25
Feb
How to stop your puppy from biting the leash
Here’s the typical scenario: You took your puppy for a walk on a nice sunny day. Everything seemed just fine but all of a sudden, instead of keeping his feet on the ground, he constantly grabs, pulls and munches on the leash, like it's a tug toy. Of course, you get confused and start pulling the collars and leash back, but everything gets even worse. And your shouting, oh so unexpectedly, doesn't seem to do any good.
One can’t help but wonder how it would be so much better if he'd just walk along nicely, sniffing everything around and peeing on every other tree like a normal civilized dog. Why is this happening? And, more importantly: How to stop my puppy from biting the leash? These are the most common questions one can hear from a dog owner.
We must not forget, puppy biting is VERY natural and happens often for a reason. So walking around casually on a leash can be quite of a challenge for a puppy, especially when new teeth are coming out. You have to understand, young pups navigate their life with their mouth. Puppies just bite stuff.
We must not forget, puppy biting is VERY natural and happens often for a reason. So walking around casually on a leash can be quite of a challenge for a puppy, especially when new teeth are coming out. You have to understand, young pups navigate their life with their mouth. Puppies just bite stuff.
So, how to make them stop biting the leash? Unfortunately, there isn't one clear way… Every single furry buddy’s behavior is as unique as a fingerprint, but there are some general rules and causes which can be taken into account. Try them out to see what works best for your dog!
Why does my dog chew / bite their leash? - 4 most common causes
Learning how to stop your puppy from biting the leash requires understanding why the behavior has happened in the first place. Although it may seem like the cause is simple, not all leash biting is equal, which means they may require different approaches. These are the 4 most common causes that can give you a better insight into the problem:
I want attention!
We can say that it is quite of a life fact that dog owners sometimes pay a lot more attention to their puppy's undesirable behavior such as nipping, digging, jumping around and munching items, which aren’t made for that purpose.
Dogs who crave attention quickly learn to make a difference between little to no attention they receive when they are lying quietly, chewing on a toy - and that enormous amount of it if they start chewing on your new slippers, a TV remote, or bark in your mum's face. In this other scenario, they will receive the attention they crave fastly.
So, you can make a conclusion.
So, you can make a conclusion.
There are many pups who crave attention, so much so, that even the attention you focus on the unwanted behavior will suffice. This can relate to your buddy if you find him spending many hours alone sadly chewing on a toy. You know when a child is acting out when mom is talking to somebody else? If you neglect them, dogs will do the same. And, the same goes for walking on a leash.
These pups will stay quietly next to their owners, not getting any attention until they start misbehaving (biting the leash). In this case, the trigger for the behavior is the lack of attention, the behavior is chewing the leash, and the consequence is getting the attention they desire, even if it's of the negative type (owner reprimanding the dog).
I have too much energy!
You know the moment when you go back home and you see your dog and your dog sees you and you end up in a turmoil of emotions, cuddles and screams realizing that you now almost started yelling the "who's-a-good-boy" sentence? That is probably how it's like to be an overly energized puppy.
There are a couple of reasons why your dog may be having too much energy:
- he stays at home for too many hours
- he has been raised in the static environment (such as a garage or a shelter)
- he has not been walked around a lot
- he has been closed in a kennel for too long, usually because of the weather
- puppies and young dogs can be particularly affected to overstimulation
It is very important to take your dog out frequently for the sake of both his health and grooming.
In any case, your dog is overwhelmed with emotions and stimuli, especially if he is going outside, without having an adequate way of dealing with all of the information at the same time. So, in this case, he will start - biting a leash.
In any case, your dog is overwhelmed with emotions and stimuli, especially if he is going outside, without having an adequate way of dealing with all of the information at the same time. So, in this case, he will start - biting a leash.
I'm frustrated, that's why.
Paying close attention to your dog when the biting starts can be insightful. Try to look for anything that happened right prior to the behavior. What is the most common scenario leading to biting?
Does the behavior occur only when your buddy sees other dogs? This can happen with dogs who are social butterflies and want to greet other pups they see on the street.
Another scenario is when a dog is prevented from accessing something of interest. Here the leash works as a barrier, and the behavior would be called the barrier frustration. The consequence, in this case, is the release of frustration, much like students chewing pencils prior to the exam to release their anxiety.
Another scenario is when a dog is prevented from accessing something of interest. Here the leash works as a barrier, and the behavior would be called the barrier frustration. The consequence, in this case, is the release of frustration, much like students chewing pencils prior to the exam to release their anxiety.
OMG! Are we playing tug of war now?!
This is the common behavior we can notice in young dogs and puppies with pent-up energy who love and need to play. These fellows may jump up to grab the leash, possibly shaking their head and growling. To them, the leash is perceived as a fun tug toy, and even a mere movement can lead to this unstoppable response.
