Can you leash train a 2 year old dog?

While training your pup will take time and patience, you can teach your dog to walk on a loose leash with only a few pieces of equipment and some basic training techniques. Walking on a loose leash is an important skill for your dog to learn, and it can make taking your dog in public places much easier. You will need a collar or harness, a leash, and treats to start. Fill your pocket or treat pouch with treats and decide what side you’d like the dog to walk on, and hold a few treats on that side of your body. Hold your leash in the hand opposite the dog and let the rest of it hang loosely in a “J”. Take a step, then stop and feed the dog some treats from your hand, in line with the seam of your pants. Gradually take more steps between each treat and you can talk to your dog to help keep her attention on you. If the dog pulls ahead, stop walking immediately and call your dog back to you, or use the treats in your hand to lure the dog back to your side. When the dog walks well on a loose leash, give this kind of walk a name and release your dog when they no longer need to walk in “heel” position.

Start by standing still and quiet. Allow your dog the full length of their lead. Remain still and quiet when your dog is ignoring you, but the split second he pays attention to you, praise him and give him a treat. Once you have your dog's attention, you can move off - use your voice and treats to encourage your dog to stay close to you when walking. Always reward your dog when they're walking on a loose lead. If your dog moves too far away from you before the lead goes tight, stop and be still and quiet until they pay attention and move closer to you. Reward and move off again. This must happen every single time your dog moves away. Practise this in short and regular sessions. Walking around distractions can cause dogs to pull. Place something on the floor your dog would like to get to, such as a toy. If your dog pulls on the lead to get towards the toy, stop and call them towards you. Their reward for walking on a loose lead is getting to the toy. This way, the dog learns that pulling slows things down. Make the area around you fun and rewarding so that your dog enjoys being closer to you. Lots of encouragement through praise and treats will stop him racing to his destination.

Can you leash train an older dog, yes, you can – it just takes perseverance and practice. Leash training an older dog takes patience. Your dog has a lifetime of bad habits to overcome. The good news is that those bad habits can be undone with repetition and treats. Be patient, it might take one month or more for your dog to get the hang of it. The key to leash training an older, adult dog is patience. With a little training, an older dog that pulls on the leash, or gets tangled up in it, can become a well-trained dog.

Unfortunately, teaching your dog to walk calmly on a leash is never straightforward. His senses are sent into overdrive when he leaves the house and comes across so many varied and often unpleasant smells. The problem is worsened if he is old. Puppies respond to training quickly, but older dogs' bad habits have often cemented over the years, so you have an uphill battle ahead. Having said that, with patience and consistency, you could have a calm and well-behaved dog trotting alongside you in just a few weeks, if you follow the methods below.