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How to train a dog to a leash?

When a dog appears at home, in no case should it be limited by the walls of a room or apartment and not given the opportunity to learn about the world around it. All animals are very curious and find a lot of interesting things in nature, besides, many of the nutrients a pet needs should be found on the street. But letting a pet go for a walk alone is not safe for others, who can scare the dog, and it may react incorrectly, and for the puppy itself.

Of particular danger is a city with constant movement of cars, cruel people, unpredictable children and a large number of places where a puppy should not go - these are sewers, construction sites, markets, highways and much more. It follows that it is best to introduce your pet to nature gradually and only with personal accompaniment, which requires teaching the dog to the leash.

Suitable age

Many begin to teach the dog to the leash on their own, not paying attention to any recommendations. Most often, in this case, the process of accustoming takes a longer time or is completely unsuccessful. The surest and most convenient option is to contact a dog handler or trainer, but if such a possibility does not exist, then before starting to teach the puppy to a leash on your own, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules.

In no case should you cause a pet to have negative associations with the chosen accessory or the process of accustoming to a leash itself. Otherwise, everything will become more complicated, and the dog will react to your lessons as incorrectly as possible, and the process in this case will be greatly delayed or will not lead to a positive result at all.
Patience and perseverance are important features that a person must have in order for the process to take place favorably for everyone.
The process of accustoming should not be a burden to you or your pet. You should present everything in the format of the game, constantly show affection, care and communicate with the puppy.
You should not delay the start of training, because the older the pet, the more difficult it will be to teach him something. It is best to start between 1.5 and 3 months of age, allowing the dog to get used to the new accessories first.
Different dogs grow in their own way, and someone at 3 months old may already have a huge dog that does not obey well and cannot be trained. Therefore , the best age to begin leash training for individual dogs varies, but many believe that 1.5 months is the ideal time.

Choice of accessories

In order for the learning process to pass quickly and not cause negative emotions in anyone, in addition to the approach to training and the main aspects of behavior with a puppy, you should also pay attention to the choice of accessories. It is very important to choose a collar and leash that are not threatening and repulsive, but favorable and not very heavy optionsso that the puppy does not feel a special load on his neck - this will play a role during training.


Collar selection
The main criteria when choosing a collar are the length, thickness, material, accessories on the collar (thorns, talismans, key rings, keys, etc.). You should choose a collar that is the right size for your pet so that it is not heavy or constantly making some kind of noise. In this case, several types can be distinguished .

Everyday. It is used during walks and trips to the veterinarian. The most common type, such collars are most often made of leather and are durable. Suitable for all breeds, but you should choose the option depending on the height, weight and tasks required, as well as the type of attachment.
Exhibition. Used for dog shows or trips to similar shows as spectators. They are made in the form of chain-strangleholds and look quite impressive. In reliability, they lose significantly to everyday collars.
For training. Otherwise known as a "strict collar" - not a very humane option, but it is often used when working with animals at a professional level - where animal discipline is required. A collar in the form of a noose that limits the animal and when the animal tries to pull the leash in the wrong direction, the loop is tightened. In addition, there are usually spikes on the inside, which give the dog discomfort as a result of disobedience. Also, sometimes other inhumane collars are used in training - electric ones, their effect is also unpleasant for the pet.
Decorative. They are used mainly for beauty and walks for some evenings or meetings. Most often used for small dogs.
For traveling. A collar that is required for long trips or travel. Often used for breeds of tall and strong dogs to hold them back. It is mostly made up of leather. It is wide and heavy with powerful metal fasteners.
It will be correct after you put the collar on the dog, try to put 2 fingers between the pet's neck and the collar . If everything worked out, then the accessory is fixed correctly.

Choice of leash
The main criteria for choosing a leash are length, thickness and material. The leash should not cause discomfort to both the pet and the owner, so it should also be chosen correctly. There are several types of leash that are selected according to the size for your pet.

