CRAZY dog mode - leash biting?! HELP!

vhowell7 · 12-09-2011, 09:32 AM

I have read the other threads on leash biting, but ours is slightly different.

Shadow is now 8 months old. We have been doing training/obedience work with her since we got her at 10 weeks, with two separate trainers. She is basically a well behaved dog. She starts STAR puppy class next month, then will do CGC training when she is 12 months old.

She JUST STARTED this leash biting thing about 1 month ago, she never did it before. Nothing in our household has changed. On walks, she WITHOUT WARNING will grab the leash, bite at the end closest to her, growl, shake her head, go crazy. Passer-bys will stop and stare like I might need help or something ( "that lady's dog is attacking her!"). She will go after a hand or a sleeve, but so far no blood.

We get this crazy behavior even with NO provocation - no skateboards going by, no joggers, etc.) ONCE she got loose from her collar during an attack and ran into a BUSy street we were walking next to, but thank God she responded to the COME command and didnt get hit by an oncoming car!!

We tried just standing there Zen-like (she stops, and then will resume crazy mode about 50% of the time when we start walking), leash corrections (just made her worse, she got aggressive), E collar corrections at a medium setting (worked GReAT for about 4 days, then she would go crazy even WITH the corrections), bitter apple spray on the leash (didnt stop her one bit).

We have tried varying our walks so it's not from boredom. She gets 2 walks a day, EVERY DAY, each one lasts 50 minutes to 1 hour. She gets obedience training for 15 minutes every day in the afternoon, then playtime afterwards (fetch, tug of war, etc.) She is in her crate only when I leave the house and at night.

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Someone suggested tobasco on the leash, but that sounds cruel.

This is my third GSD, but my other two we lived in the country, not the city, and didnt do leash walks.

sashadog · 12-09-2011, 10:07 AM

I had a friend who's dog did this and she switched to a chain leash. Nothing heavy-duty but just a 5foot chain instead of fabric. This solved it almost completely because he really hated the feel of the chain. It at least kept him out of his frenzy so that she could work with him on other things because like you said, once he lost it, there was no getting him back for a while. My dog plays tug with the leash as well, not as intense as what you've described, but changing up the leash to something less fun to play with helps for me.

I know its not a permanent "behavioral" fix but it might be worth a try?

Germanshepherdlova · 12-09-2011, 10:12 AM

Our GSD does this same thing. He doesn't do it every time we walk him, but he will at times without provocation of any kind grab the leash and start growing and tug-of-warring on it. When walking both of my dogs at the same time-it really complicates the walk.

What we do is as soon as we know he is going to "act up" you can tell this-there are signs. But you have to be able to recognize them quickly-you only have half a second lol, anyhow,we quickly raise the leash straight up in the air and over our head-that way he can't get a grip on it. Then we tell him No! until he settles down. Once we continue walking he will try it a couple more times but quick reactions from us of raising up the leash so that it is straight up and tight (you can't have leave any way for him to begin pulling it) after a couple times of this he will forget about it and just walk along. He is doing it much less frequently now that we took the fun out of the game.

Judahsmom · 12-09-2011, 11:50 AM

Judah did this too but maybe not as crazy...enough I had to deal with it. The first trainer suggested carrying a toy he could tug at. Her thought was he was getting bored...I carried the one toy that had material he couldn't bite through [not easy to find]...that worked in taking his bite off the leash but I got tired of carrying this with me for every walk [which 2x a day]. Next I have to say I'm doing more like the prior writer...holding the leash straight up [anticipating that he's getting ready to go into this mode] and giving a strong "no" command. This behavior has basically disappeared since doing that.

vhowell7 · 12-09-2011, 11:52 AM

That's why I love this forum. Both are excellent suggestions, and I will go get a chain leash NOW! We went on a walk this morning, and she did fine walking with me and a friend with her retriever. As soon as we got a block from my home, WHAM! she goes into crazy mode and BIT me on the arm. Luckily I had a coat on, but it still hurt.
I am getting tired of this game.

sashadog · 12-09-2011, 12:44 PM

Good luck!! At least they're cute right

vhowell7 · 12-09-2011, 04:15 PM

It's a good thing she's cute!! LOL!!

vhowell7 · 12-25-2011, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sashadog

I had a friend who's dog did this and she switched to a chain leash. Nothing heavy-duty but just a 5foot chain instead of fabric. This solved it almost completely because he really hated the feel of the chain. It at least kept him out of his frenzy so that she could work with him on other things because like you said, once he lost it, there was no getting him back for a while. My dog plays tug with the leash as well, not as intense as what you've described, but changing up the leash to something less fun to play with helps for me.

I know its not a permanent "behavioral" fix but it might be worth a try?

I have switched to the chain leash and also held the leash straight up when Shadow gives the crazy dog signs. I am happy to report that she has almost completely stopped biting at the leash!

She also seems to walk better with the wieght of the chain leash; when we go to a lighter leash she pulls much more. She is vastly improving on walks, thanks for ALL your help!

Germanshepherdlova · 12-25-2011, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhowell7

I have switched to the chain leash and also held the leash straight up when Shadow gives the crazy dog signs. I am happy to report that she has almost completely stopped biting at the leash!

