Puppy Training Problems and How to Overcome them - Part 2

A puppy will need a good solid training foundation, and there are some particular problems which seem to exist with every puppy.  One of these is puppies jumping up, which we covered in part 1.  Another very common problem when you first start to train your puppy is excessive leash pulling, so here are  a few ideas to help you conquer this problem.

Puppy pulling on his leash - a very annoying habit that puppies (and some adult dogs) seem to have.  They naturally want to rush ahead of you, and this needs to be stopped.  Again it will be better to get this problem sorted when they are young as it is easier to control a small dog.  If your adult dog already pulls then it is possible to  retrain him out of this habit.

Some people find using a strong harness on his body, or even a gentle leader, can help when you are trying to teach a puppy not to pull on his leash.  If you do use either of these dog training aids then make sure you let your pup walk around with them on, before you start training him properly.

The first step is to teach your puppy to walk to heel.  The basis of all good dog training is to have your dog walk nicely by your side on a loose leash.  Until you are happy that your pup has taken this skill on board you will not be able to go onto further advanced training with him.

Always walk your puppy with slack on the leash, if he starts to charge ahead of you. then quickly change direction.  Your pup will find himself lagging behind rather than in front.  The leash will need to remain loose all the time, except for the time you are changing direction.  You will need to be sure to use just a quick tug on the leash, immediately followed by loosening when you are teaching your puppy to walk properly on the leash.

When leash walking with you pup, you should not allow him to forge ahead of you, or to pull you around as you will be teaching him bad habits.  Instead use positive, consistent training with lots of praise when he walks correctly and you will soon find that your puppy will walk wonderfully by your side.

For lots of helpful information on how to train a puppy take a look at the popular puppy training by Dove Cresswell here