It’s the moment you've been waiting for. Your puppy has now had their vaccinations, your vet has confirmed they are fully protected against many of the diseases that can be caught from other dogs when out and about, and they are ready to venture out into the world. But how do you make sure your first walk together goes well – and is as enjoyable for your puppy as it is for you?
Preparing for your first walk
Every single puppy is different – and so how they will behave on their first walk will vary. And it might even change from walk to walk. Some can’t wait to charge around and explore, while others will be far more wary and worried. The answer is that you are always guided by them.
Don’t make plans of where you think you are going to go. If they want to do nothing else but stand at the gate taking in everything that is around them, that is absolutely fine and you shouldn’t push them to do any more until they have decided it’s safe and want to venture further afield. This could take a few minutes – or it could take several sessions over a few days. If this is the case, just stay with them – and give them a treat when they look at you – or after every new experience.
Others may be happy to charge ahead eager to explore, investigate and interact with everything and everyone! If that is the case, give them the chance to stop, sniff and investigate – this is part of their development and part of puppy walks.
Whatever their attitude, give them plenty of time to stop and sniff, to look at new sights and to take in what is going on around them. This is all an important part of their development.
Hopefully you have already been working with your puppy to get them used to wearing their harness and walking on a lead in the house and the garden, so you are all ready to venture into the great outdoors.
While you are obvious going to be excited about this, it’s important to think about things from your puppy’s point of view so you can make sure you realise just what a bit step it is for them – and how potentially scary.
Your puppy is very young and even though you have been carrying them around, taking them to see the world in your arms, taking them out in the car for a drive, they still haven’t seen very much and they’re still tiny babies (no matter how big a breed you have!) and their first steps outside the house can be anything for wildly exciting to seriously worrying. So read on to find out how to make your puppy’s first steps outside go well and set the tone for all your future adventures together.
Managing your Puppy’s First Walks
The very first thing is that you make sure you have everything you need before you set off.
Equipment list for puppy’s first walks
Before you head off out into the great outdoors with your puppy, there’s some shopping you need to do in order to have all the things needed to ensure their first walks are happy, comfortable, and safe. Here’s what you need:
Lightweight lead
This should be a soft training lead around 2m length. This should be lightweight with a secure but light clip – and it should be comfortable for you to hold. This is perfect for first walks to allow your puppy to move around freely but also for you to be able to have it at whatever length is appropriate for safety. These have a clip at either end – which is going to come in really useful in your training – and will be long enough to practice training exercises (including recall) within the length of the lead in the future.
Securely fitting harness
There are a lot of harnesses about, however not all of them are good and of the good ones, not all will fit your puppy correctly. The most important considerations are safety and comfort.
Harnesses should be of the stretchy vest type, or the Y front chest piece type, as these allow free movement of your puppy’s shoulders and as long as they fit well are secure.
Avoid harnesses that use sliding straps that tighten up to discourage pulling and avoid any with a horizontal chest piece as these affect the movement of the shoulder joint which is bad for a growing puppy.
Comfort is the most important thing – so look for good padding as well as a good fit.
While good harnesses are secure, if you have a really wriggly puppy, they may be able to back out of a harness if they go into hasty reverse. Always go with your puppy if they reverse and don’t pull – but if you have concerns, you can get a harness with a second girth strap or even clip one end of the lead onto a flat collar. Usually if you have done on-lead practise in the house and you are working with your puppy when out and about, this is unlikely to be an issue.
In a growing puppy you should check harness fit every few days as they grow fast and a harness that is too tight or pinches will really put your puppy off wearing it or even off walkies altogether!
Treat pouch
Dog treats for your puppy must be very small, soft very tasty and quick to eat. If your puppy is chewing away at a huge or hard treat, again there’s a good chance they’ve forgotten why they got it and it will break up your training session!
You need to be able to easily grab a treat to reward something your puppy has done – even if unexpected - and are not fumbling around for ages. Your puppy has a short attention span and even with a marker such as a word or a clicker, they will rapidly lose the connection between action and reward if you take too long to dig out a treat.
Poo bags
These should be self-explanatory – always pick up poo!
Kitchen roll
It is not unusual that an excited, treat-filled puppy will do a soft, loose poo, and it always seems to be that poo will be right in someone’s gateway or the middle of the path, so a few squares of kitchen roll will make it much easier to clear up.
Bottle of water
This is for offering your puppy a drink but also can help with the aforementioned poo! A little rinse down after you’ve cleaned up with kitchen roll will help avoid any irate neighbours.
Fold flat water dish
These are great and totally portable. Keep one in your bag, car, pocket… so much more convenient than trying to get your puppy to drink the dribble of water poured out of a water bottle. If you’re using lots of food rewards (and you should be) then your puppy may well need a drink - and it is hard to concentrate and learn if you’re thirsty.
