I just finished reading an article about how to start walking and training your puppy, written by Josh Weiss-Roessler in Cesar’s Way (you know, the Dog Whisperer?)
Josh shares that it would be wise to wait til your pup has had his rabies shot (which is around the 3 month mark.) Then, you wait until your pup has had his final booster shot (which may be around the 16 weeks mark, depending on when you start the process.)
So what do you do with an energetic pup the first few months, when you are dying to show off your new friend in the neighborhood?
You start training your puppy to use the collar and leash inside your house (or in your yard, if you have one.)
You also start training your puppy to follow you.
Here’s an excerpt from Josh’s article:
Introduce the collar and leash
As early as a few weeks old, you can introduce your pup to her collar and leash. Wait until she’s doing something positive such as feeding, playing, or getting affection from you and slip on the collar and leash. The idea is both to get her used to wearing them and to have her associate them with positive feelings. If your dog fights against the leash or collar, try using treats or toys to get her more comfortable.Help him learn to follow
Ideally, you want to be leading your dog when you’re on the walk — not the other way around. But this is a lot harder to do with a large adult dog than a tiny pup, so there’s no better time for training than now. All you have to do is put on his leash and walk a few steps. When he inevitably starts to pull, you should turn and walk in the opposite direction. You’ll stop-and-start a lot at first, but eventually she’ll get it. You can reinforce this learning by rewarding him with praise or treats when he does follow.
You can read the entire article here.
Article source: Cesar’s Way
Image source: Robert Baldwin on Flickr.com