How to Motivate Puppies to Walk

You pick up your adorable new puppy and can't wait to take her out for a walk. But when you buckle her new collar around her neck and snap on the leash, she doesn't want to budge -- or worse, she tests the leash's boundaries in every direction. Most dogs love to go for walks, but until she understands that it's enjoyable, all she knows is that she's got a line attached to her. You can motivate your puppy to walk by employing a few strategies that make it fun and interesting for her.

  1. Purpose

    • As soon as your puppy is old enough, and has been sufficiently vaccinated with her first sets of puppy shots, you should begin to socialize her in the real world -- it's one of the most important reasons why learning to walk on a leash is essential. Ideally, the puppy should be exposed to a wide variety of people and dogs at approximately 12 weeks of age, according to Dr. Ian Dunbar, author of After You Get Your Puppy.

    Practice Walks

    • Place the leash on the puppy and practice walking around in the house with the pup at your side. Move out to the yard as you progress. Each practice walk should be between 15 to 30 seconds in length, then take a few minutes in between to allow the pup to explore the world at the end of the leash. This break reinforces the behavior of walking side-by-side, according to Dunbar, because you are rewarding the dog with the chance to roam and sniff. Undertake these first training sessions before you go out on your first public walk.

    Bring Along a Friend

    • Young dogs can learn from mature, well-trained dogs, according to Pat Miller, training editor of The Whole Dog Journal. Often all it takes to get a puppy interested in walking is to bring along another dog. Ask a friend with an adult dog to lead the way on your walk. A curious pup will be interested in the older dog and will model after it.

    Take a Toy With You

    • Pique your pup's interest by taking her favorite toy along on your walk. If your puppy is mouthy -- that is, if she likes to bite or chew -- bring along a ball or a stick. Give the dog the toy when she walks nicely with you. If your puppy gets bored, squeak the toy or bounce a ball. The puppy will be more interested in you and the toy, and there will be less issue of pulling or misbehaving on the leash. Use a happy, high-pitched voice and make eye contact to redirect your pup if she gets distracted, advises trainer David Taylor.