Leash Training Puppies - Preparation

The leash and the collar for leash training puppies are fairly simple. There's only choices when it comes to the collar or "head piece" or harness

Leash
According to the Certified Dog Trainers I've talked to, you walk a puppy on the standard 6 foot leash. Not a retractable leash. When you're leash training puppies correctly, the puppy walks alongside of you without pulling. What's the point of a retractible leash? They encourage pulling.

Collar
You can use the standard buckle cloth or leather collar, but here's the disadvantage - the collar tends to press on the puppy's trachea or windpipe when the dog pulls on the leash. Damage to the trachea is potentially dangerous. You'll hear the dog choke if the trachea is being pressed by the collar. When leash training puppies, you can certainly use a collar, just be careful when the dog pulls.

Gentle Leader
Another option is a product with a nose trap connected to a collar which rests above the trachea. The leash hooks to a ring connected to the nose strap and located under the chin.The owner controls the dog's head - the neck and trachea are no longer part of the equation.

You can find this product under the name Gentle Leader. The dog in the picture on this page is wearing one. According to the literature for this product, Gentle Leader can be used for puppies as young as 8 - 10 weeks.

Body Harness
The third option for leash training puppies is not a collar at all - it's a kind of body harness. There's hook in front of the dog's chest for the leash.

Which Option Works Best?
For my puppy Alvin, I tried a collar, the Gentle Leader, and a body harness for leash training. The Gentle Leader worked the best because the dog's head is under the owner's control. It's harder for him to pull on the leash. The downside is that you have to spend time getting your dog accustomed to the nose strap.

On the other hand, leash training for my other puppy Simon works quite nicely with a simple clip on collar. I believe it's because I started training him early.

Rewards
When you are leash training puppies, rewards for positive behavior.are a critical success factor. Certified Professional Dog Trainer Beth Ostrowski-Parks asks a good question about rewarding dogs:

"Would you work without a paycheck?"

So what's a good reward? A treat the puppy really likes and if possible, is not junk food. Pieces of chicken, beef, or puppy treats work well.

My dogs get tiny pieces of hotdogs for leash training. I justify violating the junk food rule by using very little of the hotdog.

The Environment
The surroundings for leash training puppies changes as they get used to walking properly. At first, you want an area with very few distractions, like a large room inside your home, the basement, or even the garage.

The next test is outdoors, where there's a few distractions, but not as many as on a normal walk.

The third environment and the ultimate test would be the actual walking route or part of it.

You move to the next environment when the dog is walking as expected.