Leash Biting!

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

Has anyone experienced this? Archie is 1 and he is a stubborn butt and so smart...no matter which route I take to walk back to the house he knows I'm headed home and his gets stubborn so he bits onto the leash and pulls on it and wants to play as we are walking. He also does it when theres another dog and I don't let him immediately go up to the dog or even if the dog is dragged away by their owner....Archie gets stubborn and bratty and starts to bite the leash.

I have tried everything! Is this simply just a puppy behavior that will eventually fade or do I need to do something training wise to get him to stop biting onto the leash as we walk?

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Did she actually walk or was she like Yarrow, biting and pulling the leash and leaping up and down?  I have been taking her for short 'walks' since about the 4th day.  Day 10 today and I'm glad to say we've had a bit of off leash time (reintroducing it gradually) on the trails.yesterday and today.  We're staying away from areas where we might encounter other dogs.  She seems much happier and is napping more again.  Phew!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

I also thought about getting a chain leash but I'm afraid she'll break a tooth.

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

thats how we feel, so we didn't get a chain leash. 

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

You say " Right now all of this is at home with just us, so I am sure it will be a different story with distractions but you have to start somewhere."

That's exactly what Zak George recommends for puppies!  He says practice at home without distractions first.  So what you're doing is brilliant.  Yarrow is only 5 1/2 months and already very large but I might have to start walking her around the house with me and teaching her to leave the leash alone.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

We use positive reinforcement (e.g., giving a treat when Oliver does something good) and negative punishment (e.g., taking away our attention when Oliver does something bad) as our main behavior conditioning tools. I admit we also sometimes use the water squirt bottle when he puts his paws on the kitchen counter since it's really hard to have the counter "ignore" him. :)

While sometimes I think these method can take a little longer, I feel that is most psychologically correct and I feel good about it. I would never be OK with using pain and fear. I want Oliver to love me after all. In terms of leash training, this means:

-When Oliver is walking nicely or greets another dog appropriately I give praise and a treat.

-We taught Oliver the command "right here" to mean stay close, if I see a situation where Oliver is prone to bad behavior I say "right here" and treat while we walk quickly walk past the distraction.

-When Oliver grabs the leash and tries to play with it or pulls, I immediately stop and ignore him. I don't even look at him. The second he stops, we start walking again. While this is a long process and we are still working on it, he is slowly getting better at leash walking. 

-We taught Oliver the command "let go" if Oliver just decides to put the leash in his mouth but doesn't pull or tug I just tell him "let go." When he drops the leash I give praise and a treat.

I hope this helps! We're nearing year two and leash walking, calm greetings, and reliable recalls are our biggest challenges. I think some of these will get better as he gets older as some of it is just puppy energy, but in the meantime we continue to train. In fact, Oliver is starting his fourth training class tomorrow! :)

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Nearing year two of leash training?!  Thank you for that!  I was going to get another puppy as a playmate for Yarrow.  I even paid the deposit and we were supposed to pick her up this weekend.  I started having nightmares about trying to loose-leash walk two pups and, with tears in my eyes, let the other puppy go to another home.  Thank you for confirming my feelings of anxiety about having two pups at the same time.

To Yarrow's credit, she was doing really well before her spay surgery.  Now I'm back to square one only she is now much bigger and stronger.  Sigh.  We may consider another pup again in a few months... or a slightly older rescue.  I do want her to have a 'sibling' close to her own age and energy level.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Yarrow has suddenly remembered our training sessions pre-spay.  I've been going with Zak George's method.  It's just so much more pleasant to work with 'yes' instead of 'no' or a correction.  Today Yarrow seems more than happy to pick up where we left off.   I am so pleased that she hasn't forgotten everything after all.  Here's Zak's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVnm5c3xCqs 

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

Thanks! I've heard of Zak and I will check out his videos. 

[Hua]

Charlie bit the leash all the time before.  I tried soaked the leash in bitter apple spray and hot sauce, and it still didn't stop him.  Then one day he just stopped.  I think they grew out of eventually.

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

How old is Charlie? and when did he stop?