Puppies and Smiling Leash Walks
Who doesn’t love seeing happy puppies playing and enjoying life? Some of us are taking care of puppies for the first time and some are more experienced, but either way, Smiling Leash walks should become a key part of our new family member's life.
We want to share some ideas and tips to make your first walks really enjoyable.
EQUIPMENT
An H(Y) Type harness leaves the shoulder area completely free for Pinky, a long leash gives him freedom to explore
Equipment is most important. Forget about waiting until the puppy has grown to her full size to buy the “right” things. The time is now. Providing equipment that is comfortable will help her enjoy her walks and avoid any injury caused by collars or wrongly fitted harnesses. So, if we start making those walks fun and comfortable, your puppy will grow to be a happy and healthy dog.
The leash
Very young puppies can usually be walked off leash. In fact, free movement is the best way to promote healthy growth. Of course, we need to start practising walking with a loose leash at some point and even if you do a bit of both during your walks, a long leash will allow your puppy to investigate and move freely making her own decisions (in contrast to shorter leashes). And in case something a little bit worrying appears, your puppy will have plenty of leash to retreat, creating a sense of safety. In addition, the leash will provide some connection with you, making her feel even safer. Start with a 3 metre (10 ft) leash and increase the length as you master the handling of the leash.
The harness
It is paramount that the growing dog has a good harness that allows her to move freely. We want it to be as close as possible to not wearing anything. The focus is on keeping muscles and joints free of any obstructions and free to extend and flex to their optimum capacity. This will allow for healthy growth and no alteration of gait that could cause discomfort in the long run.
Puppies are growing, and growing fast, so you might need to change the harness a few times before you get to the final one. Some trainers and suppliers offer rental services while the pup is growing. This is a service well worth your money.
We invite you to read some of our other blog posts to find our more about good walking EQUIPMENT.
Walks
Lucia and Ana stop during the walk to allow Greta and Pinky to great eachothers
Time is the key element whe it comes to walks with your puppy. Keep them short and watch out for signs of stress or tiredness. Each puppy is an individual and therefore unique. Her needs will be unique, too, but as a guideline you could start by walking your 10-12 week old puppy around 10-15 minutes for the first month. Increase the time slowly, while observing your puppy’s reactions carefully. If you see behaviours such as biting the leash, frenzied movement with no apparent goal, picking up objects (more than usual) or even sitting down in the middle of the road, the walk was likely too long. Little puppies have little batteries that empty out fast. They need short activities with chances to rest and sleep in between.
Durin your walks, allow for sniffing time, as much as she wants. If your puppy stops to investigate, stop with her and start to understand what things she finds most interesting. We have an article on why it is so important to stop sometimes: STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE. This is a very powerful thing you can do for your dog and it will improve your walks and your entire relationship.
Include calm sessions in your walks. This is a key skill that you can start practicing with your pup. Knowing how to be calm in all manner of situations, including around other people or dogs, will prove invaluable and probably the most important thing you can teach your puppy. Please take a look at our blog post CALM SESSIONS to find out more.
In the following photos we can see Pinky first sitting down observing what is going on. There are other dogs in this calm session but he is taking it all in. Once he realises that we are going to stay here for a bit he chooses to settle onto the sand and lies down. Perfect, Pinky! And Greta observes with Lucia and then settles down too! Great job, Greta!
It wasn’t only the puppies having a CALM SESSION, we all joined in to help them calm down.
Activities during the walk
Social Walks are a great way to introduce the puppy to other dogs. Keep in mind the puppy’s age and plan accordingly. Maybe have the puppies join one for part of the walk or even just for a few minutes to start them on the social walks. As they grow older and can walk more you can extend the time they walk together. Social walks are about a lot more than just walking, they are about calm companionship, social gatherings, building relationships, growing confidence and life skills. We should all want these for our dogs. Read more about SOCIAL WALKS.
In the pictures you can see Pinky and Greta enjoying a treat search during one of their first social walks. Treat searches are a great way of encouraging dogs to use their nose and practice calm moments. Puppies can start doing this very early on, as young as 3 months old. If you want to know how to start, you can check our blog entry: TREAT SEARCHES
Like with the duration of the walk, look and observe for any sing of tiredness. Searching and using the nose is hard work even for an adult dog. Keep the activity short and fun. And always have water available for your dog to drink.
We should also encourage our puppies with proprioception, walking over different surfaces and climbing over things, running through water and anything that you can think of that is safe. Remember, at this age they will try things that they may not be prepared for and we need to be the responsible party. Here Greta and Pinky have decided to climb over some rocks and are enjoying the moment of discovery together.
Proprioception will also help the growing puppies understand their own body and where each part is, and also how to move to achieve something. This will greatly improve their self-esteem and confidence as they start exploring and getting things right. Who isn’t proud when they reach the top of a mountain? We know many people are and even celebrate.
All senses are important and proprioception is just one of them. Read about all other senses in this entry in our blog: MUDDY WALKS ARE IMPORTANT
Pinky and Greta climb the rocks
Pinky jumps off and Greta observes
When walking with puppies we always remember the thoughts and message of our teachers and mentors, LESS IS MORE. Look out for things that could be too much for your puppy. This is a crucial stage in which you are building the solid base for the future. It is better to go extra slowly and build a steady and solid foundation and not rush through things. You will get the benefits of developing a calm, confident and healthy dog in the long run.
Consider:
Comfort
Length of the walk
Amount of time played and intensity
Number of puppies and dogs
Number of people
Number of stimuli in the environment
We also recommend the book How to Raise a Puppy - A Dog-centric Approach by Stephanie Rousseau and Turid Rugaas.
Please get in touch if there are any areas of walking with a puppy that you would like us to expand on. And send us your experiences of raising your puppy, we would love to know about them!
