Does your puppy follow you around the house but gets easily distracted and wanders off? All puppies have a natural desire to follow you and you can reinforce this behavior by teaching your puppy the follow command. Following is not only an important skill but is also a fun activity for your puppy! You can start teaching this command before your puppy is four months old, but it’s never too late to be taught. We have written a guide below on teaching your puppy the follow command.
Supply list:
- A collar or harness (we would suggest a non slip martingale)
- A 50 ft long line (or long leash)
- Your puppies favorite treats or kibble.
- Treat pouch
Safety:
Please be aware of any roads, vehicles, or other potential dangers your puppy could reach when using a 50-foot leash. You can also use a shorter 10-foot leash for your puppy.
Tampa Bay has many outdoor parks that are ideal for teaching your puppy the follow command, such as Al Lopez Park and Curtis Hixon Park. For those new to Tampa Bay, there is always a chance of rain showers and high humidity during the summer months. We recommend training in shaded areas, keeping training sessions brief, and bringing a portable water bowl for your puppy.
The first step is to make the follow game fun
Give your puppy praise and treats when teaching the follow command. After all, you want to encourage them and instill a life-long love for learning. We suggest teaching your puppy the follow command three times a week for two to three weeks until your puppy reliably follows you on command. You can then reduce this practice to once a week or biweekly. Practice this command in an area with fewer distractions at first.
- Attach the long leash to your puppy, then begin walking away from them. You can practice activity in your backyard, driveway, home or at a local park.
- Give your puppy lots of praise when they follow you. When they reach your feet, reward your puppy with a treat, and then turn and walk in the opposite direction.
- Is your puppy not following you? Offer them high-value treats and praise. You can also lightly pull on their leash in your direction.
- When your puppy comes over to you, give them praise and a treat and walk in the opposite direction.
The second step is to practice in an area with more distractions
- Start in a large open field; Al Lopez Park spans 132 acres and provides numerous areas for practice.
- Walk away from your puppy when they are on a long line.
- Give plenty of praise when they follow you and reward them with treats when they reach your legs.
- Walk in the opposite direction and repeat the command; remember to give lots of encouragement. You can call out their name, run and play with them, and give verbal cues like kissing sounds.
- Is your puppy not following you? Walk to the end of the long line and call out their name. Remember to keep training sessions short, and take water and rest breaks, especially in high humidity.
We’re here to help
Do you have any training questions or concerns about raising a puppy, you can schedule a free consultation with our Pet Behavior Team. We provide personalized obedience and manners training for puppies that are privately taught at your home and local neighborhood.
If you live outside the Tampa Bay area or prefer virtual training, our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling Savage offers virtual consultations to design personalized training plans that provides step-by-step guidance to help you achieve your training goals.
