For the past month now my part Border Collie and part Golden Retriever (5 month old) puppy, won’t stop jumping for her leash and tugging at it whenever I take her for a walk to go to the park so she can run and get out her energy.
Why is she doing this?
How do I make her stop?
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She’s doing it because she’s a puppy! Retrievers tend to be particularly naughty in this regard as they are bred to use their mouths.
She’s also more motivated to chew right now because she is either in the process of (or about to be) losing her puppy teeth and getting her adult teeth. She is going to be a CHEWING MACHINE for the next 6 weeks or so.
There are a few ways around this leash issue though:
-Give her something to carry. No need to get fancy, even a stick will work. Often works with retrieving breeds and their mixes.
-Use the lead like a show handler would, keeping it taught and straight up from the back of her neck. She can’t reach it there.
-Switch to a metal leash for a time. Biting metal is not fun!
-When you see her starting to get restless, break into a little jog. Often works!
-If she knows the Down command, put her in a Down every time she goes for the leash. This broke my pup of the leash-biting game in about 2 days. She hated it because it stopped the walk!
Someone will probably recommend soaking the leash in a bitter spray, but I’ve never met a dog deterred by bitter spray. 😉
Hang in there!
Source(s): mb
That’s a common behavior seen in pups, but it can be stopped – it just takes some time and practice.
– Keep the lead as short as possible on walks to ensure that the dog can’t run ahead of you, but rather stays by your side. This way, you are dominant over them and are asserting yourself as the boss or ‘pack leader’, because dogs live in packs in the wild – it’s vital that the dog knows this, otherwise it can result in behavioral problems such as continuing to pull in the future or being excessively aggressive and snappy.
– Only walk when the dog is calm and relaxed. If they start to pull at any point, stop walking or if possible, turn and start walking in the opposite direction. The reason that dogs pull is because doing so makes you move forwards, giving them the reward of going further. If they are rewarded for any type of behavior, they then will perform the behavior again to get the reward again. If you stop, they learn that walking nicely is the way to go and that pulling won’t get them anywhere.
– Ensure you take her for lots of walks and play with her regularly, as border collies (particularly) and golden retrievers as breeds are both active breeds of dog. If not exercised enough, they can end up releasing their pent up energy by pulling on the lead or engaging in destructive behaviors – in the past, owners have come home to find bedding torn to shreds, furniture all chewed up and wall surfaces scratched.
Source(s): Personal experience
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dealing-with-a-leash-…
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She’s young, and very energetic. It means your dog wants to run And run and run. It’ll go away eventually!