Beginning leash training

After you choose the right collar (see my last post dated June 17, 2010) it's time to move onto leash training.  I find that the biggest barrier to getting good leash training accomplished is that people set up the expectation that this should all be completed in one session.  Impatience will get you nothing but frustration.  Going into leash training with the understanding ahead of time that it should be broken into several small steps will not only keep you and your puppy happier, it will end up making leash training much easier and faster.

For the first step, put your puppy's collar or harness on if it isn't already on.  I have found getting on the ground and putting the puppy on your lap, petting, cuddling and scratching him / her is a good thing to do while you start putting on the collar and attaching a leash.  Alternatively, if your puppy knows the "sit" command, you can ask him / her to sit while you put their collar on and attach the leash.  Then make sure you take the puppy out or over to a place they like so they associate the collar and leash with something they like, such as a walk, or playing in the yard.

I find it best to use a strong but relatively lightweight leash. If it is a big puppy, a leather leash will be lightweight enough, but I like to avoid chains if at all possible.  Chains can cause pain to you if the puppy jets off and the links tighten around your hand.  They also add weight and noise that may distract your puppy.

The entire first lesson will be focused only on getting the puppy NOT to bite on the leash or pull back.  If there is one thing that you must remember, never, ever, ever get into a tug of war with your puppy.  If the puppy starts pulling back, either walk towards them or distract them with a diversion.  If you walk towards them, walk past or around them and stop, so there is no tension on the leash anymore, but the puppy hasn't "won" the tug of war by getting you to go directly to where she / he is trying to get you to go, but to somewhere else.

Step two: Stay put and let the leash go slack.  The puppy will likely start sniffing around and exploring.  He will take a few steps and you will let them go wherever he wishes within the length of the leash.  Once he gets to the end of the leash, if he tries to start pulling, don't let him. Stand firm or move in another direction a couple of steps (not in the direction opposite to his pulling because that will just get you into a tug of war). If the puppy follows, praise him and give him lots of hugs and cuddles.  You may want to use treats as reinforcement, but I prefer to train as much as possible without using food as a motivator.

If your puppy keeps pulling back, try picking her up (if they are small enough) and reposition her (don't pick her up and carry her, just reposition her so she is looking in a different direction).  Then repeat Step 2.

Whenever your puppy tries to chew on your leash, stop her immediately.  I like to use the command "Eh-eh" instead of "No" because for some reason, the puppies seem to respond better to it.  Take the leash out of her mouth and pull it up away from her reach. Pick her up and reposition as above or walk a couple of steps in another direction and start Step 2 again.

If your puppy doesn't start pulling back, just start taking a couple of small steps (not looking at the puppy) and stop, seeing if the puppy will follow. If your puppy follows and stops when you do, exploring the new area you have moved to, give her lots of positive reinforcement, pick her up and take her inside the house.  Once inside the house, give her one of her favorite treats. Going back into the house is one of the exceptions I make to using food as a motivator. This way, the puppies associate "home" with where they get food.  This tends to dissuade them from going far away from home without you, and gets them to come back quickly if they jet out the front door when you don't want them to.

This will be enough for the first lesson.  This lesson should be repeated several times until you find the puppy doesn't bite at the leash or pull back from you when their leash is on.  Keep each lesson short and end on a good note.

Collars - So important to pick the right one

Getting your puppy a good collar that he or she doesn't mind wearing is so important to ensuring happy leash training.  I remember the first time as an adult when I had to decide on what type of collar to use on my puppy.  A trainer I was working with told me to use a Choke Chain.  She told me that using a choke chain with a leash would be the best way to get him to slow down and learn to heel.  But it never did.  He was a very strong, exuberant puppy, and he kept pulling on the leash to the point where the chain would choke him.  I was afraid that he would hurt himself by damaging the bones in his neck.  So I would back-off his training.  It took me awhile to find a better alternative and by that time, my puppy had already developed a habit of pulling at the leash which took me a very long time to break.

The alternative I moved to was the Gentle Leader headpiece / collar, seen here to the right.  While this is a humane device, I found my puppy really didn't like it, so I had to "bribe" him to put it on.  However, I have heard from many others who swear by the Gentle Leader (or the very similar Halti), especially when working with active breeds like border collies.  But I didn't like having to bribe my puppy into agreeing to put the collar on.  Additionally, I don't think this type of head gear works well with very small puppies.

