How to train a dog to walk on a leash

If you plan to welcome a house sitter in the future or your household is soon to be one of dogs and babies, you’ll need to know how to train a dog to walk on a leash. Bringing a new furry family member home is one of the most exciting times for any pet parent (and so is their first pair of dog booties), but we’ll be the first to agree that learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash is no mean feat. Luckily for pups and their humans though, it’s by no means impossible. With consistency, patience, and our tips below, your pooch should be a walkies legend in no time. So without any further ado, let’s get into our top 11 tips for leash training a puppy - brimming biscuit pouches at the ready!

If you plan to welcome a house sitter in the future or your household is soon to be one of dogs and babies, you’ll need to know how to train a dog to walk on a leash. Bringing a new furry family member home is one of the most exciting times for any pet parent (and so is their first pair of dog booties), but we’ll be the first to agree that learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash is no mean feat. Luckily for pups and their humans though, it’s by no means impossible. With consistency, patience, and our tips below, your pooch should be a walkies legend in no time. So without any further ado, let’s get into our top 11 tips for leash training a puppy - brimming biscuit pouches at the ready!

11 tips to train a dog to walk on a leash

1. Create positivity around equipment
2. Create a positive signal
3. Make a walk a non-event
4. Practice recall
5. Indoor practice first
6. Walk backwards
7. Keep the first outdoor walks short
8. Positive reinforcement
9. Gradually increase distance
10. If your dog pulls, stop walking
11. If your pup lunges, distract them

Create positivity around equipment

Before learning how to train a dog to walk on a leash, the first thing you’ll need to do is to train your dog to enjoy being around their walking equipment. If you’ve never had a furry friend before, this may sound odd to you - surely Fido will be raring for walkies every time! Well that’s not always the case, unfortunately. Equipment like collars, harnesses and leashes can be scary for pups and dogs who aren’t used to them, which can create resistance around walkies. The solution? We’d advise rewarding your dog when getting out your walking equipment, and at each stage of putting it on - attach the leash and share a treat, and so on. Do this in a quiet, distraction-free zone for the best results and soon, they’ll be used to getting their collar, harness and leash on with no fuss - in fact, they may even look forward to it with treats involved!

Not sure whether to leash train your pup using a harness or a collar? We've got just the thing for you! Read our blog post to find out everything you need to know about the harness vs collar debate and which one is right for your pup.

Create a positive signal

When learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash, one of the first things you’ll need to do is to create positivity around each action you’d like them to perform. Alongside getting their equipment on with no fuss, small treats can be a great way to help your pup know when they’re doing the right thing. This could include when they look up at you, walk by your side, or stop when you do. Teaching your dog good behavior when walking on a leash needs to be centered around a positive signal, but if you’re not into rewarding with treats at every moment, opt for a clicker, a click of the tongue, a specific word, or a positive hand signal. This will help your pooch to know when they’re performing well which will lead to gratification and repeated good behavior! Simply pick one method for your positive signal, stick to it, and reward as soon as your pup has performed it.

Make a walk a non-event

Yup, when training a dog to walk on a leash, it’s important to resist creating too much excitement around going for a walk. It’s an easy mistake to make, but hyping your dog up too much can result in a heap of pent-up energy that results in less than ideal behavior once you’re on the walk. 

Over on our community forum, our member Becca was after ways to get a dog to heel rather than pulling - and Rob Kuty - certified master dog trainer, President of San Diego Pet Training and Director of Animal Training at Helen Woodward Animal Center - was on hand to help.

@becca asks “Any tips for getting a dog to walk to heel rather than pulling? I’ve done a number of sits where dogs either haven’t been taught to walk nicely alongside, or are just more used to being off-lead and seem to have forgotten anything they might have learnt!”

Rob: "Be sure to keep a walk a walk. Don’t stop and interact with other people and dogs as your dog will entice your dog to pull. Also be aware of your leash tension before trying to accomplish a heel. 

Don’t worry if the dog is a little ahead of you, behind you, left or right of you as long as the leash is loose. Once you can start to accomplish this on a day-to-day basis, then you can start to tap your leg and associate a closer walk next to your ‘heel’."

For more expert dog training tips from Rob, head over to our blog for more advice.

