How to Stop Your Dog from Biting on the Leash
86Leash training, in particular leash biting, is the most difficult problem I had to face with my Shiba Inu.
Things started innocently enough with my little Shiba Inu testing his boundaries. There are many reactive dogs in my old neighborhood so I would shorten my leash whenever dogs were passing by. This frustrated my Shiba, because he wanted to meet and smell the other dogs.
One day, he decided to redirect his frustration onto the leash.
For that, I gave him a leash correction. Rather than calming him down, the leash correction made my dog even more frustrated. He decided to fight back, bite the leash and jump on me.
I continued to do leash corrections, but my technique was poor, with insufficient force, and poor redirection. He continued to fight with much greater gusto and my neighbors came out to see the show.
I was also making things worse by getting anxious and nervous whenever my dog started his leash biting behavior. Once my dog noticed this weakness, he started practicing leash biting more and more, and our leash training sessions started going downhill quickly.
Sometimes my dog would get so wild that he would grab my jacket sleeve and start biting on that - yikes! This made me fearful of my dog which only made matters worse.
In fact, my Shiba Inu would leash bite as soon as I started to worry about leash biting. Sometimes he would even hump my leg while doing his crazy leash biting dance.
There are two key reasons why dogs start to bite on the leash - boredom and over-excitement.
1. Why Do Dogs Leash Bite - Boredom
One of the most common reasons for leash biting is boredom. Hyperactive dogs, especially puppies want to go everywhere, smell everything, and meet everyone at top speed. When they are forced to walk for long periods of time in a heel position, they get bored and may start biting or playing with the leash. I would go a little stir crazy too if forced to walk in a fixed relative position, with my head looking forward at all times, and a strict no-exploration rule.
To stop a bored dog from leash biting we simply make the walk more engaging. Some possibilities for jazzing up the walk include -
- Give our dog a job to do while walking. For example, let him carry a dog toy or a stick. This makes things more interesting for him, and also prevents him from biting on the leash.
- Do footwork training with our dog while walking. Take some short breaks during our walk to do do some fun footwork obedience commands such as Jump, Spin, or Weave. This breaks up the walk with an interesting activity and also trains the dog to attend to us when he is outside. I sometimes also do speed and direction training with my dog during our walk. I change speed or direction and get my dog to follow me.
- Play a fun game with our dog. A fun dog walking game is Find-It. I start by calling my dog's name and showing him I have a piece of food in my hand. Then I toss the food a very short distance away and say Find-It. When he finds the food, I praise him and repeat. Once he understands the game, I start making it more challenging by tossing the food farther away, or tossing it into grass or under a bush.
- Stop and smell the roses. I let my dog walk on a loose leash almost all of the time. After all, he knows where all the best smells are and I have no clue, so I let him roam about and choose where he wants to go on his walk. I only limit his freedom when we cross roads or when I see glass or other dangerous objects that I don't want him to go near.
A more interesting walk is more enjoyable for the dog, and for us as well!
2. Why Do Dogs Leash Bite - Over-Excitement
Another common reason for leash biting is excitement. Usually, this occurs when a dog sees a squirrel, cat, or another dog. Instinctually, the dog wants to chase the squirrel or cat. When the dog is prevented from chasing, all that excited energy must still go somewhere, so it frequently gets redirected onto the leash.
This was the key reason why my dog starting leash biting.
A good way to stop this type of leash biting is to stop it at the source. In particular, we want to catch it early and stop our dog from obsessing over the trigger object whether it is a squirrel, cat, dog, or something else. This is one of the reasons why some trainers suggest walking your dog in a perpetual heel position.
While forcing a dog to walk with eyes always ahead helps to discourage these over-excitement instances, it is also makes for an extremely boring walk.
Instead, I stay vigilant and redirect my dog's attention back to me as soon as I spot a squirrel or a cat. In these cases, distance is always our greatest friend. Moving our dog away from the trigger object always helps to reduce its potency. Therefore, I redirect my dogs attention onto me (by calling his name) and move him away from the trigger area.
If calling his name alone does not work, touching his body with a foot or using some food may sometimes work better.
