me down the road easily if she wanted to… Having her trained to walk properly means that I can enjoy our walks without worrying about whether or not something is going to happen.
Great tips Britt, thank you! We had a pretty hard road training our pup on the leash. I’m glad she doesn’t weigh anymore than she does! She was definitely the type to get overwhelmed and anxious during the puppy training class. But she did get it eventually!
Some pups will pick it up in no time at all, others have a much harder time with it all. I’m just glad to hear that she has a family that’s willing to put the time and effort into working through it with her (even when she’s struggling a little lol)
Really awesome advice. Especially about the retractable leash! I had an incident where I took a family friend’s dog out for a walk. Because the leash was retractable and not locked in, he ran as fast as he could and jumped down the steps and as a result I got pulled down an icy set of stairs. Miraculously I didn’t get hurt, but I learned my lesson about that kind of leash. I do not recommend them. I can’t imagine someone elderly in the same situation. It would have been very bad!
They offer so little control… Don’t get me wrong, they have their purposes. I have one for Daviana. She LOVES swimming and we book private waterfront campsites each summer for exactly that reason. However, I don’t necessarily want to be swimming along behind her trying to keep up when she wants to go in the water. That’s what we bought it for – she can go swimming off our site and go as far as the retractable will reach. At the same time, I still have her on a leash so that she can’t get distracted and take off across the lake entirely. Although, in that situation, I have much better control standing on solid ground than she does swimming lol
It’s been years now since I’ve had to think about leash training a puppy! Such an important skill for dogs to have. I know there’s a lot of hate for retractable leashes out there, but I use them in certain, very specific, situations. When we still lived in the city I used to use them in empty fields at the park to give my dogs more space to move around and just be dogs for a bit. That was only after they had good recall, and I’d only use them when no other people/dogs were around. I tried using long lines instead but they’d always get so grimy and gross. Luckily now we have our own yard to play in, I don’t think we’ve used our retractable leashes a single time since we moved.
They definitely have their purposes – that’s why I made sure to mention that. I actually own a retractable leash for our Dav girl. She LOVES swimming but I don’t always want to get in the water with her over and over again when we go camping. These are private waterfront sites, so there’s no one else in the water in front of us. A retractable allows her to swim out a lot further, gives me the security in knowing she’s on-leash and avoids the ‘gross dirty leash’ problem you mentioned… a wet long line can get pretty gross, pretty quickly coming back onto shore lol
The sooner one starts, the easier; Little puppies have the instinct to follow what’s moving away from them; the trick to leash walking is having the dog want to follow
Exactly! Don’t put it off if at all possible – the longer you wait, the more challenging you are making it.
Leash training a puppy can be challenging but I like how you’ve laid it all out step by step. It definitely takes a bit of patience to train a pup to walk on a leash.
It can take A LOT of patience, but it’s worth it in the end! Everyone wants to have that dog that they can take out walking in public without looking like they have no control over their pup.
Great post! When we had our dog, I remember so early on taking him to a trainer. The sessions were wonderful, and I do recall her talking about the importance of introducing a puppy to a collar, and leash. During the class we had to help our puppy become familiar. We did a few walking exercises during the class as well. I really think the training really helped as well, but I also think us starting early was key!
Starting early is so important! Especially with the initial stages of introducing the collar and leash.
Great post and I am against retractable leashes totally as I have seen too many accidents with them. They are actually banned in certain parks also. I only use a harness with Layla, no collar and she walks fantastic with it although with age we are slowing down LOL
There are definitely some great harnesses out there. We use a face harness on Daviana and a front clip harness on Indiana. It’s all about finding what will work best for your dog, which sometimes takes some trial and error.
Great post packed with helpful information for anyone who needs to train a puppy to use a lead. It takes time and patience and perseverance and then, you will have a puppy who grows up to be a fantastic dog!
You need a sheet of printable tips!!!
Exactly, if you start early and tackle the necessary training, you’ll have a well-behaved dog moving forward.
I can definitely put it together as a printable sheet. Thank you for the suggestion.
Great post! I agree starting early and using what best suits your pet is the best. We didn’t start early with muzzle and now our younger pup freezes every time we put it on and refuse to move at all. it does work for vet (he is super stressed there, with tons of crying and escape plans) but in general it is not good enough.
I use all kinds of lashes with my pups but lately I like 1 meter long short classic leash to walk the dangerous grounds. I let them run freely in the forest and in the park as well dog park area but I do so because my pups a very easy to make move just how I like it, left/right/back is easy to say and they do follow
Having that control is so important when you’re in an area that you know could potentially be dangerous for your dog.
Great tips Britt! We’ve shared our lives with a number of dogs and the most challenging walking situations are rescues from a backyard breeder. But with love and patience, they learned how to thrive!
Unfortunately, back yard breeders often fail to take any early steps to help those young pups adjust to much of anything. It’s sad to think about how they are viewed as nothing but an easy paycheck to the breeder.
These seem like great tips to help leash train a puppy. We use harnesses now, but we started our dogs out in collars because that’s is what was commonly available when our dogs were puppies.
We walk our dogs on a front clip collar and on a head harness. That being said, both were started on collars as well. It’s all about finding the right solution for each pup!
This is such an in-depth guide! I don’t have a dog or a puppy but I know this will be so useful for people who do xx
Training can feel very overwhelming for new dog owners, but it doesn’t have to be! We just have to break it down.
Oh boy, do I remember leash training! You have some great tips here. We didn’t introduce the retractable leash until we had a good handle on leash walking and I swear by it now that Bella and I are hiking a lot together. She gets some freedom to roam and I have the security of reining her in when I hear/see people and other dogs approaching.
They definitely have their uses, especially after a dog has been trained. I have one for my girl Daviana that I LOVE when we are camping on a waterfront site. I don’t always want to go swimming with her, so the retractable allows her to head out and explore while I’m dry, safely on shore lol
A really well structured post. This is so useful for new dog owners! I actually know several families with new puppies, and they are going through this stage at the moment. I liked your explanation of why a retractable leash isn’t ideal for a puppy, it makes a lot of sense.
I hate that the dog community is often either for or against retractable leashes without entertaining any kind of discussion. I am a firm believer in the fact that they have their uses, but training a puppy to walk on-leash is DEFINITELY not one of those uses.
I don’t have dogs at the moment, but when I do get one, I want a large dog. Like German Shepard or Pitbull kind of large. These tips will be absolutely amazing when that day comes, because they’ll have a ton of strength and muscle, and I really don’t want to be the one being walked by the dog. So following your tips and training them early will be a huge asset to that.
A properly trained large dog can be easy to walk, but it’s definitely important to tackle leash training early!
So many great tips in this post. I don’t personally have a dog but my neighbours do and they don’t seem to be too sure what to do with him a lot of the time and I think that it confuses him!
Rosie
That’s definitely confusing for the pup. Dogs want to please their owners, the look up to us. When they are getting mixed messages or unclear messages, they are often seen as ‘misbehaved’ but they just don’t know what is expected of them.
Great tips in this blog. I learned the hard way how important it is to leash train early. With large dogs, I knew that but with small dogs, it’s sometimes easy to just pick them up and/or let them follow you around (assuming they don’t run away) and then when you do need to put them on a leash they aren’t too keen on the idea. A properly trained dog is so much more enjoyable for everyone.
This is such a good point! Often, we see owners of small dogs slacking off on their training because they overlook the fact that a poorly trained small dog can still cause issues. The fact that you CAN pick them up doesn’t mean you should have to in order to mitigate bad behaviour.