Practice recall

Learning how to train a dog to walk on a leash also involves practicing recall with your new pooch. As you can imagine, coming back to you when you need them to is vital for successful walkies - on or off the leash. As pulling your pooch back often doesn’t teach them much, helping your pup learn to come back when you call their name (or sound cue noises) will help them to make the right decision for themselves. So, how do you make it happen? Have your pup with their collar or harness on and leash in toe, and simply sound a cue noise, rewarding your pup when they come to you and walk a few paces (a retractable leash can be handy for this). Repeat this gradually, and stop when your pup is eager to learn, not when they’re burnt out by all the training! 

Indoor practice first

With a puppy at home, you’ll know they’re nothing if not curious little creatures! So, when learning how to train a puppy to walk on a leash, keep this in mind and begin your leash training indoors. This will provide a distraction-free zone, allowing your pup to focus on the task at hand without any kitties to contend with and traffic to ignore. Learning the new skill, adapting to the conditioning and getting used to the feeling of the leash, harness or collar will be more than enough stimulation for your new pup.

Walk backwards

While we don’t expect your entire walkies to be backwards, taking a few steps back rather than forwards in the early stages of leash training a puppy can be a great way to start. Why? Well if you’re in the midst of training a dog to walk on a leash, you’ll know that they’re often more than keen to dart ahead. To discourage your pup from lurching forwards and to instead follow your movements (whichever direction you might be going in), take a few steps backwards, praising the behavior as soon as your pup has followed you. As they get better at following you, increase the steps you take and change direction for a challenge, rewarding them at every stage of success.

Keep the first outdoor walks short

Just like us humans, learning a new skill is draining for our pups. So, to avoid overwhelming your new pooch (and to maximize your training efforts), keep the first few walks short. When learning how to teach a dog to walk on a leash, you’ll want to make sure your pooch doesn’t get too distracted by noises and movements, and instead gets used to them being there while responding to your commands. One of the best ways to get your pup used to the outdoors is to keep your first few outdoor walks short, slowly building them up as your pooch gets used to responding to your cues despite all the noises going on around them. Plus, puppies have a short attention span, so it’s going to be more efficient for your training program to keep walkies and training sessions short, alongside patience for your pooch when they’re drawn towards certain smells and areas to mark their territory.

Positive reinforcement

If you’ve ever had another pup or even if you’re only just learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash, you’ll know how motivated they are by food, treats and anything that tastes good! So, throughout their leash training journey, play into their affinity for food, and use it as part of your positive reinforcement training. Before you head out for walkies, make sure you’ve got a pouch filled with small treats that’ll last for the whole walk. Reward when your pup looks up at you, when they stop at the same time as you, when they change direction as you do, and when they start walking only as you do. Be sure to reward the behavior as soon as it happens so that your pup associates it with treats, and is therefore likely to perform it again.

Gradually increase distance

When learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash, it can be tempting to head out for a long walk to help burn off all that energy your new pup seems to have endless amounts of! While this is understandable, it’s not the best approach for leash training. Instead, start with shorter walkies and gradually increase the distance once your pooch seems to be mastering the skills you’re teaching them. Pups can easily become mentally exhausted, so it’s important to teach new skills in short bursts - this is sure to have the most impact on your pup’s conditioning over hours of constant training.

If your dog pulls, stop walking

As you’re getting to grips with how to leash train a dog, you’re sure to agree that at times, it’s no walk in the park. Just as they seem to be mastering following your lead, they’ll spot a distraction, get a little too curious and pull forwards. This is normal during leash training (and in general), so it’s important to know how to best respond. When your pup pulls, stop walking, call your dog back to you (or use your chosen cue or get their attention with a treat) to lure them back to your side. Once they’re back where they need to be, take a few steps with loose-leash walking and reward them afterwards. Avoid rewarding as soon as they arrive back to you, as this can reinforce the idea that they’re given a treat after pulling.

If your pup lunges, distract them

Just like with pulling, you’re bound to experience your pooch lunging every now and then, especially as you’re learning how to leash train a puppy. Usually, dogs will lunge when they’re seriously distracted by something, like another dog, traffic or small animal. As a pet parent, become aware of your pup’s triggers and instead redirect their attention before they even have the chance to lunge, widening the space between your pup and the target. Once they come back to you and walk alongside you again, reward them with a treat (naturally).

Beginner to puppy training?

No worries - we know how exciting yet (at times) terrifying bringing a new puppy home can be. To make the process a whole lot easier, check out our guide to puppy training for beginners and our list of tips and essentials for road trips with dogs should you fancy a getaway with your new furry best friend.