Leash Training a Puppy: How to Be Successful

Leash training a puppy can be challenging. Why? Because walking on a leash is not a natural canine behavior! Rather, it is a foreign skill that we must teach our dogs. For many puppy owners, the daily walk ends up becoming a frustrating and exasperating chore. This was my experience with my first dog many years ago, which is why teaching owners to enjoy walks with their dog is close to my heart.

Like me with my first dog, you may have taken your doodle to puppy class, taught them to sit, lay down and give paw, but never taken the same care to actually show them how they should behave on leash. Many of us simply clip the leash on and head outside into the world of distractions. Your pup finds themself inundated with sights, sounds, and smells, and here they are restrained by a 6-foot rope and expected to march forward in a straight line. The result is often super frustrating for both ends of the leash.

So, let’s help you and your dog by familiarizing you with the three key skills of successful leash walking and by giving you step-by-step instructions on how to teach them.

Table of Contents

Leash Walking Skill #1 – Check In With Me

Building your doodle dog’s ability to pay attention to you is the most important fundamental skill of all training!

Attention is The Foundation of All Training

So many doodle owners tell me their pup does great on walks or in training, ‘unless they are distracted’. If you have your pup’s focus on you, you will be able to show them what you want. If your pup’s attention is everywhere else, you will struggle with all aspects of training. So, paying attention is the very first thing to teach any dog, and we start inside the home, in a low distraction environment, before we ever clip the leash on!

Teach – The Look at Me Game

When I began my career training service dogs, this was the first training game we played with our puppies, and it is still the first thing I teach pet doodle dogs. Start this game in a distraction-free environment.

Begin by standing in front of your dog with a few treats in each hand. Wait for your pup to Sit.
Hold the treats just about at your dog’s nose/eye level, and then slowly stretch both arms out like a T shape. Your dog will likely look from one hand to the other, trying to figure out how to get the treat.
(If he jumps for the treat at this point, simply ignore or bring your hands behind your back and wait until he sits again.)
Be patient as your dog looks from one treat to the other. Be ready to mark (“Yes” or “Good Boy”) the instant your dog gives you any eye contact (“checks in”). You may just get a quick glance at first, so be ready and precise with the timing of your verbal marker. Reward with a treat.
If after several seconds your pup is not looking up at you, give them a hint. Make a little kissy or tutting noise to tempt them to look at your face. Mark and reward!
Repeat 5-10 times
When your doodle is acing the first step, start to hold out for slightly longer durations of eye contact before you “YES”/”Good Boy” and treat. Now he is learning to be patient and focused with his attention.
(As you increase duration, mix it up – sometimes treating right away, sometimes one-Mississippi. Longer than a couple seconds is not necessary).
Fade out the outstretched arms. Hold your hands with the treats at your stomach, mark and treat when he looks away from the treats and up at your face.

Watch example of “Look at Me” Game

Take it On the Road

Now that you have taught your dog that good things come when they check in with you, we change the picture slightly with a new ‘unprompted attention’ game outside on leash.

Start with your doodle on leash in a quiet outside environment.
Stand in one spot, holding the leash in a fixed position at your navel or your side. Give the dog most of the length of the leash but keep your hands and feet in place.
Allow your dog to sniff and explore the environment (with just the length of the leash), and just Wait.
Keep waiting. It may take a while for your dog to sniff every inch of the area he’s in.
Eventually, your dog will get bored and look up at you. Good Boy! Mark when your dog looks up at you, and then deliver him a treat close to your body.
Repeat this process until your dog has offered attention 10-15x.
Move to a new spot several feet away, and repeat!
Now you are helping your pup build and strengthen the habit of “checking in with you” in different environments!

Generalize: Checking In Equals Access to Good Stuff

Does your doodle love a game of fetch or tug? Go back to the ‘Look at Me’ game, this time using your dog’s toy just as you would a treat. Hold the toy out to the side and wait for your dog to look away from the toy and at You. The instant he does, mark “Good Boy” and throw the toy for him!

Don’t be surprised if the switch to a toy is challenging for your doodle at first!! Dogs are excellent at discriminating, but they need our help generalizing concepts. With this exercise you are beginning to generalize the concept of Looking At You for guidance and to gain access to the things they want.

Use ‘life rewards’ throughout each day to further generalize and strengthen this skill! For example, wait for your pup to offer you eye contact before you open the door to go out, put his food bowl down, allow him to greet a friend, etc. In other words, looking at you is the way to ‘Say Please’ for what he wants. The more situations you practice this in, the stronger the habit of ‘checking in’ with you.