The leash is often most interesting to your buddy when things get boring, or when there isn't much stimulation in the environment or just when your pup is taken out for a walk and energized. Much excite!
The tricky part of this scenario is YOUR OWN urge to pull that leash back. But, that is exactly what you must not do. Why?
If you try to pull that leash away, your dog will feel even more motivated to hold on to it. Remember - dogs love to tug on things. And the consequence would be that given the opportunity, dogs may enjoy playing with leashes even when the owners are not around.
The tricky part of this scenario is YOUR OWN urge to pull that leash back. But, that is exactly what you must not do. Why?
If you try to pull that leash away, your dog will feel even more motivated to hold on to it. Remember - dogs love to tug on things. And the consequence would be that given the opportunity, dogs may enjoy playing with leashes even when the owners are not around.
Why reprimands don't stop my puppy biting the leash?
As we already mentioned in the sections above, we usually reinforce behaviors by the attention we give them. Thus, with reprimands, we may accidentally reinforce unwanted behavior because of the attention that we focus on it.
When the dog walks nicely, the owner neither pays him any attention nor praises his appropriate behavior. But, the moment he grabs the leash - success is guaranteed! Interaction is achieved! And there is a sweet little bonus, a tug-of-war action that usually comes with it.
By giving proper attention you can change that picture.
By giving proper attention you can change that picture.
Ways to stop your dog biting the leash - the general strategy
First thing you should do is to try to define the exact behavior you would like your buddy to incorporate instead of biting. That way, you can concentrate on teaching him exactly what you want him to learn while the old unwanted behavior slowly disappears.
In this case, the behavior you would like to accomplish is ignoring the leash when it's clipped to the collar, whereas walking along, peeing on things, and munching snacks and chewing toys is acceptable. Next important tip is to remember to resist pulling of the leash or pushing the puppy off it. Avoid continuing the mistaken tug game. It can be annoying at times, but more actively, you respond to the situation the more you will receive back. In its little puppy imagination, you’re teammates tearing apart that leash like they would be tearing apart a good piece of meat with other pups.
Be boring, do nothing instead, and reward the moment your pup leaves off biting the leash.
In the end, you want to make sure to reward as much as you can the not-biting-the-leash-while-walking-around behavior. Whenever your dog bites the leash, he is telling you only one thing he wants - to play and to play tug-of-war hard!
Don't give your pup the immediate reward. Instead, postpone it so you can teach him that if he behaves properly, he will most probably get the tug game he wanted so badly (but with other items)! This can be fun, too.
This will surely build your dog's character.
Be boring, do nothing instead, and reward the moment your pup leaves off biting the leash.
In the end, you want to make sure to reward as much as you can the not-biting-the-leash-while-walking-around behavior. Whenever your dog bites the leash, he is telling you only one thing he wants - to play and to play tug-of-war hard!
Don't give your pup the immediate reward. Instead, postpone it so you can teach him that if he behaves properly, he will most probably get the tug game he wanted so badly (but with other items)! This can be fun, too.
This will surely build your dog's character.
The process - 5 simple steps to accomplish the goal
When you realized the issue, decide on the counter-behavior you want to accomplish. There are some additional steps you should consider while moving towards your goal.
Step 1: Get an acceptable tug-toy
You wouldn't want to get rid of the tugging behavior completely. This game is a fantastic way to play with puppies. It will burn off their energy and give you two something awesome to do together. The only thing you NEED to do is to come up with rules about what are the proper items your pup can play with.
Get some rocking toys your buddy will absolutely love, whether they are chew dog toys, very useful bite training puppy toys or longer rope dog toys specialized for teaching your buddy to bite the right item. Teach your buddy that this is the thing he can go crazy with. Play with him, drag the toy around and fight over it.
Teach him a cue that he will remember as an allowance to get the toy. During the play shout "get it!" and reward wanted behavior.
And one more hint - the longer and more interesting the toy is, the better. Why?
First, you can walk and play tug. Second, the chances of you getting bitten while playing is lowered.
Get some rocking toys your buddy will absolutely love, whether they are chew dog toys, very useful bite training puppy toys or longer rope dog toys specialized for teaching your buddy to bite the right item. Teach your buddy that this is the thing he can go crazy with. Play with him, drag the toy around and fight over it.
Teach him a cue that he will remember as an allowance to get the toy. During the play shout "get it!" and reward wanted behavior.
And one more hint - the longer and more interesting the toy is, the better. Why?
First, you can walk and play tug. Second, the chances of you getting bitten while playing is lowered.
Step 2: Training a good behavior inside of your home
Inside of the home? Really? You are probably asking why on earth would you do anything like that, next to the huge playground you have in your yard or the nearest park, or anywhere outside in general. Most of all, your puppy goes crazy when he is outside, but not inside the house. Inside he's adorable.
