Biting the lead and pulling!

I am a first time dog owner, and staffy owner and so far it's going well.
My little girl Bonnie is 18 weeks ish old now and loves walks. However, I let her off lead a lot as her recall is ok (definitely needs more work though) and the fields I go in are generally empty.
But when she is on the lead, she sometimes starts biting it and wanting to sort of play tug with it and growls. I don't really want to have to muzzle her so does anyone have any tips? I usually give her a stick which she loves but my vet told me they shouldn't really be given sticks.
Also, she is really starting to pull in the lead now too and weighing 8kg, she is getting pretty strong for me!
Any tips for that?
She is currently walked on a collar and lead.

Head Halti
God send for all the behaviours you just mentioned. get her used it gently with treats, playing with it on and eating etc, then take her for walk with lead attached to it, she may act like a bucking bronco at first but she will get used to it.

I have heard of those so will definitely get her one. Are they adjustable, so if I got her a certain size, will it fit for a while?

head halti not so much its got to be the right size for her muzzle but the gentle leader is adjustable, not really a fan of the gentle leader though, i find they cans till pull with it and bite at the lead etc but the head halti closes the mouth when pressure is applied to the lead.

I think the Halti sounds right for us. Will try to measure her, without chewing my fingers haha!

I got a finger chewer her too, can't blame her though poor thing is teething so lots of soft rubber toys

Kirstybarbs wrote:I am a first time dog owner, and staffy owner and so far it's going well.
My little girl Bonnie is 18 weeks ish old now and loves walks. However, I let her off lead a lot as her recall is ok (definitely needs more work though) and the fields I go in are generally empty.
But when she is on the lead, she sometimes starts biting it and wanting to sort of play tug with it and growls. I don't really want to have to muzzle her so does anyone have any tips? I usually give her a stick which she loves but my vet told me they shouldn't really be given sticks.
Also, she is really starting to pull in the lead now too and weighing 8kg, she is getting pretty strong for me!
Any tips for that?
She is currently walked on a collar and lead.

Have a read of this thread Kirsty...https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t63908-wonder-harness It`s the best thing i have bought in years lol. I als put the link in where to buy

Thankyou. Will have a look tomorrow on the laptop - my phone won't bring up the link

Kirstybarbs wrote:Thankyou. Will have a look tomorrow on the laptop - my phone won't bring up the link

No it won`t post the link for some reason, but the thread is in the Tried And Tested section, under Wonder Harness I`ll just get you a direct link brb

EDIT: Link now posted

Lets try this Kirsty ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/UNHO%C2%AE-Padded-Harness-Adjustable-Large/dp/B00WG17CHU/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1448055625&sr=1-1&keywords=unho+dog+padded+harness

Sorry, but there's no way I'd use a halti to stop a dog from playing, which is what this is. You don't want a dog to associate playing with discomfort, and haltis work by making an action uncomfortable/unpleasant, which is one reason I don't like them.

The simple way to stop this is to train your pup to the command 'leave it'. It's very easy to teach, you just give your pup something to hold then stick a treat under his nose while saying 'leave it', and give him the treat as soon as he opens his mouth. Repeat that on and off during the day, maybe doing a few at a time, then when he knows what it means you still have the treat to give him but you don't stick it under his nose first.

Then, any time he has something in his mouth that you want him to let go of - a ball, his lead, your arm, a live chicken (done that one!) - you ask for 'leave it' in a nice happy voice, then treat when he drops it. My dogs will drop anything, including that live chicken.

LizP wrote: including that live chicken.

Thanks lizp. Been trying to teach the leave it command for a while but probably Gone about it wrong.
Will try again using your tips.
Do you teach your dogs to not pull on the lead? I keep trying to heal but finding it hard - she's too interested in all the sights and sounds to listen to me haha!