Most of all, it is important for us to stay calm especially when our dog gets over-excited.
How to Stop Leash Biting
Some dogs get excited more quickly than others. My Shiba Inu is a very reactive dog and like a super sports car, he can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. Once a dog has crossed his over-excitement threshold, he goes into a rear-brained state where he is no longer able to listen to commands or respond to food or other rewards.
Once in such a state it is no longer possible to redirect the dog's attention away from the squirrel or cat.
When in such a situation, I find that it is best to move away briskly and bring my dog along with me. What worked out for my dog is to hold the leash close to his collar which gives me much better control. Then, I quickly take him home so that he has to focus on walking together with me rather than obsessing over a cat or biting on the leash.
Note - I only do this because my dog has good bite inhibition and will not bite my hand which is now near to his rather large teeth.
Another great way to reduce leash biting is to desensitize our dog to the triggers that get him over-excited. For example, we can do controlled desensitization training with people, other dogs, and even cats.
Once my dog realized that leash biting only ends the walk and gets him a quick trip home, he stopped leash biting. He still gets excited when he sees a moving deer, but is able to calm himself down once we move a certain distance away from temptation.
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I wonder if spraying a nylon leash with bitter (dog safe) repellent would help? I'm having the same problem from our puppy. It's mostly from over-excitement, but I also tolerated the behavior for too long and am just now starting to correct it.
Glad it helped. Hugs to Mari!
That was a good movie - a bit sad, but good! :D
This really helped...we have a shiba inu as well. Thank you!
Hello Celine,
This is what I do when my puppy bites me-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
This is what I did when potty training my puppy-
Why my 4 months toy poodle keep biting me? and how to toilet training?
how do i stop my 7 week old rottweiler pup to stop biting her leash,I NEED HELP ...NOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!D:
Hello Christina,
How awesome that you volunteer to help dogs who are in need. Four paws up!
As for the leash biting, one possibility is to use the tug-game to teach him obedience rules. For example, he can only tug when he gets the start command. And he must drop the toy when asked to. Then these 'commands' can later be used to help control his leash biting.
Another possibility is to get him interested in playing other games that do not involve tugging. My Shiba Inu also used to be obsessed with playing tug and he would carry that on to leash biting during walks. Ultimately, I just decided to stop playing tug with him, and got him interested in other games.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-play-fun-games-to-pl
Happy Holidays!
I think these are wonderful tips. I was wondering though because I volunteer at a no kill shelter and we have a six month older large terrier mix who is deaf. He has a TERRIBLE habit of leash biting and I yet started working on him with sit. But because he can not hear the sit command we use hand signals but he doesn't stop biting the leash enough to see the hand signal. Any other how to redirect. He doesn't get excited or fusturated he just wants to play tug o war.
"Did you find your Shiba Inu ever did this?"
Haha, yeah. My Shiba was a real problem child. What he did was start playing with the toy and tossing it around wildly. Then he would move on to biting the leash.
It all depends on the dog though. One thing that may help is is to train the dog with the toy at home with Take-It and Leave-It commands, and where he gets rewarded with a very structured game of tug. In this way, he is accustomed to "working" with the toy, which can be used to provide some structure as well as rewards during the walk.
I play Tug with my Sibes but not my Shiba. Shiba gets too crazy and then wants to leash bite even more.
"I feel like I dont want to keep giving him things, as it may seem like a "reward" for his behaviour."
You are right - I do not give my dog things when they are misbehaving. For example, with my Shiba, I can predict his leash biting occurrences. So I redirect him onto the toy *before* he starts to leash bite. Alternatively, I will give him a command (e.g. Sit), and if he does that, then he gets the toy.
Another possibility is to just mix things up and make the dog work by carrying the toy intermittently during the walk. But then, he should also be rewarded for carrying the toy.
In terms of the next move, that is difficult to say because it is highly dependent on the dog, why he is leash biting, and the surrounding context.
With Sephy my strategy was to try out a variety of methods until something clicked. It took a lot of tries.
"Also...do you believe in 'time outs' in the crate etc? I try this sometimes when he gets home from a bad walk - right into the crate he goes."
