# Dog going crazy on walks, trying to bite at leash



## nrflower (Jan 18, 2013)

Hello everyone!

I'm a brand new forum member and my wife and own our first puppy (Marlow). She's a rescue pup, about 7 months old now. We think she's a mix of lab and rhodesian ridgeback. She's got a good bit of energy and I try to get her about 45-60 minutes of exercise a day, most days a week. 

She's getting somewhat better at not pulling on the leash so much but we still have great difficulty with her freakout episodes. We'll be walking along and she'll get the idea all of a sudden to bark and bite at her leash. She appears to be wanting to play but this is very very annoying when we're just trying to walk from point A to B. 

Things I've tried to make her stop:
1. Yell - Doesn't work
2. Hold down on ground and yell - doesn't work
3. Have her sit, talk calmly and sweetly - works for a second then she goes nuts
4. Ignore - nope

I'm stuck and really need a solution. I've been reading here about "being a tree." I tried that today. I took her off leash so she wouldn't be reinforced by biting it and stood still, back turned to Marlow. This seemed to work after about 15 long minutes. She tried very hard to get my attention by barking and changing her position to make eye contact with me but I kept turning to ignore her. This worked for a bit but then she was back at it! This is also a problem because I can't really remove her from her leash around my apartment near busy streets. 

Any guidance will be abundantly appreciated!

Nick


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

can you hold the leash up high a tight so she cant bite it then let go as soon as she stops trying? no yelling no frustration, just stop, calmly without a word, string up high a tight, the second she stops trying to grab the leash carry on as normal, we have a dog like this at my work, I do this and I am the only one that can walk her..like she will be biting and yanking and being spazzy for some one and I can walk over take the leash and she instantly stops and walks normal(pisses people off lol). I would see what others say first though, that dog is an extreme case and I havent actually seen your dog, she may not be nearly as spastic.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

Unfortunetly your previous approach added to the situation creating more stress and excitment so you will have to work through the extra length of time for the episodes. I usually just do the stand still ignore when a dog/pup does it the first time and only walk on when they are calm. It has solved the situation really quickly in the first few moments before the behavior developed. you can let the pup drag the lead to get use to the feeling of it, even during a game of ball play if you have a fenced in yard or in the house. Short leash sessions in the house couple of steps and then done with rewards for focusing on you since you wont be going for or too fast.


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

Read the "Loose Leash Walking Using Positive Reinforcers" sticky at the top of this forum. Start by practicing inside your house and then outside after he gets it. Dogs don't generalize well. A dog knowing how to sit in you living room doesn't necessarily know how to sit outside, you may need to teach it from scratch. Add a squirrel running by and you may need to work on it from the beginning again etc..

Go to training classes. Find one that uses food and toys to motivate dogs. Look up "kikopup" on YouTube, she is a fabulous trainer with hundreds of how to videos on dog training. The biggest benefit to knowing how to train in a fun manner is being able to communicate what you want to your dog and building a strong relationship at the same time.

Also, your dog is 7 months old. This is the time of doggy adolescence. He is testing his limits and will settle down over the next year as he learns the daily routine.

Good luck.


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## nrflower (Jan 18, 2013)

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I have to keep reminding myself, as was said, that she is still very young and that some of this will get better simply as she gets older. 

I will work to keep ignoring her leash walking freakouts and not reinforce it by giving her any attention. I'll also likely, although reluctantly, sign up for classes. She's really a pretty good dog. Our _only problem are the leash freakout episodes but they are significant enough for us to want get help for it. 

Thanks again everyone._


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

Interview your trainers, and go to one of their classes (without the pup) so you can see what the trainer and their classes is all about and then decided if that is where you want to go with your pup . I use training classes as a new level of stimulas, distraction for my guys who already know and perform the skills that they will be doing in class. And it still gets me to get a trainer that will let me know I need to give corrections to my dog which I (ignore). For you to take your pup to classes you need to feel right about it so the dog is clam and relaxed about it too.


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## EagleRiverDee (Mar 14, 2011)

I had a dog that used to go nuts and try to rip his haltee off, which is a similar behavioral issue. The trainer I worked with told me to give a sharp jerk to the leash and say in a firm voice, "wrong!". It took a few times, but that worked.


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