How to train to walk

J

Jose

Forums Regular
Jose had never been taken to walk before while he was in the pet shop. So he is not used to the harness and the leash. Now that he is with us, we wanted to take him for a walk but the minute we put the harness on, he will not move. We can't even get him to stand up. The minute we take the harness out, he's jumping and running around the house.

Can someone suggest me how can I make him get used to the harness and the leash?
 
It's not unusual for a pup to feel uncomfortable by collars, leads and harnesses, it's not a natural thing for them. They do generally have to be taught how it works. Put the harness on him around the house, let him wear it when he is playing, eating, just don't try to walk him in it yet. Give him treats and lots of praise when he's wearing it. You need to get him used to the feel before you add the lead. Then you'll then need to let him get used to the lead - best to try it just around the house or yard. Lots of treats to entice him to move in it.
 
start VERY slow
drop harness gently on ground, drop treats on ground at the same time
if dog sniffs the harness, say YES, good dog, give him reward
pick harness gently back up, put it away
Repeat a few times in a day, increase handling of the harness and movement gradually, BEFORE trying to put it on.
never try and trick the dog or force it on for expedience sake... he will always remember and it damages the dogs trust in you.
At this stage the harness should ALWAYS come out with treats falling from the sky. SO that the association becomes harness=good things
 
Be patient . . . it took me 6 months to get Daisy, a former breeder gal, to walk on lead. I worked and worked with her, and one day it finally clicked.

After placing Daisy, her Mom fell and broke a leg and was in a nursing home. I took Daisy to see her . . . and carried her in, but was getting worn out getting back to the room her Mom was in . . .I put Daisy down, and she walked perfectly through the nursing home.

I have had pretty good success taking the fosters to Petco, etc, and walking them through the treats aisle. They cannot resist the scent, and start walking as they sniff the treats, forgetting that they have a leash attached to them.
 
I agree with Caro. When it is on him, treat him as you normally would, give him lots of praise and treats, he will soon get use to it. I was fortunate, Laddie did not mind it at all the first time.
 
I'm working with Callan now on the same thing.

As mentioned, get him used to harness or collar first.

Then clip on the leash and let pup drag it around a little. To get used to the weight.

Then with treat bag readily available, pick up leash. Treat dog.

In the beginning, keep the leash short. You want the dog close to you so you can easily reward and pup makes the connection

Take a few steps with treat in hand and in front of pup. If dog follows, then treat. Repeat, going further and further each time. It won't take long for puppy to be bouncing along beside you.

If dog struggles, stop. Put pup in a sit if possible. You want the dog relaxed. Then start again.

It takes time but suddenly one day it will just click! And then your next challenge will be pulling. :smile2:

One caution. If their are a lot of distractions outside, practice indoors. One squealing set of tires on the road, will through the training off.

P.s. Any reason why you are starting with a harness?

I grant that collars can be slipped, but a harness may be too much to start with
 
I find that a leash and collar are easier to start with. When I first got Cookie, I let him run around our yard and house with the leash on so he could get used to it being there. Then I would hold a treat out in front of him as we were walking to get him to keep going while I held the leash and I treated him as we walked. Harnesses can be bulky and can feel strange to a dog, especially a young puppy. If you need to use a harness, try a lightweight one, but you may want to start your foundational leash training on a collar. Totally up to you though.
 
We went to a puppy obedience class at one of the local pet stores. Pippa would just plant her bottom and not move while she was on her leash. I use a Martingale collar on her. While we were in the class, I let her walk around with the leash dragging (in the enclosed area) for a little bit, praised her and gave her treats--after about 5 minutes, she was walking on the leash. It helped to have another dog in the class to show her it would not kill her.
 
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