# Mouthing and tug of war with leash



## Penny (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, I wonder if anyone could advise on how to deal with mouthing and chewing of the leash while out on walks? Penny is just over 8 months old now and is generally very gentle with people, including my young children. However when she gets frisky / excited while out on walks she grabs the leash in her teeth and plays tug of war with it, while growling and barking. I know she is just playing but on the other hand I don't want to encourage this behaviour. She also jumps up and has grabbed my hand a few times but doesn't bite down. I have reprimanded her whenever she does this but I'm not sure I am doing it properly, as I routinely play tug of war with her using her toys, so how is she to distinguish between what's acceptable to play with and what's not. Anyone know how best to deal with this?
Thanks, Paula


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Paula,
Ceasar talks about tug-a-war. *You or your children, as the alphas in the pack. You must win 100% of the time.* The dog must* never * win a tug-a-war game. You can play it, and the dog will have a great time doing it with you but when the game is over, take the item away the item and store it.

You control all things and the dogs owns NOTHING without you giving it to him/her. You can give and take away at any time.

Being alpha is controlling resources; not dominance.

I have several leashes. One is only 18" long. This keeps the dog close to me and no real opportunity for the dog to grab it.

The word "No" is used too much in training. Knowlegeable people have told me to use the two step command. Name first, short pause, command. If my Bailey grabs the lead, I would say, " Bailey,(_pause_) leave it." If he didn't I would stop, I would put him in a sit, wait a minute, and then start our walk again. He loves walks, so he learned quickly not to grab the lead.

Hope that helps.

RBD


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

In my opinion this is a very puppy thing to do, and I think you can establish the difference in your dog's mind between tugging and business (leash). I'd say a) don't allow your dog to decide when you both get to play tug. You decide by using a cue word, ie "tug" when you have the toy in your hand and ask the dog to play. When you're walking your dog and she starts doing that, I'd stop dead in your tracks and either ask your dog to do some command, turn around so that she gets no attention, or use a treat to distract her and ask her to do something for you in order for her to get treated. I think when she does it she just has excess energy to let out, so I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, I'd try to distract her to do something else and reward her for that change in behavior by continuing on your walk. Good luck!


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