In general, timeouts and other 'punishments' only work when they are executed close to the target behavior. For example, when Sephy leash bites in the house, then I non-mark him (No or Ack-Ack) to tell him that it is an undesirable behavior.
Next, I give him and alternate command, e.g. Sit so that he understands what he should do instead. If he ignores me and keeps leash biting, I say Timeout and take him directly to a timeout area.
Note that the consequence comes right after the non-mark or "warning".
Sephy's timeout area is the laundry room. I don't use the crate for timeouts because the crate is a positive and safe area for my dogs where they go to relax and catch some Zzzzs.
In general we want the timeout area to be safe but very low stimulus and boring. The laundry room has no windows, and I make sure there is nothing in there to chew on, jump on, or play with. It is boring and really not very fun - which makes it a good timeout area.
Are you still working with a trainer? What is your trainer's advice?
ShibaShake..
One question for you.
I tried one of your techniques (where I make him walk with a toy) What I did was, when he started biting at the leesh, I took the small rope toy out of my poket, he got excited and took it, and started walking. Eventually he dropped the toy and kept walking (perfect!!)....Ive done this for the last few days but now I think Leo is on to me!!
This morning I was walking him and again he started biting, I gave him the toy and he took it, then dropped it and started leash biting again!! urgg.
So I stood there for a while, until he finally stopped.
Did you find your Shiba Inu ever did this?
What do you think my next move should be? Should I keep ignoring him if he wont direct his energy into something else I give him? I feel like I dont want to keep giving him things, as it may seem like a "reward" for his behaviour.
Also...do you believe in 'time outs' in the crate etc? I try this sometimes when he gets home from a bad walk - right into the crate he goes....but I swear it doesnt work lol.
Thank you Dog Lover.
Here are all of the leash biting techniques that I have tried out with my dogs -
http://shibashake.com/dog/train-your-dog-to-stop-b
I have it divided into 3 levels -
1. Bored and playful leash biter.
2. Mildly frustrated leash biter.
3. Out of control leash biter.
My Shiba Inu definitely fell into the 3rd category! :D
Sounds like your puppy is just leash biting in play, so try redirecting her excited energy into some other 'job', e.g. carrying something in her mouth, playing find-it, or footwork exercises.
P.S.- I thought your tips were WONDERFUL with a Capital W!!
These tips really helped me a lot-- I have a Schnoodle(poodle, schnauzer mix) who is 8 months, and I like to do agility with her. However, when I go to take her over the jump,she jumps, but then goes for the leash. At first, I didn't know why, but then I just realized that she was just over-excited and needed to calm down. I then told her to "drop it" and waited until she did. Then I tried again. It worked a little, but then she started up again. I have heard the stop and go method,(red light, green light), and have tried it. She responds quite well most of the time, but still ignores me from time to time. Please help me, and give me some more helpful tips! Thanks a lot!!
Hello Sharon,
In the beginning, Sephy also tried to leash bite in the house. This was what I did -
If he bites his collar or makes a fuss, I non-mark him (No or Ack, ack) and I try again. If he ignores me and continues with his bad behavior, then I take the collar and leave. This means that he does not get to go on his fun walk.
When I am free, I try again.
This teaches him that biting on collar and leash = No walking. If he wants to go on a walk, he has to Sit calmly by the door and let me put his collar and leash on without making a fuss.
Note though that some dogs are not-used-to or are fearful of a collar. In such cases, I do collar desensitization exercises first -
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/hub/Dog-Walking-Lea
As for the pulling the start-stop technique (also known as red-light, green-light technique) that Katherine mentions can work quite well. Sometimes, I also turn around and walk in the opposite direction.
Here are more detailed descriptions of the various leash training techniques -
http://shibashake.com/dog/leash-training-your-dog
As for recall training, I would do that separately, in a more quiet space, and perhaps starting with a long-lead. It may be easier to focus on the other issues first and only do off-leash work at a later time.
Hello Katherine,
Glad to hear that things are going well for your Aussie.
"How long before they usually grow out of it all together?"
I think that depends on why the dog is leash biting in the first place. Some dogs leash bite because they just want to play, others may do it to get attention.
