jumping/biting the leash

[Sami Jo]

My dog is 5 months now and he's so great inside and outside, but when he's on a leash he's jumping, biting, growling. He's goes a little nuts! It's so frustrating! Advice?? I have no idea how to stop this. I've tried a chain leash but he went even more crazy! 

[Suzanne Newman]

Hi Sami Jo- 

I had exactly the same issue with Whidbey.  Miracle!!  I got one of those harnesses (don't remember what they are called) but they have them at Petco/Petsmart that restricts from pulling and jumping.  The leash hooks on to a ring on the back rather than the neck, and if they try to pull, they actually restrict themselves. 

Whidbey now associates that harness that it's FUN time- that we get to go walking.. and my life is much better now when it comes to her being on the leash!  Try it!  

[Heather and Hattye]

Our puppy was a TERRIBLE leash puller/chewer! Our dog trainer suggest a harness type leash from petco that has that same
Ring but hooks in front of her legs and works against her if she pulls. It was a miracle cure to stop the pulling but not the leash biting. We tried the bitter spray on the leash and that did nothing so we started offering a treat every 20 to 30 seconds when she was walking nicely at our side and a noise spray squirt if she bit the leash. The noise spray stopped the biting within a couple of times and now we just occasionally offer a treat to reinforce the good behavior. It took some training but we eventually got a nice, polite, leash walker. Hattye is not quite 4 months old.

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

It,s called an Easy Walk Harness. Penny needs one to walk nicely & it will make the walking experience much better. Particularly for a puppy, I like it much better than a gentle lead. Gentle lead takes a little more time to adjust to & the harness is very easy to put on.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Five months is the perfect time to begin some obedience training.  Training the dog to walk on a loose leash and follow your lead is a key part of that training.  Using a harness is an option, but that's more of a "control device" than a training tool....you can control the dog's body but not the mind.  Have you thought about a class or a few sessions with a trainer?

[M.J.]

My Porter is 19 months and finally has become a good walker! When he got excited, he would jump and bite his leash. I would sternly make him sit for about 30 seconds, treat him and move on.

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

I do a lot of back always with Shaggy. I stop and walk backwkwards until he comes back to me then we start going forward. The forward motion is the reward for coming back and staying with me.

[KLN]

I got an easy walk harness for Finn who is four months next week and it just did not work well for us at all.  I think maybe I was using it incorrectly (I felt like I needed a mechanical engineering degree just reading the diagram to put it on.  :)  But everyone here seems to love it.  I searched (on doodlekisses) past discussions on walk correctors before I purchased it and this was by far the most popular.  It just didn't work for us.  I use a pronged collar for my older dog and that worked miracles.  I thought Finn was too young but we had our first obedience class this week and the trainer said I could absolutely use it at four months.  It has changed our world and he is walking so much better.  I know some people are probably against the pronged collars (as I was too in the beginning) but I discussed it with my vet and he said to put it on my ankle and pull it...that around a dogs neck it has a similar pressure/feel.  My vet also said (and after using it for six years with my older dog I have to agree) that it is much more human than it looks and is very effective.  The trainer added last night that because it's a "correctional" collar that it will correct bad walking immediately and teach good walking habits where a harness will create a "safe zone" during a walk.  I think both are good options, it's just a personal choice on which works best for you and your dog but since I had so much success with my pronged collar I wanted to throw that out to you as another option.  ;)  Good luck!!

[Kimberly Cook]

Yes! The Easy Walk Harness instantly changed Chopper's pulling and walking on his hind legs like a circus dog. :/

[Dynamite & Doodle]

We use the easy walk harness too. I don't let him walk in front of me, I am the leader. If he pulls ahead a bit a give a very gentle tug back and he walks like a gentleman beside me. I get SO many compliments on my well behaved and happy puppy. He used to bite at the leash when he was younger (he's almost 4 months now) but I taught him "leave it" at about 9 weeks old so when he went for the leash I'd stop walking, say "Darwin, Leave it" and as soon as he let go of the leash I'dsay "good boy *with petting praise*, let's go" and when he started walking nicely again he would get a treat. We worked at this on every walk, every day and he's wonderful now. Maybe once a week he'll get excited and grab the leash but I just say "Leave it" and he drops it instantly.