10/01/2025
Polite leash walking is a skill that develops over months of daily, short, positive training sessions. This skill will not develop in days or even weeks, and rushing through progress will only result in a longer journey to good leash manners. The goal during the early months of leash training is to build positive associations with walking beside you and being on a leash. Don't expect perfection. Instead, celebrate the successes and help your puppy learn that being beside you is the best place to be. Remember that a successful 3 minutes of walking is a far better experience, and far more valuable than a 20 minute struggle. Quality is always the goal, not quantity.
Allow your puppy to build an attention span, coordination, impulse control, and a love for learning by building a strong foundation before progressing to the next step. Leash walking timelines will vary from puppy to puppy, but expect this as a good baseline to follow to ensure you're not pressuring your puppy through each phase too quickly:
🐶 8-12 Weeks Old: Focus on equipment familiarity and small (30-60 second) spans of puppy following you. Utilize a long line so your puppy has plenty of room to run, sniff and play without practicing pulling on the leash. Whenever they walk beside you, treat them in quick succession to really reward that position, and then release them back to playing. Play "follow me" games by moving away from your puppy and rewarding them for following you. You may use their name or fun sounds to get them to follow along; soon enough, they will be checking in with you regularly!
🐶 12-16 Weeks Old: Begin introducing basic leash manners. Call your puppy over for short bursts of heeling, using a treat every few steps in the beginning to praise them for keeping pace with you, and then let them resume playing with a "ok"! Practice longer heeling inside your home and short bursts outside where there's more distractions. Slowly build on the duration of heeling beside you. Start with 30 seconds before saying "Ok!" to let them do their thing. Eventually, you will notice your puppy doesn't want to leave your side if you continue to praise them frequently through high value rewards - this is what you want to see!
🐶 4-6 Months Old: Now your puppy should be either fully vaccinated, or close to it! Begin practicing with walking in new environments. Don't worry if your puppy struggles in new places, this is completely normal - it's like taking your kid to Disneyland and expecting them to focus on homework - not easy! Bring very high value rewards such as cheese, chicken, or turkey (expirement and find what your puppy simply cannot resist and reserve it only for leash walking) and reward them frequently for walking by your side. This may mean every few steps again when first starting out in a new environment. Increase the duration between treating as they are succeeding. Go on very short outings to quiet stores (We love HomeGoods, Michaels, and Home Depot during a weekend or in an evening!) and practice heeling for 5-10 minutes walking around the perimeter of the store before ending the session. Remember: quality over quantity! If you find your puppy struggling after walking for a block in your neighborhood, cut the walk down to half a block until they are doing well. It's ok to move very slowly with this - in fact, it's highly encouraged! If you stick with it by remaining patient and consistent, your puppy will be walking by your side like a pro by the time they reach 6 months and beyond!
