A to B

Getting from A to B

Sometimes we just need to get somewhere with puppy and we don’t really have time for ‘proper’ training right at that moment. Loose leash walking is hard, and it’s okay to simply recognize that puppy is not ready to walk nicely with you yet.

But you still need to get places with your puppy! You will want to avoid letting puppy pull you around, so that he doesn’t learn bad habits. Here are some ways you can get from A to B.

In the video you can see ‘carry puppy’ and ‘treat transport’. In the treat transport example, because the distraction is only minor, the trainer can do a little bit of training as well. If the distraction were more extreme, he would have kept the treats right on puppy’s nose, allowing him to lick and nibble as he walked past the distraction. You can also see each of these three management techniques demonstrated in the Puppy Mouthing & Play Biting video.

Management is not training, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sometimes the right choice. Preventing puppy from making mistakes will prevent bad habits from forming.

Because management often uses rewards (likes treats or toys) to guide puppy, be careful about when you present the treat or toy. Don’t wait for puppy to pull on leash! We don’t want him to learn that pulling on leash gets you to put a cookie on his nose!

Instead, anticipate that he will need help going past a distraction and put the cookie on his nose or start the tug game before he has a chance to make a mistake.


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