How to get your dog used to a leash？

With the increase in the number of people with pet dogs in recent years, there have been many incidents of pets injuring people. So there is a voice in the interconnection that you must put a leash on your pet to keep it. But we all know the temperament of pets, some pets just don't like to wear a leash, how to get your dog to adapt to the leash is something we should learn.

1: Desensitisation training

It's really about helping your dog psychologically overcome the fears and anxieties it previously struggled with. Firstly, you need to stop forcing the leash on him and then do some adaptation training to get him used to the leash. Reward your dog with a treat when the leash is present, put the treat away when the leash is removed and disappear at the same time. This works by creating a good association with the leash.

2: Adaptation training

Loop the leash into a large loop around the dog's neck and reward with a treat, take the leash away and put the treat away at the same time, appearing and disappearing at the same time. Repeat the training, tightening the leash one at a time until the dog is fully comfortable with wearing the leash. Don't be in a hurry to put the leash on your dog directly, as this will easily undo your work.

3: Outdoor training

Dogs are actually very intelligent animals, the previous training is just to make him cooperate with the process of wearing the leash. Once he knows that you are putting the leash on him to take him out to play, he will naturally no longer resist the leash and will even look forward to you taking the leash. For outdoor training, let him run a little and move around in a safe environment without cars or people. The steps can be found in "Unleash the leash - Free play - Recall - Put on the leash (with a reward) ".

4: Reinforcement

It is important to note that the core of desensitisation training is to condition the dog to "wear the leash = good things happen". Therefore, when training outdoors, be careful not to take your dog home directly after the last training session and allow him to make bad associations as a result. Also, try not to pull your dog roughly on the leash during walks to make him resistant to it.