How to Walk Dogs & Puppies on a Lead?
If your dog constantly pulls on the leash or your puppy insists on walking with all their strength, it’s a sign that you're relying on physical restraint rather than proper training to guide them. This approach not only makes walks less enjoyable but can become increasingly difficult as your dog grows, particularly if they belong to a larger, stronger breed.
Thankfully, with some simple training, you can transform the experience. Your dog will soon look forward to their leash with excitement, and walks will be a pleasure for both of you. Read on to discover how to leash train your puppy!
Why lead training puppies is important
Exercise
Being able to walk your puppy on a lead provides an opportunity to exercise your dog and keep them healthy while they grow and mature.
Mental stimulation
Exposing your puppy to new environments is essential to their growth and development, and walking on a lead is essential to exploring many new places. The act of training itself is also great mental stimulation for your dog!
Further training
Lead training also improves responsiveness to overall obedience training, and it may become easier to teach other commands such as ‘sit’ or ‘stay’ once your puppy has learned to be walked on a lead.
What you’ll need before you start puppy lead training
A collar or harness
Buy a collar or harness that fits your puppy appropriately, never too loose or too tight – you should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your puppy’s neck.
Treats
Use treats to reward them for good behaviour on the lead.
How to train a puppy to walk on a lead
To train your puppy to successfully walk on the lead, follow these steps:
You’ll probably be wondering how to leash train a puppy and when and where you should even start. It’s important that you begin training when they’re young, that way they’ll be much happier and easy to walk with right into adulthood. Whether you’re teaching a puppy or starting with an adult dog, the best place to start isn’t with a lead at all – but with their smart new collar!
When leash training your puppy, they need to be comfortable in their collar, so start with one that's lightweight with nylon webbing so it won’t feel like it’s weighing them down. Make sure it is fitted correctly, with just enough room for you to get two fingers underneath it. Check their collar daily and adjust it to make them more comfortable if you need to.
Does your dog try to wriggle out of their collar? They probably won’t even notice they’re wearing it if you put it on and then immediately distract them with treats or a fun game! If they scratch their collar, distract them. When they’re not paying their collar any attention, remove it again. Over the course of a couple of days, slowly increase the length of time that your dog or puppy wears the collar until they stop noticing it – and you’ll be well on the way to a happy, well behaved pup!
Before walking your puppy, the first step is to attach the lead to their collar. Being on a lead is another sensation your dog or puppy will need to get used to gradually, but when they do, there will be so much more of the world to explore!
Attach a lead to their collar and follow your dog around the garden, making sure the lead is kept slack. That way, they’ll barely notice it’s there, making puppy leash training a lot easier!
After a couple of minutes, remove the lead and play a game together, before reattaching the lead and walking wherever they wander, all the time keeping the lead loose so they feel no resistance
It’s important to make the lead seem fun, otherwise your puppy might tense up every time you put it on. Once the lead is on, you can use treats or toys to entertain your puppy. By association, your puppy should anticipate fun once you put on the lead and will be much more likely to co-operate.
Once your puppy has learned to accept the lead and doesn’t become agitated or stressed when it is put on, it’s time to venture outside. Again, keep in mind that this will be a new experience for your puppy. There will be lots of new sights, sounds and smells. If your puppy seems overwhelmed or over-stimulated at first, don’t worry, this is normal given the circumstances. Over time they will become used to the experience as it becomes a new part of their routine.
Use dog treats to reward them for good behaviour on the lead.
Since most puppies are very excitable and full of energy, it’s best to find a quiet area to teach your puppy how to walk on a lead in the initial stages. Once your puppy has become more used to the idea, only then should you move into busier places (e.g. parks with other dog walkers).
Meeting people and other dogs
Ask your vet or local training club about training classes that can teach you how to train a puppy to walk on a lead. They’re one of the best ways to prepare you for walking your dog and for trips into the wider world together. Walking a puppy or adult dog isn’t always straightforward - many dogs get very excited when they see another person or dog walking towards them and start pulling on the lead to greet them! It is important to pre-empt this behaviour so that it doesn’t occur. (It’s also where spending so much time puppy training pays off!) If you see someone approaching, get a treat from your pocket, say your dog’s name to get their attention and then calmly show them the treat, which they should focus on. As they walk past the person, give them lots of praise and then stop and give them the reward. They will soon learn good manners if they are rewarded like this.
Random rewards
Once your dog is happily and reliably walking on a loose lead, reduce their rewards and only give them the occasional treat for especially good lead-walking (such as calmly passing an exciting distraction like a cat). Don’t stop giving rewards altogether – a random reward will keep your dog’s interest and concentration far better than either constant rewards or none at all! If you need further help and advice on walking your dog on a lead, enrol with a local dog training club.
Dog or puppy pulling on lead
If your dog is pulling on their lead, or your puppy refuses to walk without dragging you and you are finding it hard to stop them, consider trying a canine head-collar and follow all the steps outlined above.
Never use a choke chain (also known as a ‘check collar’) or a prong collar. Training should always be a positive, reward-based experience that encourages bonding between you, not punish them in a way that may inspire fear – this is usually counter-productive in the end!
That’s our guide for how to train a puppy to walk on a lead. No matter what point you’re starting from, with a little love, encouragement and patience, you will be able to go on some truly memorable and special journeys when walking your dog.