I had the same issue with Buddy - I got him a new harness that stopped him pulling so much this is the link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/UNHO%C2%AE-Padded-Harness-Adjustable-Large/dp/B00WG17CVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446825978&sr=8-1&keywords=unho+dog+harness.
and now I am not hanging on for dear life I am teaching him the "look at me" command so when there is a distraction I say this he looks up and forgets what he was originally going to lunge after or it gives me a chance to change direction - I still do heel with him so he gets to walk correctly even though he isn't pulling , so later I can go back to his collar if needs be - try watch me or look a me see if it helps

I find teaching heel off lead in the garden first works best (for me, at any rate). Using a high value treat held close to my body, I walk round, asking for heel and giving a treat when the dog comes with me. Because mine are rescues, they generally come with leading issues so it can be hard work - Nola was a complete and utter nightmare, incapable of having her front feet on the ground at all - but we got Millie at 3 months and with her that method worked like a dream. Sadly she's not perfect (practically, but not quite), and she does still get the odd moment of deciding to run on ahead but then I just stop dead and ask her to heel again. She soon worked out that heel = treat, pull = stop.

I think the really important bit at the stage you're at is not to ask for something Bonnie can't do. When possible, keep on lead times brief and interesting. Make being on lead with you fun, so play with her with a toy, walk back and call her to you for a treat, lots of praise and lots of treats. If there is something exciting to look at, play with her instead and, if that's not working, then run off in the opposite direction. Use a loose (but not flexi) line and that'll help as you can run without dragging her. As she clearly likes a tuggy game, I'd carry a rope toy with me so you can have that super fun reward.

Let us know how it goes, and how 'leave it' comes along as well.

Thanks very much for all your advice.
Will keep you posted with how we do

Harness ordered - thanks Tezzers

Kirstybarbs wrote:Harness ordered - thanks Tezzers

You`re welcome Kirsty, it`s good to share

We are having terrible trouble with pulling here. Eccles is nearly 6 months and 14kg and I'm not sure I'll be able to hold on to him at all soon!
I don't know about the harness, it looks to me like it just gives him the full strength of his chest to pull even harder, I can't see how they help.
Those head harness look really mean but I have to admit to being tempted!

Tuschinski wrote:We are having terrible trouble with pulling here. Eccles is nearly 6 months and 14kg and I'm not sure I'll be able to hold on to him at all soon!
I don't know about the harness, it looks to me like it just gives him the full strength of his chest to pull even harder, I can't see how they help.
Those head harness look really mean but I have to admit to being tempted!

Maya`s works absolutely fine, and she is about 16 Kilo now. I know they don`t work for everyone, but in my case i wouldn`t use anything else now

Tuschinski wrote:We are having terrible trouble with pulling here. Eccles is nearly 6 months and 14kg and I'm not sure I'll be able to hold on to him at all soon!
I don't know about the harness, it looks to me like it just gives him the full strength of his chest to pull even harder, I can't see how they help.
Those head harness look really mean but I have to admit to being tempted!

If you just get into a tug of war with a staffy, no matter what you use to attach him to your arm, he'll pull. Training, training, training. Much better and much nicer than the 'really mean' route! I've just posted on another thread about how I teach heelwork:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t64030-haltis-and-canny-collars-question

And my thoughts on haltis. Really mean.

LizP wrote:

Tuschinski wrote:We are having terrible trouble with pulling here. Eccles is nearly 6 months and 14kg and I'm not sure I'll be able to hold on to him at all soon!
I don't know about the harness, it looks to me like it just gives him the full strength of his chest to pull even harder, I can't see how they help.
Those head harness look really mean but I have to admit to being tempted!

If you just get into a tug of war with a staffy, no matter what you use to attach him to your arm, he'll pull. Training, training, training. Much better and much nicer than the 'really mean' route! I've just posted on another thread about how I teach heelwork:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t64030-haltis-and-canny-collars-question

And my thoughts on haltis. Really mean.

