Walking “nicely” on a leash can be a significant hurdle for a puppy, especially when their natural instinct is to explore the world with their mouths. Puppies, by nature, bite things; it’s simply what they do. They delight in chomping on anything their razor-sharp little teeth can grasp, particularly moving objects like hands, pant legs, or the leash itself. The leash, unfortunately, often becomes an enticing moving target. This behavior can also stem from frustration as puppies adjust to the unnatural sensation of restricted movement. They yearn to run, explore, and cause playful havoc, but this “annoying thing” around their neck holds them back. In such cases, patiently introducing proper puppy leash training may resolve the issue entirely. Addressing this common challenge requires a structured approach to guide your puppy toward better leash manners and enjoyable walks.
This article adapts a proven framework for solving common behavioral problems, specifically tailored to tackle the issue of leash-biting. By understanding the underlying reasons for this behavior and implementing consistent training, you can teach your puppy to walk calmly and happily beside you, making your outdoor adventures together much more pleasant.
The Strategy
To effectively stop your puppy from biting the lead when walking, a three-pronged approach is essential:
1. Decide What You Want Your Puppy to Actually Do
When aiming to eliminate an unwanted behavior, the first step is always to define the desired replacement behavior. In this scenario, the goal is for your puppy to ignore the leash when it’s clipped to their collar, walking politely by your side, trotting along, and engaging with their surroundings appropriately—without mouthing the lead. Your focus should be entirely on training this new, positive behavior, which will naturally diminish the old, undesirable habit.
2. Prevent the Biting From Getting Rewarded
Puppies learn through consequences. It’s possible you’ve inadvertently been rewarding the leash-biting all along. When a puppy grabs the leash, our natural impulse is often to pull it away or try to push the puppy off. For a young dog, this translates into an exciting game of tug-of-war! In their puppy minds, you’re enthusiastic teammates, working together to “tear apart” that leash like a pair of wolves with prey. This interaction, though frustrating for you, is incredibly rewarding for them, reinforcing the biting behavior. To stop this cycle, you must ensure that leash biting never results in a fun game or attention.
3. Reward the Behavior You Want
Positive reinforcement is key. Make sure that every instance of walking without biting the leash is abundantly rewarded. While treats are effective, you might find even better results using a designated tug toy. When your puppy bites the leash, they are often signaling a desire to play tug. You can teach them that walking nicely on the leash is the pathway to that desired play. A reward is anything the dog wants in that moment, and channeling their desire to tug into an acceptable outlet is powerful.
The Process
Step 1: Introduce an Acceptable Tug Toy
You don’t need or want to eliminate tugging behavior completely. Tug-of-war is a fantastic game for energetic puppies, burning off energy and strengthening your bond. The key is to establish clear rules about which objects are acceptable for play and which are not.
Acquire a long dog toy, such as a knotted rope, a fleece tug (a favorite among agility trainers), or a skinny stuffed animal. The longer the toy, the better. This is crucial for two reasons:
A) You can play tug with your puppy while walking without having to constantly bend over.
B) More toy between you and those sharp little jaws means less chance of an excited pup redirecting their grip onto your hand.
Long baboon dog toy, useful for playing tug-of-war with puppies without bending over
Teach your puppy that this specific toy is the designated object for enthusiastic play. Embrace your inner playful wolf and engage in exciting tug games. Drag the toy on the ground, encouraging chases. Get down on their level. The goal is for them to learn that playing with this toy is incredibly fun.
Introduce a new verbal cue, such as “Get it!”, which signifies permission to grab the toy. Use this cue every time they go for the toy during play, accompanied by enthusiastic praise.
Step 2: Start Training Good Leash Behavior in Your Living Room
You might wonder why we’re starting in the living room when the problem occurs on walks. This is a critical, often-missed piece of the problem-solving puzzle: you must train the dog before you introduce the problem situation.
Essentially, you are teaching your puppy a new trick. To learn any new skill, a dog needs a calm, distraction-free environment where they can focus. Once they understand the “trick” in a low-stress setting, you can gradually introduce it into more challenging, higher-stress situations. You wouldn’t introduce complex social manners to a child amidst a chaotic birthday party; similarly, you can’t expect a puppy to learn polite leash behavior in the stimulating environment of an outdoor walk without prior indoor practice.
