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Old 03-02-2005, 06:54 AM   #5
yorkipower
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
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People are surprised to learn that many dogs will not simply take to walking on a leash, their first time out. Here are some tips to help you on your way!
1) The suggestion of wearing the leash around the house is an absolute MUST for a puppy. Think of it this way, everything is new to a puppy. Even the weight and the “newness” of having something around your pup’s neck is something she needs to get used to. I’d take the lightest, thinnest leash and collar I could find (I use a show lead) and let my dog wear that around the house (just let it hang from her neck, don’t hold it or put any pressure on it at first). Do this only when she is suprivsed. You don’t want her getting hurt and associated the leash with a bad experience. Make putting the leash on her a big game. I give my dogs tons of cheese and hotdogs the first time they wear a leash and then give them a piece of cheese each time I put the leash on. I’d also put the leash on when I take them out, even if they are going to be in a carrier (this only applies if your dog enjoys trips and going out) so that they begin to associate the leash with trips and time spent with mommy.
2) When your puppy begins to accept the leash, you can begin holding the tip, very gently, with as little or no pressure as possible. Don’t try to get her to walk with you at this point. She let her get used to it being around her neck and being connected to you. At this point, you’re going to let her walk you.
3) I put up a long post a few months ago regarding training with a target stick. If you must work alone, this is a great method for training a dog to walk with you. Once she is used to the feeling of the leash, she will begin to ignore it. You can then “bridge” your training by combining holding the leash with asking her to touch the target stick. She will be so focused on trying to touch her nose to the target stick to get that “click” or “praise” that means food, toys, and goodies, are coming that she will forget all about the leash and move forward, towards the stick you are holding in front of her nose (please refer back to my post about target sticks for more info on this).
4) Once you have her leaning forward in an attempt to touch the stick, you can then begin to take a few steps at a time, challenging her to walk forward, along side you.
5) She will quickly catch on at this point to the whole concept of the leash. Once she is doing this reliably in the house, you can then transfer the whole shebang outdoors.
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