Teaching your dog to happily come for a lead or harness

Does your dog come when called, only to hang back a few metres? It’s frustrating, especially when you need to leash them for their safety. But don't worry, this is something you can train! The aim here is for your dog to move towards your hand, offering their collar or harness. With this cue, you can enjoy worry-free walks in the woods, confident you can always catch your furry friend.

We want your dog to associate being touched or having their collar/harness handled/harnesswith positive experiences. This skill is super useful in many scenarios – from them coming all the way in on a recall, to not backing away when you reach down towards them. Start practising in a calm, familiar place before moving to more distracting environments.

We’ll cover using a collar here, but the steps are identical for a harness.

Step 1

Have your dog standing in front of you wearing their collar or harness. Reach down, lightly touch the collar, and immediately reward with a treat. Repeat this several times.

Step 2

Now, gradually grip the collar a little more each time, until your dog is comfortable with your whole hand around it. Repeat this step often, rewarding generously. Remember, we’re building a positive association: ‘touching the collar’ equals ‘treat’!

Step 3

Reach towards the collar, but stop a few inches away. Reward your dog the instant they move their neck towards your hand. Reward enthusiastically with treats. Slowly increase the distance you wait before rewarding, until your dog is naturally stepping into your hand.

The cue

Your cue is your open hand, held down towards your dog. Start testing this in more distracting places and as part of your recall training. For example, call your dog, and as they approach, reach down and gently take their collar. Always reward generously when they reach you and are caught by the collar or harness!