She also seems to walk better with the wieght of the chain leash; when we go to a lighter leash she pulls much more. She is vastly improving on walks, thanks for ALL your help!

Your welcome! I am glad that the combination of ideas was helpful to you.

12-09-2011, 09:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
vhowell7 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Deep in the heart of TExas Posts: 59	CRAZY dog mode - leash biting?! HELP! I have read the other threads on leash biting, but ours is slightly different. Shadow is now 8 months old. We have been doing training/obedience work with her since we got her at 10 weeks, with two separate trainers. She is basically a well behaved dog. She starts STAR puppy class next month, then will do CGC training when she is 12 months old. She JUST STARTED this leash biting thing about 1 month ago, she never did it before. Nothing in our household has changed. On walks, she WITHOUT WARNING will grab the leash, bite at the end closest to her, growl, shake her head, go crazy. Passer-bys will stop and stare like I might need help or something ( "that lady's dog is attacking her!"). She will go after a hand or a sleeve, but so far no blood. We get this crazy behavior even with NO provocation - no skateboards going by, no joggers, etc.) ONCE she got loose from her collar during an attack and ran into a BUSy street we were walking next to, but thank God she responded to the COME command and didnt get hit by an oncoming car!! We tried just standing there Zen-like (she stops, and then will resume crazy mode about 50% of the time when we start walking), leash corrections (just made her worse, she got aggressive), E collar corrections at a medium setting (worked GReAT for about 4 days, then she would go crazy even WITH the corrections), bitter apple spray on the leash (didnt stop her one bit). We have tried varying our walks so it's not from boredom. She gets 2 walks a day, EVERY DAY, each one lasts 50 minutes to 1 hour. She gets obedience training for 15 minutes every day in the afternoon, then playtime afterwards (fetch, tug of war, etc.) She is in her crate only when I leave the house and at night. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Someone suggested tobasco on the leash, but that sounds cruel. This is my third GSD, but my other two we lived in the country, not the city, and didnt do leash walks. __________________ *Mom to 2 teens (one autistic),* *2 cats Pepper and Katie , one GSD dog Shadow..*

12-09-2011, 10:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
Germanshepherdlova Knighted Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: USA Posts: 2,935	Our GSD does this same thing. He doesn't do it every time we walk him, but he will at times without provocation of any kind grab the leash and start growing and tug-of-warring on it. When walking both of my dogs at the same time-it really complicates the walk. What we do is as soon as we know he is going to "act up" you can tell this-there are signs. But you have to be able to recognize them quickly-you only have half a second lol, anyhow,we quickly raise the leash straight up in the air and over our head-that way he can't get a grip on it. Then we tell him No! until he settles down. Once we continue walking he will try it a couple more times but quick reactions from us of raising up the leash so that it is straight up and tight (you can't have leave any way for him to begin pulling it) after a couple times of this he will forget about it and just walk along. He is doing it much less frequently now that we took the fun out of the game. __________________ You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Germa...96574693743892 Last edited by Germanshepherdlova; 12-09-2011 at 10:14 AM.

12-09-2011, 11:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
Judahsmom Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: southwest Ohio Posts: 56	Judah did this too but maybe not as crazy...enough I had to deal with it. The first trainer suggested carrying a toy he could tug at. Her thought was he was getting bored...I carried the one toy that had material he couldn't bite through [not easy to find]...that worked in taking his bite off the leash but I got tired of carrying this with me for every walk [which 2x a day]. Next I have to say I'm doing more like the prior writer...holding the leash straight up [anticipating that he's getting ready to go into this mode] and giving a strong "no" command. This behavior has basically disappeared since doing that. __________________ Jiah WGSD - rescued 3/3/2012 Judah WGSD - 8/1/10 S.T.A.R. Puppy, CGC Bear WGSD mix - 9/8/99 - 8/23/2010 Cuddles GSD mix - 3/6/92 -12/2009 Tiger GSD mix - 3/6/92 - 1997

12-09-2011, 11:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
vhowell7 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Deep in the heart of TExas Posts: 59	That's why I love this forum. Both are excellent suggestions, and I will go get a chain leash NOW! We went on a walk this morning, and she did fine walking with me and a friend with her retriever. As soon as we got a block from my home, WHAM! she goes into crazy mode and BIT me on the arm. Luckily I had a coat on, but it still hurt. I am getting tired of this game. __________________ *Mom to 2 teens (one autistic),* *2 cats Pepper and Katie , one GSD dog Shadow..*

12-09-2011, 04:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
vhowell7 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Deep in the heart of TExas Posts: 59	It's a good thing she's cute!! LOL!! __________________ *Mom to 2 teens (one autistic),* *2 cats Pepper and Katie , one GSD dog Shadow..*

12-09-2011, 10:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
sashadog Master Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 570	I had a friend who's dog did this and she switched to a chain leash. Nothing heavy-duty but just a 5foot chain instead of fabric. This solved it almost completely because he really hated the feel of the chain. It at least kept him out of his frenzy so that she could work with him on other things because like you said, once he lost it, there was no getting him back for a while. My dog plays tug with the leash as well, not as intense as what you've described, but changing up the leash to something less fun to play with helps for me. I know its not a permanent "behavioral" fix but it might be worth a try?

12-09-2011, 12:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
sashadog Master Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 570	Good luck!! At least they're cute right

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