Totally agree Liz, my last dog ( Sheba ) used to have one, and i hated how it used to pull under her eyes...Never again would i use one of those things. I tried a figure of eight lead for Maya a few weeks ago, she had it off her face before we even got to the front door

We did do training classes but we didn't get far. He was OK with recall, sit etc but once there is a distraction I found it impossible to get his attention walking on the lead. Tried all the usual, holding a treat in front of him, stopping, changing direction etc  The woman giving the class didn't get far with him either.

Sorry, but that doesn't speak volumes for the trainer. That sounds harsh I know, but a good trainer should be able to find what works for each dog. Yes, staffies are really easily distracted, so the basis of their training is usually best done at home. Trying to get a puppy's attention in a puppy class is making it harder on both of you than it needs to be.

Please don't think I'm having a go at you, I'm not. I'm just so against what I see as unfair methods of restraint that ultimately may stop something undesirable but won't teach the dog what to do willingly and happily. If you had a child who wasn't learning because the school/teacher weren't hitting the mark for him, you wouldn't go and reach for a method that was really mean, would you? You find another school or ask to change teacher, or you'd learn how to help your child at home, or something other than making the child undergo something unfair.

I quite understand that it's hard to stop the pulling habit once it's set in. Our lab x, who we got at 16 months old, was almost incapable of walking with her front feet touching the ground when she was on the lead she pulled so hard. And yes, I understand that it's tempting to reach for the miracle cure equipment. We do use an 'anti-pull' harness, the Mekuti, but it's the hours of training that did the real work, with the harness just giving us a helping hand to start off with.

I agree that a harness that works from a central point between the shoulders can give something for the dog to pull against, but if it's that or round the neck then the harness is kinder and safer. However, when the pressure is at the front it seems to block the dog. I say 'seems' because I've no scientific proof, but that's how it looks like it works. Combined with that block, if you get a harness like the Mekuti that also works to the side, so eliminating the central brace point even further, you end up with something that is effective if used as a training aid. If you let the dog learn how to pull against it, he will, so the key is to get a harness that feels different and then go into full training mode. Don't think about going for walks as normal until you've got the message across that pulling in this will either get us to stop and/or turn around, or if you pull hard enough it'll spin you round.

Interestingly, I've used a simple lead in front of the dog, tucked through the front of a harness, with several of the dogs at the rescue centre where I volunteer and it's amazing how immediately many of them respond.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox (another one!). I do have a few when it comes to training and fairness to animals! Do give it a think, though.

Thanks, that's very helpful. I tend to agree with you about the trainer, I don't think she was great. She just taught the stock methods I could have got myself on YouTube but wasn't good tailoring it to the individual dogs. Of course I have to take some responsibility too, I know I haven't out enough to time in. I hope it's not too late.

That's sadly too often the case with trainers still. It's such a shame where there are some fabulous training methods that can really motivate dogs, and good trainers have a 'tool box' of different things they can try when option a doesn't work for that particular dog/owner.

No, it's not too late. You can teach an older dog anything if you get it right and put the time in, and Eccles (fab name!!!) is still very young.

I've posted these before so you might have spotted them, but have you seen the Victoria Stilwell videos (on YouTube, indeed!)? Her loose leash walking and heel videos are very good.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C724F6F6A597540

As are the rest! I think the only one I do quite differently is 'leave it'. And as well as good, they're easy to understand and fun.

Been meaning to update.
So the Unho harness gets a massive thumbs up from us. She still pulls slightly but nowhere near as much as she did. She's also much calmer too when wearing it.
Also, biting on the lead seems to be getting less too. I have found just constantly talking to her and praising her and giving her treats when she walks nicely is certainly helping.

So thanks again for all your advice

Great news! Thanks for letting us know.

Iza does it with the extendable lead lol she grabs it and runs as fast as she can nearly pulling my arm off kinda gave up and let her get on with it must add she just does it in fields not near roads. Chain metal lead or harness stopped Iza biting normal the lead.