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Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Melanie

Ziggy is 10 or 11 weeks old. I would like to know when I can start him on a leash. I have had him for 5 days now. I put a collar on him and he seems adjusted to that now. I would like to know when I can start him on the leash. I tried the other day and he thought it was a new toy and tried to chew on it and was having great fun. After 10 seconds of this, I took it off and put it away. Does anyone have any suggestions as to when to start him on a leash and how to go about doing it? Thanks!

DISCUSSION:

Hi Melaine: I started both my girls on their leashes when I got them at 12 weeks. First put it on them in the house and let them walk around with it. Tell him NO if he tries to chew and offer him a chew toy. Take it off after 5 minutes and try again in 15 minutes. After a few times pick up the leash and tell him "lets go" and pull very gently. Offer him a treat so he will walk with you on the leash. Keep this up with rest periods between until he is ready to go outside. Remember, he will get tired fast. Shayna used to just sit down and would not walk. So I carried her while we walked KoKo. She loved it and so did I, they are babies for a very short time. ENJOY! Let us know how he is doing.
-Shelley

What I find works well for me with my dog is a harness and lead. I also have a safety seat belt harness that I can attach a lead to also. When I used a collar, my dog would always try to get it in her mouth. A harness sits in the middle of the back and it's harder for her to reach the lead. I really like the seat belt safety harness.
-Vicki

Thank you for your suggestion about the harness. I will definitely look into it. I tried spraying the leash with a bitter spray but that didn't seem to work. Now, instead of gnawing on it, he just holds it in his mouth and won't let go. He knows the command "follow me" and he does follow very well 85% of the time but I know I will need to acquaint him to his leash because I'd prefer that to carrying his crate all over the place, which is what I do now since he hasn't had all of his shots yet. Fortunately we do have a backyard for him to romp around in.
-melanie