So, basically, while we're out on walks, my 4-month-old puppy won't stop biting his lead, and when I tell him off, he jumps up at me and starts biting my clothes. I've had a look online to find out why he's doing it and what to do, and most people were saying there's no point scolding him, you just have to ignore him and then praise him when he lets go of the lead. However, when I try to ignore him, he couldn't care less; he just carries on biting the lead and then does exactly what he does when I tell him off (jumping up and biting my clothes). I'm really at my wit's end; walks have become a bit of a nightmare for me. I'm really hoping to find a solution to this, so thanks in advance! 😌
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@Candicexsiriusxorion you should start your own thread to get more replies. Biting you and the lead can be a sign of over-excitement or frustration that hasn't been managed well. You should work on these things at other times when your puppy is in a more receptive mood. For example, at the end of a walk, after he's had a play with his mates. Once he's burnt off some energy, he'll be more focused. Then you can try some exercises to help him learn a bit of self-control. Have a look on Google for "puppy impulse control exercises" and you’ll find loads of examples and videos; you can pick the ones that suit you. It’s not a magic fix and it takes time, but I think it could really help you and help your pup learn to handle himself better.
OK, I'll watch the videos and show them to my mum. I have another problem though – where we are, there are only adult dogs and no puppies his age, so he gets scared of them every time. It's making socialisation quite hard.
My pup was scared of other dogs at the start too. To help him get over it, I'd crouch down and stroke him while also stroking the other dog to show him that they were friendly. It didn't work the first time, but my pup still realised that the other dog wasn't going to hurt him. The second time, after about two minutes, they started playing. After that, he got his confidence up and started approaching every dog like "you're my best mate". It worked for mine, so you could give it a go. Ideally, the other owner needs to be friendly and have a bit of time to spare so you can show your puppy that making friends is a good thing. I was really lucky, to be honest; the first two dogs we met were lovely and so were their owners. I actually think adults are much better for socialising a puppy. Puppies just go mad with each other, whereas an adult dog will give them much more structure and boundaries. One of my dog's mates is a 5-year-old ***** who’s a bit of a grump, and I love watching them! She doesn't let him get away with anything and growls at him constantly – it's brilliant! My big goof respects her, and it's teaching him how to behave.
We're trying to do that, but he barks at every dog he sees, which makes the other dogs start barking back, and then that just scares him.
@Candicexsiriusxorion you should start your own thread to get more replies. Biting the lead and nipping you can be a sign of over-excitement or frustration that isn't being managed well. You should work on these things at other times when the pup is more receptive. At the end of a walk, or after a play session with his mates. Once he's let off some steam, he'll be more focused. Then you can do a few exercises to teach him better self-control. Have a look on Google for 'puppy self-control exercises' and you'll find loads of examples and videos; you can just pick the ones you like. It's not magic and it takes time, but I think it could really help you and help your puppy learn to settle better.
ok I'll watch the videos and show my mum. I have another problem though, where we are at the moment there are only adult dogs and no puppies his age, so he gets scared of other dogs every time. It makes socialisation quite difficult.
My puppy was also scared of other dogs at the very beginning. To get him over his fear, I used to crouch down and stroke him while also stroking the other dog to show him that they were friendly.
It didn't work the first time, but my pup still realised that the other dog wasn't going to hurt him. The second time, after two minutes, they were playing together. After that, he really found his confidence and would go up to every dog as if to say "you're my best mate".
It worked for mine so you could try the same thing. It’s best if the other dog’s owner is friendly and has a bit of time so you can show your pup that making friends is a good thing.
I have to say I was very lucky, the first two dogs we met were lovely and so were their owners.
And I actually think adults are much better for socialising a puppy. Puppies just mucking about together can be chaos, whereas an adult dog will give them much better boundaries.
One of my dog's mates is a 5-year-old girl who grumbles a lot and I love watching them! She doesn't let him get away with anything, she's constantly growling at him and it's brilliant! My big goof respects her and it's teaching him how to behave.
Holding the lead vertically just means holding it straight up, above the dog's head. The dog has much less power that way than if they manage to pull forward. As for being a statue, it's just about staying still and looking into the distance, but definitely not at the dog. You can still move your lead or get out of the way if they bite, though. Looking away and ignoring the puppy should eventually make them wonder what's going on and help them settle down.
Oh, I see! I thought it was a brand of lead, thanks for letting me know ^^ I'll try that next time. I must admit I wasn't holding it vertically, just the normal way ^^'
The vertical lead technique just involves holding the lead straight up, directly above the dog's head.
The dog has much less leverage this way than if they manage to lunge or pull forward.
As for 'playing the statue', it just means staying completely still and looking off into the distance—whatever you do, don't look at the dog. You can still move the lead or pull yourself away if they start nipping, though.
Looking away and ignoring the pup should eventually make them wonder what's going on, which helps them settle down.
How is he meant to bite you if you're holding him on a short, vertical lead?? Even as a "statue", you can still move your left arm to control the jumping with the lead (vertical and short—nice and loose while walking, but restrictive if he goes for you, honestly!)
sorry but I didn't know what a vertical lead was, my mum got a training lead
How is he supposed to bite you if you’re holding him on a short, vertical lead?? The "statue" can still move their left arm to manage any lunging using the lead (keep it vertical and short—loose while walking, but restrictive if he tries to go for you, honestly!).
sorry but I didn't know what a vertical lead was, my mum bought a training lead.
How do you expect him to bite you if you’re holding him on a short, vertical lead?? The 'statue' can still move their left arm to control any lunging using the lead (keep it vertical and short, nice and loose when walking, but restrictive if he tries to go for you, honestly!)
No need to stress, his behaviour is perfectly normal for his age. You just need to take the time to stop whenever he’s playing up. If you stand still and look straight ahead, they always end up behaving eventually (even if you only manage to walk another 3 metres before your next stop as soon as he starts pulling...)
Right, so if I’ve got this right, I need to stand like a statue while he’s biting me? And he’ll eventually stop, even if it takes ages, like 15 minutes?
There’s no need to stress, his behaviour is perfectly normal for his age. You just have to take the time to stop whenever he’s playing up. If you stand completely still and just look straight ahead, they always settle down eventually—even if you only manage to get another couple of yards further before your next stop as soon as he starts pulling again...
The lead must be held vertically, not at an angle. That’s the number one rule for using a lead properly. You have to stand like a statue as soon as he starts playing up, until he realises that if he wants to carry on with the walk, he has to get into the right position.
Fair enough, but to be honest, the problem is it really stresses me out when he does that, so I find it hard to just be a statue. I’ll give it another go next time though ^^