During my work for Tony La Russa's ARF, I was introduced to the "Martingale Collar."  I had used martingales before for my horses, but had never heard of them for puppies.  But these are wonderful!!!  I find that they make them in sizes that fit even the tiniest puppies.  With the martingale, the puppies never can choke themselves, and since they always release once the puppy backs off, they get instant relief.  I've used the martingale now for every puppy I have had and they all seem to respond to it.  I can get much less "wild lassoed bronco" behavior when I use these with a light leash, and they are small and light enough not to bother the puppies.  They are easy to put on or take off and easy to clean.  Also, unlike choke chains and easy leaders, the martingale can be left on the puppy even when not on the leash.

Of course you may choose to use a harness instead for small puppies, but I find that the although the harness is great at protecting the puppy from harm, it doesn't provide as much direct communication to the puppy so training them to heel, stop, and turn seems to be more difficult, especially when you are talking about a very young puppy who has never been on a leash before.

In any case, I strongly advise against the horrible "Pinch Collar" as shown here to the left.  I think it's a travesty to use this device which can cause injury to the dog.  If a puppy is so difficult to control, that no leash can help other than this type, then it's best that that puppy only be handled by an expert, and you should not try to train it yourself.  You will be much better off if you never pick a dog you can't control.

Next:  Some tips on beginning leash work.

The right water bowl

Picking the right water bowl may seem trivial, but since this blog is dedicated to enhancing the joy of puppies and living with puppies, I want to touch on this subject. As discussed many times, there are indeed both breed and individual differences in behavior, and these will impact your choice (and ease of care) when selecting a water bowl.

But before we go into water bowl differences, let's start with the universal information you need.

• Access to clean, fresh water for your puppy is VITAL! Water should be changed at least once a day.
• At least once a week, or more if soiled, clean the water bowl.
• Use an anti-bacterial soap and make sure you rinse thoroughly.

Also... If the bowl was a) used by other dogs before, or b) became soiled because your puppies either pooped or peed in the water, or c) your puppies are sick (this includes both respiratory and gastro-intestinal illnesses), you should sterilize the bowl before offering it back to your puppies.

• This can be easily accomplished by soaking the bowl in a solution made of 3/4 cup of household liquid bleach to each gallon of clean water.
• After the bowl is cleaned as described above, soak it in the bleach solution.
• Make sure the bowl is submerged and soaked for at least 10 minutes.
• Rinse thoroughly! This is very important. Then allow to air dry if possible.
• I like to purchase 2 bowls and alternate using one and cleaning/sterilizing the other

Okay, back to differences. Differences between size, breeds and individuals translate in differences in how they treat their water bowls. And things to be considered.

1) One of the first things to realize is that most puppies will soon begin to consider the water bowl as a toy. Because of this, I like to use water bowls that can't easily be picked up or tipped over. Bowls like these to the right and left, have a rim that makes it easy to pick up and/or tip over. This is true regardless of whether the bowls are made of plastic, ceramic or metal. The metal ones can become irritating noise makers as well.

Even if they don't have a rim, they can be possible be knocked over, picked up and tossed around.

To prevent bowls being knocked over, I recommend bowls with sloped sides for puppies. The rounded rim also makes it hard to pick up.

Plastic, hard rubber and aluminum and ceramic bowls are easier to clean and sterilize, but ceramic bowls have a higher chance of breaking into dangerous shards when dropped.  However, sometimes a puppy or group of puppies can get ambitious and pick up even a sloped aluminum bowl. In those cases, a very heavy sloped ceramic bowl may be your best bet.  Just be sure that you choose one that is heavy-duty and non-breakable.

Also note that nothing is fool-proof. There will be puppies who can figure out how to knock over bowls that even you have trouble picking up and tipping over. That's why I like to opt for plastic sloped bowls to eliminate both the breakage and noise factor.

2) Size of the bowl is very important as well. Some puppies like to get way into the bowl, putting both front paws (or sometimes all four paws) into the water. Bowls that are too large can be dangerous. Bowls that are too small will mean you have to check them more often during the day.

3) One litter of four Scottish Terrier mix puppies that I had had two male pups who loved to 'dig' in the water dish until it was empty. It was impossible to keep fresh water available for the litter. I used a water bottle like the one pictured below.

This is also a great option to use when housing your puppy in a crate when traveling.

When selecting water dishes, another thing to be aware of is that puppies aren't always careful. Dishes that are lower can get poop and even pee into them. One way to avoid this if it keeps recurring is to get an elevated water dish, or simply elevating the dish by placing it securely on a platform. I have duct-taped water bowls to the top of a small cardboard box weighted down inside with bricks. This makes it difficult to clean the bowls so having multiples is helpful.