Leash training a puppy starts inside your house, not on the sidewalk. Let your puppy get used to the collar and leash first. Then pay them for walking near you, and only move forward when the leash is loose.
I have trained dogs in Salt Lake City for about 18 years. Pulling is the number one thing owners ask me about. The fix is simple, but you have to be steady about it.
Fair warning before you start. What follows is the slow, plain way to begin. It works for a few short sessions, just long enough to show your puppy not to fight the leash. After that it gets boring for both of you, and most owners get stuck. When you want the fun, playful way that shows a dog to love walking at your side for life, read how to be the squirrel.
You don’t need fancy tools to start. You need gear that fits and feels safe to your puppy.
Put the collar on for short times at home while your puppy eats or plays. Then clip on the leash and let them drag it around for a few minutes while you watch them.
You want the leash to feel like part of life, not like a big deal. If your puppy bites at it, trade them a toy and keep it short and fun.
Your hallway is a better classroom than your street. There are no squirrels, no cars, and no other dogs.
Hold the leash, say your puppy’s name, and take a few steps. When your puppy comes with you, mark it with a happy word and give a treat at your side. Walk a few more steps. Stop. Pay again.
Keep these first sessions to about 5 minutes. Puppies learn fast, but they get full fast too.
This is the whole game. Your puppy learns one rule: a loose leash means we go, and a tight leash means we stop.
When the leash goes tight, stop walking. Don’t yank and don’t drag them. Just stand still. The second the leash loosens or your puppy looks back at you, say yes and walk on.
At first you may only go a few feet at a time. That is fine. You are showing your puppy that pulling never works, and that checking in with you does. That is impulse control, and it is the same skill that helps everywhere else in your dog’s life.
Most owners only pay their puppy for being in the right spot. I like to pay for the look. When your puppy glances up at you on a walk, that is your dog choosing you over the whole world.
Mark it and treat it every time at first. Over time, that check in becomes a habit, and the walk turns into a game the two of you play together.
Start in your yard or driveway. Then the quiet end of your street. Then a park on a slow morning. Add one new thing at a time.
Expect your puppy to act like they forgot everything the first time outside. They didn’t. The world is just louder out there. Go back to short and easy, and build up again.
Keep first walks short. A few minutes of sniffing and a few minutes of walking is plenty for a young puppy. Sniffing is not a waste of time. It is how your dog reads the news.
Most puppies get the basic idea in a few short sessions. Walking nicely past other dogs, kids, and scooters takes longer and needs practice in real places. Working with a trainer speeds that up a lot, because you get the timing right from day one.
One more time, because it is the part most owners miss. The stop and stand method above is a starter, not a plan. Once your puppy quits fighting the leash, move on to the playful way in how to be the squirrel. That is what shows a dog to love walking with you for good.
We are a school, not a boot camp. We show you and your puppy how to work as a team, with play, connection, and impulse control. Leash skills, crate habits, and good manners are all part of our puppy training program.
We also stand behind our work with the Dependable Dog Guarantee: “All pups who train with us will reach their goal or we will add additional sessions FREE until the pup is finished.”
Just brought a puppy home? Read my guide to your first 30 days with a new puppy and my plan for crate training. When you want help, book a free training session or call us at 801-516-4012.
Right away. You can start collar and leash work at home the week your puppy comes home, long before their first real walk.
Either one is fine to start, but we never walk dogs in a harness. Your trainer at TWP will quickly move your pup out of a harness and into a slip leash or leash and collar combo. Pick what fits well and what your puppy moves comfortably in. Your trainer can help you choose if your puppy pulls hard or slips out of things.
Most puppies do this because it moves and it’s fun. Keep sessions short, trade for a toy, and reward walking instead. My post on puppy biting and nipping covers more.
Yes. Sniffing tires a puppy out and makes walks less stressful. Give them sniff time, then ask for a bit of nice walking, then let them sniff again as the reward.
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