The answer is very simple, and this is a crucial piece of the puzzle that often gets missed by dog owners: you need to train your pup before you start working in the problem situation.
What you are doing here is that you are teaching your puppy a new skill, and by doing so, he needs a calm environment where he can focus. Once he understands what he is supposed to do, you can introduce him to the higher-stress situations. Remember, not even Rome was built in a day. So, keep up that slow step-by-step easy approach.
The answer is very simple, and this is a crucial piece of the puzzle that often gets missed by dog owners: you need to train your pup before you start working in the problem situation.
What you are doing here is that you are teaching your puppy a new skill, and by doing so, he needs a calm environment where he can focus. Once he understands what he is supposed to do, you can introduce him to the higher-stress situations. Remember, not even Rome was built in a day. So, keep up that slow step-by-step easy approach.
The essentials for a good in-house training:
- a relatively calm pup
- a leash
- a bowl of super tasty treats your puppy goes crazy for
How to practice?
You would like to start with holding the leash in your hands without attaching it to the dog. Swing the leash in front of him in a very calm and boring fashion. Wait to see what will happen. If he attacks it, drop the leash right away. Stay calm and do nothing. When he goes away, praise and treat.Your task here is to reward the range of behaviors that are not connected to biting the leash: sniffing, looking at it, looking at you, looking away, staring, random jumps away from it, these are the behaviors you are looking for in terms of treating.
At the first training session, make sure your pup is successful. So, do everything opposite of how you behave during the tug of war game - slow movement, calm reactions, and absence of shouts or any kind of "having fun" triggers. End the session in 3 minutes and take a toy for playing tugs.
Step 3: Leash walk in the living room
In this step, it is required that you add some of the distractions that are easily found in everyday outdoor environment, such as - walking around + making funny noises to keep his attention. Offer a treat every step, as long as the biting is missing.
In the case of biting, drop it off and take the collar.
Every next session should be more and more complex, so it is recommended to increase the number of steps between treats and a number of distractions.
In the case of biting, drop it off and take the collar.
Every next session should be more and more complex, so it is recommended to increase the number of steps between treats and a number of distractions.
Step 4: A tug reward
Only when you two can walk in circles around the room without him being hooked on the leash can you start adding tug toys to your training routine.
It seems that your pup now understands that resisting to bite the leash will make some good things happen, and biting it will cause nothing special. But, let's test it.
Get your pup off the leash. Hold the leash in one hand and the tug toy in the other. Dangle the leash in front of his face, praise only if he ignores it, and tell him to get the tug. Play a 30 seconds long tug game and take the toy away. Repeat this practice 3-10 times.
It seems that your pup now understands that resisting to bite the leash will make some good things happen, and biting it will cause nothing special. But, let's test it.
Get your pup off the leash. Hold the leash in one hand and the tug toy in the other. Dangle the leash in front of his face, praise only if he ignores it, and tell him to get the tug. Play a 30 seconds long tug game and take the toy away. Repeat this practice 3-10 times.
Step 5: Go outside
Before going to the street, for the sake of enabling your pup to make that final generalization of the behavior, make sure you tried out every possible situation - stairs, the kitchen, backyard, front yard, friends house, bedroom, bathroom, whatever place comes to your mind.
Now, it's time for the FINAL TEST: Put on some clothing accessories and go outside! Take a walk in the neighborhood, and slowly start walking towards the real world. Out there, it is highly likely your pup is more interested in running around, sniffing and peeing on stuff instead of tug toy treats. As long as biting the leash is missing out, everything is fine.
In case the biting returns, you know what to do - drop the leash, take the collar, and be boring, slow and calm until it stops.
Now, it's time for the FINAL TEST: Put on some clothing accessories and go outside! Take a walk in the neighborhood, and slowly start walking towards the real world. Out there, it is highly likely your pup is more interested in running around, sniffing and peeing on stuff instead of tug toy treats. As long as biting the leash is missing out, everything is fine.
In case the biting returns, you know what to do - drop the leash, take the collar, and be boring, slow and calm until it stops.
Tips for preventing leash biting - resume
- Give your puppy as much attention as possible
- Include him in activities you have, such as running and walking around
- Take your pup on a travel vacation
- Train your dog in a step-by-step approach
- Start your training in a very simple and quiet environment gradually making it more and more complex until you accomplish generalization of the skill
- Introduce him to an awesome tug toy he will adore
- Include awesome treats in your training
- Reward and pay attention only to those behaviors you want him to implement
- And remember, if he starts biting, don't pull, but stay calm, boring and do NOTHING.
Is your pup ready? And are YOU? Share your experience!
Is your pup ready? And are YOU? Share your experience!
