How do I get my dog to stop biting the leash?
I’ve tried the Leave it command, but she completely ignores me. She also starts mouthing when I try to take it away or even touch her when she’s chewing on it. I’ve tried the ignoring thing when she starts mouthing, but she just occupies herself with the leash and doesn’t faze her. We keep her on the leash in the house since she’s not yet house trained. We want to take her on walks without buying hundreds of leashes or getting bit.
Ignoring does nothing. If she does stop while you ignore her, it’s simply because she got bored – not because she learned anything.
Biting the leash at any age is unacceptable. This whole “she’ll grow out of it, just wait” attitude is what gets these dogs into trouble. So please don’t follow that advice.
She needs a correction. She’s nipping at the leash, give her a sharp quick pop with your leash and say NO. She’ll get the hint after you have corrected her with a good correction. When she does let go after you have corrected her, give her quiet praise so she understands what you want from her.
If you find that the corrections stop working with a normal buckle collar, then you should look into getting a corrective tool such as a prong collar.
Another good idea is what Bells mentioned – maybe just simply switching the leash to something that is less desireable to chew (such as a chain leash) would work. Although I am still a firm believer that the dog needs to learn that the behaviour is unacceptable as well.
Dog Training – Biting – Training Your Dog On A Leash