Originally Posted by
Labradorks
Now you're just being nasty. No one is saying to throw away leashes and collars. Just that there IS a way to train a puppy to walk on leash without constantly pulling. I'm sorry if you don't understand it, or have not been able to accomplish it, or would rather go about it a different way, but that does not mean that it's not a fact. And it certainly does not mean that a person should not try it. In Puppy STAR class the puppies are not on leash and the reason why is because leashing promotes leash pulling by the puppy and the owner. The owners are being taught in this class not to rely on the leash for control, but to rely on training. Of course you have a leash on your dog when in a public and/or unsecured area. Always. No matter how well they are trained. Dogs can be unpredictable and what's more, a dog knows when they are on or off leash. No one is saying that the end result in leash training your dog is able to walk them off-leash in public places.
What you're not getting, even though it's been explained, is that it takes time to teach. Tons of consistency as well. The loose leashed walk on a flat-buckle collar is probably one of the hardest things to teach. As Maxx&Emma pointed out in detail, there are no walks for puppies. Just training. So, taking an 11 week old puppy in a shopping center, pet supply store, vet, etc. would not be done while leash walking. In fact, a puppy that young should be carried in all of these places anyway. While there, you work on focus. You work on calmly being greeted and pet. Sitting for petting. Having people walk up to your puppy instead of the puppy going to them. Teach them that pulling and straining toward a person results in nothing. There are tons of exercises to get through before just walking your dog into a Home Depot and expecting him to behave.
I'm not writing this for your benefit because clearly, you are not open to learning or at least understanding other methods or that they exist, but hopefully it will benefit others who may be reading it.