Leash Training

[Julie & Kirby]

Hi!  I am a new labradoodle owner (as of Dec 28) and am having a ball with my little bundle of joy.  And have been amazed at how quickly he is picking up things.  Because of this, I have been thinking about leash training and wanting to start doing this.  Currently Kirby loves his walks and does okay on them, but gets underfoot and zigzags a bit.  Our previous dog was a beagle and we never had her properly leash trained and I wanted to do a better job this time around and start early.

 

So, what kind of collar and what kind of leash do I use?  I currently have been walking him with one of the retractable leashes and I assume that I need to use a nylon leash. 

 

Any tips for starting out?  Or web sites to link me to for training?

 

Oh!  And Kirby is about 8 weeks old now, so just a young pup!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[K and Racey]

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/training-a-puppy-to-wa...

This is a great article. It follows how we trained Racey who walks on a leash like a champ.

[Adina P]

How old is your pup now?  Are you planning on obedience classes for training you on how to fully train your dog to be obedient? 

I would say 'method' is more important than 'tool' so if you find a method that makes sense to you, has a proven track record, and you are willing to do...then use the tools recommended by that method =)

[Julie & Kirby]

Thanks, Kort!  I will check out that article.

 

Kirby is just now 8 weeks old.  We do plan on doing some obedience classes, but based on vet recommendations and vaccine schedule we cannot get in until about 3rd week of January and most classes that I have found in the area start about now.  I am still searching, but even if I can find something that starts the first of February I would like to take advantage of Kirby's willingness and ability to learn and educate myself about how I can to do things correctly from the beginning.

 

[Adina P]

Are you talking about training him to walk politely on leash or merely training him to accept the leash being on him?  I would put a leash on him and let him drag it around the house right away...with you supervising so he doesn't get caught on something.  Otherwise until classes start, just don't let your pup pull you along places and he won't learn to pull.  If he pulls, turn and walk a different direction...always leading and never just moving forward or letting him strain at the end of the leash.  

[Adina P]

Also do NOT expect to go on a nice, long, casual walk and enjoy it yet.  Most pups will pull, jump, pull, and generally act out of control.  Some pups will have a nice honeymoon period where you think you have the most perfect, well behaved pup ever and then after a month or so start pulling like a banshee.  Better to tire out pup playing in the backyard then to help him learn to pull by going on walks before you've had training on HOW to train him to walk politely.

[Julie & Kirby]

Actually, he may be further along than I thought. He already tolerates the leash well as we started taking him out on the leash on day one and I've been taking him walks and he doesn't fight the leash. He is just underfoot a lot (which is worrisome as he is not even 8 pounds) and is starting to pull a bit. I clearly did things the wrong way with our beagle so I wanted to start off better with Kirby. That article posted earlier gives me some basic tips for trying to curb the tugging behavior and keep him with me. Sounds like I need to take some kibbles with me and try some techniques.