Wayeh Alaskan Malamutes

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Lee Fishback's training lead dogs 
& Wayeh leash training
 How to Choose a Puppy as Lead Dog
Puppy Testing, Wayeh Puppy Buyer Info, Litter Worksheet

From "Training Lead Dogs" by Lee Fishback, Chapter 14, page 99

"There are lots of things you can do with pups with an eye to their future use as leasders.  Starting at six weeks of age, you can leashbreak all your pups.  With no preliminary conditioning, collar the pups and take them for short walks, one by one.  You will find your lead prospects immediately among those pups that start right out going places on the leash.  Truly promising pups will gallop off as if they've been collared and leashed all their short lives, fighting only briefly and quickly learning the confines of their range.  (Naturally puppy collars are nothing more than simple strap collars; no "chokes" please.)

"By the time you have walked your pups along paths, around obstacles, over lumber piles or steps, past strangers and other distractions, you will know in two or three excursions which pups are bad prospects for future training and which bear further investigation.  Pups that balk, lie down, scream, drag behind or become quickly panicky at all new experiences are not future lead prospects...they may not even become team dogs.  Pups that come along readily, or drive ahead whenever there is nothing frightening in view are good choices for future training."

So at Wayeh we took these concepts and came up with this for leash training -- because we have found that is an absolute indicator of the future.  At 6 weeks we start leash training and work the puppy 3 days in a row. This is not a "test" and their is no scoring. But begin the way you expect to end -- what happens now, will continue to happen for the rest of their lives. 

Leash Training

Where does the puppy walk? 

Doesn't walk but lies down and will be dragged even with coaxing

Lags behind, hesitates

Trots happily behind or beside

Trots happily underfoot, tripping the evaluator, sometimes playing with shoes or pant legs

Trots out front on a loose leash

Trots out front on a tight leash or runs in circles at the end of the leash

What does the puppy do with an obstacle like a log or bank to go over?

Runs backwards

Freezes in place 

Hesitantly investigates

Happily investigates

Ignores the obstacle and charges right over it without hesitation

What does the puppy do when something startles her?

Runs away

Freezes and watches

Curiously watches

Moves towards

Barks at

Runs towards, barking

How does the puppy react to an unexpected hard tug on the leash?

Stops, or lies down, or cries out, giving up

Barks and grabs the leash 

Stops momentarily but then continues

Ignores it, and keeps on moving

Now, the most important thing I learn about puppies with leash training, is the combination of their initial reaction.... and their reaction to the exact same stimulus on the third day.

In other words, worry or caution on day 1 is one thing, but can the puppy learn to adapt to new things, can she figure out that new things are not dangerous? So I don't immediately discount a puppy who startles the first day.... but I want to see marked improvement by Day 3. 

And I do this at 6 weeks, because we've been doing off-leash clicker training since 5 weeks. And we are busy week 7 with Temperament Testing, Volhard's Aptitude Testing, & at 8 weeks we do Hastings Puppy Puzzle.


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Wayeh Alaskan Malamutes last updated 07/14/2007