How to Train Your Dog to Walk on the Lead

Dogs need to be walked regularly. It is one of the most important duties that you sign up for when adopting a dog. They are active creatures, and they need to burn off their excess energy. It isn’t just simple exercise for them. A dog needs to be let out of the house so that it can do its business and get some fresh air. Going out also helps prevent your dog from becoming too fat or lazy as a result of being in the house too much.

For all these things, it is extremely important that you train your dog to walk on a leash. Otherwise, taking your dog somewhere and interacting with anything outside, be it children, animals, or birds, can become a nightmare for you. Dogs get curious and excited easily. And if you do not have control over them when they’re let outside, your dog can go chasing off after a bird in a second. You’ll be left chasing after him.

Therefore, you need to make sure that you have control over him and show him who is in charge of the situation when you take your dog for a walk. A leash lets you direct and hold your dog, and make him follow you, instead of the situation turning upside down for you.

While some dogs learn effortlessly and obediently, others can give you a hard time while you’re leash-training them.  They can get into the habit of pulling and tugging at their leashes. They’ll stubbornly stop every few minutes, sniff the ground, and sit down midway.

This behavior needs to be corrected without resorting to punishment, so they don’t get used to it. Sometimes, dogs exhibit this behavior when they’re uncomfortable, tired, or bored. So, make sure you’re doing everything right.

Pick the Right Leash and Harness

First, go leash-shopping. Pick out something that is made of high-quality nylon, is comfortable, and makes your dog feel at ease. While retractable leashes are said to be convenient, they can often be the cause of great inconvenience to both the dog and the people around it.

They can cause strangulation and can teach the puppy that it is okay to pull. Thus, we do not recommend retractable leashes. Your dog will not be comfortable wearing a leash in the beginning, as soon as he starts getting used to it, he’ll be fine.

Listen to your dog; if the leash is too tight on your dog and is causing him pain, he will try to tell you. Don’t ignore the signs and sounds. Sometimes, dogs start misbehaving while on the leash because they are uncomfortable.

Start from Inside the House

Start from inside the house. Don’t put a leash on him and take him outside right away. Both of you will be clueless as to what to do. Get him used to the feel of the leash and harness around his neck. Make him wear the leash for short periods inside the house.

Make him follow you across the house while he’s on the leash and reward him accordingly. Once you two have perfected it inside the house, you can take it outside. Keep his walks short and infrequent in the beginning, as you’ll both be learning and adjusting. With a few trials, as you both get to know each other better, your dog will warm up to the idea of walking around on a leash with you.

While it is true that puppies learn more quickly, older dogs can be leash-trained too. Remember to take your dog walking every day. If you can’t manage this, you can always hire dog walkers from a reputable, reliable dog walking service provider like Little Friends Pet Sitting and Dog Walking, who can do the job for you!