Stan has a bad habit - any advice/suggestions?

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bex1984

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Stan (13 weeks old) has decided that it is really, really fun to play tug of war with his lead. He sort of goes into a 'red mist' where he just gets so into it that he doesn't notice us at all, and won't let go, and if he does let go, just grabs it again 2 seconds later. I have tried ignoring him, and telling him no, and asking him to drop it for a treat.

I'd really like to nip this in the bud ASAP but don't really know how to deal with it?

any advice would be gratefully received :)
 
I'd just pop his jaw gently and take it out and make him sit still until he calms down. He learns he doesn't go anywhere or get anything until he leaves the lead alone.
Repeat ad nauseum and lots of praise when he starts to walk nicely.

Attach a chain lead for a while.

Give him an alternative to the lead - a tug toy or a ball on a rope instead, bring it out with you on a walk. It sounds like he has a good game drive which may be stronger than his food drive - he is a terrier after all and will have an inbuilt instinct to chase and rag things.
Always teach the 'out' though. Let him tug, let him win it, but keep him on a lead and when he has had a little proud run around, bring him back 'out' - you can pop his jaw to remove it, lots of praise and then begin the game again as a reward.

When you say 'no', mean it and issue a growl or a GRRR if you have to. I always ask myself, if I am verbally admonishing a dog - would I stop what I was doing if I heard me?

Keep everything firm and fair, nothing high pitched and don't shake the lead to keep it active. Make sure NO ONE! OH, children you know, makes it into a game, laughs when he does it, encourages him to do it, it is one of the most common factors.

Is he on a collar or a harness? If the latter, he will find it a lot easier to grab.
 
he definitely likes to play games :) and tug is by a long way his favourite game! We don't play it very often (and we always 'finish' the game, which I guess is the equivalent of 'out'?) but we're wondering if we should be playing it at all really?

He is on a harness. He has various leads for different purposes, and he does it to all of them.

Thanks v much for the advice. will defo make him sit quietly and calmly next time until he is bored!
 
Well with my GSDs I always encourage them to rag and then out. The out is the most important part of the game and yes, the finish will suffice.

I don't see any huge harm in it, it is natural dog behaviour and if you turn it into a controlled game with certain items allowed and others, definitely not (in fact it is the basis of the whole protection/courage tests in Schutzhund, a rag turns to a padded cyclinder, to a 'pillow' and then a sleeve, which eventually is worn by the 'criminal'!) then it is better than the dog grabbing and ragging whatever it chooses. JMO!

With him being so young I would make sure he isn't straining backwards against you with all his might to avoid joint strain.
 
Thank you, I sort of agree that it seems like natural behaviour and I don't want to frustrate him by never playing his favourite game with him. I did read somewhere about avoiding playing tug with puppies who play-bite, but Stan has never, ever play-bitten at all (even when other people - much to my annoyance - try to encourage him to do so).

I keep trying to explain to stan about his young joints!! He is a monster for launching himself onto/off/over things!
 
Spray the lead with crib stop. I would not encourage tugging on an alternative object. Start young focusing on walking forwards without distraction. Toys are for playtime.
 
Henry had this habit when I got him - I used to stop, run my hand down the lead quite sharply, so if he didn't let go he got a (light!) bop on the nose, while at the same time telling him 'no!'. When he let go, he got a good boy, then we moved on:)
 
I don't see the harm in taking a toy out on a walk as a distraction and offering it as an alternative to undesirable behaviour, especially for a dog that isn't food-driven. Plenty of people train and obtain focus with toys and balls as opposed to treats because that drive is stronger. I incorporate training with walking so it is work and fun and everything else rolled into one.

JMO :)
 
CaveCanem said:
I don't see the harm in taking a toy out on a walk as a distraction and offering it as an alternative to undesirable behaviour, especially for a dog that isn't food-driven. Plenty of people train and obtain focus with toys and balls as opposed to treats because that drive is stronger. I incorporate training with walking so it is work and fun and everything else rolled into one.

JMO :)
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I did'nt word my post very well. Just meant the OP using toys at present as he is taking too much advantage of chances to mess around and if she has never had to confront a problem like this using toys / distractions can lead to worse behaviour.
Fine to do so with experienced people like yourself.

Just watched a video from a friend's who by chance was filming a training session at her local club, where a GR with similar lead tugging problems had been told by a previous trainer to use toys as distraction. Owner quiet inexperienced (was 1st time with this trainer) had not recognised the dog was also possesive and as she tugged the dog, quickly let go of the toy, went for her, caught her forearm and the muscles are literally torn away from the bone on the poor woman's arm.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Having tested it last night it seems telling him off, even in a firm growly way, just adds to his impression that this is a fun game. A toy as a distraction worked quite well, but he kept getting more excited and going back to his lead.

Anyway, it occured to me, when he was doing it whilst tied up in my stable and therefore I kept having to come over and remove it from his mouth, that the little monkey is getting rather a lot of attention (his favourite thing) from this little game. So I am testing out completely ignoring him when he does it - marching on, staring straight ahead, not saying a word. Lo and behold, he lets go, catches up with me and then gets lots of praise...so far it's working :)
 
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