# Biting when putting in leash and collar



## Bailey (Aug 15, 2007)

Hello,

I just got a new puppy, a 4-6 month mini schnauzer mixed with ??? So far he is doing very, very well with training, and adjusting to life with us except when it comes time to put on his leash or collar. He bites/growls etc. until we get the collar or leash on. Once it is on he immediately calms down and stops biting. We have been using the approach of making a noise and walking away when he bites during play (accidentally) however we feel that if we use that approach when he is trying to get us to stop putting on the leash he will be getting what he wants by biting.We are afraid that this will then encourage him to bite for other things he wants. Any advice/experience with similar issues would be great, we have been reading books, articles etc. but can't find much advice for biting beyond the noise/walk away approach.


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## Gates1026 (Mar 14, 2007)

I am not sure that this will help your specific issue, but I had a similar issue with putting on a harness. My pup didn't growl or bite, but instead loved to turn it into a game of keep away. Sje would run around playfully and bark until we caught her to put on the harness.

One day I got tired of the game when I was home from work on my lunch break. I found her favorite treat (you knoe, the one that stinks the most!) and sat on the floor after showing it to her. I wouldn't give her the treat until her head went through the harness (and boy did she try to get away with not giving in). After about 10 minutes of the initial showdown (her jumping back out of my reach) she gave in and went after the treat. 

Every time after it got a little easier until now she can't hardly wait to stuff her head through the harness to get it on.

It worked very well for me b/c my pup is extremely food motivated.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

If you'd like to see an example of Gates approach in video, click on the Jean Donaldson video in this link titled "Conditioning an Emotional Response": ABRI Videos and Podcasts


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## wolfy (Aug 9, 2007)

Try getting the puppy used to the collar and lead gradually and make it positive. Start by just having them near you, making him sit and giving him a treat a couple of times. Then start holding them while you do the sit and treat. Then just touch them to him and sit and treat etc. Just do each stage a couple of times at a time, then gradually move onto the next step.


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## Alpha (Aug 24, 2006)

Make putting his collar and leash on a game 

I did this with my parents shelter dog when my mom suffered from a permeated disc and could no longer walk this 100+lb dog without the help of a halti. (I know darn well that halti's are a band aid issue to a dog that pulls, but he's not my dog to work with, and my mother has severe pains down her neck/shoulder and arm. This is the only solution)

With a whack of yummy treats, most dogs like cut up hot dogs 

-have him sit in front of you, have the collar in your hand, and reach forward to put it on. Stop before he reacts in any way, whoop, holler, praise and jackpot!

Repeat, repeat, repeat!

Start gradually increasing the time before you reward and VARY how far you get to putting the collar on before you reward.

Ex)

1. Get halfway to his neck. X 10
2. Get a foot away from his neck X 5
3. Back to halfway to his neck
4. Touching his neck BUT NOT buckled! X 10
5. Back to a foot away
6. Touching his neck, not buckled
7. PUtting it around his neck, but not snapping X 10

And so on and so forth, EVERYTIME reward heavily and jackpot. If he growls or snarl, no reward marker, "eht eht" or "wrong" softly, wait a second, that start all over again like it never happened.

You want him to associate the collar/leash with good things. If good things means, love, praise, treats WHATEVER he LOVES! Give it to him after every step, EVERY time.

Also, make sure your never using the collar/leash for correction, aka, grabbing his collar to drag him to his crate.

Make sure that you always reward BEFORE he reacts in anyway. THe reward has GOT to be good too. When I say praise, I mean crazy, happy, loud, "YES! WAHOO! WHAT A GOOD BOY! GOOD DOG!"

In a week's time he'll be the happiest dog in the world when he sees you approaching with his collar and leash


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## Bailey (Aug 15, 2007)

Thanks so much for all the tips...


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