Wearing a collar and walking at the end of a leash doesn’t come naturally to a puppy but with patience, a good sense of humor and ten minutes a day you’ll be walking together.

CHOOSING THE COLLAR

The collar you chose needs to the right length and the right width for your pet. The pet store and your veterinarian can help you here but keep in mind the smaller the dog the narrower the collar but never put too narrow a collar on a puppy. You risk hurting or even cutting her neck. A lightweight nylon makes a good starter collar. Be sure it’s not loose enough to come over her head or too tight. A rule of thumb is to be able to fit two fingers under the collar without pulling. What about those training collars? Professionals say these are never a good idea for the smaller breeds no matter the age but for larger puppies, four months old is a good time to start using this type of collar for training her to heel and follow commands.

INTRODUCING THE COLLAR

You’ve chosen the right collar and you’re ready to put it on. If your puppy is a wiggler have someone hold her while you buckle it. If you don’t need help be sure to praise her for being so good. In the beginning she may try to get the collar off, to wriggle around on the floor and try to escape this new apparatus. Usually this behavior only lasts a few minutes so be patient. Keep in mind that the puppy might scratch at the collar and can get her paw caught so watch her while she’s wearing it. If you can, leave the collar on the puppy all of the time watching for places like the training crate and under furniture where she can get caught. In the beginning you won’t put tags on the collar because the extra weight and the tags themselves can make it easier for the pup to get tangled up somewhere.

INTRODUCING THE LEASH

After a few days of walking around the house with her collar it’s time to initiate her into the world of the leash. A light weight, washable cloth leash is a good way to go in the beginning. The cheaper the better. Save the fancy leashes for when she’s older and has learned the joys of walking. Start by attaching the leash to your puppy’s collar and just let her drag it around the house for ten minutes. As with the collar, you want to keep an eye on your pup while she explores and crawls under and around the furniture. If she lies down and begins to chew on the leash you can stop this by playing with her. Throw a ball or a favorite toy to her. Run around the house and let her chase you. Never chase the pup because she’ll get frightened and this can cause a problem with walking later on. Repeat this exercise every day for a few days until she gets used to the extra weight of the leash.

WALKING ON THE LEASH

Now it’s time to pick up the leash and follow her around the house and outside. At first go where ever the puppy wants to go, as long as it’s not dangerous, keeping the leash loose. Just give a gentle tug if she’s getting into trouble keeping the leash loose. Tension on the leash to a dog of any age sends a message that you’re tense. It’s okay if she pulls but don’t let her chew the leash. When the dog chews on the leash it’s like chewing on your hand since the leash becomes an extension of you.

FOLLOWING ON THE LEASH

When your puppy is used to the collar and the leash and going outside with you it’s time to teach her to follow you. The next time you take her out bring along a favorite toy, a ball or a treat and chose the direction you want to take. If she pulls in another direction just stop and wave the toy or treat in front of her nose and continue on in your chosen direction. Don’t pull. If the pup won’t follow you use your toy as a carrot on a stick and get her to follow you. You can squat down in front of your pet, keep hold of the leash, encourage her to move in your direction and give a gentle tug but don’t pull. Pulling just causes resistance and you don’t want to end up dragging her on the leash. When she starts to move in your direction praise her but only when she’s moving. It’s as much in the tone of voice as in words. If she stops or resists don’t try encouraging her with sweet words. This sounds like encouragement. Don’t growl or yell because this just makes the situation worse. Just keep using the toys or treats to encourage your puppy to follow you. Ten minutes a day and lots of patience should bring you the results you want. An additional exercise recommended by the Monks of New Skete is to tie the leash to your belt, still keeping the leash loose, and allow her to follow you around the house. This will help to teach her to stay at your side. This is best done after the puppy has gone to the bathroom.

At about 4 months your’ dog will be ready for his formal education. Check with your vet for classes in the area and go to your public library for books on training puppies.

Bibliography

DePrisco, Andrew. Training the perfect puppy. NeptuneCity: T.F.H. Publications, 1996.

Hoffman, Matthew, ed. Dogs: the ultimate care guide. Rodale: New York,1998.

Milan, Cesar. Cesar’s Way. New York: Harmony Books, 2006.

Milan, Cesar. Be a pack leader. New York: Harmony Books, 2007.

Monks of New Skete. The art of raising a puppy. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991.

Ross, John and Barbara McKinney. Puppy preschool. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.