Whether your puppy is weaning from his life in protective custody behind a puppy gate, or he’s fully inoculated and ready to graduate from indoor life to experiencing the great outdoors, he’ll need to know how to walk on a leash. Help him make the transition by using the leash indoors first.
If your puppy is mischievous when unconfined or you just want to build some lesson time into your daily schedule, introduce him to the Teaching Lead (homemade or bought) in the house and out. It’s a passive way of communicating your care and guidance throughout the day and when life is too hard to contain on his (or her) own!
The genius that went into creating both the Teaching Lead and the Teaching Lead Method was originally made famous by the Monks of New Skete and by Carol Lea Benjamin, who called their technique "umbilical cording." Our proposed method encourages you to use the lead outside to condition following skills and inside to teach your puppy how to settle in each room and to contain inappropriate impulses.
The Teaching Lead has three applications:
Leading is a form of passive control. You literally hold or wear your puppy’s leash and lead her around with you. Inside and out, up and down … a couple of 20-minute leading sessions in the early days will have tremendous impact. Your puppy quickly learns to focus on you for direction.
Play stations (also referred to as stationing) are special areas custom designed for your puppy in the rooms you share. Provide an identifiable area with bedding and toys, and pre-secure a leash, if she can’t sit still.
Anchoring involves sitting on the Teaching Lead when you’re sitting still. It helps your puppy adjust to the rhythms of your day. Provide a toy/chew, giving her just enough slack to lay comfortably. If she needs to go out or play, she will find a clear way to let you know!
Excerpted from Puppy Perfect: The User-Friendly Guide to Puppy Parenting, published by Howell Book House, Wiley Publishing Inc., Hoboken, N.J. Copyright 2006. Reprinted with permission.
