# Leash training...



## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

Ok, so I am bringing home my new toy pup in about 4 weeks. I would like some advice on leash training.

I trained my golden retriever from pup, and I took him to obedience classes of coarse, but I can remember how frustrating it was to alway be correcting and training on EVERY leash walk.

I don't want our toy to be one of those "typical" untrained toy dogs that is always at the end of the lead pulling with all her might. I know many do not bother training toys to heal due to the fact that even pulling their hardest it's not hard to hold on to. But.....

I LOVE walking my dogs with loose leads, I used to go out on rollerblades holding a dane and retriever while pushing a stroller with my baby in it! It's just so nice to have well behaved dogs, but do I have to go through another entire year of training every single moment we are on a leash walk?

The poodle is going to be my daughters dog (she's 8) and I just cant see her being so consistent. She (and me) are going to want to just walk with the pup, thinking about nothing and enjoying being outside. Will this hinder her training or doom us to failure in the future? 

It's been so long since I trained a pup, I'm just afraid I'll forget very important training points, or screw up ALL TOGETHER! lol!

Thanks for any advice.

Rebecca


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I started by teaching mine to walk with me off the leash with fun and treats and games - it will be some time before you can walk the pup out and about, so there is lots of time to learn by playing around the house and yard. Then I intoduced them to the leash, using a long, 6 foot training leash. A short lead means you have no lee way with a tiny pup. Once they were on the lead I tried very, very hard never to have them pull - if the lead went taut I changed direction and made happy noises to keep the puppy with me, if all else failed I stood still until pup looked at me then joyful stuff started again. And I kept lead sessions short, and off leash walks and play much longer, so the dog wasn't constantly frustrated.

And I am fair - I stop if there is something really interesting the dogs want to sniff, and let them meet and politely greet nice people and dogs. I protect them from anything they consider a bit scary, and make sure we walk in a wide curve around it, with me in between. In return, they wait politely with me if I'm chatting to someone, or if I am shopping.

How exciting for you and your daughter having a new puppy on the way! There is lots of good advice on preparing for a puppy, and raising her into a wonderful dog, on the Dog Star Daily website, under Training Textbooks. I'm sure it will all come back to you very quickly!


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Jolanta Benal does a great training podcast ("The Dog Trainer's Quick & Dirty Tips"), and she JUST did a great one on leash training.

One of her tips, when you can't guarantee consistency in training, was to walk with a collar & leash when working on loose leash walking, and use a harness (or different collar) when just trying to get the business done. Dogs are great at picking up on environmental clues, and this is a great way to use that.

With mine, I just used the "be a tree" method, combined with magical rains of treats in the "box" where I wanted the dog. Poodles are so smart; mine picked it up in no time. 

The Dog Trainer : Polite Leash Walking, Part 1 :: Quick and Dirty Tips


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