Short (from 30 cm to 2 meters) . Often purchased for dogs of small breeds or those dogs that do not often move away from the owner, as well as for puppies. This leash is not for walking.
Medium (from 2 to 5 meters) . Used for short walks, for going to the store or to the vet.
Long (from 5 to 8 meters) . It is used for walks in the park, suitable for any breed of dog, even large ones. The specific choice of one or another leash depends on the material and width.
Roulette. The most commonly used option because it is very convenient. The length is controlled and varies from 0 to 20 meters. It is selected depending on the weight of the dogs and the required tasks.
The choice of accessories for a pet is a very important stage, you should focus your attention on it. Choosing the right ammunition, taking into account the age of the pet and your time that you can spend with your puppy, you can quickly and efficiently accustom your pet to a collar and leash.

Ways
There are various ways to train a dog to a collar and leash, the choice of one or another option depends mainly on your desire and the time available. There are two main ways.

Appeal to professionals . The most reliable, fast and high-quality option is to turn to cynologists or trainers. It is used to train adult dogs or a puppy if you have a lack of time, lack of skills and desire, or maybe you just don’t know where to start.
Self-learning . Used for leash training puppies or adult dogs of easily trainable breeds. Requires time, desire and necessary skills.
For training, it is best to use a training leash, the main principle is gradual learning. You should start with training at home, and after that take your pet outside, so it will be possible to gradually transfer the dog from the usual environment to something new.
Teaching Rules
The process of accustoming to the collar can take a week or even two, here you should be patient and get carried away with this process yourself.
If you train your dog correctly on a leash, then going to the veterinarian, going to an exhibition, walking, traveling by train or public transport - all this will not cause problems for you, but for those around you.
The time it takes for the dog to get used to the accessories directly depends on the age of the dog, so here you can consider 2 options.

puppy
You can divide the whole process of teaching a puppy to a leash into several simple steps. The duration of this or that stage depends not only on the skills of the owner or trainer, but also on the breed of dogs, because there are easily trained and difficult to train dogs. The learning curve will be like this.
Adaptation . For the owner, this is the purchase of suitable accessories: a collar and a leash, and for a pet, this is an acquaintance with ammunition. The dog should sniff new things, but in no case gnaw or play with them. Acquaintance with ammunition is an important stage for a puppy, because it is here that it should be indicated that you cannot play with this, but it is something interesting and convenient.
Preparation . You should start training with getting to know the collar and only then add the leash, because at first the puppy will be curious about what kind of new thing they brought him, and what can be done with it. It is impossible for this thing to become an enemy for the dog or cause unpleasant associations, so in the early days you should put on the collar for just a couple of minutes, gradually increasing this time every day. At the same time, you can distract the puppy from the accessory and play with the pet, as well as make sure that he does not play with ammunition and does not try to gnaw it. Then, after a few days of accustoming to the new ammunition, the accessory should be left on the puppy for a little longer.
Workout at home. After the dog is used to the collar, you can proceed to home training. Now you should attach the leash to the collar and walk with the puppy around the house, while you can use a training leash or a light rope to gradually prepare the puppy for a real leash. After that, you can move on to the present and it is desirable that at first it be no more than 2 meters long. The main task is to teach the pet to walk on a leash in a familiar area, and the owner needs to walk with the pet around the house, and, if possible, teach the pet the “near” or “stop” command at this stage.
Exit to the street. When the dog is used to the new ammunition and walks well with you at home, then you can try to take him outside. The main rule when going outside with a pet is to do everything calmly, do not pull the puppy by the leash, when you need to stop and control its movement, walk next to the pet.
Training a puppy is not a difficult task, all you need is time, desire and a little expense. But with an adult dog, the situation is quite different.
adult dog
The stages of training are exactly the same as when training a puppy, but there are several important features that you should know:
the length of the leash for an adult dog should be longer than for a puppy (6-8 meters);
the training period for an adult dog may take longer than for a puppy, so in this case it is especially important to remain calm and find a common language with the pet;
it is better to teach the dog in advance the commands “near”, “sit”, “stop”, so that an adult dog can be controlled on the street;
the selection of ammunition should be approached thoroughly, because an adult pet can be difficult to restrain.
Do not be afraid that the dog is already an adult, the learning process is not much more difficult than for a puppy. Moreover, at the age of 3 months, each dog undergoes its first vaccination, so it needs walks.

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