An important part of dog ownership is training your dog. Dogs are definitely trainable — and there’s lots of reasons and history as to why. But, if you’ve never owned a dog before, or if you just got a new puppy and you need some guidance on how to leash train your dog, then you’ve come to the right place. Let’s talk about how to leash train your dog! Why Does My Dog Need to Be Trained? This one’s an easy question to answer. Your dog goes with you out in public — it needs to be trained. Untrained dogs present a danger to themselves and others. Think about it. A dog with no training is one who explores everything on their walk, even if it could hurt them. They don’t listen when you tell them to stop, which can ultimately cause themselves and others harm. The last thing you want to do is put your dog in harm’s way, which is why it’s so important to focus on training on how to stop your dog from biting on the leash or even how to come towards you when called! Dogs are naturally curious creatures. They frequently get themselves into trouble following their strong sense of smell. That’s also why it’s important to ensure your dog is wearing an updated dog ID tag! Order a Dog Collar and Leash Set That's Comfortable for Your Pup Also, not everyone lives in an area with a fenced-in backyard or acres of open land. Many owners walk their dogs through neighborhoods, cities and even parks and trails. Having your dog trained on a leash is just one of the many ways you can keep them safe and healthy. Plus, your dog will be interacting with others out there in the world. From other dogs to small children and even cars and trucks, knowing that your dog is knowledgeable on how to stay on a leash while out with you will go a long way to ensuring they stay safe — and it will give you peace of mind. When Should I Start Training My Dog? Your dog should be trained as soon as possible, especially if you’re adopting them as an adult. Many dogs available from shelters have to be able to follow basic commands prior to being allowed to be adopted, but some rescues or private adoption agencies won’t prioritize that. As long as the adult dogs aren’t aggressive or rabid, there’s a chance you might be adopting a dog with some listening issues. If you’ve adopted a puppy, leash training should happen when they’re old enough to start exploring outside, typically a few days after their first round of vaccinations. If you’ve adopted a puppy from an adoption center or rescue, you probably won’t be able to take them home until they’re about 16 weeks or so. Some will let you take them at eight weeks, but at 16 weeks, there are still some additional vaccinations your pup will need so some places just go ahead and have you wait until all their vaccines are completed prior to sending them home with you. At that point, your puppy should be able to handle going outside, which is when you can start leash training them! Before You Start Training There are a few things you should do before you start leash training your dog. Get them vaccinated: There are lots of vaccines out there that vets can administer to your pup that will ensure they are healthy and don’t get sick from anything they come in contact with while interacting with other dogs and humans. Some of the most common vaccinations include rabies vaccines and canine hepatitis. Make sure you get your puppy vaccinated with all the vaccines your vet recommends. Otherwise, you could get them sick while out on a walk! Get all your necessary supplies: Order a dog collar and leash set, treats for your dog and even some specific toys that will help them stay focused while you train. These are all the tools necessary that you’ll need for training your dog to stay on its leash. You’ll want to find treats that are healthy for your pup and not made of fillers or byproducts. Your dog collar and leash set should be made from quality materials, such as silicone, to ensure that your dog’s skin doesn’t develop a rash! Plan out your training time. Leash training doesn’t always happen in a day — or even a few hours! It’s important to plan out your training time so that your dog stays on a schedule. Part of training is obedience and structure. If you only train when it’s convenient or you remember to, then that isn’t doing a good job of teaching your dog a schedule. Plan out your training time in advance so that you can schedule work shifts, meetings and other appointments as necessary. Then, make sure you stick to your schedule! After a few times, your dog will notice when you’re not training on time. Training Tips There are a few training tips that will help you as you train your dog to use a leash. Here are some of our tips: Don’t yank or drag your pup: Yanking or dragging your pup can actually harm them so don’t do it, even when they misbehave! Instead, use some of the tools we’ll discuss a bit further down as a way to discipline your pup. Track Your Pup via Bluetooth with a Tile for Dog Collar Use a harness instead of just a collar: Harnesses give you more control than a collar does. It also gives your dog more freedom of movement. Consider using a harness along with your dog’s collar and leash. Together, all three pieces make training a breeze! Learn about your dog: Each dog breed has different behavioral characteristics. Even if you have a mixed-breed dog, there are certain physical characteristics that can help you narrow down some of the breed families your dog might be. Knowing the basic behavioral issues you might run into with your dog is a good way to know