Tips for Walking Your Puppy on a Leash

Who doesn’t love puppies? We sure do. Young dogs are full of tail-wagging fun and silly antics! Every puppy parent knows they're also full of challenges, though. Puppies do not come pre-trained.

Walking politely on leash is a skill many pet owners want their canine companions to have—but it can be tricky to teach an energetic ball of fur to stay near your side. Don't even get us started on unwanted behaviors like turning the leash into a tug toy or eating every questionable tidbit off the sidewalk.

We've got you covered. Here's how to start your puppy off on the right paw as you lay the foundation for loose leash walking! Read on for:

• Reasons loose-leash walking is a valuable skill to teach your new dog
• Supplies you need to start leash training your puppy
• Tips and tricks to start your teaching process
• Key information about how much your puppy can safely exercise
• Resources to learn more about loose-leash training

1) Why does your dog need to learn how to walk on a leash?

Taking your dog for a walk can be an incredibly relaxing experience. It's many dog owners' favorite way to unwind after a stressful day at work, running errands, or (let's face it) simply spending too much time with other people and not enough with our pets.

But walking your dog can also be stressful if your four-legged friend doesn't know how to walk without pulling. Getting yanked from side to side as you hold onto the leash for dear life isn't what most pet parents consider fun! Plus this behavior can be dangerous for both you and your dog—not to mention the people, other pets, and wildlife around you.

Loose-leash training can make a big difference. When your puppy walks on a loose leash:

• They won't hurt their neck, shoulders, or spine by pulling.
• You won't hurt your own hands or back, either.
• You'll be able to safely pass by your neighbors.
• The walk will be about spending time together. Your dog won't act like you don't exist!
• Ultimately: A leash-trained dog will be able to enjoy more situations by your side. Isn't that why we all wanted dogs in the first place?

2) What you need before you start leash training your puppy

Prepare a few things ahead of time before you start doing any real training work with your puppy.

Patience

First things first: Remember your new dog is just a baby! Puppies physically mature much faster than human children do—at eight weeks they can already romp and play, and within a few months they’ll appear almost full grown—but their brains are still developing for the first couple years of their life.

If you’re going to successfully work with a young dog, you need to practice your patience.

Harness or collar and leash

You’ll need a comfortable way to keep your puppy secure when out and about in the world.

Harnesses work especially well for young pups. A well-fitted, Y-shaped harness can give your new dog freedom to move around comfortably, without risking trachea damage, while still providing you a way to rein them in if necessary.

Treats, toys, or other reinforcers (rewards)

These can help motivate your puppy to work with you in leash training sessions.

3) Tips to get your puppy started with loose leash walking

Expose your puppy to their collar or harness and leash early on

Follow these steps to help your puppy get comfortable with their collar or harness and leash. Dogs aren’t born knowing that these are normal things to wear! The sensation might take some getting used to.

Introduce your puppy's walking equipment gradually

Start by allowing your puppy to sniff and investigate their collar or harness before putting it on.

Make it a positive experience

Associate your puppy's collar or harness with positive experiences like treats or playtime!

Once your young dog has investigated their new gear, slowly put the collar around their neck or their legs through the harness openings. Immediately reward them with treats and praise.

Gradually increase the duration your puppy wears their collar or harness. Whenever it's on? Engage in fun activities—we recommend gentle play or favorite belly rubs—or give them their favorite treats. This helps create positive associations with wearing their gear.

Keep initial sessions short

In the beginning, keep collar or harness wearing sessions short to prevent your puppy from becoming overwhelmed. Gradually increase the duration over time as your new dog becomes more comfortable!

Keep your walks short and sweet

Remember when we said your puppy’s brain isn’t fully developed until a couple years of age?

While young dogs can learn so much, it’s important to understand their impulse control and attention span limitations. Meet them where they’re at. In order to be a good dog guardian, you need to be fair to your puppy!

Mix in play and other activities to keep your young pup’s focus

It’s a good idea to mix in play, other activities like mental exercise, and short breaks to just hang out and watch the world go by on your walks.

Your canine companion is too little to go on long, focused hikes just yet. Aim for about five minutes of exercise for each month of age, and stick to low impact exercise to protect your pup's joints.

(More on your dog's physical exercise needs—with a link to an exercise calculator guide—at the end of this article.)

Reward your puppy often!

