i have an 8 month old yellow lab (SamAdams) who has recently started being aggressive towards me when I take him on walks. We are working on loose leash walking, sometimes it's good,sometimes it's horrible. He has started doing this thing where he gets his leash in his mouth and startes doing tug of war. He growls and then starts jumping at me trying to bite my arms and hands. The lady we go to for puppy school showed me to step on the leash and grab him by his collar and hold him until he calms down. This works sometimes but not always. I have had to push him to the ground because of how aggressively he was coming at me. I did get a muzzle because he did bite me through my jacket and left a nasty bruise on my arm. I have had to use the muzzle a couple of times to be able to get him back home again and then I take it off. When he was about 4 months old he would bite the bottoms of my pants and snap at me when he wasn't getting his way. It escalated to him jumping and biting at the sides of my sweatshirt or whatever I was wearing. We were in puppy kindergarten at the time, so we worked more with the trainer and We started taking him to day care and that seemed to help along with me setting more boundaries. He has also started doing the snapping thing at me again when we are in the house and he doesn't get his way or if I make him come into the house. I just don't understand what I do to make him act this way towards me. He is a fantastic dog, so happy and loving. He does have issues greeting people. He is always so excited to see anyone and always wants to give them lots of kisses. Which not everyone appreciates. I do exercise him, I run him for 1/2 hour in the morning followed by about a 40 minute walk. I go to work, he is in our heated shop and isn't cooped up and when I come home we play again until he doesn't want to run anymore and then go for Another long walk. I try to socialize him best I can but it's to the point where I'm scared to take him anywhere and i don't really have control over him. He listens about 80% of the time. If he is sniffing or digging at something it's like I'm not even there. He hasn't been to daycare for a couple weeks, the trainer was away and he is recovering from getting neutered. I don't know what to do. I've been reading so many articles online, my mind is spinning. If anyone has any tips or been through anything like this, please share. I don't know what to do anymore.
Hi and welcome! I think others will have some good advice and links to articles on the main site to help with your loose-leash walking. I think the first step is to ask you to keep an open mind as to WHY he is doing this. I would not characterise this as aggression - towards humans or dogs - at all. The four month biting stage sounds like a normal Lab in the crocopup stage. You'll see lots and lots of people here on the forum also commenting/struggling with this. The current eight month stuff also just sounds like doggie teenaged angst. Again, a lot of people talk about having to go back to square one with training at this age. The grabbing the leash in his mouth and starting tug of war is again really, really typical. It's not aggression, it's a combo of his age, excess mental energy and need for more training. The advice of your puppy school trainer makes me think you really, really, really need to find a new trainer. Holding him down is not only useless, it's counterproductive and will make the behaviour worse over time. You've already seen that, in fact. Time to find a new trainer. It sounds like he is getting plenty physical exercise, but not enough mental exercise. When he is in the shop is he alone? How many hours is he alone each day? The way he's acting sounds like typical boredom, that's why I'm asking. Doing training with him vs. all the jogging would better help calm him down (and be safer) at this age working their brains tires them out more than working their bodies. He doesn't pay attention to you now when you are out because you are not nearly as interesting as everything else out there. Start working with him at home and learn to keep your pockets perpetually loaded up with high value treats (liver, cheese, chicken, etc.) so that YOU are the most interesting thing around. Keep the training positive (can't stress that enough). Unfortunately this may mean having to unlearn what your puppy trainer has taught you if you have learned punishing techniques such as alpha rolls (holding your dog down on the ground). And start with the attitude that as a teenager, everything he's already learned he's pretty much forgotten thanks to all his new hormones. Just start from zero again and try to be patient, even though I know that's hard. Please don't take this as a criticism, but take it from someone who has gone through three TPLO (torn cruciate) surgeries, this bit is important: running a dog this young can seriously damage his bone and joint development and cause him problems down the road. A good rule of thumb is not to jog/run with a dog until they are fully grown, so past a year old. A lot of people use the "five minutes of walking per month of age", which would mean 40 minutes a day of onleash walking (not running) for your pup. You'll have years of great times running with your dog once he's old enough, but now isn't the time. Finally, the most important thing is don't lose hope. Have a look at some of the other threads here about people dealing with puppies - you aren't alone and it does get better. You've said it best yourself...
I does sound like he's trying to get you to play/interact with him rather than aggression. Take a step back with his leash training - don't be trying to get from A to B, rather just concentrate on nice walking. Keep turning around. He probably needs you to exercise his mind too - try hiding food and playing "find it". Stuff boxes with crumpled paper for him to rootle around in. Teach him some party tricks - they might seem pointless, but the learning will stretch him & help tire him out. He's a young, bouncy, lovable pup - he just wants interaction with you, this is why he is acting this way to you.
