“My Dog Won’t Stop Biting the Leash. How Do I Make It Stop!”

It’s typical and natural for a puppy or an untrained dog to put the leash in their mouth. It takes patience to work with your dog to make walks and daily life less frustrating, and see them drop their leash. Here are points to remember as you start to convey better on-leash expectations to your young dog.

Short Walks

Young puppies don’t need long walks. You may feel that your dog has loads of energy and needs to walk it off, but a better approach is covering a much shorter distance. As your dog grows and learns to walk nicely on the leash, the walks can get longer.  For the first 8+ months of your dog’s life keep your standards high for better short walks. Enjoy less frustration!

Be Unflappable

Any attention we give our dogs reinforces whatever they’ve just done. Instead of attempting to explain or verbally scold a young dog, keep walking. Try your best to use a sweet-toned voice to get your dog moving with you if they lock up and stop. If you’re inside, calmly redirect your pup to a chew toy instead of the leash without making a big deal.

Don’t Sweat It

Puppies are prone to chewing and destroying things. Know this is true and accept it. Leashes are fair game. Keep a stash of 3 or 4 affordable leashes to swap out if one gets chewed half-through. Save the good, cute leash for your grown-up trained dog! Your leashes might start to look a little ratty or tattered. Keep using them until they’re in pieces–or your puppy stops chewing on them. Make sure they are safe to hold your dog out on a walk.

Keep Training

A puppy or a young, rambunctious dog can surely wear on our patience.  Dig deep to find the patience to train a good dog. Our dogs teach us lessons that will serve us well beyond dog training!

Puppyhood can feel long, but with full crate training as your sanity saver, a regular schedule, short walks, and keeping the leash on inside, you’re already on the route to having the best dog in your neighborhood.