It’s easy for a young dog to get discouraged (or simply become bored) if you don't provide them with frequent feedback. Reward them often for doing things you like, such as making eye contact with you or staying near your side. You can “build value” in the position of walking next to you by providing lots of praise, treats, or favorite toys when your puppy chooses to walk there!

The more you reward what you want to see, the less you'll have to deal with undesirable behaviors.

Practice your puppy's skills in low-distraction environments first

Your puppy has very sensitive noses and ears. Plus they’re still learning about the world around them. Novelty is everywhere!

What does that mean for your loose-leash training? The busy park is not the place to start teaching a brand-new behavior. Your quiet living room, on the other hand, is perfect.

Keep distractions at a minimum until your dog shows you they understand what you’re asking—and can handle the mental exercise of paying attention. At that point, you can slowly increase the difficulty. Soon you'll work up to more challenging environments.

Change up the direction and places you walk in

This will prevent your puppy from losing focus or getting bored. More than that, though: Exploring different environments is important for your young dog’s socialization!

Socialization involves exposing your new puppy to a range of stimuli. When done well, socialization becomes supported exposure. You show your new dog you have their back as they investigate new places, sights, sounds, and experiences. This helps them learn that normal, everyday things that might scary—like the vacuum cleaner or sidewalk banners blowing in the wind—actually aren’t a big deal.

While it’s important not to push your puppy too far or expect perfection when there are distractions around, it’s easy to combine socialization outings and short leash training sessions into a single successful outing.

Some tips when taking your puppy somewhere new:

• Avoid uncomfortable environments, like asking your dog to walk on hot or sharp surfaces.
• Consult with your veterinarian about core vaccinations and preventative measures to keep your dog healthy as they grow.

Know that puppies often struggle to generalize behaviors

Dogs often struggle to generalize behaviors. This means they might be able to follow basic cues in a familiar environment—but still struggle to perform out and about. This is completely normal! Your dog just needs practice to understand that the picture of loose leash walking is the same in your neighborhood, a public park, your own yard... anywhere you go together.

This is important to note because it’s easy to feel frustrated when we think our dogs "should" know something but aren’t acting on it. In most cases, our pets aren't purposely disobeying. They just haven’t fully generalized our cues yet!

4) Your dog’s age determines how much physical activity they can handle

Your dog will need the most exercise when they’re between about two and eight years old. This is the “prime” of their adult life—they're fully developed but still young enough to maintain their stamina. It's also a great time to make sure they stay at a healthy weight.

Puppy exercise needs

While young puppies need to use their bodies to develop muscle strength and coordination—not to mention get that all-important socialization to the world around them—you should err on the side of caution. Avoid intense or high impact activities before your new dog's growth plates close. This can prevent long-term joint damage and reduce the risk of problems like hip dysplasia.

When do your puppy’s growth plates close? That depends on their breed. In general, smaller dogs reach physical maturity more quickly than larger breeds. Most canine companions are ready for increased exercise between one to two years of age. This doesn't mean you can't start leash training earlier! It just means you need to be cautious about not overdoing it.

Top things to keep in mind while exercising your puppy:

• Mental exercise is valuable too! Don't get too focused on walking a certain distance. Prioritize quality over quantity.
• Vary your amounts of exercise. Pay attention to whether or not your puppy seems too tired to keep going. Remember that excessive exercise, even if it's in the context of a leash training session, does more harm than good.
• If your young dog is having a hard time settling, it's okay to throw in an additional exercise session. Just be mindful of their joint health and other fulfillment opportunities, too.

Learn more about your puppy's exercise requirements here.

5) Where to learn more about loose leash walking

Get in touch with a professional force free trainer

There’s nothing like personalized guidance when working on something new with your dog. A trainer will be able to give you in-the-moment advice. They'll help you see things—like tiny handling mistakes or subconscious body language cues—it might be easy to miss otherwise.

Every year we put together a list of some of the United States’ best dog trainers to make it easier to find reputable, force-free professionals you can trust.

Check out our other dog training articles

The above article is specifically about tips for walking your young puppy. You can learn more about loose-leash walking in general in this guide!

We also have an entire Dog Training section on our blog that compiles various tips and tricks for a huge range of behaviors. Our Puppy Training 101 guide is a great place to start.

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Trainer Review of this Article

There is so much misinformation out there, and we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community. We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers.

These are the trainers that reviewed this article:

Marnie Montgomery
PMCT4, CPDT-KA
Tellington TTouch Practitioner
Fear-Free Certified Professional