Mary Gee Batatin

How to Stop Dog From Biting its Leash Our four legged buddies, depending on a breed’s temperament naturally are outgoing animals. Sometimes when you take your dog out for a walk he gets too excited that it will chew and tug on its leash. You’ll sometimes think that it’s funny that your dog is too hyper and playful but you’d still prefer it if your dog would act like a more civilized dog, like walking along your side nicely and peeing on the bushes like the other dogs. Chewing, biting and tugging is one of the things that our furry friends do to release their excess energy or their built-up stress. Excited dogs will bite on their leash since it becomes like a portable tug toy for them. Dogs that have a lot of energy and have a hard time soothing themselves often exhibits this kind of behavior, it can also probably an inborn habit like any other dog. There are various reasons why your dog bite, chew and pulls on their leashes with their teeth. Now let’s see what those reasons are and look for some strategies to put a stop to this kind of behavior. Reasons for the Behavior We all know that dogs act like a human kid and like most kids when brought outside the house all their cooped up energy pops out by getting overly excited and by running from here to there but in the dog's case the released energy results to the constant tugging and biting on the leash. Below are some of the reasons why your dog shows this kind of behavior; Your dog may be bored and needs to be entertained. The lack of activity may cause your dog to be frustrated and thus the result of the biting and chewing. The chewing of the leash may be their way to get attention from you. Your dog may be over-aroused and for them to release the tension they choose to bite on their leash. The more your dog gets wound up the more he’ll bite his leash. There are some dogs that prefer carrying something in their mouth and the leash serves as a sort of pacifier for them. 5 Strategies to Stop the Biting Behavior There are a lot of ways to stop your dog from biting its leash and here are some of my favorites that have successfully helped dog owners to put an end to their dog’s unwanted leash biting. 1. Do not Encourage the Behavior It's possible that you have accidentally rewarded your dog’s biting all this time. Like when your dog grabbed on the leash and your natural instinct was to try and pull the leash away or by pushing your dog off of it. In the dog’s mind, he is thinking that you are already playing an exciting tug of war with him. So, instead of pulling on the leash while your dog is still biting on it. Try giving it an alternative stuff to chew on like a stick or a doggy toy so that he’ll release the leash. You may reward him with a treat for letting go. 2. Bring Long Toys During a Walk For a way to stop your dog from biting its leash, bring along a dog toy that is long enough for you and your dog to play a tug of war with while walking. The longer the toy is the better because it will prevent you from bending down and also prevents your dog from accidentally biting you. 3. Reward your Dog for Every Good Behavior Every time your dog behaves nicely during a walk or even inside the house reward him with a treat. Here are ways when you’ll reward your dog with a treat; When he gets a hold of his leash hold on to his collar and stay still until he lets go of it. Give him a treat after he lets go. When he walks without biting then reward him with a treat. If you are training your dog and every time he does something that you wanted him to do then give him his reward. If your dog gets nuts when you hold onto his leash on the wall then try teaching him how to behave when it is time for a walk. If he behaves well when putting on his leash or when getting his leash then give him a reward. Teach him not to bite on his leash by holding a tug toy on one hand and the leash on the other. Give him a treat if you show both things to him and ignores the leash. There are still different ways of how you’ll reward your dog for every good behavior he does and mentioned above are just some of it. Teaching your dog and giving treats not only entertains you but also motivates your dog to follow your command and changes the bad habits with good ones. 4. Play Games During a Walk Outside To prevent your dog from getting bored play a short session of an exciting game with him, like the “Find it” game. Here’s how to play it; Try calling his name first, give him a reward if he gives his attention to you. Put a treat on your hand, show it to your dog and say “Find it!” and then throw it a short distance away. After finding the treat, praise him for being a good boy and then repeat the game. Not only will the game revert your dog’s attention from his leash but it will also help him release his excess energy and keep him entertained. 5. Walk with a Loose Leash The loose leash doesn’t mean removing his leash by his collar but it means to say to have a longer leash where your dog has the freedom to smell the trees or flowers, to pee or poop and to give him a wider range that he can walk to. Only shorten the leash if there are cats, other dogs, and people around to prevent him from getting excited that may cause him to bite, jump, or fight with the others. This article will give you an idea on how to stop your dog from leash biting you may follow all the things that are listed here or you can also create your own ways on how to stop the biting. Stopping your dog from its bad habits and teaching good ones will take a lot of patience and time but worth it. Your dog might lose interest in tug toys and treats but don’t worry you can run and let your dog sniff at stuff as long as he doesn’t bite on the leash. But if he does after a long walk then its time to go home.