New owners of cute puppies do the right thing by taking them for walks. But the mistake they make is allowing the puppy to walk on its own off leash. What eventually happens is that the puppy leads and the owner follows. This will happen for a few weeks until the owners realize that there is something wrong – why is the puppy always leading and why are we always running after him?

The puppy is getting his daily dose of exercise, and to him there is nothing wrong with his leading the way, because he has not been taught to do otherwise. What the owners have unintentionally taught young Fido is that he leads and the family follows.

This is a big mistake that Fido’s owners have made. They think that they are giving Fido freedom to explore and build his confidence, but there is no sense of leadership being exerted by the owners.

Many people don’t realize that leash walking is one of the most important training tool that will instill your leadership position with your puppy. If you don’t instill leadership and your dominance when they are puppies, you will have 10 times the trouble instilling it when they are adolescents – when they are stronger and faster.

Give Fido plenty of off leash time in safe environments after he has done the work for you by walking respectfully on leash. You will develop a dog who will be more confident and obedient in the long run.