Watch Example of Doodle Puppy “Checking In”

Leash Walking Skill #2 – Move With Me

We want to break down each of these fundamental leash walking skills as small as we can for the dog. Teach your doodle that when you move, they should move in your direction.

When You Move, Your Dog Should Move in Your Direction

Teach – The ‘Move With Me’ Game

Stand with your dog on leash in front of you. Hold the leash in your right hand, right arm relaxed at your side, and hold treats in your left. When they look at you, mark with “Good Boy/Girl” and deliver a treat beside your left leg.
Now begin to take a couple steps backward. This encourages your dog to follow you without pulling forward on the leash. As soon as they start moving in your direction, mark with ‘Good Boy’. Deliver a treat at your left leg.
Turn around and begin walking backward in the other direction. Again as soon as your dog begins to follow, mark and reward.
When your doodle is happily moving backward with you, anticipating treats at your left leg, you can do a 180 turn and now, you are both facing forward! Take a step forward and mark your dog as soon as they follow, rewarding at your left leg.
You are teaching your pup to follow you AND showing him that the good stuff happens right at ‘Heel’ position, next to your left leg.
With each step forward, mark ‘Good Boy’ as your dog follows, and deliver a reward at your left leg. Then start to increase the number of steps between each reward. Take two steps, mark and reward. Take 3 steps, mark and reward, take four steps, and so on.
When your dog is getting the game, randomly vary the number of steps you take before marking ‘Good Boy’ and rewarding. This is called a ‘variable rate of reinforcement’, and it works the same way a slot machine does, keeping your dood gambling that the next step he takes will earn him that reward!

Be Someone Your Dog Wants To Follow

An important part of good leash training is a calm, confident stride! Lead your dog as if you know where you’re going and it’s somewhere cool. Your eyes should be forward, shoulders back, head high, and your stride confident like a woman or man on a mission. (I recently dated myself by instructing a pup parent to walk ‘like Naomi’, and was met with a quizzical stare. That was a sad day).

In other words, adopt the attitude of a Leader. We discussed the qualities of Leadership in the training article. Social animals like humans and dogs are naturally inclined to follow a confident and capable leader.

Again, we can look toward the natural behavior of wild canines as a guide. Contrary to popular lore, wolf packs don’t typically walk in strict parallel formations or march single file like soldiers. Yes, there is a clear leader in wild canine packs, and the leaders ultimately dictate the direction of travel, but they aren’t necessarily always in the front. The younger, subordinate wolves check in frequently, staying aware of the alpha pair and keeping with the general pace as they all move together organically and fluidly.

Teach – Fancy Footwork

Outside turns – Walk in a straight line to a fixed point ahead. Just as you come toward the end, cue your dog ‘Let’s Go’ and then make an about-turn to the right. Your leash remains relaxed at your left side. Mark ‘Good Boy’ the instant your dog begins to turn with you. Reward at your left leg.
Inside Turns – Once your dog is catching on to the outside turns, begin to make 180 turns to the left. Your dog will have to stay back and yield space to you as you turn into him. This exercise teaches your dog not to forge too far ahead. In the beginning you can hold a treat at your dogs nose to keep them behind your leg as you make a left about- turn. Praise and reward as your dog stays back. Remember to keep your arm relaxed and the leash loose!
Figure 8’s – Walk in figure 8 pattern, alternating left and right turns! Give warm praise and encouragement frequently – any time they look up at you, move nicely with you, and respond to leash pressure.
Practice coming to a stop. Help your dog by slowing down and holding a treat at your leg to keep them there as you come to a stop. If you wish, bring your treat hand from the dog’s nose slowly up the seam of your pant leg, to lure them into a sit at your side. Praise and reward!
End training on a good note! The key to a great training session is to keep it short and fun, and end on a successful note. You can end a great leash training session by giving your dog a ‘release word’, like ‘Okay!’, and letting the leash out a bit for them to sniff around – but still not allowing them to pull!

When your doodle is getting great at the leash walking game inside, move to the backyard or another low-distraction outside environment. As your dog gets better in each environment, you will be able to increase the time and distance between your rewards. As you move into more challenging (distracting) environments, step back your criteria a bit and increase your pay scale accordingly.

Watch a Sheepadoodle Practicing Figure 8’s

Leash Walking Skill #3 – Don’t Pull Me

For all animals, behavior has a function. Dogs pull on their leash for an elegantly simple reason – it works!