Sephy, my Shiba was leash biting mainly from frustration. He also observed that my control of him lessened when he started leash biting, and he could get away with more. This ultimately became a reward, which only encouraged him to leash bite more.
A dog like Sephy would continue leash biting well into old age if he could. :)
I tried very many things before finding something that worked. Here are some further thoughts on leash biting and all of the techniques I tried on Sephy -
http://shibashake.com/dog/train-your-dog-to-stop-b
Hugs to Leo. He sounds like a really awesome dog.
Hi Sharon..
I feel what you are going through.
(I posted above you)
Did you recently get your dog or have you had him since he was a pup? Im wondering why hes starting now at the age of 4?? Mind you, he is still young, for a doggy.
Heres what I have been doing, and it helps with the leesh biting.
Bottom Line = A tired dog, wont have the energy to do that.
Ive started taking my dog out to the dog park in the morning (although we are lucky and there is one close to home, but you could just play some agmes of running/catch in the backyard for a bit first if youd rather) After about 30 minutes of play, thats when I take him for a quick walk.
When he is good, I reward him by telling him GOOD WALK when we get home, and he gets a treat.
If he bites the leesh, I stand in one spot, sometimes for 10 minutes while he pulls (we ghave already gone through 2 leashs) eventually he stops. But even if he does stop and walk properly, when he goes home, he doesnt get a treat. He goes in the crate for a bit.
As for the leash pulling...our trainer has us doing something thats actually working! Its annoying and it takes a lot of pateince so keep that in mind. But every time he pulls, STOP. He will most likely look back at you like "what the heck are you doing?!" make him come walk back toward you, when he does come to YOU...say "good boy" and keep walking with him. This will happen several times over a few weeks, so get ready for some longer walks...but eventually they get it!
Now when Leo (my dog) pulls, I stop and he knows to come back to me and we walk TOGETHER.
I know how you feel though. Its frustrating! And annoying, and embarassing as you stand there and have neighbors watch your leash war :S
help!! i have a 4 year old male cavalier king charles spaniel! and he is getting worse regards collar and leash biting , takes me upto 20mins just to get the collar on him, then next is the leash, bites it , holds it in mouth , wont release , if does he will then go for my other dogs leash whilst she sits there patiently watching this circus, he also screeches that point that neighbours come out to see what is happening, then when we are over this charade, he drags me all way down the street, he used to calm down eventually but now its the whole walk....i let him off the leash when on the river bank and no one is around and he has started also to ignore my recall!!! please help x
Great to see that someone else has gone through what I am going through with my 7 month old Austrailian Shepherd! He is biting less and less frequently now...but still has the hyper leesh biting thing going from time to time.
I usually do the "stand in one spot and ignore" thing. It seems to work, but only after a few minutes when he realizes he wants to keep walking.
He has a tendancy to come bite my jacket if I try to wrap the leash!...but thankfully wont even try to bite my hand etc.
Its a work in progress.
How long before they usually grow out of it all together? I am hoping another month he will be done! lol
Those are some great tips!
That is a great idea!
I was thinking of using a metal leash at one point, but I did not want my dog to accidentally hurt himself. What you suggest is much better.
Big hugs to your girl.
My 1-year old beagle was a leash biter and bit through a leash once while we were walking and got free. She ran into the road with cars and luckily I was able to catch her before something terrible happened. Until I could get the leash biting under control, I bought a piece of tubing at the hardware store, cut a slit down it, put it on the first foot of her leash and wrapped a few pieces of tape around it so it didn't pop off. Even though she would still turn around to bite at times, the tubing didn't allow her to break the leash. Thankfully, she no longer bites her leash (seems to have grown out of it), and we can enjoy our walks again.
shibashake Hub Author 2 months ago
Hello Hilary,
Spraying with Bitter Apple or other taste deterrents may help. It depends on the dog, and on the intensity of the behavior.
I tried Bitter Apple with Shiba Sephy, but it had no effect on his leash biting. He was very intense about it though, and was doing it more out of redirected frustration rather than play.
Here are some of the other things I tried with Sephy-
http://shibashake.com/dog/train-your-dog-to-stop-b
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.