[yorkietalkjilly]

Start by placing the leash on the floor and placing treats and toys all over it and let the dog desensitize to it by virtue of enjoying all those goodies and seeing his toys near it. Keep moving the leash around the house and placing treats and toys all over and around it. Soon your dog should love having that leash around, it means treats and toys. You want good associations with the idea of the leash and have your dog love to see it. Take it out back and do the same for a few days – treats and toys all on it. You can use whatever treats you want or use your dog’s food in place of treats – let them eat their dinner off a paper on the floor with the leash lying on it, covered in their food and toys around the perimeter. If you use canned or cooked food, wash the leash afterward but it will still retain a little of the scent, which is what you want. Don't use a fancy leash for this part of the training and desensitizing.

Here are a couple of other ideas to try if you want. When I have a dog that won't walk on leash even after getting used to it in the house and outside, I take some boiled chicken or a turkey hot dog chunk and hold it in my right hand, dog on trailing leash and put it to the dog's nose in my closed fist and let the dog smell, sniff, lick and salivate as we sit/stand on the porch. I transfer it from one hand to the other and pretend I'm biting it, smelling it and tease the dog with it for about 3 minutes. I walk up and down the porch holding it in my fist and let the dog trail after me if he will. Ever so often I bring it down to just in front of his nose and then take it away. Finally, I pick up the leash and holding the first out in front of the dog by only a few inches, open the hand up. If the dog takes a step or two forward for the chicken, he gets the chicken! And a praise and smile and "Good walkies". I get another piece and hold it near the nose and then out a bit and wait for the dog to eventually take a step or two to get to it. When he does, he gets the treat and verbal praise "Good walkies". Eventually I throw the treat ahead a couple feet and let the dog walk to it on lead and take it, praise the same, "Good walkies". We just keep repeating that process and throwing the treat on ahead a bit and walking to it, letting the dog eat it and get praised verbally. Do that about 5 minutes twice or more a day, if possible, and soon the dog should be getting used to the idea that walking forward on that leash means he gets wonderful chicken and happy praise. He's also learning what you call walking on the leash together. Over a couple of weeks of that, throwing the treat further and further ahead, the dog is usually walking well.

If your dog isn't terribly food oriented, use a squeaky toy or other toy your dog just loves or obsesses over. With some dogs it's a ball. They will walk to get their favorite toy or ball.

Some dogs do well if you take them in your arms to the sidewalk in front of the house next door so that they can still see and smell home and encourage them to walk back to the front door. A lot of dogs will go ahead and walk on the leash to get through the door and inside, especially if the dog is nervous or scared outside.

If your dog won't walk because they fear outside, just taking them outside often in your arms and walking them around or in an airline carrier so they feel protected, tossing high-value treats like chicken or turkey hot dog, into to the carrier and keeping the sessions very short - only a minute to start and gradually working up to a long time outside, can help desensitize them to the fear. Don't soothe or reinforce the dog's outside fear during this time by saying "it's okay" or "good dog" if they are acting fearful with indicators of fear of ears out to the sides rather than up or putting their ears back, shaking/trembling, have walled eyes or pant/lick/drool, tail clamped down tight, just toss in treats, which they may not eat at first, because their fear may be too great. But in time, they should start to feel less threatened by the great outdoors and accept the food. Then you can try leash walking.