Puppy bites his lead/harness when I try to put it on him

Hi,

My puppy is 3 months old and whenever we try to clip on his lead or put him in his harness before we go for a walk it's a struggle every time. It is always a stressful event as he also bites me too not just the lead! Has anyone else experienced this and what might be the best way of stopping it?

Thanks

Hi,

I take it he hasn't been going out for walks out onthe street for very long at only 3 months old. Once he was clear to go out after his second jab, how di dyou go about taking him out?

Did you get him excited or over-excited about his walk? Di you call him to youa nd make him sit to wait until you'r eready to put his lead on? Exactly what did you do - telling us this may mean we can give you a better answer.

Also, did you do any lead work with your pup ithe house or back garden before going out into the big wide world so to speak? And, does he always wear a collar or is ti only put on to go out for a walk?

Stopping him from biting his lead or harness is easy but if we know WHY he's doing it (possibly) we can tell you how to prevent him doing it at all from now on. The alternative is stopping him each time you put the lead on which means he won't learn NOT to do it.

Laura xx

Hi,

We've been walking him for 2-3 weeks outside, we didn't do much lead work inside the house before but then we didn't have him for that long before all the jabs were done, so he probably didn't miss out on that much. We NEVER get him excited before putting the lead on, we knew about that one. However, we didn't make him sit and wait before we put the lead on. He wasn't sitting too well by then. So maybe he thinks the lead is a play thing, he does rather like to play with/bite everything!

He wears a collar all the time and took to it really well, he has lots of fur so I don't think he even notices it to be honest.

Cheers

Hi,

OK firstly, make sure that from now on he comes to you when called to put on the lead for a walk. he only has to sit for the few seconds it takes to put it on, then you can release him from the sit.

Does he bite the lead in the house or wait until he's outside. If in the house, tell him to leave it. When he does so, reward him. If he does it again, tell him no and to leave it. Give a few seconds then reward. He'll learn that he gets a reward (treat, praise, favourite toy) if he doesn't chew/bit ehis lead.

Take a favourite toy and some treats on a walk with you. This way you can do the same when out and about with him.

Also, if I were you I'd get anther couple of leads. He's probably used to the one lead now and it may be hard to break him from biting them one you have.

Start from the off with the new one re stopping him from biting or distract him. If you buy 2 different ones (I have different leads/collars etc for different things) then you can use one for training, one for walks, one for his puppy class and he'll get used to and know what is expectesd of him by the lead that is used.

Also, when your out on a walk make sure that where the lead is clipped to his collar, the D-ring is at the back of his neck rather than underneath or at the side. This way, unless he can turn his head 180 degrees, he can't bite it whilst out walking.

Good luck.

Laura xx

my 4 month old jrt was a nightmare when i first tried to put on her harness. when i saw on an episode of 'it's me or the dog' a similar case i learnt a few lessons!

basically i had a treat so lily would put her head through the harness and get treated for it. it worked! now she is not using her harness i have taught her 'wait'. i tell her to wait and put her lead on. then she gets a treat. it works like magic.

i have taught her to sit before she gets anything, affection, dinner, lead on, the works. she knows that nothing will happen until she sits. then, be it any of the aforementioned, when lily sits she gets her treat and i get a dog doing what i want.

basic training really is a must with any dog. it stops confusion and frustration for both parties.

Hi Michelle this is typical puppy behaviour, your puppy is playing with you and things should improve as he grows and calms down a little.

It's not surprising puppies don't like a harness, it must be strange and restricting to them. I have the harness from Dog Games.co, it is so easy to put on and just slips over the head and clips with one buckle. When putting my struggling puppy in a harness I first showed her a treat to get her attention/put the harness on/then gave her the treat and praise so that she came to associate the harness with good things.

With regard to the lead, it might we worth investing in a chain lead with a leather handle (you can buy one on line, look up chain lead on Google) puppies don't seem to like the feel of metal chain on their teeth.

Thanks guys, so many good tips! I'll give them a go.

Cheers

My pup (now 10 months) was the same, was really stressing me out as was biting me too !
We got over it by making him sit, putting a treat in my hand to distract him, then putting the lead on, then giving the treat then cutting down on the treats. He is now fine at putting the lead on but still bites at it, once it is on.
Just give it time, it does get better LOL

My boy did this when he was first out walking. He bit quite hard too, it hurt! I used the treat distracting trick also. It worked. It will stop, but it is horrible when it is happening. My boy wears a harness now and he stands really still and quiet while I put it on now, even when I get it twisted and have to start again, he just stands patiently, such a difference from a few months ago, so it will stop. Good luck.

Hi all,

this is now 90% solved, thanks for your suggestions and help. I bought a new harness (and haven't let him play with it), made him sit and used a few high value treats to lure him in. Worked very well , thanks everyone!