Leash = Nightmare!

[tmschult]

I live in an apartment complex so unless I take Linus to the field he has to be on a leash. I must say when he is off leash in the field- he is an angel, follows me obediently, listens to commands.

But On leash- Complete Nightmare. I'm starting to hate even taking him out to pee because I know it's going to be straight mayhem.

The lunging and pulling at Every dog and Every person. Then he'll have a tantrum and just lay down and will refuse to move. This will happen approximately every ten feet. All I want to do is take him for a nice long walk. Going out to pee becomes a half hour ordeal. COming back inside- forget about it, I'll end up havign to pick him up and carry him in because he will just lay on the ground and not move an inch.

It's also very embarassing! I can jsut imagine what all of my neighbors think- I have no control over him when it comes to taking a walk. I think some of them even laugh. ugh

And-something new has been happening... Every dog he meets lately seems friendly and then all of the sudden growls and tries to bite him? I watch him to see if I'm missing some singal he's giving them but he bows down ears back when meeting a dog- lets them sniff politely. I don't get it?! Is it bc of his excited puppy energy? This happened twice yesterday with two different dogs- one being very socialized that goes to puppy daycare all of the time (so the owners says)

I have already bought a harness- not choking as much, but no improvement.. HELP!

 

[prittiegirl]

This all sounds pretty typical of a boxer puppy.

They play noisy - growling and biting are very normal play behaviours. The bow that you refered to, was it maybe a play bow followed by biting and growling? Kinnon used to hang off of all dogs faces when she was playing. She still does it at 15 months with a few dogs.

Also, when they are little, long leash walks are not necessarily the best, even though you want to use it for exercise. My girl used to always lie down when I tried to walk her on leash - it does get better. Now that I know her better, I know that she gets both silly and resistant when she's tired or over stimulated. If you can use the leash for potty trips and then try exercising inside or off leash somewhere, you may find that it helps!

We tended to use treats to go outside on leash so that it would be a really positive experience... Maybe this will help to move him forward?

There are also lots of other good posts on boxer puppy play and leash behaviour that you may want to browse through!

 

[Cami]

If you are using a traditional harness to eliminate choking from a collar around the neck you are actually helping your pup to "harness" his energy. Harnesses were invented for dogs to be better able to pull things (think sled dogs).
A no-pull harness like a Gentle Leader No Pull Harness is going to be a much better device to use to AID in helping your pup to walk nicely on a leash. It doesn't completely stop the pulling in all dogs but it is a much more pleasant experience for the humans involved!
If offers a higher degree of control on your end and doesn't have much potential for injury.
My girl turned 11 months yesterday and she still tries to pull "crap" on walks! Treats can be your friend.
I refuse to buy a good leash until she realizes that they don't go in a puppy's mouth.

 

[LeighATX]

Walking on Leash

I'm new to boxer puppies, but am currently training my 14 1/2 week old puppy loose leash walking with the help of an obedience instructor.

As suggested above I also use treats for learning to walk on the leash, and he seems to be having fun and picking up the idea quickly. He has had his stubborn moments where he wants to just sit and not move, but normally a cheerful voice and a showing of a high value treat will get him moving again The crazier and happier your voice, the more likely he is to respond. I'm sure I sound like a crazy person .

Every 20 feet or so I come to a stop and have him sit, When he sits I say "Yes", give him a treat, and continue moving. I also started out by saying his name every once in a while while walking to make sure he looks at me, if he did I'd say yes and give him a treat as well, but kept moving. Between the sitting every little ways, and having him look at me he seems to be quickly learning not to get to far ahead or behind. If he pulls or tries to cut across to my other side I use the "ehh" sound, and if needed use the treat to lure him back into position.

We normally practice about 20 minutes total, and we break it into 10 minute sections with a nice break for play, exploring, and loving. We're still working on the whole ignoring the hopping frogs bit , but in general does very well.

Like I said, I'm not an expert, but this seems to be working for us.

Leigh Ann
- Taz: Male Flashy Brindle Boxer puppy

 

[ncwingnut]

Leigh Ann, the way you are working with your boy sounds a lot like how we are learning how to train our guys to walk on leash in our training classes - marker word and all We also use "look" and when she makes eye contact, treat and praise. She is getting really good at the eye contact and paying full attention to us. That's helped with her leash walking also and keeps her focused on us.

I use a martingale collar on Libby and it has done wonders. Our trainer does not like harnesses for the reason that Cami mentioned - the harnessing of the energy. Regular collar didn't work....so we went with the martingale.

And TREATS!! Libby loves lamb. And Bison. Those are the 2 treats I use (one is kibble, the other just a regular treat). She'll do anything for lamb and bison.

 

[tmschult]

Thank you for all of the replies! I'm going to try all of the above.


P.s. I should have clairified- the growling and biting are the OTHER dogs we encounter on the walk. I haven't picked up any signals from Linus that would cause other dogs to act like this though? But it seems more like a coincidence especially after the one very socialized dog did this.

 

[prittiegirl]

OH!!! Sorry, lots of older dogs don't like puppies. Period. They'll growl their displeasure at the silly rambunctous behaviour and much of the time it doesn't take much.

IF it's the way I'm hearing it now, I wouldn't be too concerned about them growling at him, but I would help him to leave them alone after a quick greeting if he's being a puppy pest!

 

[jskeith]

The best leash system

I run with Romeo, unfortunately with his slightly torn rear ACL we are much more controlled in our exercise routine now. But I use a leash created by a couple of women called the buddy system. You wear it around your waist and it connects to a lead that has a patented shock absorber built into it so if your boxer wants to go their own way it gently reminds them they are with you while minimizing the tug on you. The lead connects to his harness, I don't use anything around his neck unless it is a bug bandanna or when he is in public I use his colorful tag and id collar. For training I have a special control collar made out of hard rubber with small rubber teeth like fingers against his fur.

However, I should point out that Romeo is trained for off-leash and rarely ever tugs.