Introducing your puppy to the leash

• Start soon after you get the puppy. At first, let the puppy lead you.
• Stop any attempts to pull by using small pop-and-release corrections with the leash as
he leads you around.
• As you follow the puppy around, get the puppy's attention by sweetly talking to him
and walking close to him. Little light touches on his body as you talk in an animated
tone will encourage him to be interested in you and what you are doing.
• Once you have his attention, walk a few steps at his side as you continue to use your
voice and little touches to keep his interest in you.
• Encourage him to follow you by moving away from him at an angle.
• Remember to continue to use your voice and touches to keep his attention focused on
you.
• Praise him as he follows you.
• Do not scold him for not following you.
If he resists following you:
• Step in another direction.
• In an excited tone, encourage him to follow you.
• Bend over to his level and use your face to stimulate him to move toward you and
follow you. Remember also to verbally encourage him.
• Lightly clap your hands as you coax with your voice.
• Use encouraging body language or movements such as wiggles or skips while you
verbally encourage.
• Lightly tap the ground in front of him with your hand as you encourage him with your
voice or use little light touches on his body to encourage him to move toward you.
• As he begins to get the idea that he is supposed to follow you, work to increase the
distance he will follow.
• Praise him when he follows you and leash and collar correct for any attempts to pull.
• Repeat and continue to praise. Keep the exercise fun for the puppy.
Leash and collar corrections
Now that the puppy is getting used to the leash, let's introduce you to the effective use of
it before he decides he can drag you down the street. This information is only to get you
started. The proper use of a collar and leash will be detailed more in individual exercises.
Use leash and collar corrections for pulling as soon as your puppy will walk on a leash.
When he attempts to pull, use the following correction:
• Slide your hand(s) down the leash closer to the collar.
• Keep the leash loose between your hand and the collar.
• Time your correction to occur as the puppy starts to pull, but the leash is still slack.
• Use a snapping or popping motion with the leash while the leash is still slack. An
effective correction will snap or pop and then immediately release.
• Do not give a verbal correction.
• Give only one correction at a time.
• Try to give the necessary correction the first time.
• If the puppy doesn't stop trying to pull, correct again with stronger snap.
• Strengthen each correction until you have the puppy's attention and he stops trying
to pull.
• IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PRAISE ANY TIME THE PUPPY TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO
YOU AND STOPS PULLING.
INCORRECT collar and leash techniques are:
• A TIGHT LEASH - this leads to constant pressure or pulling
• Dragging the puppy or allowing it to drag you
• Light, repetitive and ill-timed yanks
• Improperly timed snaps
• Hitting the puppy with the leash
• Yanking on the leash without watching the puppy’s reaction
Giving effective corrections is an art. If your dog is not responding to your corrections,
practice correctly using the pop-and-release technique without the puppy, i.e. hook the
leash to a chain link fence and practice your technique on the fence. It's also important
to remember to praise effectively. Your puppy will never respond appropriately to leash
and collar corrections if you are not praising him for correctly travelling on a loose leash.
The procedure is not easily described in writing.