Puppy Leash Training - The Kind Gentle Way To Train Your Puppy

By Chris Station

When it comes to having a well behaved dog, it's best to start when he's a puppy. The first step is to get him to accept his collar and leash. You can begin puppy leash training almost as soon as you bring him home.

When you train your puppy to become used to a collar and leash, you are establishing the idea that you are in control. This is a really important point for your dog to understand if your training is going to be successful.

Once your pet learns to accept his collar and lead you can move onto many other areas of training with a greater chance of success. Here's what to do.

Buy a collar that will fit your puppy now. Adjust it so that you can comfortably fit two fingers between the puppy's neck and the collar. Be sure it is no tighter as you want your pet to be comfortable.

At first when you put his collar on he'll need lots of affection and attention to stop him from thinking about the strange thing around his neck. It will take some time for him to get used to it. After he is used to the feel of the collar you will be able to move onto the next step in your training of your puppy. Leash training becomes much easier if you give him time to just get used to wearing his new collar before trying any other training.

After he has become accustomed to wearing his collar, the next step would be to attach a lightweight, short leash to his collar. The length of the leash should be about three feet or so. Then you are going to allow your puppy to simply drag the leash around for a few minutes at a time. You are trying to have him get used to the feeling of having something fastened to the collar.

It's important to watch him carefully when he is dragging his lead around. You don't want him to get stuck and become upset or afraid, which might happen if he gets stuck for any length of time. You want this to be a positive experience so it will be enough that he feels a slight restriction very briefly, but no more than that. So be sure to quickly free him.

Within a few days he will have become accustomed to the feel of the leash. Once this happens, attach the other end of the leash to yourself rather than letting it drag loosely. As your puppy explores, he will get stuck as before. The difference is that this time, you will not go to him to free-up the leash.

Instead crouch down and call his name. Reach out your hand and offer him a toy or treat to try to get him to come to you. Praise him lavishly when he comes to you. Do this for a short time each day. Undo the leash after he has successfully come to you a few times, but always leave on his collar.

When he routinely returns to you when called, your puppy leash training has been a success. You can now move onto the rest of the training program knowing that it will be much easier. - 31490

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