Leash Training a Dog

Whether you are leash training puppies, or leash training a dog that's an adult but was never trained to walk on a leash, the procedure is essentially the same. Dog leash training is a methodical, step by step process that works well with almost all dogs so long as the trainer begins with a clear goal in mind, and is patient enough to allow the learning to take place. Most dogs can be taught to walk reliably on a leash within a day or two. A trained dog is an enjoyable companion, and the time spent in leash training is well worth the effort! These are the steps in leash training a dog:

1. To begin, accustom the dog to wearing a collar. Use a flat buckle collar and make sure it's tight enough that he cannot slip it over his head. If you suspect you have an escape artist, use a "martingale" style collar, which has two loops, one, larger loop that goes over the dog's head, and a second, smaller loop with a ring for attaching the leash. This collar is normally loose and comfortable, but tightens via the smaller loop when the dog pulls, preventing his slipping it over his head. Allow the dog to wear the collar in the house for a couple of days until he pays it no mind, and no longer scratches it. During this acclimation period, accustom him to your reaching for the collar and holding him still  with one hand while feeding him a treat from your other hand, after which you release him. Do this several times daily. Your goal is to prevent his ducking away from your hand when you reach for his collar, which could happen if you only reach for his collar for reasons he deems negative. The dog should not mind your taking him by the collar. Take time to teach him that good things happen when you take his collar, and that you often only desire to touch his collar, pet him, and let go. Then he will stand steadily for you when you need to take him by the collar to attach his leash, or for any other reason. 
2. Once he is accustomed to wearing the collar, attach a short, lightweight leash to the the collar and allow him to drag it around the house, with supervision. He will occasionally step on it, creating awareness that the leash has control over the collar, but it will not upset him unless he gets tangled in something, hence your supervision. Let him drag the leash most of one day. 
3. When he is accustomed to both the collar and the leash, fill a small bowl with yummy treats, and set it on a tabletop out of reach, and sit down on the floor near the dog. When he wanders away from you, pick up the end of the leash and give it a gentle tug while calling him to you in a coaxing tone of voice. Give him a treat as a reward when he reaches you. Pet him and praise him and then allow him to wander away again. Repeat this exercise many times, perhaps twenty, until all of the treats are gone. Continue to allow him to drag the leash, and repeat this exercise again in about an hour, only this time, stand, don't sit, and again, reward him with food and praise for coming to you.
4. The next step is to have treats in your pocket, and to pick up the end of the leash and follow the dog wherever he goes. Occasionally call him to you with a little tug, then treat and praise him. If you have been consistent in working the above steps, you should find that he's quite willing to go along with you. Work this step for a session or two, and then begin shortening the leash ... if you started with a six foot leash, shorten it to about four feet, if you began with a four foot lead, shorted to three feet.
5. At this point, you need to practice what you've learned in a new location. If all of your work thus far has been indoors, the next step would be to take him outside. If you've been outside, then take him to a new location and practice. Dogs are situational learners, and they need to practice the behaviors they have learned in a variety of environments for the learning to solidify in their minds. They need to realize not only that they can perform their new behavior in a variety of environments, but also that they are expected to do so.

Inevitably, at some point in this training, there will likely come a time when the dog feels the leash tightening, and decides to test the boundaries. Dogs are a lot like two year olds; they want to know where the boundaries lie, and what they can get away with! So when the time comes that the leash tightens, and instead of responding to your calls, the dog backs up and pulls against the leash, what you then do is ... nothing. Anchor your hand holding the leash against your body so that there is no "give" in the lead on your part. Just stand there. Let him experience what it feels like and give him a moment to think about it. You can continue to coax him if you wish, or you can just stand there quietly, waiting for him to figure it out. Eventually, he will take a step towards you and loosen the leash on his own. When he does this, have a "party" with him, showing excitement, getting down on the ground, petting him and praising him profusely all over and giving him not one, but several treats all at once, a "jackpot" for having thought through the situation and made the right decision. You will only have to fight this battle once or twice, and that will be the end of it.

Finally, give thought in advance to how much pulling on the lead you are willing to accept. Some people don't mind if the dog goes to the end of the leash, as long as he doesn't gag and choke himself. Others prefer there be some slack in the leash, and for the dog not to pull at all. You need to have decided your ideal preferences for your particular dog before the start of leash training, because the polish on the performance has to do with pulling. If you do not want the dog to pull at all, then you must train him using a modified version of your response when he tested his boundaries. First, you must anchor the lead against your body (putting your thumb through a belt loop on your pants is one way to do this) to prevent flex in the lead on your part. Second, the instant the dog tightens the lead, you must stop all forward motion. Then, the moment the dog, in trying to figure out what happened, steps back in towards you thereby loosening the leash, you must immediately praise him and start moving forward again. The forward movement is his reward for choosing to loosen the leash. This will repeat several times, and is a lesson that occasionally might need to be refreshed. The point you want the dog to learn is that he is in control of the forward motion. The motion stops when he tightens the leash, but continues as long as he keeps the leash loose. It may take a lesson or two, but the time spent in teaching this is time well spent, and you will have a humanely trained dog who for the rest of his life will walk with you as your companion, as opposed to rudely dragging you behind him wherever he wants to go!

Happy training!