Walk with Me: Introducing the Leash and Cue “Let’s Go”

Your leash is both a piece of safety equipment and a means of communication with the puppy. Before we can go out into the world with puppies, it’s important they are acclimated to wearing a leash and come back when they hit the end. An adult dog will generally be asked to walk on your left side, but we will get there gradually!

Wear a bait bag for this activity – you’ll be using lots of food (don’t forget to measure out the amount you use and deduct it from their next meal!).

Getting Started
Most GDB puppies have been introduced to walking on a leash during their time in GDB’s Puppy Center, but we cannot assume they will immediately generalize those experiences to being in your home!

Choose a super “easy” environment to start like the hallway in your house or the living room. Try to pick a space (and time) without much other activity going on. Ideally other pets would be out of sight, and no kids zooming around either, but just do your best!

The first time you clip a leash onto a puppy’s collar, they will likely be interested in checking it out (with their little razor teeth!). Have kibble ready to distract the puppy and get them focused on you instead of the tempting thing connected to their collar. Once you have the puppy’s attention, you can walk away a little bit and encourage the pup to follow with a happy “Let’s go!”. Use a happy voice and the occasional kibble to reward the puppy for coming along. Sometimes change directions and give the pup a heads up that they should follow by saying the “Let’s go!” cue. If the puppy hits the end of the leash in any direction, don’t worry – they're still learning! Gently change directions and encourage the pup to follow you in the new direction with the verbal cue.

Once the puppy is generally moving with you, and readily coming back when they reach the end of the leash, in a variety of areas in/around your home, you are ready to go on your first adventures. See Let’s Go Sightseeing for more!

What if…

• They keep trying to tug on the leash! Start by having the leash drag on the floor (as long as it’s safe to do so) while you encourage the puppy to follow you around.
• They don’t come along when I say “let’s go!” Try also patting your leg, calling “pup! pup!”, or making kissy noises to encourage them to come along. Don’t use the leash to pull the puppy where you want them to go - that can be scary for young puppies. Also, be sure to keep the session short – puppy brains tire quickly!
• They keep wrapping around me! This mostly goes away by itself as you start moving in a more realistic way (like down a sidewalk). You can also feed consistently with one hand (we suggest using your left hand, since that’s the side older puppies will be asked to walk on) to encourage the puppy to stick to that side, and not tangle you up as often.
• They keep trying to lunge at [fill in the blank] or race around like a wrecking ball! If the puppy is persistently trying to lunge for other people, animals, or objects around you, try to find a quieter area or try again at another time when there is less activity going on. If it seems like the leash itself is causing the puppy to become overly-animated, start with the leash dragging on the floor (as long as it’s safe to do so) while you encourage the puppy to follow you around with calm verbal engagement and occasional food rewards.