Leash Training Help!! :/
My question is this, what do you do when your puppy growls on a leash?
Last night was the first time, and only time thus far, that he has growled, but it really surprised me.
-Firstly, he was jumping up and down, pulling on the leash, and biting the leash, which he has done before. Do you think this is him playing with the leash or him trying to get me to give in to his demands of where he wants to go? Like a dominance issue.
-Secondly, when he was doing this last night, why did he growl? Was he playing or was he angry that he wasn't getting his way? And how do I stop the jumping and the growling? Or is this just completely normal for a puppy. (Toki is 10 weeks old, becoming more and more playful everyday). Last night I thought of a scenario in my head that if he was bigger, things wouldn't go as easy as they are now with him being so little.
Normally when he jumps around at the end of the leash, I just hold the leash and turn around, ignoring him. After he barks/whimpers/jumps/pulls/bites leash/ect..., he eventually stops and *hopefully* realizes his attempts are futile. But when he growled last night while doing all this, I guess it sorta raised flags. I don't want him to think this is okay, because what if this happens when he is an 80lb full grown, growling adult...not cool. I want to correct this while he is at a manageable size before he gets big. Or is this just a puppy phase thing?
Having that said though, Toki, I think, sorta gets the concept of walking on a leash. However, when he cooperates, I wouldn't doubt that him walking next to me is actually just me taking advantage of him being a puppy and wanting to be near me, but still, I think it helps him understand what is expected of him. Though, being a 10 weeks old puppy and only having him for a week and a half, I expect distractions and no big leaps of obedience.
I guess though, I must say, I haven't done the leash training where you let them walk around the house with the leash on, but I have given him some control outside, just following him around. Half the time, when I try to take control, he obeys, and the other half of the time, he wants to do his own thing, like try to eat dirt that I forbid him to eat because we live in an apartment complex. He really does have a one tracked mind, haha. But maybe I am giving him mixed signals? Am I expecting too much of him too soon? All other areas of obedience/house training are coming along smoothly, except the leash thing, which has seemed to digress in the last few days.
Any leash training help/advice/answers to my questions are definitely more than welcome!
It would be helpful to know how yall leash trained your doggies as well.
Last night was the first time, and only time thus far, that he has growled, but it really surprised me.
-Firstly, he was jumping up and down, pulling on the leash, and biting the leash, which he has done before. Do you think this is him playing with the leash or him trying to get me to give in to his demands of where he wants to go? Like a dominance issue.
-Secondly, when he was doing this last night, why did he growl? Was he playing or was he angry that he wasn't getting his way? And how do I stop the jumping and the growling? Or is this just completely normal for a puppy. (Toki is 10 weeks old, becoming more and more playful everyday). Last night I thought of a scenario in my head that if he was bigger, things wouldn't go as easy as they are now with him being so little.
Normally when he jumps around at the end of the leash, I just hold the leash and turn around, ignoring him. After he barks/whimpers/jumps/pulls/bites leash/ect..., he eventually stops and *hopefully* realizes his attempts are futile. But when he growled last night while doing all this, I guess it sorta raised flags. I don't want him to think this is okay, because what if this happens when he is an 80lb full grown, growling adult...not cool. I want to correct this while he is at a manageable size before he gets big. Or is this just a puppy phase thing?
Having that said though, Toki, I think, sorta gets the concept of walking on a leash. However, when he cooperates, I wouldn't doubt that him walking next to me is actually just me taking advantage of him being a puppy and wanting to be near me, but still, I think it helps him understand what is expected of him. Though, being a 10 weeks old puppy and only having him for a week and a half, I expect distractions and no big leaps of obedience.
I guess though, I must say, I haven't done the leash training where you let them walk around the house with the leash on, but I have given him some control outside, just following him around. Half the time, when I try to take control, he obeys, and the other half of the time, he wants to do his own thing, like try to eat dirt that I forbid him to eat because we live in an apartment complex. He really does have a one tracked mind, haha. But maybe I am giving him mixed signals? Am I expecting too much of him too soon? All other areas of obedience/house training are coming along smoothly, except the leash thing, which has seemed to digress in the last few days.
Any leash training help/advice/answers to my questions are definitely more than welcome!
It would be helpful to know how yall leash trained your doggies as well.
Comments
Check out this thread on the Shiba Forum that talks about the reasons dogs growl and why it is a good thing:
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/8309/thank-you-for-growling/p1
As for the leash training, it does take time for them to get it. Just remember that they are not born knowing how to walk on a leash. Just be consistent with him and make walking a very positive experience. Something that helped me was a wooden spoon with peanut butter. This way, it was very easy to reward when the dog was doing something I liked.
I'm going to agree with @sunyata, it's hard to tell why he was growling without us being there and witnessing what had happened. There are a number of reasons a dog could growl at the end of the lead from playful to frustrated.
