# How can i train my 3month old puppy to walk beside me



## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

Can you get him into an obeidence class? I would try a halter or easy walk type harness as well. Good luck!


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Training takes a lot of time (and patience)! At three months old your puppy is far more interested in what's 'out there' than anything else - he has a lot of learning to do. However to train the basics, you need to start in an environment where there are no distractions ie: in the house. play a little game with him: for short periods several times a day - have some treats of kibble handy, no leash, whenever he comes close to you, say 'yes' and give him a treat and praise. Practice this for a few days and in no time he will figure out being close to you is a good thing. Then start walking slowly around the house,whenever he comes up by your side 'in position' - say 'yes' and treat/praise. when he has 'gotten it', you can take him out in the yard - no leash- and start from step one- just reward any time he comes close, then advance to moving around and encouraging him follow you and reward when he is by your side- if he gets ahead turn around go the other way- you can make a noise, clap or whatever (but don't use his name) to attract his attention and encourage him to turn around a follow. The goal is to teach him that when he is near you good things happen!! Keep in mind you are dealing with a highly distractable 'puppy brain' so keep the training lessons short and happy but you can 'practice' several times a day and that every new 'location' is a new learning experience for him.


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## Jlopez (Apr 19, 2011)

Hey there! If you're like me, I don't really have a lot of time during the day. I needed something quick and effective. The gentle leader worked. He is now able to work next to me without any trouble.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

3 months is just a baby, it will take time and lots of patience, he's really too young to get it yet.


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## baileyboym22 (May 28, 2011)

I agree that he is too young to "get it" so adjust - don't lower-your expectations. I also agree with Charlie3's feedback. It will all change as he grows - forwards and back - keep it fun and positive. Find a great, patient and experienced trainer for puppy class who uses positive reinforcment!


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## doggiedad (Aug 27, 2011)

don't give him an opportunity to pull,
walk in front of you or behind you. fold your 
leash down or buy a shorter leash. place your pup
in the position you want him in. maintain that position 
the shorter leash. don't wait untill it's time
to go to the bathroom to train. leash the pup
often and walk short distances maintaining the
heel. you can train indoors and outside. i like
to train in sessions. each session last 5 to 10
minutes. during the course of a day i have
many sessions. when i was training my pup
i use to get up 1 hour to 1&1/2 hours early
so i could train before going to work.
my GF did the same thing.


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## Banshee034 (Oct 23, 2012)

Hi,
I just got my beautiful 2 months old lab retriever mix. He is too cute, and until we got home he was pretty quite. Once we got home, he was extremely hyper. I gave him a bath which he seemed to like. However, this morning I took him for a walk on a small leash, and he just keeps going in front of me, I think he wants to play with my feet while I'm walking because they are moving, and that makes it very difficult for me to walk him. I don't expect him to walk beside me since he's 2 months old, but he's like funny crazy hyper  so I stop and tell him to stop or sit ( I already taught him to sit which I couldn't believe my eyes when he did it) then as soon as I start walking he will go again at my feet....it's a good work out for me but I'm really not sure what can I do to help him understand slowly he needs to walk with me not on my feet..... I can try what someone suggested above to try and train him at home, but per above description the dog would have to be older to do that....my little Zen is to hyper to sit at all when in the house....he keeps running around literally asking someone to play with him and I think he's still in that exploring phase....but I will continue taking him for walks until he realizes that he needs to walk beside me....until then any simple clear suggestions on how to solve my problem would be great. Thanks!


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## doggiedad (Aug 27, 2011)

i got my pup when he was 9 weeks old. when he was leashed
i kept him on my left side. i was setting him up to teach him
how to heel. sometimes i put him in a "heel" position
but i didn't give him any commands. when he was older and it
was time to teach him to "heel" i use to put him on
my left side and set up the "heel". i would say "heel"
and take 2 or 3 steps. i always lead off with my left
leg first when moving forward. i did this a lot. we trained
indoors and outside. i held many training sessions during the 
course of a day. each session was 5 to 10 minutes long
and always ending on a positive note. so, now we're going through
the routine. as time passed i started taking 5 to 10 steps (always
leading of with my left leg. so now my dog is learning how to heel.
now i start doing circles, figure 8"s and serpentines. 

so now he's getting good at heeling. now i start to lead off
with my right left. when i lead off with my right leg i tell
my dog to "stay". i'm also teaching him to stay when i'm
not doing leg leads. after much practice he starts to
"stay" when i lead off with my right leg. now we start
going back and forth. i lead off with my left leg for him to
heel. i lead of with my right leg for him to stay.

after a while i stop giving verbal commands to
"heel'' and to "stay''. i use my legs. it took a while
before my dog was smooth at obeying the verbal
and leg leads. with consistency as in all training
he became a pro.

after he got the verbal commands for "heel", "stay"
and the leg leads. i taught him to "heel" on my right
side. eventually i taught to "heel" on either side
with or without a leash.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

I started by watching this video. I found it with a Google search. There may be better ones, for all I know, but I got the basics from this one. We have since gone to puppy class, and now obedience class. We practice at least twice a day. I agree with the others. It takes time and patience.


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