Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Training and behavior topics, guidelines, and tips for Chow Chows.

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twistedcaduceus
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Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by twistedcaduceus »

Hi everyone, I've been lurking around here for some time now and decided it's time to make an account and join the community. At first a little something about me. She's a lil' over 3 months old. I have been in love with Chow chows since I'm 8. That's when I had my first glimpse of a chow. I love the dignified look that they have, the blue tongue, they're aloofness, and of course, their ever so present scowl. I grew up with 3 dachshunds, 1 German shepherd, and a shih tzu (the most difficult to train in my experience). I haven't had a dog since college and since graduating a year a go, I felt like it's time to have another one. I then decide to get a chow (sorry, not a rescue. The rescue group/shelter is being a bitch about me not having a yard). With that all said, I recently got a black chow named Shadow.

Shadow's all I ever hoped for from a new puppy. She's playful, and easy to warm up to my family. She's definitely more attached to me and my sister than the other people in the house. She is also somewhat house-trained when we got her. She's obedient but still has that chow personality of dignified independence which I love most about this breed. She's currently enrolled in a basic obedience class and currently follows sit, lie down, and "can somewhat fetch" (I say somewhat because she sometimes ran past me with the ball instead of giving it to me). She is currently learning to stay, stand on command, and roll over.

Now onto MY problem. Even though Shadow is pretty obedient and focused for a puppy, she has some quirks of her own. She is comfortable on the leash for the most part. She pulls still and I am trying to correct that. I read around here that what might work is to turn on the opposite direction when she starts to go ahead of me or starts to pull. I did that and for the most part she follows, then pulls ahead again. After doing this over and over, she will start to bite on the leash and start to be crazy. After that, she is just constantly hunting for the leash no matter what you do. Any advice on how to stop her from doing this? I tried giving treats, ignoring her, pulling again on the opposite direction but nothing works when she enters this "zone". She needs to learn how to walk on loose leash or she won't graduate obedience school. Also on that note, she doesn't follow when we're in class but follows commands pretty constant when we're home or walking around.

Sorry for the post being lengthy. Can't wait for your insights and suggestions. Thanks in advance.
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Sarahloo
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by Sarahloo »

Sounds like your puppy has a short attention span - which is normal at three months! You are dealing with a baby! Not even a child, a baby! There's only so much she can take in and digest. Looks like she already knows a lot for her age. Just take it slow and enjoy her high baby spirits!
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Rory's Dad
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by Rory's Dad »

Chow on a leash. Pretty common issue. And not an easy one to resolve.

It comes from their independent spirit and selective hearing. Try escalating the treats. Since she responds to other situations, they should be effective if you can figure out the motivators. I have 4 levels of training/response treats, and they all signify different situations. At home, to reinforce basic sit, stay, down behaviors we have a basic reward. After he has gone out and completed his 'business', its a different treat. For show behavior with his handler he is rewarded with special level items. Basic leash walks are the most difficult for some reason, probably because its new environments. We try to make sure a treat is on hand, and he can sense it. Practice lots and get the dog in the position you want with the bait/lure. Start with short distances and then let the dog have the reward. Restart the walk and keep it in same position.
twistedcaduceus
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by twistedcaduceus »

Thanks for the replies guys!

@Sarahloo: I also thought her attention span or lack thereof is due to her being a baby. The training does believe it halfway. Most of the time in class, she just wants to play with the other dogs. I'm afraid she does not have much of other puppy interaction due to the fact that no one are in dog parks coz it's winter and I don't know anyone with puppies.

@Rory's Dad: Thanks for the advice. I will try the different type of treat approach. I tried to lure her while walking but she just lose interest after a while. I love the fact that she doesn't get persuade easily with food but training is sure a pain. However the challenge and aloofness do give me some entertainment from time to time. I guess that's one of the reasons why I love this breed.
Rory's Dad
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by Rory's Dad »

Don't worry about the lack of focus in the puppy class. The socialization with the other dogs is what's important for her in those classes. She needs to play and to learn limits. The instruction part of those classes are for you. If you pay attention, and practice what they teach at home, that is where that training aspect will take hold.

The concept of treat escalation will take some trial and error. Rory's got two big attention getters...American Cheese and Liver Bait. We use the cheese at home, Liver bait is for showtime. What makes it tough for walking is that we usually walk right after they eat. Therefore, they aren't hungry and not real interested in additional food reward. If you can, do the training when hungry.

Use the lure/bait and hold it right at your knee. Get her attention and dont move until you do. Stopping the walk is a great tool. She will learn that she doesnt get wherever it is she wants to go by pulling or chewing on the lead (in theory anyway). Dont move until she looks up to you. Puppy class will show you how to get her attention to you (reward/treat to your nose or eyes so she looks at you). Then try a few steps. She eventually will look at you for most of the walk (don't let her walk into a sign post if this is accomplished). Keep talking to her and praising her good behavior when in a good position.
twistedcaduceus
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by twistedcaduceus »

I try to do training right after she wakes up before I put down her food for the day. I semi-free-feed her since I can't really call it free feed. I take her food bowl around 8-9PM and put it back down around 7-8AM right after she does her morning business outside. Then in AM, I use part of kibble for training. I use Zuke's training treats chicken flavor on walks and she seems to love it. I guess I just need to be patient with walking. I understand that its difficult for most dogs to learn how not to pull on the leash, albeit a senior dog but more so a puppy due to their inert sense of curiosity.
lweiher
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by lweiher »

I also have a 14 wk old that does pretty good on a leash...for awhile, then wants to play with the leash, jump up and bite my pant leg and just play...we haven't started obedience classes yet and I haven't tried the going the other way yet (I will on our next walk in about an hour)...but I was wondering, maybe I'm trying to walk longer then she can....which is about 20 min to 30 min....maybe i should take shorter walks 10-15 min more often because she gets bored with that little attention span, unless leaves are blowing down the side walk! Any thoughts? All are appreciated!
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by Rory's Dad »

At 14 weeks, that sounds like a long walk, but it depends on distance too. If there is a lot of standing around, sniffing the neighborhood, it might not be so bad. She is probably getting enough excercise just from puppy play at that age, so the walk should focus on getting proper walk behavior and getting 'business' done. If you meet people or other dogs on the way, good opportunity for socialization.

Otherwise, if her attention span is done on the walk, i would say its time to turn it back and head home.
lweiher
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Re: Help! New Chow leash biting, other stuff.

Post by lweiher »

Thanks Rory's Dad.....there is a lot of sniffing and peeing and chasing a blowing leaf....and thankfully she gets to meet people and other dogs as well...so I am going to shorten her walks until she and I have some training! It's been too cold for walks the last couple of days....at least for me....I don't think she would care...but then I don't have a fur coat! Thanks again!
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