TRAINING TIP TUESDAY: Dogs who bite and chew through the leash arent trying to dominate you - theyre frustrated by restraint! I see it all too often. A family gets a new puppy and as soon as the vet clears them for outings, they snap on the leash and go for a walk. The puppy, excited to explore the new environment, runs ahead, only to be repeatedly restricted by sudden pressure around his neck. All dogs differ in their response to this, but some dogs will direct their frustration to the leash, sometimes chewing through it in a matter of seconds. There are a lot of tips for how to dissuade this and Ive used about all of them. Everything from a sharp jerk of the leash (back in my olden days of balanced training methods), spraying the leash with foul-tasting liquids, ending walks as negative punishment, to the double-leash method (dropping the leash the dog is biting while holding the second leash). Heres the problem with all of these methods: None of them address the cause of the biting - a low tolerance for frustration. Adding some form of aversive or punishment does not relieve the dogs frustration...most of the time it just makes it worse. So, what do you do when you have a dog who bites at the leash, taking all the fun out of your daily walks? First, lets do some leash training. I dont mean go-for-a-walk-training, I mean, we need to re-introduce the leash to the dog. The steps you take will vary with your dog, but lets say your dog starts jumping and biting at the leash the second you pick it up. Well start by asking your dog to sit. Then, you will click/treat for your dog holding the sit as you move through the following steps: 1. Reach toward the leash (which should be on a table or counter, visible to your dog) 2. Touch the leash 3. Grasp the leash 4. Lift the leash off the table 5. Grab the leash clasp 6. Move the clasp an inch or two toward your dog 7-10. Inch-by-inch, move the clasp closer to your dog, clicking/rewarding for holding the sit every time your behavior changes (leash moves closer) 11. Touch the clasp to dogs collar 12. Touch the clasp to leash ring 13. Secure the clasp to leash ring This may take one training session, or it may take 13, depending on your dog. Now that your dog can sit without biting the leash, take a step or two (forward, backward, sideways, I dont care). Does your dog follow you without biting on the leash? Click/treat. Repeat, adding multiple steps, walking through the house, into the backyard, maybe even walking from your back door to the front door. The next step is to take a break from regular walks - yes, I said no regular walks. Instead, you will spend the next two weeks training your dog how to walk on a leash. There are many great resources online for good leash manners, but my favorite is this series by Helix Fairweather (be sure to watch parts 2 and 3): https://youtube/watch?v=CSmOOcELgxU In my experience, two weeks of training can make a tremendous difference in a dogs leash manners. Dont worry, training burns energy, so your dog will still be tired at the end of the session, and two weeks of not walking will not be detrimental to your dogs health...but a lifetime of straining on the leash or possibly chewing through the leash will! The solution to leash biting is, like any problem behavior, to teach your dog to do another behavior in that situation. When your dog has a clear picture of what you want - and finds that behavior highly rewarding - it will reduce his frustration and get you the behavior you want much faster. This is also effective for the dog who has learned that grabbing the leash leads to a game of tug, but if tug is his ultimate goal, you can very quickly replace the treats with a tug toy in your pocket as a reward for good leash manners! If you have no choice but to take your dog out on-leash because you dont have a yard, I recommend using a choke chain...not on the neck, but as an extension of your dogs leash. A clip attached to one end of the chain can be clipped to your dogs collar, with your leash attached to the other end of the chain. It will prevent your dog from chewing through the leash. HOWEVER this is not a quick fix or a substitute for training. Only training will resolve the problem. Otherwise, he may find other ways to channel his his frustration that you will find equally as unpleasant! (Note: Cooper, the dog in the photo, never chewed his leashes, he just liked to carry them while he walked. He was a special boy who is missed tremendously by all who knew him)
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:30:01 +0000
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