Why Put Your Dog On a Leash?

As a responsible pet owner you should never allow your dog to run free, or even be off leash while you walk together. If you have not considered the many reasons why your dog should be on a leash than consider these reasons..

1) Dogs who are off the leash may cause injury to a person.

This does not necessarily mean that your dog has bitten someone. Injuries to people can come in other forms. What if your dog scares an elderly person and they fall down? What if your dog knocks a small child Read more

How to Stop a Dog From Biting His Leash

Having a dog that bites his leash can be frustrating. If your dog does mange to chew its way to freedom it can become a dangerous situation. Not only is your dog at risk from cars, and other dogs but your best friend may ingest something that is life threatening. Save yourself a lot of time, money and grief by correcting this behavior as soon as possible.

There are a few different tactics that will correct this behavior:

• The first and easiest thing to try is using a bitter apple liquid. Liberally apply the bitter apple to the entire length of the leash. It may be a bit messy and will smell awful but it is worth it. Some dogs do actually like the taste of this product so as an alternative try using the hottest sauce that you can find. Neither of these methods will harm your dog, but most dogs only need try this a few times before they realize that it does not taste good.
• Another simple technique is the moment that your dog begins biting the leash, Stop. Give him a sharp “no” and remove the leash from the dog’s mouth with a quick pull. You may have to repeat this a few times before it works.
• If you have begun training your dog with the leave it command this is a great time to practice. If your dog drops the leash, give him a reward. However, be wary, you do not want the dog learning that he will be rewarded for taking the leash.
• You might also try the stop walking method during your dog leash training exercises. The moment the dog starts to bite his leash STOP and freeze. Do not move, this is the same technique that you can use to get your dog to stop pulling. Once your dog settles down, begin moving again. Your dog will get the idea that nobody goes anywhere when the leash is being bitten. You might even try putting the leash under your foot and ignoring your animal until he calms down. Once the dog is quiet and calm continue walking.
• If your dog is very playful, he may be biting the leash for more attention. You could try allowing the dog to carry a toy, ball or stick on your walk.
• Another idea is to try getting your dog to focus on other things while you are walking. Make the walk more challenging. Change your direction frequently; this will help to keep the dog’s attention off the leash. You might also try issuing other commands as well such as working on sit and stay. It may take a bit longer to get where you are going but it works.
• Take the dog somewhere new. Try walking your dog in different places. If a dog is entertained by new sights and sounds he is too busy to bite the leash.
• If need be, shorten the leash as much as possible. Keep the dog in almost, the heel position and begin walking. Walk at a very brisk pace. Do not talk to your dog, or pet him, keep moving.

With patience and practice you can get your dog to stop biting the leash. But you have to remain consistent. Whichever method you decide to use, be sure to give it time to work. None of these will work the first time out; they might not even work the second, but keep at it. You and your dog will reap the rewards.

Dog Leash Training: Training a Dog To Heel

Any dog owner who has a pet that can correctly ‘heel’ will no doubt be able to tell you all the unseen benefits of this behavior. A dog that can perform this skill is a very well mannered and disciplined pet. This is an animal that will not jump on people or approach them without his owner’s consent. He will not go near other animals, or urinate in unwanted places nor will he eat any of that nasty trash laying around.

Training a dog to heel is not a difficult task. But it is going to require that you be consistent and patient. Training dogs to heel correctly involves a number of things. Having the dog sit at your side until you are Read more

Puppy Leash Training – Getting Started

So it’s time to start leash training the new puppy.  But before you begin you should make sure that you have the right dog equipment for training.

The first thing you are going to need to begin dog leash training is a proper collar for your dog. Before going out and buying a choke or pinch collar see how well your dog adjusts to simply using his everyday collar during training sessions. Some larger dogs or difficult to train dogs may require a gentle leader, haltie or choke collar for training but, you may find out that this is not the case with your pet. One thing to remember is that you should never leave a training collar on your pet when you are not around. Always be sure that you put their regular collar back on when the training session is over. Read more