Who doesn’t love puppies? They’re full of fun and laughter — but they definitely do not come pre-trained. Walking on a leash is a top skill that many pet owners want their canine companions to have, but it can be tricky to teach an energetic ball of fur to stay near your side (or avoid unwanted behaviors like turning the leash into a tug toy).
Here are some tips and tricks to start your puppy off on the right paw as you lay the foundation for loose leash walking!
Why does your dog need to learn how to walk on a leash?
Taking your dog for a walk can be an incredibly relaxing experience, and a great way to unwind after a stressful day at work or a long day running errands. However, a dog walk can also be stressful when your dog doesn’t know how to walk without pulling. Being yanked from side to side as you hold on to the leash for dear life isn’t what most people would consider fun! It can even be dangerous for both you and your dog — not to mention the people around you — depending on the environment.
A leash-trained dog will be able to navigate more situations by your side!
What you need before you start training
There are a few things you should prepare ahead of time before you start doing any real training work with your puppy.
- Patience: First things first, remember that your new dog is just a baby! Puppies physically mature much faster than human children do (at eight weeks they can already romp and play, and within a few months they’ll appear almost full grown) but their brains are still developing for the first couple years of their life. If you’re going to successfully work with a young dog, you need to practice your patience.
- Harness or collar and leash: You’ll need a comfortable way to keep your puppy secure when out and about in the world. Harnesses can work especially well for young pups by giving them freedom to move around comfortably without risking trachea damage, all while still providing you with a way to rein them in if necessary.
- Treats or toys: These can help motivate your puppy to work with you in leash training sessions.
Tips to get your puppy started with loose leash walking
Expose your puppy to their collar or harness and leash early on
Here are some steps you can take to help your puppy become comfortable with their collar or harness and leash. Dogs aren’t born knowing that these are normal things to wear! It might take some getting used to.
- Introduce gradually: Start by allowing your puppy to sniff and investigate the collar before putting it on. Let them associate the collar with positive experiences, such as treats or playtime. Once they are comfortable, gently and slowly put the collar around their neck or their legs through the harness openings and immediately reward them with treats and praise.
- Make it a positive experience: Associate the collar or harness with positive experiences. Gradually increase the duration your puppy wears the collar, and during that time, engage in fun activities or give them their favorite treats. This helps create positive associations with wearing the collar.
- Keep initial sessions short: In the beginning, keep the collar or harness wearing sessions short to prevent your puppy from becoming overwhelmed. Gradually increase the duration over time as your puppy becomes more comfortable!
Keep your walks short and sweet
Remember when we said your puppy’s brain isn’t fully developed until a couple years of age? While young dogs can learn so much, it’s important to understand their impulse control and attention span limitations to meet them where they’re at. In order to be a good dog guardian, you need to be fair to your puppy!
Mix in play and other activities to keep your young pup’s focus
It’s a good idea to mix in play and other activities like mental exercise — plus short breaks to just hang out and watch the world go by — on your walks.
Your canine companion is too little to go on long, focused hikes just yet. Aim for about five minutes of exercise for each month of age, and stick to low impact exercise to protect your pup’s joints. (More on your dog’s physical exercise needs with a link to a calculator guide at the end of this article.)
Reward often!
It’s easy for a young dog to get discouraged (or simply become bored) if you aren’t providing them with frequent feedback. Don’t be afraid to reward them often for doing things you like, such as making eye contact with you or staying near your side. You can “build value” in the position of walking next to you by providing lots of praise, treats, or favorite toys when your puppy chooses to walk there!
The more you reward what you want to see, the less you’ll have to deal with undesirable behaviors.
Practice skills in low-distraction environments first
Your puppy has very sensitive noses and ears. Plus they’re still learning about the world around them, so novelty is everywhere! What that means for your loose-leash training? The busy park is not the place to start teaching a brand-new behavior. Your quiet living room, on the other hand? Perfect!
Keep distractions at a minimum until your dog shows you they understand what you’re asking and can handle the mental exercise of paying attention. At that point you can slowly increase the difficulty and work up to more challenging environments.
Change up the direction and places you walk in
This will prevent your puppy from losing focus or getting bored and is important for your young dog’s socialization. Socialization involves exposing your new puppy to a range of stimuli — and supporting them as you do, so they’re able to learn normal everyday things that could come across as scary (like the vacuum cleaner or restaurant banners blowing in the wind) really aren’t a big deal.
While it’s important not to push your puppy too far or expect perfection when there are distractions around, it’s easy to combine socialization outings and short leash training sessions into a single successful outing.
A note when taking your puppy somewhere new: You’ll want to avoid uncomfortable environments, like asking your dog to walk on hot or sharp surfaces. You’ll also want to consult with your veterinarian about core vaccinations and preventative measures to keep your dog healthy as they grow.
Know that puppies often struggle to generalize behaviors
Dogs often struggle to generalize behaviors. This means they might be able to follow basic cues in a familiar environment but still struggle to perform out and about. Don’t worry: This is completely normal, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your training! It just means your dog needs more practice to understand that the picture of loose leash walking is the same in your neighborhood as it is in a public park.
This is important to note because it’s easy to feel frustrated when we feel like our dogs should know something but aren’t acting on it. In most cases, it’s not that our pets are purposely disobeying — they just haven’t fully generalized our cues yet!
Your dog’s age determines how much physical activity they can handle
Your dog will need the most exercise when they’re between about two and eight years old. This is the “prime” of their adult life! Your dog is fully developed and still young enough to maintain their stamina — and it’s more important than ever that they stay at a healthy weight.
Puppy exercise needs
While young puppies need to use their bodies to develop muscle strength and coordination (not to mention get important socialization to the world around them) you should err on the side of caution with any intense or high impact activities before their growth plates close. This can prevent long-term joint damage and reduce the risk of problems like hip dysplasia.
When do your puppy’s growth plates close? That depends on their breed. In general, smaller dogs reach physical maturity more quickly than larger breeds. Most canine companions are ready for increased exercise between one to two years of age. This doesn’t mean you can’t start leash training earlier! It just means you need to be cautious about not overdoing it.
Top things to keep in mind while walking your puppy:
- Mental exercise is valuable too! Don’t get too focused on walking a certain distance.
- Vary your amounts of exercise and pay attention to whether or not your puppy seems too tired to keep going. Remember that excessive exercise, even if it’s in the context of a leash training session, does more harm than good.
- If your young dog is having a hard time settling, it’s okay to throw in an additional exercise session — but be mindful of their joint health and other fulfillment opportunities, too.
Learn more about your puppy’s exercise requirements here.
Where to learn more about loose leash walking
Get in touch with a professional force free trainer
There’s nothing like personalized guidance when working on something new with your dog. A trainer will be able to give you in-the-moment advice and help you see things — like tiny handling mistakes or subconscious body language cues — it might be easy to miss otherwise.
Every year we put together a list of some of the United States’ best dog trainers to make it easier to find reputable, force-free professionals you can trust!
Check out our other dog training articles
The above article is specifically about tips for walking your young puppy. You can learn more about loose-leash walking in general in this guide! We also have an entire Dog Training section on our blog compiling various tips and tricks for a range of behaviors — our Puppy Training 101 guide is a great place to start.
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