I agree that cats and dogs would, in a perfect world, be better without leashes , collars or harnesses. That world is unfortunately not the world most people live in. We often find ourselves in hostile urban environments that are no longer safe for cats and dogs to explore unsupervised. That being said, here is my recipe for getting kittens and puppies to enjoy leash training and also make it stress free for the humans on the other end of the leash.

1) Place the harness around where the cats and dogs can see it and interact with it . This is not to play with them . In fact you want them to ignore this strange new thing in their world. After a few days , they should lose interest. Once they do move on to step 2.

2) Place the leash or harness on the floor. If they investigate the leash or harness., give them a treat. Do this everyday about 2 to 3 times a day until they are running to you ( most likely a dog ) or strolling at slow pace indicating they are mildly interested ( most likely a cat ) in this mundane object in your hand. If you notice that the cat or dog is having a positive interest in your harness 10 out 10 times, you can move on to step 3.

3) Put on the harness. Treat like they won the jackpot in Las Vegas. Then remove right after the treats are finished. Don’t forget to train twice a day at minimum. Training sessions should not be longer than 5 minutes for a dog and 1 minute for a cat.

4) Increase the time they have this on but always keep an eye on them. Sometimes the fit isn’t as precise as you thought being a little to loose or too tight. This is the time to see the harness is performing the way you want to. I would do this until you see the kitten or dog can comfortably take a nap in the harness. Once they can move on to step 5.

5) Time to add a little weight. Use a ribbon and tie it to the harness. Have them drag the harness and ribbon around . If they seem to not be bothered by this you can add a leash.

and that’s it

Practice your harness and leash in a safe controlled area in your garden or near your home . This way, if everything is too much for your new puppy or kitten you can go home with your little fluffy buddy and start again tomorrow. There is no shame in starting again. Safety is the most important thing.

This method isn’t the fastest way by any means but it is perfect if you would like to make it as stress free as possible for you and your fluffy buddy.

Happy adventures to you! Goodnight Paw. <3