A puppy's first walks: the checklist
What to have, what to avoid, and how long to really walk. The first outings set the tone for the ten years that follow.
The first walks decide a great deal. A puppy that discovers the street with confidence becomes a dog that is easy to walk; a puppy that is rushed can take years to get over it. Here is our checklist.
Before you go out
- An ID tag, engraved with your phone number. It is the very first thing to sort out, even before the first outing.
- A harness that fits now, not the one they will wear in six months. Measure again every two months.
- A 1.5 to 2 m leash. Short enough to keep in touch, long enough to let them sniff.
- Treats in small pieces, in an easy-to-reach pocket.
- Poop bags. We can never say it enough.
Getting them used to the harness
Don't put it on for the first time on the day you go out. Leave it lying on the floor for two or three days, place it on their back without fastening it, give a treat, take it off. Then fasten it for thirty seconds indoors, while playing. When the harness means good times ahead, the puppy will come looking for it on its own.
How long to walk
The commonly accepted rule: about five minutes of walking per month of age, once or twice a day. So a four-month-old puppy means twenty minutes. Their joints are still developing; long hikes can wait until they are one year old, or even eighteen months for large breeds.
On the other hand, mental tiredness counts as much as physical tiredness. Ten minutes sniffing a hedge wears a puppy out more than a kilometre at walking pace.
What really matters: socialisation
Between 2 and 4 months, everything a puppy meets calmly becomes normal for life. Let them encounter different surfaces, pushchairs, bicycles, umbrellas, people of all ages and a few well-balanced adult dogs.
Always at their own pace. If they freeze or back away, don't pull: move away a little, wait, and reward the smallest step forward.
Classic mistakes
- Pulling on the leash to move them forward. That creates exactly the dog that pulls.
- Picking them up as soon as they hesitate. They then learn that the street is dangerous.
- Tarmac in summer. Rest the back of your hand on it for five seconds: if you can't bear it, neither can their paw pads.
- Too many people at once. One new thing per outing is plenty.
Back home
A wipe of the harness with a sponge, a check of the paw pads and between the toes, fresh water, and above all: let them sleep. A puppy needs 18 to 20 hours of sleep a day.