Your vets’ number in your phone
There is no panic quite like being in the park with a puppy bleeding from a cut pad, or some other veterinary drama, and realising you have no internet signal and don’t know the vet’s phone number!
With just these few items, you are ready to take on the world with your puppy! So, get out there and start having fun!
Top tips for your puppy’s early walks
- Limit these sessions in terms of time and/or number of food reinforcers given but be sure to end before your puppy has had enough.
- Start to aim for 5 minutes - it is easy to add more on if your puppy is very brave and curious to explore, but remember the further you get from home, the longer it is going to take to get back home, which you need to do before your puppy has had enough, is tired, or cannot concentrate.
- When your pup is ready to explore a bit further, start off without having any set route in mind, forget about reaching a particular destination and don't have any fixed ideas on how long you will be out.
- Puppy walks are about learning – not about the destination.
The secret of success is to be really mindful of what is going on around you and rewarding your puppy for every new experience – whether sight, sound, or smell. And be patient. Let your puppy experience each new thing in their own time. Remember that dogs learn about their environment through scent often more than they do by sight or sound – so let your puppy sniff as much as they want to (even if you think it is pretty boring). They are learning with each sniff. Always reward them when they stop sniffing and look back at you or continue the walk.
Why can a first walk be difficult for a puppy?
From your point of view, a trip to the park or round the block is no distance at all. In your eyes, it’s an easy walk, it will be fun to meet people and other dogs, and walks are necessary for your puppy’s socialisation and development. And it’s going to be fun!
From your puppy’s point of view however, their world is changing and expanding yet again – and this can often be scary.
Here are some reasons your pup might be overwhelmed on their first walk.
- From being in the predictable and fairly constant environment of your home and garden, they are suddenly surrounded by novelty. It’s totally natural that they are likely be overwhelmed by all these new sights, sounds and smells.
- And not only that, you are expecting them to walk on a harness and lead which is still new for them
- When you are low to the ground, everything appears huge and intimidating… especially as it’s all new.
- They are constrained by the lead so they can’t choose where to go, what to investigate – or what to avoid.
- They are often expected to walk without a break at someone else’s pace - which is far more tiring than moving and exercising at their own pace which is what they have been used to
- They will be experiencing unfamiliar surfaces and textures under their paws (tarmac, concrete, flagstones)
- They can feel unconnected and unsupported by you – especially if a small breed – as you are towering over them.
- Short legs mean that for your puppy it is a much longer walk than you think it is and they will get tired very quickly
- They have very limited ability to concentrate for the duration of even a short walk – all this novelty takes brain power that owners just don’t recognise.
It’s easy to see how the walk you think will be fun, could be an epic test of bravery and endurance both mentally and physically for your puppy! This is why first walks are not about going anywhere but about new experiences.
How to make first walks fun and rewarding
Most importantly, you want your puppy to check in with you frequently so that walks become something interactive you do together as you explore the great outdoors.
Aim to pair all the new sights, sounds, smells, movements and experiences with tasty treats to build positive associations, and you will find that before long you can build up to real walks as your puppy gets more confident.
Here's an example session for a puppy who might not be very brave (but every session depends on where you go and what you encounter):
Every time your puppy sees something new, hears a new (or unexpected) sound, or has a new experience, use your marker word and give them a treat. Be mindful yourself and look at the world through your puppy’s eyes so you look out for all these new things and are ready to reward them.
Never pull them up to new things or force them to walk past them – or even try and lure them with a treat. Let them take the time and the space to decide for themselves that it is safe – and them give them the reward when they do. If they decide that it is scary, give it a wide berth so you can pass it at a distance your puppy is comfortable – and reward them for that too.
By following this protocol with whatever external stimuli you encounter, you’ll find it easy to tell which things worry your puppy, which things your puppy is brave and confident about, how quickly your puppy learns, and how focused on you they are. Also, you will get into the habit of noticing the external stimuli in the environment that could worry or excite your puppy.
All that information helps you in the future as you increase walk times and increase the distance you go from home. As a result, you’ll have a happy and confident puppy - and you can avoid being the person whose puppy won’t move, bites the lead, yells at passing dogs and cats, or drags their owner everywhere!
Better still, you are teaching your puppy that walks are something rewarding, fun and safe that you do together.
Benefits of taking first puppy walks slow
Although this may seem boring, or overly cautious, remember that a single scary event (even if the puppy isn’t physically harmed in anyway, simply being terrified *is* the scary thing) can leave a huge impression and take an enormous number of positive, rewarding experiences to overcome – and sometimes is never entirely forgotten.
Here are some of the benefits of approaching a puppy’s first walks this way:
- Avoid reactivity to sounds/sights
- Builds positive experiences of the new sounds/sights/surface textures by avoiding scary experiences
- Avoid pulling on the lead as it is easy to practice loose lead walking
- Encourage listening to you and putting attention/focus on you
- Build a solid expectation that trips outdoors are safe and fun
- Build a solid association between being outdoors and listening to you
- Avoid scary experiences that have long lasting consequences
- Proof your earlier indoor training outdoors.
