Hi everyone, I’m reaching out because I’m having a bit of trouble with my 4-month-old Malinois.
When I take her for a walk on the lead, she jumps up at me, grabs my clothes and tears them. It clearly isn’t just play; she’s almost aggressive and the walks are becoming a nightmare.
Of course, I always take her to nature reserves, dog parks and the woods (where I let her off the lead and she hardly ever does it), but I have to walk her to get to the places where she can run free, and it’s these stretches (especially on the way there) that are the issue.
I’ve tried saying a firm "No" while giving the lead a tug, and I’ve tried ignoring her and turning my back, but nothing seems to work. I’m starting to lose my patience—she ruins about one T-shirt every single walk!
What would you suggest? :)
Translated from French
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Hi, in my opinion it’s the excitement of the walk and the prospect of being let off the lead that's making her act like that. Does she jump up at you when you pick up the lead?
No, it’s only once we’re outside
As soon as she starts this unwanted behaviour, stop and don't move off again until she's calm. Give her some praise, like "good girl, calm"
Your puppy is only 4 months old and you say you’ve already tried several methods; that might be where the problem lies. For the dog to understand, you need to pick one approach and stick to it! If you change every week, you won't get any results. With an overexcited puppy, I’d try to block him by keeping the lead short and low to stop him jumping up. Combine this with "settle" breaks. But you also need to work on the "settle" beforehand at home so the puppy understands. Most importantly, always do the same thing and use the same commands! And never forget to reward the puppy when they show good behaviour!! Use treats, a bit of fuss, or play (though obviously don't use play as a reward when you’re asking the pup to stay calm).
Thanks for your reply, I’ll give it a go.
Once you've worked on her heelwork, things will go much more smoothly. In the meantime (since she's very young), vary your walking pace – run, slow down, and keep her guessing so she focuses more on what you're about to do next.
Unfortunately, when I run with her on the lead, it's even worse; she jumps up at me and tugs at my clothes every single time (and sometimes she even nips me).
Hi, I reckon it’s just the excitement of the walk and the prospect of being let off the lead that’s making her behave that way. Does she jump up at you when you grab the lead?
No, it only happens when we're outside.
Your puppy is only 4 months old and you say you've already tried several methods; that might be where the problem lies.
For the dog to understand, you need to pick a method and stick with it! If you change things up every week, you won't see any results.
With an over-excited little puppy, I’d try to keep them in check by holding the lead short and low to stop them from jumping up. Combine this with some "settle down" breaks. However, you also need to work on this "settling" beforehand at home so that the puppy understands. But above all, always do the same thing and use the same commands! And never forget to reward them when they behave well!! Use treats, a fuss, or play (though obviously don't use play as a reward when you're asking the puppy to stay calm).
I met someone today who used to be a dog trainer. She had two dogs and I had mine.
When the three of them started getting a bit worked up, but not in a good way, she scattered three little piles of dry food in the grass. It calms the dogs down and gets them using their noses and their brains...
Do you usually feed yours before or after walks?
Once you’ve put some work into walking to heel, things will go much better.
In the meantime (since she’s still very young), try varying your pace—jog a bit, slow right down, and keep her guessing so she starts focusing more on what you’re going to do next.
