Leash Training

[HannahCB]

Hi everybody i'm new at this so apologies if its in the wrong section. Noah is nine weeks old and is a little sweetie, well apart from the nibbling. My main problem is his leash he HATES it. Im guessing this is probably quite normal in puppies but was wondering if anybody had any suggestions as would rather get this tackled inside the house while he is still young so i'm not getting dragged down the street in a few weeks time. Any help much appreciated
Thanks for listening

 

[sarnewfie]

Take him to puppy classes, get him out and socialize him.
Let him drag his leash if he throws a tantrum, just keep it on him in the house with supervision of course, and let him drag it.
DO NOT BABY HIM no matter how cute he is!
he is a Working Thinking PRoblem solving breed and with that you will have many challenges.
He also is smart and if he can get his way, he will.
You must go to a good trainer and have them TRain YOU to train this pup.
Make sure the trainer is well versed on the breed and in good standing.
Also make sure that you read the Breed standard,
This breed is natural life saving.
wich means, if a person was drowning a newf instinct is to save them, instinct has them grab an appendage to haul them to shore if the person cannot hang on to tail or hips.
The puppy will naturally mouth you,
one way i correct this with my pups is to ball my hand in a fist, place it to the back of the mouth, this is only if he was mouthing my hand, i will immediatly do the balling of fist placing to back of mouth, and supporting back of head with other hand, it is not pleasant, and, than offer hand to him, if he licks, praise him.
if he mouths, place fist to back of mouth again.
how old was your pup when you got him?
if he did not go thru the whole bite inhibition stage, wich lasts till approx 8 1/2 weeks. than you are in for more of a challenge than if you got aan older pup

 

[HannahCB]

Hi, Thanks for your response. Noah was 8 weeks when we got him, Have him enrolled in puppy classes already with a trainer i had recommended to me but can only start on the 4th of december as he hasn't had his second vaccination yet. We have been taking him out in the car to the park, beach and relatives houses so he can meet other people and dogs but not letting him walk around on the ground outside yet. I will try the hand balling for the mouthing and also try the leash thing, Have actually been working on the leash training this morning by offering a treat when he follows me which seems to be working, so fingers crossed! Thanks for your advice
Hannah & Noah

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

At 8 weeks old, Noah is a baby. He does not understand what you want from him. Anything you say to him at this point is like someone speaking 'Greek' to you. He will learn, it will take time and patience. These are not uncommon problems. Most puppies, no matter what breed will not like leashes and will nibble your hand. The nibbling is due to teething. He has his puppy teeth but around 4 months old, his adult teeth will come in. In the mean time his gums maybe sore as he gets some of his molars. But this doesn't mean he shouldn't be corrected for it. I like to take 2 fingers and give a light rap on the muzzle and tell him "NO BITE" and then give an appropiate chew toy. I also will spray my hand with Bitter Apple as am about play with a pup.

As for leash training, I find I just put the leash on the puppy and start taking him out in my yard. I give them light little tugs on the leash if they are not coming with me, but watch to make sure they are going to the bathroom. IF they do their business - I give them lots of praise. Usually with in a few days the leash is not a problem.

I would not take a puppy anywhere like until they have had their shots. Not putting them on the ground does not stop the exposure. Especailly meeting other dogs - You don't know what they have been exposed to. JMO

 

[sarnewfie]

everyone has their own opion on this matter, i took my pups to the kennel club to expose them to new things and noises/
i disagree it is all greek to them, they can and do learn many things even at 5 and 6 weeks, i had my pups sitting and laying down and leash training, and potty training.
We have found that newf pups seem to mouth a lot due to that natural instinct they have, wich is why when uncorrected they carry on the leading the person by the hand in mouth or arm to be a trait they have more than other breeds.
opinions will vary on this subject so do what you think is right.

 

[dee]

What I like to do is for one week--put a buckle collar on them so that only two fingers can slip underneath--that way you know it's tight enough not to slip over their head but not too tight. Then for the first week, snap on a leash and just follow THEM--no tugs yet. Then week two, start making light tugs followed by gentle praise--especially if they look at you. Just continue on--need to make leash walking a pleasant experience! I'm not against socialization once they've had a couple combo vaccinations.

As far as the biting--it's a puppy teething thing--Joan gave some good advice above.

Be patient, pleasant and have fun with your puppy!

dee

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

i disagree it is all greek to them, they can and do learn many things even at 5 and 6 weeks

I am not saying they can't learn but English is not their primary language and at this point, they DO need to learn what the words mean. Just like a human baby doesn't understand what you are saying to them as infants - they learn! and it takes patience!

 

[Wash]

Ours was freaked by the leash when we first got him, just took him awhile go get used to. On advice we just left him leashed in the house and let him drag it around while we were watching. Just took a little time and patience. Our problem now is the pulling which seems to be more difficult for us to work on. Once distracted he just doesnt seem to care how long we make him stand in place, even after eventually sitting he is tugging again almost immediately.

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

He is, what, 9 weeks old -- he is not going to get it immediately -- you have to work on it and he will tug and you tug back. At this point you need show him you are in control. You need to be able to this now while he still only weighs 25-or 30 pounds or so.

 

[sarnewfie]

I work on attention,at that age many of them are food orientated, and, i take advantage of that fact and use food and treats and Natural action to my advantage, say, a pup sits on his own, i tell them GOOD SIT!
or if a pup walks calmly for me i do the talking to them to keep their attention on me.
if they pull, i turn abrubtly and walk the opposite direction.
quick sessions a few times a day, and always the first 10 months i walk them stricktly on leash to potty. Letting them have the run of the yard does them no favors.

 

[Brody the Newf]

Brody had a strong instinct to follow me when he was really young. I'd hold his leash and jog backwards calling him to me. If he got wild and pulled on his leash, I'd stop.

I started bringing Brody with me within two days of bringing him home. I brought him to playgrounds and to my son's camp. Lots of exposure to loud children and very little exposure to dogs. In our case, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

 

[EllieDixon]

When Ben used to pull I found that stopping the moment he pulled, then taking him a few steps in the opposite direction worked well. He quickly learned that pulling would actually slow down his progress to where he wanted to go.