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When can my 9-week-old puppy safely walk outside? She won't walk!

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Female | unspayed

When should i start walking my Siberian Husky puppy she’s 9 weeks old? Also she has all her shots taken care i Believe but when i take her out to porch or when for her first car ride she didn’t wanna walk i had to pick her up

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 1st, 2017

3. WalkingtheOtherWay In order to reinforce a dog’s natural tendency to follow, once your dog pulls out in front, you should turn quickly and walk the other way. Reward once you feel slack on the collar. This can cause a walk to go no more than a few feet at the beginning, so be patient. The pull back should only be strong enough to get your dog’s attention. Excessive force, especially when using choke chains, may cause neck trauma. For more information, please contact your veterinarian or a trainer who uses humane training methods.

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    Answered By Mara Howard, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Congratulations on your new puppy! The best time to start basic training to learn how to walk on a leash is right away, but very slowly, as she is still very young. Are you planning on walking her with a harness or a leash? Initially I would recommend a harness to protect her neck as she is developing. First I would have her get used to wearing her harness, so she would wear it around the house (supervised) when she is doing normal activities to get used to how it feels. After that, I would start with a short, thin leash (3-4 feet only) attached to it while you move around the house to accustom her to the feeling of the leash attached to the harness, and allow her to drag it behind her to get used to the weight of it. When she is comfortable with those things, then I'd start with it outside on walks. Good luck!

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Ideally, you should not walk your puppy outside on the streets until she is fully vaccinated, meaning she has at least had her 3 set of vaccines. You can start to train her to walk on a leash at home without necessarily having to go outdoors. For socializing exercises, you may consider puppy classes to allow Luna to meet other puppies and people under a controlled environment. There are many reasons why a dog may pull on his or her leash, but the most common cause is from lack of proper training. An owner may encounter difficulties in training certain breeds such as sled, working, or tracking dogs that were bred to pull. Dogs that exhibit fear, anxiety or aggression will need to see a veterinary behaviorist for assessment; these issues need to be addressed separately prior to training. Is positive or negative reinforcement for me? We teach a combination of positive and negative reinforcement as the best tools for learning. • What is positive reinforcement? Adding something that is likely to make the dog repeat the behavior. Rewarding a wanted behavior, such as walking nicely by your side, with praise, petting, or treats would be an example. • What is negative reinforcement? Taking away a negative stimulus when a correct behavior is performed. An example may be something as simple as relief of pressure on the neck when a dog stops pulling. • What is positive punishment? Positive punishment is adding a stimulus to decrease the likelihood of an action from happening. We don’t recommend positive punishment because it breaks the human animal bond. Controlling the Behavior Here is a short list of tools that you can use to control leash pulling. Each tool has its advantages and disadvantages. And tools are just that, tools. Dogs also require some form of training to walk well on-leash. Head collars (i.e. Gentle Leader ®, Halti ®) Controls head using pressure points May be mistaken for a muzzle Dog may need to gradually get used to wearing it Front attachment harnesses (i.e. Easy Walk Harness ®) Front chest leash attachment decreases pulling Some dogs still pull Flat collar Easy to use Dog can still pull Choke/training collar None, unless dog is highly trained to use it Difficult to use correctly Can cause neck injury if used improperly Dog can still pull Prong/pinch collar Potentially easy to use Difficult to use correctly Can cause neck injury if used improperly Works by instilling pain when pulling Must fit correctly to use properly Dog can still pull Correcting the Behavior To train a dog to walk by his or her owner’s side with a loose leash, some methods are listed below. You should remember that, for all training, you should reward the dog when he is doing something you want, instead of just telling him what you don’t want. Training can be a long process; these methods require consistency and perseverance. Training sessions should begin after your dog has had sufficient exercise and not as a substitution for exercise. Be sure not to give up!!! 1. Reward your dog when he is not pulling Start with your dog in a quiet area. Walk your dog on leash. When your dog is walking next to you for 2 steps, give a treat. Gradually increase the amount of walking and distractions. The idea is to catch your dog doing something right and reward that behavior☺ 2. The “Tree Method” When your dog pulls, become an immoveable object. Once your dog stops pulling and the leash is relaxed, call the dog to your side and praise or give a treat. This reinforces the positive behavior of maintaining a loose leash.

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