Do you want to know the easiest way to leash train your new puppy?  You can get a head start on that by beginning the leash training of your puppy  very early on. By six weeks of age my young puppy could already walk on a loose leash.  He was already heeling at eight weeks old like an old pro.

If you use this easy method you should  get very good results without causing the puppy any anxiety.  Some puppies and  dogs hate the very sight of the leash.  If their first experiences with the leash were negative they won’t be happy to see the leash come out.

Use this easy method to begin leash training your puppy with positive reinforcement.Here is the way I begin the leash training of my puppies without causing any stress for him. In fact, they get excited when they see the leash, because they know they are about to go for a walk with Dad.

• Begin with placing the puppy’s flat collar around his neck (the choke collar shouldn’t be used at this time). The puppy should have no problems with the flat collar being put on. Attach the pup’s leash to the collar, but let it lay loose on the ground.  You won’t need to keep ahold of the leash at this point. For the first sessions with the leash, let the puppy walk around the house or yard while he does his thing. Stay close behind the puppy so you can free his leash if it gets caught up in anything.  As long as the leash remains unobstructed,  the puppy probably won’t even pay attention to the fact that he’s dragging a leash around.

• The following leash training step starts after the puppy is accustomed to cruising around dragging his leash along. Pick up the leash end, but be sure to not let it tighten up-you still want to keep it slack.  Walk along with your puppy, letting him explore what he wants to-don’t try to control his position at this point.  Begin the next step in leash training after your puppy is very used to walking along with you on his loose leash.

• It is time to teach your pup to walk along with you and not to be pulling you with his leash.  As he walks with you can begin to encourage him to learn to a “loose heel”  by having some treats with you for rewards. If you hold the treat in your left hand it will get the puppy used to the idea of staying by your left side. The left side is the side he will be when he learns to heel. Use a happy voice to call your pup over to your side and give him lots of praise and a treat reward for listening. Each time the correct behavior happens, be sure to reward the puppy to positively reinforce that behavior.

• If the puppy isn’t paying attention when you call him over, just give a gentle tug on his leash to get his attention, and let him see you have a treat for him.

• Once you have his attention  using a happy tone of voice he’ll come over and you can reward him for  listening. It won’t be long before he gets the idea. Even at 6 weeks of age, puppies are already in the learning zone. Remember, don’t get impatient or cross with your pet when you are first leash training him. Don’t make it an unpleasant experience for him to learn. Only use positive reinforcement techniques when leash training your puppy, or with any other training you will be doing later. Dogs will learn a lot faster if you make it fun and rewarding for them while they are in training. This seems to apply to people too.

• Continue repeating this training frequently on a daily basis until your puppy walks comfortably at your side with a loose leash. By the time your pup is comfortable walking on a loose leash, he is halfway there to learning how to “heel”. That’s all there is to it. Follow this simple lesson, starting with a very young puppy and you will never have a problem putting your dog on his leash for a fun walk.

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