In the video Your Puppy Eight Weeks to Eight Months Ed Frawley leads a puppy on a walk through the University to get over his shyness. It looks like he is using a flat collar. I am curious why some say that walking a puppy on a leash before five or six months is considered harmful. Further, since my APBT puppy is three months old and a real handful on the leash, tugging in every direction, is using a Leerburg dominant dog collar inappropriate, and if so, why?
Thanks for any advise.

James - I'm not sure why anyone would say that walking a puppy on a leash would be harmful. I start leash training pups the day I get them with by tethering them to me.

The Dominant Dog collar is for use on dominant dogs, hence the name. I'm not sure I understand your question - why do you feel the need to use a DD collar on a 3 month old puppy? The DD collar is not an anti-pulling aid or general correction collar. What use do you have in mind for the DD collar on a pup?

Puppy wildness on the lead is usually a training issue not a behavioral issue. What does your pup do that makes you think a flat collar is the wrong equipment?

What training have you done with him to teach leash manners? How long have you had him, since 8 weeks? Is he being crate trained, tethered?

My concern on using the flat collar is that my puppy acts impervious to quick snaps of the leash when tugging ahead or behind and when he is nipping at my calves, shoes, etc.

I have had him since he was eight weeks, he is now fourteen weeks, and I have no idea about training "leash manners".

Any advise will be appreciated.

James - at this age I do not correct puppies - at all. Popping the leash and trying to correct him means nothing to him, he doesn't know what a leash correction is or what the appropriate behavior is. I never correct without first teaching the dog what I want him to do - otherwise the dog has no clue.

Redirect nippy/biting play behavior to a toy. When you see that he is getting frisky, before he makes it to your flesh distract him with a toy. Be carefull to make the toy move and not so much your body parts. You want the toy to be more important and fun than your hands feet etc. It may take a while at first as if he is used to playing with your hands and feet as prey items he has learned that he really gets a reaction when he goes for them so make the toy of your choice very appealing by moving it quickly/shaking it a little/darting it around etc to make it a prey item for him.

Are you tethering him to you? Meaning keeping him on a leash that is always in your hand/around your wrist/around your ankle/on your belt loop etc? This is done to create a strong bond with the pup and to really speed up house training and as an introduction to leash manners. I tether all my pups for months. Any time not in the crate is on a leash or long line.

For leash manners, take some high value food rewards with you cut into really little pieces (1/4" chunks work great) and go out with the intent of just working on this. Don't do this on a potty run or do it after the pup has gone to the bathroom so as not to distract from the business at hand. Every time the pup starts to get to the end of the lead, call him to you. Say his name, clap or pat your legs, be happy. Be the most fun thing around for the pup, as soon as he comes to you, mark and reward with the treat. Repeat many many times. No more forward motion when the pup gets to the end of the lead, just call him to you. You can use a toy with the treats, but don't make it a play session and keep the toy out of site until you reward and then switch the toy for a treat to start walking again. If he becomes bored with the game you know you have exhausted his attention span and can try again later or the next day.

Any time the pup pulls stop all movement. This is a good tip for anyone having trouble with a pulling dog - motion is what the dog wants, it is a self rewarding action. Dog pulls to get forward motion, if you stop the forward motion you eliminate the self rewarding and can then redirect and begin to teach the desired behavior(loose leash/being near you is beneficial for the dog)

Hope this helps.

Thanks Jennifer, for the advise. But how can you tell when a dog is old enough to understand correction?

When I introduce correction it is based on behavior and training not the age of the dog. I usually do not start introducing correction until the pup is older, say around 7-9 months or more. It really depends on the pup and what your training is like. I don't correct unless the dog really knows what I am asking of it - which means several hundred repetitions of teaching the behavior in different environments etc to show the dog what the desired behavior/action is.

It is not a matter of understanding correction - dogs understand correction/discipline from a very young age. It is more what is fair to the dog. Correcting a dog for not doing something that it doesn't know it should be doing is unfair, likewise correcting a puppy for doing something it doesn't have any clue it shouldn't be doing is also unfair.

Right now when you pop the leash it doesn't mean anything other than you popped the leash. It might be uncomfortable but there is no connection for him that it was a correction for some sort of behavior from you. Puppies don't automatically know that you control the leash or that the leash is their boundary. It's just some thing on their collar that causes tension when they want to move.

James,

Have you tried changing direction when your pup pulls and then rewarding with food when he follows you and there is slack in the lead?

You, the handler, need to be the FUNNEST thing in the world to the puppy or they will pull and try and go investigate more interesting stuff.

I would not use a DD collar since they are not made to help stop the pulling. And before you correct for this, you need to make sure the pup understands that (s)he is supposed to follow you with a loose lead.

Using all-natural soft (not crunchy) small pieces of treats is a great way to make it fun, not to mention building the dog up with your voice and being interesting to him/her.