Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Best Way To Walk Your Puppy

By Wendon Lee


Walking on a leash is an essential puppy skill you must start teaching your puppy the really very first time both of you go out as component of her house training. The freedom she enjoys inside your household is just not practical whenever you are going about in public. In fact, most states have laws that require dogs to be on leashes on public property like parks and beaches or flat out bans on dogs "roaming at large." But look around your neighborhood and you'll see several examples of walking a puppy on a leash that look like an tense game of tug of war.

Your puppy ought to not be straining at the end of her leash and dragging you behind her, nor need to you be yanking her down the street like a pull toy. She does not have to match you step for step like a show dog. But you need to teach her not to run past or slow down beyond the end of her tether or fairly soon you'll be at the end of yours!

Training a puppy to walk follows the same general rule you use when training your puppy to do just about anything. When she does what you would like her to do, reward her. When she doesn't do what you want her to, do not punish her but do let her know this just isn't what you expect her to do.

To your puppy the walk itself is a reward and it is possible to use this to your advantage. Whenever your puppy starts pulling on her leash (and at the beginning of her training she is all but specific to), come to stop. Stand your ground and she will ultimately quit pulling and the leash will slacken. When this occurs, shower her with praise and commence walking once more. As soon as she pulls again, repeat the procedure. You are able to add a firm (but not angry) "No" as you come to a stop. Should you have been using this word when she engages in other unacceptable behavior, she might already make the association. If not, teaching her to walk on a leash is a great chance to introduce this command.

If this sounds like the initial walks might take a even though, properly, yes, they will. Do not let your impatience tempt you to pick up a slow-poke puppy or let a pulling puppy off her leash. Should you don't lay down the rules, you cannot expect your puppy to follow them.




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