- Success breeds success – by having multiple short sessions, if one goes wrong, you have many more sessions that will go as planned. If you have only two walks and something goes badly wrong on one of them, that’s only 50% success. If you do ten mini sessions and one goes wrong, that’s 90% success!
What Do I Do to Prevent Bad Experiences?
If you have gone too far from home or you have no choice but to start off in a busy place or park, here’s a few tips to avoid lasting issues.
Pick your puppy up if you need to.
Big dogs approaching or busy streets full of pedestrians do pose a risk to small dogs no matter how friendly and well meaning the dogs or people. Pick your puppy up. Yes, this may encourage a loose dog to jump up at you, but better that than your small puppy being frightened, overwhelmed or traumatised. Don’t be that person who drags their terrified or worried puppy through a sea of feet or past huge, scary dogs. That is an experience that will never be forgotten by your puppy.
Take evasive action.
If you can’t pick your puppy up, and something is approaching you don’t like the look of, your puppy is worried about, or you simply don’t think your puppy is ready for, simply turn around, go the other way, cross the road, and get your puppy out of the way and out of eye-line of whatever it is.
Avoid meeting other dogs at first
It’s not a good idea to let your puppy meet every dog you see – as they need to learn to pay attention to you around other dogs rather than expect to interact with them plus it can be worrying for your puppy who is on a lead and can’t escape.
Make sure all meetings your puppy has with other dogs are assessed first so you know the other dog is friendly and puppy-tolerant. You want your puppy to learn that other dogs are a good thing – not something to worry about of become reactive towards.
The very best first walks are ones where the owner recognises that it is a big thing for their puppy and puts aside any thoughts of actually getting anywhere but instead gives their puppy a chance to safely experience all the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors slowly– and be rewarded every step of the way so they build positive associations with all this novelty.
By doing this, puppies gain confidence to go further afield – and are far less likely to develop fears, worries and reactive behaviour, and are much more focussed on their owner when out and about.
You and your puppy are going to have a lifetime of long walks and adventures together. By starting off on the right foot, these are going to be a joy for you both.
FAQs
How Long Should a Puppy’s Walk Be?
Walking beside someone at a constant pace is tiring and unnatural for puppies. It also takes a toll on immature joints and bones. The rule of thumb is that a puppy can walk for five minutes per month of age (and this can be twice a day) – so a 3 month old (12 weeks) puppy can walk for 15 minutes and a 4 month old puppy (16 weeks) can walk for 20 minutes. So hardly a long hike in the country!
When can puppies go for their first walk?
Your puppy can go on their first walk 1-2 weeks after their full vaccination – this is usually around 14 weeks. It is important that you talk to your vet however as some vaccine protocols are different and you may be able to get out earlier – or have to wait a little later.
How often should I train my puppy on their first walks?
All walks are training opportunities when your puppy is this age. This is something you do every time you take your puppy out – and as the walks get longer or take place in new areas.
Which food rewards should I give my puppy on their first walks?
Your food rewards or treats should be really tiny (maximum half the size of your little finger nail), and easy to eat. This might be ‘human food’ – such as tiny bits of cheese, sausage, chicken etc – or you could make your own.
What do I do if my puppy wants to explore further on their first walks?
If your puppy is braver than expected on their first few walks and wants to go further, you can do this, just stay within ‘quickly picking puppy up and getting inside’ distance, so if something truly scary moves into view (big clanking trailer turns into your street, person with enormous trio of barking dogs starts to approach) you can get to safety rather than have your puppy face a scary incident.
There is no value in over-facing your puppy and putting them through an experience that frightens them – and that can have long term consequences.
Where Should I Walk my Puppy on their First Walks?
If you want to go further afield, or if you suspect the street outside your front door is too much to begin with, then you can drive somewhere that allows you to park somewhere safe, and practice just outside your car, with the car being the ‘safe zone’ you can get back inside should anything overwhelming occur. If you don’t drive, you can carry them to somewhere quiet before starting your walk.
You may find using a back door/back gate is a better option in some cases, if you have a quiet backstreet and a busy street out front.
What do I do if my puppy is looking worried?
Some puppies are brave up to a point and then jam on the brakes – this is completely normal and again we can avoid them doing that by doing lots of little sessions, venturing further every few days, rather than diving in with longer walks. If this does happen though, stop, wait for your puppy to assess whatever is going on, and once they’re happy you can go home – carry them if necessary. It wouldn’t be wise to continue once your puppy has already indicated that they’re overwhelmed, as while they may find a second wind, they’re also less likely to cope with whatever happens next.
When Can I Start Walking Further?
As your puppy gets older, braver and more physically developed, your walks can begin to get longer and you can go more places together. As always, be guided by your puppy rather than by your expectations or ambitions.
Purina Editorial Team
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