St. Bernard Puppy

Question
I just got a St. Bernard puppy, he is 8 1 weeks old.  We are having trouble with putting him on a leash.  Whenever the leash is on him and you put any tension in it he starts thrashing around and yelping.  I know it is hard to train a dog without a leash.  Do you have any pointers?  Thank you Trisha Colston

Answer
I like clicker training puppies because it is such good communication. I do train them to stay with me without a leash - clicking them (or if you don't want to - simply a verbal reinforcer and treat for finding my side when I'm moving. If they can learn to stay with you off leash, on leash is easy. I'll also allow them to drag a leash (supervised, of course) and occasionally pick it up and reinforce for allowing (or responding by moving towards) slight pressure until they don't mind. Feeling pressure on the throat can be really scary, and I'd rather use a harness to teach loose leash walking. Also, setting the dog up to have two points of contact (on the harness, or harness and collar or head halter) gives you more leverage. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com