My 5-month-old lab, Beau, has these sudden bursts of energy while we’re walking. He starts pulling, chewing on the leash, and even biting me harder than usual. I tried holding him still and saying no, but that just seemed to make it worse. It’s gotten to the point where he’s leaving welts, and my girlfriend’s too intimidated to walk him. Anyone else dealing with this and have any advice on how to stop the biting?
Sounds like he’s going through a crazy puppy phase! My dog did that too when he was around 5 months. I ended up training him with a ‘leave it’ command and used a clicker for positive reinforcement. It took some time, but it helped a ton. Maybe give that a try?
Nicholas said:
@FetchFanatics4
I’ve heard of that! What’s the deal with the clicker though? Never tried it before.
Oh, the clicker is just a tool that makes a sound when they do something right. You click and then give a treat right after. It helps them learn faster. You can get them on Amazon or pet stores!
That sounds tough! I had a similar issue with my pup, but I found that using a bitter spray on the leash helped. My dog hated it, so the chewing stopped pretty quickly. It’s called Grannick’s Bitter Apple Spray!
AlCapone01 said:
@PeterSamuel4
I’ll try that. Does it work right away or does it take a few uses?
It worked pretty fast for me. Just sprayed it a couple of times and he stopped chewing after a few tries!
That sounds really frustrating. If he’s getting extra energetic after exercise, maybe try giving him a toy or something to chew on during walks to redirect his energy. Keeping him occupied might help curb the biting too.
Honestly, I wouldn’t stress too much about it being aggressive. It’s probably just the excitement and energy. But if it’s really bad, maybe you could bring in a local trainer to test his temperament? Just to be sure!
@DogLoverDave
Yeah, I agree. I’ve had to call in a trainer for similar issues, and it made a huge difference in understanding the cause. Definitely worth looking into.
5 months is prime puppy stage, so this kind of behavior is actually pretty normal. Just make sure to train in calm, distraction-free places first, then gradually move to more distracting environments. Consistency is key!