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You are very welcome! Yes, using sniffing time is a favorite especially with dogs who find the activity very rewarding and the best part is that sniffing is a tiring activity too (win-win!) We can even put the behavior of sniffing on cue by saying "go sniff!" to reward polite walking so that your pup understands that you are giving him permission to go on a sniffing adventure. This is one of the easiest training cues one will ever train as most dogs know what to do when you let them approach an area that is worthy of sniffs. I find it easier to get polite leash walking by walking at a distance from temptations like the edges of roads/sidewalks which often have grass and other things dogs are interested in and once the dog walks nicely we can reward by allowing some sniffing time in these areas. Then once the dog has sniffed enough and appears to be getting bored, we can ask them to heel again https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ and occasionally reward for sticking to our side. If you have access to a fenced area where your pup can safely stay off leash and sniff to his heart's content, walk towards this area, and when that leash is dangling in a nice slack "U," snap off the leash and say "go sniff." Most dogs at some point get tired of sniffing, so once the novelty is gone, this is a good time to call your pup https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ and reward him. Important is to not allow pulling as much as we can and get more and more polite heeling. Dogs are much faster walking than us, so it's natural for them to walk ahead and find sticking to us boring, unless we make it extra rewarding by providing treats, opportunities to sniff and engagement. Stopping when the dog pulls or walking the opposite direction teaches dogs that their pulling won't get them closer to what they want (sniffing a place). However, if we let them sniff once they walk nicely they'll learn that they can get there even though they're not rushing. It's a good starter lesson on impulse control https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ something pups gradually learn and becomes easier as they mature. We have several resources here on bite inhibition, I am posting them here for other readers or in case you may have missed some: Bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ Gentle mouth: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ Tolerating touch: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ And here are several threads with extra troubleshooting tips: Happy training! Best, Adrienne

Greetings and welcome to the forums, This is a great question considering that we want to establish good leash walking habits, but it can be challenging asking a young energetic puppy to walk politely on a loose leash for a whole 20-minute walk. In such a case we have several options: -Drain excess energy. If you can find a compatible play companion ( like another puppy that has completed vaccines) that will help burn off some of the physical energy, and can help make the walk easier and nicer. Alternatively, if you have a fenced yard or somewhere else to play, try burning off some of that energy before you go for your walk. A walk may not be enough exercise for a young pointer, and it can be frustrating for a hyper pup to move at a slower human pace when all they want to do is explore and run. -Use sniffing as a reward for polite leash walking. We often think of treats as a way to reward a dog who walks nicely next to us, but for some outdoorsy breeds, being allowed to sniff and explore can be equally reinforcing or even a higher reinforcer. You can use a long line for sending him to sniff. A long line is a longer leash that a regular leash and it's often sold in horse tack stores or online as dog recall training leashes. If you use a 15 foot leash you can send him to which gives some distance and still a loose leash. -Mix things up. Asking a young pup with a short attention span for 20 minutes straight can be challenging. You can add some variety on walks to keep your pup's interest alive. For instance, you can do some polite walking for 20 steps, then you can reward that by giving your pup permission to sniff, then you can do some more steps of polite walking using high-value treats to reward heel position, then you can ask some hand targets https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/, then a little more walking reinforced with sniffing, then you can do some walking with some added turns, then you can drop some kibble on the ground and let her "go find!" in a treasure hunt-style https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/and then you can offer a higher-value treat or toy when he comes to you and chooses to walk by your side. - Use a short leash for polite leash walking and a long line for sniffing strolls. Your pup can learn over time what to do with different lengths of leashes just as service dogs learn it's time to work when they wear their working harness. To help your puppy succeed, you may find it helpful to do more polite leash walking really close to your house where your pup is more familiar with the area or at the end of the walk when your pup is more tired. -When using the long line, make sure to always praise and reward your puppy for checking- in with you (comes to you or looks back at you). With time, your puppy may learn to do this more and more often. At some point, after your puppy starts offering real attention rather than just an occasional glance, you can then start using sniffing as reinforcement for polite leash walking. -Practice off- leash. When at home or in a securely fenced yard, practice training your pup to stick to your side. Polite leash walking really has little to do with a leash (the leash is there just for safety and to obey leash laws) it's all about creating a strong bond and a strongly reinforced habit. You are basically mostly reinforcing position and moving with you despite tempting distractions. -Finally, I would not recommend using a slip lead. Your puppy is very young and a slip lead works by tightening around the neck to create an unpleasant "strangulation-like" sensation. It's a correction-based tool. It has its uses for emergency situations or when we need to take dogs quickly in and out cars, play areas, kennels etc. but for training purposes, there are risks for negative associations, choking, coughing and gagging and damage to the delicate structures of the throat/neck area (in a young puppy the cartilage of the trachea is still particularly delicate). A front-attachment harness such as the Perfect Fit harness can be a much safer alternative (it doesn't constrict the throat and is not designed for corrections). I hopes this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions! Best, Adrienne