Dogs want to move. From their ancestral days as wolves, through the thousands of years since domestication, dogs have the deep, innate urge to travel. Both wolves and free-ranging domestic dogs spend the majority of their waking hours covering long distances on foot (on paw?) We discussed earlier how frustrating and confusing it is for them to find themselves tethered to a slow-plodding and exasperatingly weak-nosed human. From the very first time most puppies find themself on a leash, they learn that if they pull, they can make the human move where they want to go.

You Control the Leash, Not Your Puppy

Think about the first time you had your puppy out on a leash. They pulled, maybe just a little, and you followed. I see 99% of puppy owners do it and I’m sure I did it with my first pup too. But puppies get bigger and stronger, and the pulling soon becomes a problem. When your puppy starts pulling in a direction you don’t want them to go, now you might try and stop. You say ‘No Pull!’. You tug on the leash. Why does your puppy continue straining and choking himself?

Remember in the training section above when we discussed a variable reward schedule? That slot-machine effect? Well, it’s at work here, making your puppy’s pulling behavior more persistent.

Your puppy has learned that pulling sometimes gets rewarded (by getting you to move), and sometimes it doesn’t. ‘I feel lucky’, he says. And tries just a little bit harder.

Teach – Pulling on Leash Doesn’t Work

The simple solution is not to allow pulling on leash to work for the dog. Keep your leash arm relaxed at your side, and if your dog pulls, do Not allow them to move your arm forward even a little.

There are 3 strategies you can employ if your dog pulls on leash:

With your leash arm at your side, make a 180 turn and walk briskly in the other direction. As soon as your dog begins moving your direction again, mark Good Boy and deliver a reward at your side.
Take a couple brisk steps backward. Again praise and reward when your dog follows. Begin walking again when the leash is loose.
Stop and ‘Be A Tree’. It’s important that the dog is not able to pull your leash arm forward at all! This is the old ‘Red Light, Green Light’ approach – stop when the leash is tight and only move again when the leash is loose.

Not allowing the dog to move forward on a taut leash is absolutely fundamental. Depending on the strength and determination of your dog, this is where the right training equipment comes into play. As always though, it is most effective and fair to teach your dog what you DO want them to do.

Teach – The Leash as A Gentle Directional Cue

Teaching a dog to walk in a perfect Heel is a valuable behavior to teach and a thing of beauty to behold. The majority of the time though, all that myself and my clients want from our dogs is not to be dragged on leash. So, whether I allow my dogs 2 feet or 10 feet of leash, I want them to move with the leash and not pull. Here is how we begin to teach simple “Leash Manners”.

Stand with your dog on leash. Again, have the leash in your right hand and keep your right arm fixed firmly in place. For this exercise it may be helpful to hold your leash hand at your navel instead of your side, to keep it steady. You need to know exactly how much leash length your dog has and be ready to not allow them to pull your arm forward at all.
Show your dog a treat. Then very gently, let them see your toss the treat away from them, past the reach of the leash.
The first couple times, your dog will surely pull to the end of the leash to get the treat. This is where we can show them that strategy is ineffective.
Allow your pup to reach the end of the leash and just stand firm. Be a tree. Wait.
The instant your dog gives up trying to reach the treat and loosens the leash even a bit, mark ‘Good Boy!’ They should know this marker word by now and turn around to get their reward at your left leg.
If your doodle is particularly tenacious (or has a history of being allowed to pull to what they want!) they may strain even harder against the leash, or even bark frustratedly. Be patient and allow them ample time to give their best efforts and find them futile. If your dog is getting too frustrated though, help them out by making a kissy noise or other audible ‘hint’ to turn back toward you. When they do, mark enthusiastically and reward at your side.
Play several repetitions of this game until your dog cannot be fooled and no longer tries to pull toward the temptation.
You can end the exercise by introducing a ‘permission word’. When they have given up straining toward the treat and are instead standing by your side looking at you, say “Okay!” and move with them toward the treats on a loose leash, allowing them to get all the goodies.

Watch Teaching a Goldendoodle Not to Pull on the Leash

Troubleshooting and FAQ:

When Can I Start Walking My Doodle Puppy Outside?

As we discussed, leash-walking is an unnatural skill that takes time and practice for a dog to master. While learning how to properly walk on a leash is important, for young pups under 16 weeks, varied experiences and exposures are essential. They need to walk on a variety of surfaces, be outside, hear different noises, see people and other animals, and begin the process of socialization. This is a lot – too much to also be asking a young puppy to be leash training. So, while I absolutely recommend safely and carefully taking your puppy out on a leash right away, the focus of these early walks should be on allowing your young doodle to explore their environment. (per the American Veterinary Society Association of Behavior’s position statement on puppy socialization.)

