How to Leash Train a Puppy

Everything You Need to Know About Leash Training a Puppy

When you first bring home a puppy, it might seem like they’ll never be ready to leave your side. But before long, they’ll be just as curious as any other puppy—and they’ll want to explore the world around them.

If you don’t get them used to their leash early on, then learning how will be much more difficult down the road. So if you’ve been meaning to start leash training but have yet to get around to it, now’s the time! Here is how to do it:

Start Early

Your puppy’s leash training should begin as soon as you bring him home. Ideally, you will start this process before he has developed any bad habits or learned that pulling on his leash is an acceptable behavior.

Finding the Right Leash

Here are some guidelines for finding the right leash:

The length of the leash should allow your puppy to move around freely but not be too long that they could get tangled.

The leash should be made of nylon or leather material, as these are durable and easy to clean.
A padded handle makes it easier for you to hold on as well as comfort your puppy.

Finding the Right Collar or Harness

The trick to leash training is to find the right collar or harness because this will make all the difference when it comes to leash training your dog.

Collars are great for puppies who don’t like having their heads held down by a leash.
Harnesses are best suited for dogs who pull on their leashes; they’re less likely than collars to choke off your puppy’s windpipe.

You should see how your puppy behaves and plan accordingly.

Teach Puppy leash Walking

Reward Good Behavior

Praise is always a great way to reinforce good behavior. Even for dogs who know their commands well, praise is still very important in training and day-to-day life. When your puppy does something good, offer praise and treats as an incentive for them to keep doing it! You can also use toys as rewards — this works especially well if you have more than one dog who live together in the same household.

Short and Sweet Training Sessions

You’ll still need to keep the training sessions short until they get older since puppies can’t focus for very long periods. However, you must begin leash training at least once every day so that your puppy will have plenty of practice over time. Once they are about 4-5 months old, you can start to lengthen their training sessions.

Be Patient and Consistent

Be patient, and don’t give up! If you keep your training sessions short and sweet, they’ll go by faster—and it’ll be easier for your puppy to understand what you want him to do.

Remember, you’re not alone! There are lots of resources out there to help you train your puppy. If you get stuck at any point, plenty of experts would be happy to help. We also have numerous training guides that can be found in our blog section for new puppy paw-rents