Leash Training Your Dog

Teaching your dog obedience is of utmost importance while training your pet. Though reward and reinforcement techniques work very well with dogs, training them with the leash and collar is the most ideal method of training.

This training can start only when the dog is about 8 weeks old, not before. This is the time when your pet recognizes your call to him. At this age, he will be able to go for short walks and can pay more attention to what you are saying.

Before leash training begins, it is important for you to develop a close bond with your pet. The dog must know that he cannot dominate you. One more thing you should pay attention to, is that the leash is only a means to teach a dog to be obedient - it cannot be the essence of training itself.

Dogs love the outdoors, so it is possible that he will go totally berserk and does a constant jig near the door! He must first be trained to obey 'sit' and 'stay' commands before starting off for walks. So you first have to train him to sit patiently till you put the collar on him. It is always better to start with a show collar and not a choker.

It's always good to start early with the dog, as far as training is concerned. Once the dog learns to stay while putting on the collar, you can take him for a short walk in your own backyard, so that he gets a feel of it.

If he gets out of control, you will have to make him stay till he finally cools down a bit, and then start all over again. Let him wander around for some time if he wishes to. Then call out to him. Praise and treat him once he responds to your command.

If your pet should decide to pull you the opposite way while walking, just stay in your spot till he realizes he can get nowhere with this type of behavior.

Training a dog to be on a leash takes a lot of patience and effort, but dogs are fast learners. Once the pet lets you lead the way, he is ready for longer walks, maybe in the park next time. Slowly and steadily, he learns that you are the master and are in control of him, and not the other way round.

Controlling a dominant dog can be tough. The first thing you have to do is to let him know who the boss is. Teach him basic obedience exercises and then proceed to train him as mentioned above. Some dominant dogs are too aggressive and try to have their own way. What you can do is to tie him up somewhere till he learns obedience the hard way! He might sulk and stop obeying your commands initially, but with time and trouble, he will eventually learn to respond to your commands. Training a dominant dog takes a lot of perseverance, but also pays rich dividends, once you have succeeded in your task.

While trying to train the dog on the leash, it is very important to keep in mind that this is merely a corrective measure and can never help develop a good relationship between the dog and its owner. The rapport between the two can only come by giving the pet a lot of love and treating him with respect.

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