Dog Training - Teaching Your Puppy to Accept His Collar and Leash

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Dog Training - Teaching Your Puppy to Accept His
Collar and Leash
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Learning to walk on a collar and leash is the
basis of all further training for every puppy.
Until the puppy has learned to accept the
collar and leash, it will be impossible to
perform any additional training.
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The first step toward getting the puppy to accept
the collar and leash is to find a collar that
fits the dog properly. It is important that the
collar be neither too light or too heavy, neither
too thin nor too thick. A collar that is too
light for the dog can be easily broken, while a
collar that is too heavy may be uncomfortable for
the puppy to wear. It is also important that the
width of the color be appropriate for the size of
the dog.
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Determining the proper length of the collar
is relatively easy. Simply wrap a tape
measure or a string lightly around the dogs neck
to get an accurate measurement. It is important
that the tape measure not be tight, just slightly
snug.
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Most collars are sized in two inch increments,
so you may have to round up to get a properly
sized collar. For instance, if the dog has a 13
neck, you would buy a 14 collar, and so on.
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After you have purchased the perfect collar, the
next step is to put it on the dog and allow him
to wear it around the house. Do not be dismayed
if the dog whines, paws at the collar or
otherwise tries to remove it. This is normal, and
the dog should not be punished for it. It is best
to simply ignore the dog and allow him to work
out his own issues with the collar.
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The dog should be allowed to wear the collar 24
hours a day for a number of days to get used to
the feel of the collar on his neck. After the dog
is accepting the collar well, it is time to start
introducing the leash. A lightweight leash works
best for this process. Simply attach the leash to
the dogs collar and allow him to walk around the
house with it. The dog should of course be
supervised during this process in order to make
sure he does not get the leash caught on
anything. Getting the leash caught or snagged
could frighten the dog and create a leash phobia
that will be hard to overcome.
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In the beginning, the leash should only be
attached for a few minutes at a time. It is
important to attach the leash at happy times,
such as playtime, meal time, etc. It is important
for the dog to associate the leash with happy
things. When the leash is not attached to the
dog, it is a good idea to keep it near the dogs
food and water bowls. The dog should be
encouraged to investigate the leash, and to
discover that it is not something to fear.
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After the dog is used to walking around with the
leash attached, take the end of the leash in your
hand and just hold it. Allow the dog to walk
around. If the dog bumps into the end of the
leash, just allow the dog to react and move as he
desires. The goal of this exercise is to simply
allow the dog to get used to the feel of the
collar and the leash.
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It is important to allow the puppy plenty of time
to get used to wearing the collar and leash
before ever attempting to lead the puppy. It is
best to perform this exercise in the home or
other environment where the puppy feels safe and
secure. After the puppy is comfortable and
content walking on the leash in the home,
it can slowly be taken outside. It is best
to make these outside trips very short at the
beginning, and to lengthen them slowly over time.
Some puppies take to the collar and leash
immediately, while others may require some
additional time.
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To Learn More About Dog Training, go to
http//howtohousetraindog.com/go/dog-traininghtt
p//howtohousetraindog.com/go/theonlinedogtrainer
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