We're looking forward to our new chocolate lab puppy in two weeks! I've read a lot in these conversations about training and I've learned so much! I'm wondering when do you introduce a leash to a puppy and also....is it better to use a harness? And if yes, what type is best? Thank you for your help Susan
How exciting for you! We introduced the lead straight away in short bursts, initially on a Puppia harness and then on a collar. Little walks around the garden from 8 weeks and it has definitely paid off as he is great on a lead now at 6 months. Look forward to seeing pics of your new pup! Sam and Mole (6mo)
We also introduced a lead as soon as we got Bailey home. We initially put it on his collar, then on a harness. He is slightly better when its on the harness, but it is a work in progress. He really dislikes the lead and will often sit down and refuse to move! I hope that next week when we can start walking him in the wide outside world that he will improve when walking on the lead and there are other distractions around to take his focus on this strange attachment to him that stops him going where he wants! The harness is one with padding - we also use the harness when we are in the car to secure him on the back seat - funnily enough he loves the harness just not the lead! Good luck and enjoy your puppy when he/she arrives, best decision we have ever made and I am sure it will be for you too
From what I learned at the positive gundog conference recently, if you are teaching the dog/puppy to walk to heel, think of the position you finally want, ie head beside your left/right leg, in front slightly or whatever and then click the position further back (over training the position) and treat. First you will need to load your clicker or chosen marker word like 'nice' or 'yes' so that the puppy knows that on hearing it as treat will follow rapidly. Use kibble from daily food allowance as the treat whilst puppy is young and save more exciting treats for when you take him/her out and about with more distractions. I'd start on a collar but you could use a harness, it's all personal preference. Don't buy too expensive as they grow quickly. Edited to add, I'd only start on the heel training once I'd associated the collar and lead with food and fun, like me walking/standing facing the pup and luering with food and encouragement to come forward to receive it. Then loose the lure after 3 or 4 goes. Also don't add a verbal cue until you consistently have the end result and proofed out and about later.
In the first few weeks I just popped collar, harness and lead on my pup a few times a day in different combinations. Heelwork started with no equipment as follow me games in the house and Garden. To this day even when our tight heelwork isn't great my dogs will follow me and I put this down to the early training. Enjoy your puppy and show us lots of photos
Very much as the posters above. Bramble at 5 months is quite good on a collar and lead, however mostly she is still on a harness. She was introduced at 8 weeks old to a harness...on and off at random times just for a few minutes at at time,with lots of praise and reward then followed with a little fun game. Same with collar and lead, so no pressure on her and also nothing happens afterwards that caused her to worry...ie car trip/walk/trip to vets. We then encouraged Bramble to walk to heel without a lead so she became familiar with the position we wanted without her mithering about a collar and lead. We encouraged her to sit at our left side as described above, only because this will help going forward with future gundog training. We are now moving onto to proofing, where she is introduced to small distractions whilst on a lead and collar. She is still a puppy, and likes to stay close so a great time is this stage to use this natural desire to encourage good behaviours, pretty sure this will change soon as madam hits adolescence!
I had a small slip lead for Arnie in the first few weeks, but changed to an Ezy dog harness and it works great. Just start early and walk him in the yard or the house or wherever. Then when he is vaccinated get out in the world, make it short and frequent. its great
Is the EZY harness the kind that attaches in the front? Do they actually sell them that tiny? Ugh...So much to learn!
No the Ezy dog harness I use is a back attaching harness. Called the Ezydog chest plate harness. Works well with Arnie I think.I bought him a medium size, which was a little big for him at the start, but he's grown into it well, and in a few months when he gets too bog for that I will upgrade to the bigger size.
I would personally always start a puppy in a broad-chested harness, like the Puppia mesh ones. This protects their little bodies when they pull on the lead (and they will pull at times, however much we try to train it out early on). I believe there's too much potential for damage to their throats to have them doing this with a collar at such a young age. The other thing is, when I first picked Shadow up, at 14 weeks, he was just on a collar. He got scared by a truck going past, backed straight out of his collar and ran into the road. It was absolutely terrifying, as you can imagine, and we're so lucky that we didn't lose him. As soon as I got home, I got on the computer to order him a Puppia harness.
I've moved over to a mesh harness with Molly after she freaked out crossing the road and nearly got out of her collar, it's much more secure.
Thank you! I'll look for the Puppia harness. Someone had also suggested the Sensation harness since it connects in the front. Have you heard of that one?
I wouldn't use a front-fastening harness for a young puppy. They are generally used for stopping a dog from pulling, but don't help with training. Front fastener tend to either work by tightening around the dog as he pulls, making it uncomfortable to pull, which we'd call an aversive and most of us would choose to avoid. Or they work by preventing the dog from getting traction into the forwards motion, often by turning the dog slightly. If you have a problem with a dog pulling, and either have to have them on lead before they've been trained not to, or if you're physically unable to have the dog pulling you at all due to injury or somesuch, then they're fine. But in the case of a brand new puppy, I'd suggest that they're unnecessary, and you should be focussing on training him to walk without pulling from the get-go, which you can achieve perfectly well on a standard back-fastening harness. Since the puppy has no real weight to put behind it at this stage, you should be able to manage without the mechanisms in a front-fastener. I'd recommend looking at the articles on teaching your puppy to walk on a loose lead and start putting the recommendations into place immediately. If you can be absolutely, 100% consistent at this stage and never allow your puppy to pull you when he's on his lead, then it will be easier as he gets bigger - rather than only dealing with the pulling once it becomes a problem because he's bigger and stronger. Here are some articles that may help: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/walking-your-labrador-on-a-loose-lead/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/11-ways-to-help-your-labrador-walk-nicely-to-heel/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/clicker-training-heel/ But also... http://www.thelabradorsite.com/let-your-puppy-off-the-lead/
Thank you so much!! That makes so much sense!! I'll read these articles and start looking for the correct type of harness...
Yes, the harness is the way to go until pup knows not to pull, if it does. BUT go off leash as much as possible at the young age as they won't want to go to far away from you. Great way to work on recall which will have long term benefits as they mature. This is the one area where I'd agree treats work well as a reinforcer.
Personally we use a collar, but we also use the lightest leash we can find initially. Cooper and Tilly's first leash was only about 3/8" wide, so it would not weight them down when they were small. I agree about getting off lead as soon as you can. They will probably come back easily at this age, and it is a great time to start recall. At 7 or 8 weeks you can easily catch them if they decide to ignore you.
I've found treat training ineffective now with my lab. It promoted excitability and the expectation for a food reward when compliant. Since removing that element from training he's far calmer and I don't have to wear my waist pouch anymore, and that's a relief.
