My family just got our first puppy (black lab) he’s so precious and cute and was walking great when we got him at 8 weeks but now every walk he is “aggressively” (or what sounds that’s way) jumping, growling and biting at our pants, feet leash whatever we can get his mouth on. We bring lots of treats when walking to reinforce good behaviour and he will be doing great and then all of a sudden something snaps and it takes a while to settle him down. Is this normal? What can we do to correct this? Any feedback would be appreciated. We need help cause my kids are afraid of him.
Hi there, welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new puppy Walking nicely on a leash isn't a natural skill for dogs, so it will take time and training for your puppy to learn it. He probably stayed very close to you at first simply because everything around him was so new, and you represent a place of safety. This training guide will help you to teach loose leash walking for the long term. Bear in mind that he doesn't really need to go out for walks yet at his age either - just 15 minutes or so a day to socialise him to new places and have a sniff about is plenty. He can get the rest of the activity he needs at home. It's a good idea to practice loose leash training around the home at first as well. You hit two birds with one stone that way - the mental challenge tires him out, and he's better prepared for next time he's outside on the leash too!
