Q:  I have a 9 -week-old Chorkie. She hates her leash, and she will not walk  when it's on her. What is the best way to get her to walk on a leash?

A:  Congratulations on your new dog! I'll assume that your puppy freezes or struggles  against the leash. This is pretty common with young puppies – the  leash seems to feel strange and upsetting to them.

For now, don't try to walk your puppy on leash. You should socialize  her carefully –make sure she has lots of different kinds of  pleasant experiences with all kinds of people, sounds, places, forms  of transportation, and on and on and on. But take her out in your  arms. She shouldn't be walking on the ground until she's got her vaccinations on board anyway (Talk to your vet about what risk he  feels your area poses).

To get your puppy used to wearing a leash, start with a piece of  light string. Attach it to her collar like a leash, just before you  feed her a meal or play with her. Take it off as soon as she's done  eating or the play session ends. This will teach her to associate  her new "attachment" with good times. Do this several times a day  for three or four days.

Then use a slightly heavier cord for several days. Next, choose the lightest leash you can find and do the same thing. You'll probably  never need a heavy leash for a Chorkie, so that very light leash may  be your goal! By now, your puppy should be accepting the leash  calmly and may even get all happy when she sees it, since it's such  a good predictor of good times ahead.

To keep the leash in the "good news" category, be sure to teach your puppy to walk without pulling, and never drag her by the leash. Find  a reward-based good manners class where you can learn how to teach  your puppy to walk along with you at your verbal cue, instead.

 

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