With London (my malamute), he was very unsocialized to the lead as a puppy - he never knew what a collar or a leash was for the first 16 weeks of his life and he was VERY stubborn about walking on the leash if I was holding it. He'd often flop over and refuse to move or scream if I tried to urge him up. What I did was get a LOT of "smelly treats" and connect the leash and collar and just take him for walks while trying to teach him the "follow" commands and lure him along with treats. We did this for a couple weeks until he wasn't so "offended" when I grabbed the leash to walk him.
From there, I really never had problems with him pulling. Sometimes he'll get tense on the lead or frustrated if I don't let him greet a person or if he sees a large dog, but he seems to respect the "tension" on the leash and doesn't really try to yank me anywhere if I don't allow it. I'll have him sit if he is really stubborn about it and give him a treat if he can ignore whatever's making him act that way.
Holy shit, I got dragged all over the picnic. I'm 6'0" and 210lbs and it was like I was 5'0" and a 100lbs. The owner came back, giggled, and explain that the male does this all the time. My point here, is that you need to establish yourself as the master now during the early stages of your relationship with Toki.
When I got Kaeda, I tried all sorts of leashes and collars. In the end, I settled on two types. I use a simple choker chain for most of my daily walking. For long hikes and/or being in the boat, I use a harness. When we would walk, I would use the start stop method. I found that Kaeda hates to be exactly at my side, but if she walks just slightly infront and to my left all is well. (Talking like 6" in front of me). So when we started doing this, there was a lot of stopping. If she pulled, I would stop. If we made it a certain distance, I would give her a treat. The biggest failure for me, was using one of those limited slip collars. Kaeda would pull so hard and then her fur wouldn't let it release. In the end the chain was a life saver, I went with one that had slightly larger loops and I can safely say that the chain rarely is ever tight during walks.
Just remember that these dogs can be really stubborn. However they do learn quickly. So do not be surprised if he doesn't progress at first but then he quickly learns things. I would also try leash training in the house.
If you do go with something other than a chain, please practice a little with the chain. I think Jim mentioned wanting to have Toki in a show at one point and Chains are a must.
You are very right about establishing myself as the master, as I am 5'3'' and small, so I am very aware that I need to earn the respect of my dog before he gets big. I really appreciate the input!
@Crispy I just took Toki outside to potty/walk with some peanut putter and a spoon and had some mild success, but eventually he lost interest in the PB outside. Too many distractions. Then did the leash inside thing and had him follow me around everywhere with the PB and "follow" command. yay! Hopefully he will soon put two and two together :P
@sunyata very good read! I really enjoyed this and def puts a different perspective on growling that I had never thought of. I am so glad I read this while he is still very young and will def going to have my boyfriend read this article tonight
I guess I just need to push more with the positive experience for Toki.
thanks everyone!
Ignore him and any whining, barking or jumping that may go along with it.
"Firstly, he was jumping up and down, pulling on the leash, and biting the leash, which he has done before. Do you think this is him playing with the leash or him trying to get me to give in to his demands of where he wants to go? Like a dominance issue. "
Depending on HOW he is going about doing those things he is either playing or fighting (resisting) the leash. No, I do not believe this to be a "dominance issue"...he is a PUPPY, lol! Granted though that puppies do test their boundaries and can be demanding but in this situation...I think not. It sounds like he just needs to start getting use to wearing a leash first, lol. =]
Is he food or toy motivated? Perhaps you can get him to focus on a toy and chase that rather then biting the leash. As for the food...work some obedience on lead such as rewarding him for not jumping. I'd start rewarding with all four feet on the ground first. Then you can work on a formal sit afterwards, if you wish.
"Secondly, when he was doing this last night, why did he growl? Was he playing or was he angry that he wasn't getting his way? And how do I stop the jumping and the growling? Or is this just completely normal for a puppy. (Toki is 10 weeks old, becoming more and more playful everyday). Last night I thought of a scenario in my head that if he was bigger, things wouldn't go as easy as they are now with him being so little.".
I have no clue why he growled, could have been anything. He could have growled because he was angry, playful, happy or scared -shrugs-. A good rule to remember is to give attention to desirable behaviors and ignore undesirable behaviors. This includes corrections...sometimes it is best not to correct as this can also reinforce unwanted behaviors. So I would just ignore his jumping and growling for now. He is a puppy, it's perfectly normal...especially the jumping! The growling varies...you'll need to watch him and see if you can figure out why he growls.
As for him being easy now and not so much later...obedience, obedience, obedience! It most certainly helps teaching them behaviors (sit, down, stay, walk and so forth) now. Make it a fun game so as an adult he will just automatically perform the given command not because he is "listening" to you but more so as a "reaction" (operant conditioning).
Have fun with your puppy and build a good relationship with him. If you do this now...you shouldn't have too much trouble with him as an adult! Keep playing and working with your pup.
*** By the way, as for the slip lead/collar...do not use one until he learns how to properly walk. Otherwise he will just choke himself out. ***
I suggest using the "start over back to the beginning" tactic if he pulls.