Please somebody tell me that puppy’s grow out of playing tug of war with lead!

[Umbrellaschool]

I can’t take any more of it. Has anyone any tips? We click when she walks nicely and treat. But it doesn’t always work and my arm is just about pulled out the socket. She is 14 weeks

Do you mean she's turning around and biting the lead with her mouth and then pulling or just pulling because she's walking ahead of you/faster than you?

Turning around and biting the lead and pulling hard like tug of war. She looks really intense and I can’t even distract her with a treat sometimes

I can tell you what worked for ours but I guess it's no guarantee it works for everyone! Does she do it before she leaves the house?

I only ask because ours used to do this and we had to be really firm and just not go for a walk when he did.

So basically if he chewed on the lead or tried to grab it, off the lead went and we went and sat back down. Waited a few mins then tried again. Repeat repeat repeat until you put the lead on without any turning around and chewing and treat and praise massively every time they do it right.

Then leave the house and if at any point in first few mins that she turns around to chew lead, turn around, come home, take lead off, sit down and wait.

It's really really boring but it does work. First time we did it, it took 15 mins to leave the house and then we turned around within 2 mins and started again! Generally they learn quite quickly as it's normally over excitement so once they realise they don't actually get to walk, they soon learn to behave!

Thanks. Yes she does do it before we leave the house. But to be honest I doubt your method would work. I don’t think she fully understand lead = walk = fun . In fact often she doesn’t even want to go out for a walk. We take her just for something to do and to get used to everything and all the sights and sounds of the world

I thought the same (he was v young when he was doing this)

What breed is she?

So you had roughly the same issue but your plan worked ? She is a collie cross

Friends have a collie, now about 8 months.
They are experienced dog, and collie, owners but struggled with this one pulling on the lead.
They paid for a dog whisperer to visit. He spent one hourcwith them and sorted the dog and them!
One thing is using a long rope lead round her nose which I don't understand, but seems to help. He is very well behaved on walks now.

What type of dog is she?

Does she do it if you clip the lead on her in the garden and take her round the garden?

Some dogs rag on the lead when they're overwhelmed. Are there any triggers for when she starts ragging on the lead outside of the house?

Yes she does it in the garden. I did notice earlier it happened on a walk immediately after she said hello to another dogZ so I think it was excitement at that point

In the house... just drop the lead and go sit back down.

Outside, use a longer lead, so you’ve the spare lead to just let it go slack and stand there ignoring her.

Then loads of attention when she’s not doing it.

Tug is a pretty boring game if there’s no tug actually going on.

This is really easy to fix especially with a collie

Every time she pulls stop walking. When walks nicely treat

Consistent and firm

Yes but elizabethdraper it isn’t so much pulling as tug of war. She is climbing her teeth higher and higher up the lead. I don’t know how to stop that. She gets a super intense look and my arm starts to really hurt. And I can’t let go of lead so I am kind of captive to her game

Ah ok maybe longer lead would work

I wondered about a chain lead as apparently they don’t like that on their teeth?

Has she got a collar or harness?

Just a collar

I would suggest a harness for a puppy. Mine messes with the lead sometimes , starts biting it and jumping towards me. I just say ' oh dear ' and stop soon as she starts walking again nicely ' good girl ' tears and lots of praise . Collies are clever she will catch on .

Ok thanks for the advice everyone 😊

@Umbrellaschool

Ah ok maybe longer lead would work

It does... honest, even better if you can drop the extra slack and stand on the end too, as then it’s just lying there rather than going up the way.

Perfect, thanks 🙏

Puppies will not play tug of war if you train them correctly and teach them to walk to heel. If you let them get away with playing up they will do it! (Just like children).

Ours was the same. Retriever puppy, loved tug - still does - and the lead has so much natural tension it was the perfect toy. I fucking hated it as like you say it's pretty unmanageable (a trainer would say disengage all tension from the lead by dropping it but you can't do that in most circumstances when they're on lead!). She did grow out of it.

She's one now and it may interest you to know she only now does it when she's frustrated and over stimulated eg a dog has come over and we haven't let her play.

We solved this by using a chain lead for a while.

What worked was high value treats kept for only this, drop, sit, wait, scatter treats eg sausage, then resume and repeat if they start up. (What actually really worked was calling her growling bluff and removing the lead from her mouth with a really frustrated shout for me!)

I'd think they'd have more trouble getting hold of a harness attached lead, maybe that's worth a try.