Thank you for your amazing reply!! Ive been trying to keep on open mind about he does this when I'm out with him. He only ever does it with me. My dad had him out for a walk yesterday and he was a perfect prince!! Ive thought maybe it was the sound of my boots in the snow, the smell of the deer that our around the area where we live, I've even thought maybe it was the cemetery that we walk by. I know the grabbing at his leash is normal, its what comes after that is concern to me. If I shouldn't be stepping on his leash and holding him by the collar, do you have any suggestions? Ive tried standing still, I've tried to keep on moving like it wasn't happening which did nothing but make him try and get my arms and hands more. Its still winter so I am in a thick winter coat but if it was in a t-shirt or a sweater lol my poor arms would be bruised like a peach. Sorry i didn't explain myself when i said i "run" him. I don't go running with him. We play off leash. We play fetch and just run around. When we play fetch, I'm constantly working on come/sit/stay with treats in my pocket so i throw his toy and he can go get it again. When we go out on a walk i work on sit/stay and around the house i am always working on commands. Unfortunately he is alone during the day in the shop. i was working part time in the begnining but somethings have changed and i work full time now. My husband works away from home so he is gone for weeks at a time. The jumping up at me did start while my husband was still here. A lot of people I talk too say I'm not firm enough with him and I need to show him I'm the boss. These conversations usually end with them telling me to beat my dog. Ive never hurt him and never will. Like i said in my first post i have had to throw him to the ground because he was mouth open, teeth out coming at my face. i have started (only for a few days) now, going back to what he did in puppy kindergarten. getting him to follow me on his leash rather that trying to walk him. i have always interacted with him when walking him, always talking and trying to make eye contact. This is the first pet I've ever had so i know I'm making mistakes, I will not take anything you say as criticism I'm open to hear anything at this point since clearly what I'm doing is not working.
Do you think he gets bored on the walk since Im focusing on walking? I've only gone back to turning around and getting him to follow this past weekend.
Hello and welcome. It's really not unusual behaviour for adolescent dogs, like puppies, to try and initiate games with their teeth. We can't say whether or not it's aggressive behaviour from the other side of a forum, but it's likely not at this stage. Of course, the behaviour is unacceptable and needs to be addressed, but the bullying tactics you've been told to use are counter-productive. Whilst they can quash bad behaviour in the short term, they can also lead to real aggression down the line. This has been proven in several scientific studies (I'll dig out the sources later if you're interested, so you can pass that information on to the people telling you to do it). Standing on his lead is fine - just don't hold him down with your hands. So, stand on the lead so it's not pulling him down to the ground, but so he doesn't have enough slack for him to jump up and jar his neck. Turn away from him and cross your arms, making yourself boring. Give him no attention whatsoever; don't talk to him, don't make eye contact until he is calm. You may find that it actually makes him worse for a short time, but don't give up - this is actually good news! It means the dog understands what he's doing isn't working so he's trying even harder. It's called an "extinction burst" and happens just before the behaviour disappears. In the meantime, try to think of your walks less about a means of getting from A to B and more about spending time interacting with him. It does sound like he's bored because, as you say, you're focussing on walking. Here's a post I started some time ago which has some ideas of what you can do with him: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/keeping-your-dog-close-on-a-walk.12214/ Good luck, and do let us know how you get on.
Quinn does the leash in the mouth tug still sometimes when she is over excited (99% of the time when I am running across the road with her when there is a break in traffic, because that winds her up). Right when she started this as a puppy, or any rambunctious on leash behaviour, I stop walking and use her leave it cue. We do not resume walking until she releases the leash. I do not tug back, just let the leash go loose in my hand and stand there. If she picks it back up when we start walking, we stop and I stand there as boring as possible, over and over. She lost interest pretty quickly and now after one stop she lets go and we are on our way (very rare these days). I used the same tactic when Quinn was going through the teen stage - she would get over the top excited at the park and jump and nip a bit at my arms (at me only - never anyone else) if we were doing something "fun" (usually if I jogged to pick up her ball or something that she thought was a game)....I just stopped and stood, saying nothing until she calmed down (she would typically stop and sit when she realized I wasn't interacting with her). Honestly, grabbing her by the collar or yelling or doing anything when she was excited like that would have made her worse. We would then do some calm exercises like a sit and stay with a ball toss as a reward. She was never that bad of a biter as a puppy and overall very calm and non-jumpy, so I think some of the more rambunctious dogs can get to that level more often or for longer. She never jumps/nips or anything like that anymore and was a brief stage between 7-10 months.
I agree with all above, he is playing with you. It's inappropriate play, it's the kind of play dogs do with each other. Does he have a doggy friend to meet up with and play with? He may see you as more fun than other family members but he needs to learn that's not how to have fun with you. Although I think people Should play with their dogs. IN fact a bit of rough housing and then quitting immediately his teeth go into action is a way to get the point across that you Are fun, but on your terms. And, when you choose, not when he decides to do it and definitely not on leash. He is nearing the age when, I swear it's true, 9 months is when more people go on boards looking for help. Teenagers, they're awful. If he borrowed your car he'd wreck it. I'm not keen on your trainer's suggestions either. Most of that is very old school. Positive reward, some negative punishment (stopping playing as I suggested above is a negative punishment) and distraction are how most trainers these days would handle this and most have experience with this behaviour, it's very common.
