# Jumping and biting during walks - advice



## Sonu (Oct 4, 2017)

I was about to post the same thing today. My puppy is almost 5 month old and I know he is teething but he jumps and starts biting too. We tried options that we in earlier post like fold hands etc but nothing is working out. People started to think that dog is attaching me on the walk and I am a bit scared too. We are seriously thinking about returning him to breeder as we wont be able to handle this.
Not sure if a star-mark-pro-training-dog-collar will help in situation or not. I don't want to hurt him but seems using mentioned collar, we will be able to have a bit better control....


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## davmar77 (May 5, 2017)

Sonu said:


> I was about to post the same thing today. My puppy is almost 5 month old and I know he is teething but he jumps and starts biting too. We tried options that we in earlier post like fold hands etc but nothing is working out. People started to think that dog is attaching me on the walk and I am a bit scared too. We are seriously thinking about returning him to breeder as we wont be able to handle this.
> Not sure if a star-mark-pro-training-dog-collar will help in situation or not. I don't want to hurt him but seems using mentioned collar, we will be able to have a bit better control....


we seem to be having this problem only during walks and not always. have you tried puppy classes? that should help too. we have a good dog collar but haven't used it in a while in favor of a walking harness. it's working better for us than a standard collar. I don't really want to use a prong collar but I'm considering a slip chain collar.


edit- the good dog collar is similar to the star mark collar by the way.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

A couple of questions:
Have you taken your dog to a good basic obedience class?
How much physical exercise (off-leash) and mental stimulation (training) does your dog get?

Jumping, biting and clothes-ripping when on leash suggest that you may not have done enough basic training when your pup was younger. Goldens are large, energetic dogs, originally bred to work, and they need basic training at the very least in order to function well, plus a certain amount of mental stimulation. Also, young dogs often find it difficult to contain their enthusiasm at walk time if they're not getting enough physical exercise. And biting is a sign that she's thinks she's in charge. A bit of basic training and plenty of practice will fix this.

What worked for me: Turn your walks on leash into mobile training sessions. Fill your pockets with kibble and feed it to the dog, one piece at a time, when she walks alongside you. If she pulls ahead, turn around and walk in the opposite direction, and feed her bits of kibble when she catches up. If she bites, put her in a down-stay for a few seconds (assuming you've trained her to do that). I used to feed my adolescent dog one of his meals this way, every day. We both had fun, and the end result (some months later) was a dog that walks nicely on leash.

IMHO, devices such as prong collars, slip chains and the like shouldn't be used at all on puppies, and shouldn't be used on any dog as substitutes for basic training. If you don't use them properly, they can make things worse, not better. There are no short-cuts to getting a well-behaved dog.

Best of luck, hope you find a solution that works for you.


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## davmar77 (May 5, 2017)

ceegee said:


> A couple of questions:
> Have you taken your dog to a good basic obedience class?
> How much physical exercise (off-leash) and mental stimulation (training) does your dog get?
> 
> ...


we were using treats along the way but haven't been lately so I think going back to that might help. she's in her 3rd round of puppy classes and does well in those. she's good with basic commands. I do think she's not getting enough outside exercise so that's probably a big part of it especially first thing in the morning. I do think she has the alpha thing going on and we're having some trouble conveying that we are the leaders, not her. I was also looking into 4 ft leashes.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

davmar77 said:


> we were using treats along the way but haven't been lately so I think going back to that might help. she's in her 3rd round of puppy classes and does well in those. she's good with basic commands. I do think she's not getting enough outside exercise so that's probably a big part of it especially first thing in the morning. I do think she has the alpha thing going on and we're having some trouble conveying that we are the leaders, not her. I was also looking into 4 ft leashes.


One thing that will help with this is a lot of obedience practice. Several sessions a day, five minutes at a time. Practise chains of commands: sit-down-stand-down, etc. Teach tricks (shake a paw, spin, turn, etc.). This will help proof your basic commands, so that when she starts being a brat and biting you, you can order her into a down-stay. Once you've proofed the commands at home, take her somewhere else to practise. I took my dog to superstore car parks. We started out far from the store entrance and worked our way closer. In the end, he would work for me right at the entrance, regardless of all the people walking past.

Puppy classes are good, but basic obedience classes are better. They'll really help you develop a good relationship with your dog, one in which you're the leader and she's the follower.

The leash walking isn't something you'll achieve in a couple of weeks, but the more you practise both the walking and the basic commands, the quicker it will come together. Goldens are intelligent dogs - they normally learn quickly.

Good luck!


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## davmar77 (May 5, 2017)

ceegee said:


> One thing that will help with this is a lot of obedience practice. Several sessions a day, five minutes at a time. Practise chains of commands: sit-down-stand-down, etc. Teach tricks (shake a paw, spin, turn, etc.). This will help proof your basic commands, so that when she starts being a brat and biting you, you can order her into a down-stay. Once you've proofed the commands at home, take her somewhere else to practise. I took my dog to superstore car parks. We started out far from the store entrance and worked our way closer. In the end, he would work for me right at the entrance, regardless of all the people walking past.
> 
> Puppy classes are good, but basic obedience classes are better. They'll really help you develop a good relationship with your dog, one in which you're the leader and she's the follower.
> 
> ...


the current class is manners. she's doing well I think even with distractions. I think our relationship is good. it's the alpha thing and the issues while walking that are the most concerning right now. at home we try to spend as much time with her as possible. we both work full time so it's tough to do a lot of outside exercise but I know we have to do it. our back yard is fenced in so we let her out there but then she starts digging. I know this will get better over time. we have no intention of giving up.


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## davmar77 (May 5, 2017)

i ended up getting home early yesterday so I thought I'd take advantage of the time and I took amber for a long walk. I have back issues so I can't always do as much as I'd like but I managed to do a fair amount. she was fine for about 95% of the time with three instances of jumping. for one she was distracted by some kids and went back to normal quickly. for the other two I was able to hold the leash straight up to make her sit and calm for a minute which worked ok. overall it was a good walk.in the mornings my wife takes her out and she gets jumpy and bitey fast so I went with them today and was able to apply the same thing as yesterday and it was pretty good. my wife is short and I think a 4 foot leash may be in order since it's hard for her to get it straight up. yesterday's walk was with a harness and today's with a collar. she walks better with the harness but it's a little easier to get the leash up with a collar.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

My dog did this, too! I started a whole thread about it (look for "jumpy mouthy"). 

Apparently, it's not uncommon!

The usual advice is more exercise and obedience training. And while that advice may not be incorrect, it's important to figure out WHY the behavior is happening in the first place regarding your particular dog. My dog is low-med. energy so exercise wasn't the issue. Neither was obedience. In my dog's case, it was a combination of arousal and frustration. We practiced a lot of relaxation exercises and ways to peacefully help him channel his arousal/frustration while his mind and body matured. This worked beautifully and he never did it again. He's turned into the Best Dog Ever that everyone promised!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

There are several threads on this subject, you may like to read through them and see what you recognize as similar to your situation. 

Golden Retrievers : Golden Retriever Dog Forums - Search Results for biting leash and jumping during walks


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