At the same time, you don’t want your puppy learning that every time they pull on the leash they get to move (you don’t want pulling to be reinforced). To mitigate pulling, I suggest a comfortable, well-fitted puppy harness and a 10-foot or longer leash. This will allow your puppy more room to move without having to pull on these exploratory walks.

Leash-Training-a-Puppy-How-to-Be-Successful

How Can I Stop My Puppy from Biting the Leash?

Whenever you find yourself asking how to Stop a dog’s behavior, ask yourself the question ‘What would I like my dog to do Instead?’ Focus on the positive by encouraging and reinforcing the alternate behavior. In this case, praise and reward the puppy for looking at you and following you as you move in different directions.

This is an especially common behavior in Retriever mixes (including Goldens, Labradors and Poodles!) who are inclined to carry objects in their mouths.

Many puppies bite the leash when they feel frustrated or overwhelmed. You may be asking your doodle for more than they are capable of. In the beginning of leash training, and especially with young puppies, do not think that you have to get all the way around the neighborhood, or even the block. You do not have to walk a certain distance or a certain length of time. 5 minutes of walking up and down your block, rewarding your puppy for attentively following you, is a big training win! Reward him with a bit of freedom to sniff and explore (without letting him pull!) Then call his attention back for 2 minutes of fun training. Release for 5 minutes of sniffing, call him back for 1 minute of walking. Like any good training session, end the walk on a successful note.

My Puppy Won’t Walk on the Leash! He ‘Puts on the Brakes’ and Won’t Move Forward. What Do I Do?

This is another super common puppy behavior that indicates your young dood is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stimuli they are experiencing. Many pups will stop abruptly as if saying, “I need a minute!” If you then attempt to move the puppy along by pulling the leash, you are likely to see the puppy demonstrate what’s called ‘opposition reflex’ – they will simply balk harder against the leash pressure.

The first thing to do is take a breath and be patient. Allow the puppy a moment to process their surroundings without forcing them to keep moving forward. Again there is no urgency to cover distance when teaching your dog to walk on leash! Often if you stop and give the pup a moment, they will continue moving again. Don’t forget to praise and reward them when they do!

Can An Older Dog Learn to Walk on a Leash?

The answer is Yes, you can teach an old doodle new tricks! Of course, just like us, dogs can fall into behavioral habits.

The longer a dog has practiced pulling on leash successfully, the more challenging they may be to leash train.

They say ‘Old habits die hard.’ When a behavior which has been reinforced suddenly ceases to be effective, you will likely experience what is called an ‘extinction burst’.

As an example – day after day, when I turn the key in my car’s ignition, the engine starts. If I suddenly turn my key and the engine doesn’t start, I don’t just give up my efforts right away. First I will turn it several more times with increasing intensity. I will likely become frustrated and angry. I will experiment with new behaviors like thumping the dashboard or messing with the pedals.

If your dog has been effectively able to move you forward by pulling, it will be frustrating for them to find that their old behavior is no longer effective. They will likely try pulling with greater force and intensity, and perhaps display frustration and experiment with other behaviors like biting the leash or barking.

What this means for your leash training is that you will need to be patient as you start from the very beginning with your dog. You will likely want to start fresh with a new kind of training equipment. Introduce this new equipment inside your home, and use a high rate of valuable reinforcement (aka yummy treats) as you take him through the steps outlined above from the beginning.

Do You Have Any Other Leash Training Advice?

When I first began training dogs, my mentor wisely instructed me to ‘visualize the dog doing the behavior you want.’ This is valuable because 1) dogs think in pictures, not verbal concepts and 2) if we are going to train any behavior, shouldn’t we first be clear on exactly the criteria and parameters we want?

Think about the behavior you would like from your dog when he is on a leash. I want my dog to check-in with me periodically, move in the same direction as me, stay consistently on one side (traditionally the left), and keep the leash loose.

Enjoy The Journey

Training is a journey, not a destination. Remember that you are your doodle dog’s teacher, leader and helpful guide through the often-confusing customs of the human world! Your dog wants nothing more than to walk with you, so be patient and empathetic in helping him learn this skill. Above all, have Fun!

Melissa Schiraldi is the founder and owner of True Love Dog Training located in Westchester, NY. Melissa has been working professionally with dogs since 2013. She is an ADI Certified Service Dog Trainer, a NADOI Certified Dog Obedience Instructor, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.