You’ll need:
- The pup when she’s in a (relatively) calm mood.
- A leash.
- A container of really good, soft treats chopped into tiny pieces.
Hold the leash in your hand without attaching it to your puppy yet. In a calm, boring manner that won’t entice them to attack, dangle the leash about a foot in front of them (if they immediately attack, start with it further away). For as long as your puppy ignores the leash, offer praise and treats. You are rewarding the absence of biting. You can reward them for sniffing the leash, looking at it, looking away, looking at you, or even just staring into space. The key is that they are not biting it. A good video demonstration of this exercise can be very helpful.
During this first training session, ensure your puppy is successful. Set up the situation so their “kill the moving object” instincts are not triggered. This means behaving the opposite of how you would when trying to get them to play with the tug toy—remain calm, move slowly, and move the leash slowly. After three minutes, end the session and engage in a game with the tug toy.
Over the next few sessions, gradually increase the difficulty. Move the leash more, drag it on the ground, or wave it around.
If (and when) your puppy bites the leash, immediately drop it and gently hold them by the collar or harness. Stay still and be boring. Wait for them to drop the leash. Once they do, release them, praise, and treat. When you can complete a three-minute session without them going after the leash, you are ready for the next step.
Step 3: Puppy on Leash in the Living Room
Now, attach the leash to your puppy. Walk them across the room, talking excitedly or making funny noises to keep their attention. As long as they are not biting the leash, offer a treat for every step. If they bite the leash, drop it and take their collar.
Over a couple of sessions, gradually increase the number of steps between treats. When you can walk briskly in a circle around the room without your puppy biting the lead, it’s time to introduce the tug toy reward. This structured approach helps how to train a puppy not to pull in a controlled environment.
Step 4: Reward with Tug
You might wonder why we introduced the tug toy at the beginning but didn’t incorporate it into training until now. The reason is that the tug toy creates excitement and can rile your puppy up, making it harder for them to concentrate on what you’re teaching.
With the calm, treat-based training, we’ve established a fundamental understanding: walking and ignoring the leash leads to good things, while biting the leash makes good things stop. Now it’s time to put that understanding to the test by increasing the difficulty. This step helps reinforce positive behavior, which is also useful when learning how to train puppy to run with you in the future.
Start with the pup off-leash. Hold the tug toy in one hand and the leash in the other. Wave the leash in front of your puppy’s face. When they ignore it, praise them and tell them to “Get it!” with the tug toy. Play an enthusiastic but short game, about thirty seconds. Take the toy away and reset. Do three to ten repetitions, depending on your puppy’s attention span. Always stop before they get bored and wander off.
Next, puppy is on leash. Walk them in a circle around the room, then reward them with the tug toy. This stage builds on the foundation you’ve already established.
Step 5: Take It to the Streets
Before venturing to the actual streets, practice in other progressively more stimulating environments: the kitchen, the upstairs hallway, the backyard, the front yard, etc. This is all about sweet generalization, ensuring your puppy understands the rules apply everywhere. This phased approach also helps with more general how to train big dog to stop pulling on leash and managing powerful breeds like a pitbull pulling on leash.
Finally, take your training to the streets, mimicking an actual walk in your neighborhood. You are now ready to practice these exercises in the exciting real world. Depending on how intense and “bitey” your puppy is, you might need to repeat steps 1-4 here, or just step four.
Out in the world, your puppy might lose interest in treats or the tug toy, preferring to run around or sniff things. This is perfectly fine! Use their desire to run and sniff as rewards for walking without biting. As long as they don’t bite, they get to engage in these enjoyable activities. If they bite the leash, however, fun times are over. Drop the leash, hold their collar, and be boring for a while. Consistency is paramount to success.
By patiently following these steps, you can transform your challenging walks into enjoyable outings with a well-behaved companion. Remember, every puppy is unique, so adjust the pace and intensity of training to suit their individual needs and learning style. With dedication and positive reinforcement, you’ll soon enjoy peaceful walks free from leash-biting.