Sorry about that - I misunderstood that you were actually holding him down. I have to be honest with you, I've been really lucky in that I've not had a dog that did the leash biting thing more than a little now and then, so can't give you any brilliant tips, only sympathy and the reassurance that LOTS of puppies do this. Luckily @snowbunny and @Snowshoe have come to the rescue with some good tips. Another apology - I thought you were actually running with him. Playing is good! Wow, what a lot of negative pressure you've had. Good for you for hanging in there! You'll get a lot of support here from people who have different ideas than the dominant/who's the boss training that has been popular for a while now. I've really learned a lot and changed my ideas on that kind of stuff...and am still learning. I do know that I had a dog-aggressive dog (on leash only) and am quite sure that I made his road harder, and not easer, by thinking I had to be the boss. It also wasn't a happy place for me as I wanted to work with my dog, not boss him around all the time. What I eventually learned is that positive training gets you the behaviour you want, but you can still be your dog's partner. Everyone is happier...and it works! This is tough and something a lot of people have to work around. It does sound like he may be bored, despite your best efforts. There was a recent thread where people debated the whole "Home Alone Puppy" thing and ideas to help. Above all, keep coming back here and asking questions. There are lots of people who can help or at least sympathise when you are living through the teenage phase.
My boy did the same thing at that age. It was such a nightmare, once I had to wrap his lead round a lamp post to get away from the biting! I found outside on the lead that standing still, trying to keep him still, holding the lead etc. didn't help and got him more worked up. In the end, I just pretended nothing was happening, kept walking calmly ahead, didn't look at him or talk, and eventually he gave up because he never got a response. It's very hard to ignore because the biting hurts so much... I also had bruises! If he did it in the house, I'd leave the room and come back a couple of seconds later and start interacting with him again, if he started jumping/mouthing, I'd get up and leave again. Good luck with it - and as everyone has said, it's a common problem at this age
Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions! I'm really not sure how to reply to people properly so please bare with me! The only reason I used the word aggressive is because of the growling and it seems like he is honestly trying to bite me. I've thought for a while that maybe he just doesn't like me I think my new plan of action will be play with him in the morning before I have to go to work. Work on commands with him and teach him some new tricks. I know him being alone all day really sucks but we are doing the best we can. When I get home I always play fetch and little games with him to get him to burn off some of his built up excitement and energy. And as for walks, I'll work more on him following me and changing directions, go back to the basics rather than focusing on distance and getting from point A to B The standing still when he was jumping up at me definitely worked a lot better than showing any sort of reaction. Lol I just closed my eyes and waited for it to be over, and thank heavens it didn't last as long as before. There is another dog that we see often around where we live. He is older so his owner walks him off leash so it's hard for them to play sometimes. Now that SamAdams is neutered I'm not as nervous to let him off his leash but his recall definitely needs work so I am still a bit nervous letting him off leash on the road. We live in the country so there is rarely traffic but you just Never know. He has a lot of friends at day care. I'm hoping we can start going again after our post surgery check up this weekend. Sometimes I forget how young he really is because he is so big. It crossed my mind today that maybe I am expecting to much from him and it's reassuring for me to her that others have been through this and there is an end in site. Reading everyone's stories and suggestions has me thinking that maybe I've been focusing on what I want in a dog and not what he needs right now from his owner. I appreciate everything you all have said and am forever great full for the support!
Stepping on the leash not always an easy task, especially if he is all riled up and jumping and darting around, worst lunging at you. He did this to me one time. I tried to step on the leash and with his momentum he flipped me into the air and I let go off the leash. Panic ensued that he will run and I will have to post lost dog signs everywhere, I got up with my knee hurting. Luckily he was also as shocked at what he did as me, and just stood there watching me. I calmly walked over for fear of running at him will make him play chase me and grabbed his leash. Needless to say I try not to step on the leash anymore. Like everyone else says just stand still and firm, protect yourself and ignore him. The best walks I have with him is when he finds a stick. He carries it in his mouth almost the entire walk and he walks at heel. The moment he drops it he starts wandering around. He is getting better though, less lunging at me and more walking at heel. Only issue really is walking by other people and other dogs. Oh he learned "time out" really quick. If he starts biting/nipping at me, I ask him, "Do you want time out?" He stops even refusing to bite my hand when offered. He cracks me up.
Could you get someone to pop in during the day to play with him? Or take him for a walk? If not a family member or friend, perhaps pay a dog walker? It must be very difficult for such a young dog to be alone all day. Best of luck.
A double-ended lead is the best for this, like the 2m Halti training lead. Because, when it's at its shortest setting, it forms a loop, you can just drop the bottom part of the loop and stick your foot in it. Far easier than with a regular lead.