how long training might take. Who knows? Maybe your dog’s breed has a good temperament and is easily trainable. Wait to put the tags on: Put the tags on after your puppy is comfortable wearing their collar. Some tags make sounds as they jingle next to each other while your dog moves. This can overwhelm your pup since this will be an entirely new sensation for them to adjust to (wearing their collar). Put their tags on before you start taking your pup outdoors, but after they’ve adjusted to the sensation of wearing the collar. To avoid having multiple tags on your dog’s collar, consider consolidating everything into one! Our Tile for dog collar tags is a great innovation between technology and information. Early Steps Some of the earliest steps for training your dog to stay on a leash are as follows: Introduce them to the collar, harness and leash: If you haven’t already put a collar on them, now’s the time. Hopefully, your dog will spend some time sniffing the items and won’t pay them any attention. And, puppies usually react better to having collars put on them than adult animals who grew up never having to wear one so be sure to put your puppy’s collar on as soon as you can! Introduce the harness and leash by just putting them on your puppy for short periods of time and then taking them off. Soon, they won’t even realize it’s on! That’s the whole point, really. Get your puppy to come to you: Use specific commands such as “come” or even noises to get your puppy to come to you. This will get them to go short distances with their collar, leash and harness on without you holding onto the leash. It gets them used to moving with the items on. Some harnesses feel a little heavy, so your dog will need to get used to the extra weight and the feel of the collar around their neck. Make sure you reward them with a treat! Treats are a great conditioning and training tool for your dog. If your dog doesn’t respond well to treats, consider using one of their favorite toys instead. Walk around inside with them: Once your pup is comfortable wearing the collar full-time and doesn’t flinch at walking around the space, then you can start to focus on having them walk short distances with you around the inside of your home. Whenever your pup pulls away, tell them to “come” or use the noise that you associate with them coming with you. This will help them learn to stay by your side as you walk with them on the leash. Don’t forget to give them a treat whenever they come over to you! Next Steps Once your pup is comfortable sticking with you on the leash inside your home, it’s now time to migrate outside. Training outside is important because your puppy needs to get used to the sights, sounds and smells that outside will bring. Did you know that a dog has over 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose? If that doesn’t make much sense to you, dogs can basically smell much better than humans (and see, too!). Because their senses are so fine-tuned and heightened, it’s important that they get trained on how to process them. Keep the first few walks short: If you have a fenced-in yard, be sure to practice taking your dog around the yard while on its leash. Do this for a couple of laps and then pack up for the day. If you don’t have a yard, take your dog up and down the block or parking lot to give them a chance to explore but not be too exposed. Practice the same method as when your dog would move away from you during your indoor walks by telling them to “come” or make a noise. Give them a treat when they comply! Gradually increase the walking time: Increase the amount of time you go out walking, and, if you live in the city, start to explore new places. This will help your dog get accustomed to the area. If your dog knows what to expect around the corner, then they won’t get overly excited each time they go through the space! Take them new places: Once they’ve mastered the traditional “walk-around-the-block” or “jog-around-the-neighborhood,” consider taking your dog somewhere new. A hiking trail or even the beach are both great places to take your dog after they’ve gotten the basic walking on a leash down. There are plenty of outdoor places you can take your dog, and you can find out when they’re busiest by looking them up online. Avoid them during busy times at first, especially if your dog is excitable. When Your Dog Doesn’t Cooperate Training a dog isn’t an easy feat. They’re living creatures with their own minds, and sometimes they don’t listen very well. Here are some things you can do when your dog won’t cooperate: Anticipate the problem: You know your dog best, so you probably know what they’ll do before anyone else. Create a plan of action for the problem. Will you give your dog a treat to distract them? Maybe you’ll use a stronger version of the “come” command. Maybe you’ll make a hand signal or throw a ball in the opposite direction. Either way, anticipating the problems before they happen will go a long way in your training. Consider a trainer: While there are lots of things you can do on your own, sometimes it’s better to leave things to a professional. If your dog is exceptionally unruly and doesn’t take well to any training at all, then consider bringing a trainer in. Trainers are knowledgeable on dog behaviors in a way that the average person isn’t, which is why it’s so important to hire the right one to take care of your precious pup. Putting your dog in the hands of a skilled trainer to take care of the situation can reduce any stress you might be feeling.