I am one of those that think a puppy should be allowed to be a
puppy and not be subjected to over training at a young age. Now,
having said that, I do however start training and preparing my
puppies very early ... by the time they leave my home they have
already experienced:
- the crate
- potty training
- grooming table
On the grooming table they learn it is fun being up there. I
reward them while setting them up, (stacking), while re-taping the
ears and while letting them get used to nail clipping and the use
of the dremel. (their nails are touched every other day).
This is also where I start opening the mouth and touching the
teeth, feet, etc.
Each puppy spends a few minutes each day on the table.
Now for the shoe string.... I run the shoe string through the ring
on the
collar, so you will have a loop, and tie a big knot in the end of
it, this gives
the puppies something to hold on to, and you will see once they
notice the
knot, they will start to pull on each other, playing tug of war,
after a while,
they are leading each other around by the knot, same as with a
leash.
You can buy very long shoes strings at Wal-Mart, I prefer the
white cotton
strings. Like the ones that are used on Roller Skates, just make
sure that you
cut the plastic tips off and trash them before making the puppy
tug strings,
I do not leave those plastic tips on.
Leash Breaking Made Easy !
My puppies have "collars" on from the day they are born...I
color code each puppy from birth and have found that by using the
chenille rick rack 1/8 inch wide, it does not unravel like the
regular kind, it is soft and plush around their little necks. This
is hard to find, so when you do see some I would suggest that you
buy it and give it a try. Sometimes instead of rick rack, I use 1/2" double fold bias tape as it
doesn't unravel and I like the feel a lot more.
They get real collars when the puppies are old enough to wear a
little collar with a ring , somewhere around 4 - 4 1/2 weeks
(although some puppies may be older than that before they are
ready to get outside to run and play), so that they get used to
them.
Attached to each collar is a small piece of a shoe string with
a large knot on the end. The length will depend on the size of
each puppy since you do not want the string to be long enough so
that the puppy can stand or trip on it or pick it up in its mouth.
You want it short but enough but still long enough for the other
litter mates to see it. I would suggest not over two inches,
including the knot. I buy long shoe strings and cut them into
different lengths.
The litter mates will see the knot and start leading each other
around; this is how I leash break them without ever having to do
this myself. They leash break each other.
If it is in the winter time and your puppies can't get outside
you may want to wait to attach the shoe string until they are a
little older and no longer nursing but are eating on their own.
Then you could try this about a week or two before they go to
their new homes.
Later I place a show lead on the puppy and than just play with
each one for a few minutes; everyone is always amazed at how they
just toddle along at that age on a leash or harness.
The most important thing to remember here, is this is just a
puppy and should be allowed to be a puppy for some time,
experiencing and enjoying life as a puppy. I do not over work a
puppy. I make sure that, while I am preparing the puppy for future
training, the puppy thinks it is just fun. No negative experiences
are allowed for any reason, everything must be positive, and that
includes any training, and here I really prefer the word
'conditioning' where I can start to mould the puppy to respond in
a particular way with out the puppy even knowing it.