QuestionMy husband was given a 3mo old pit for Christmas 2005. She is spayed and has gone through beginners training at PetSmart. She is now 10mo old and has been acting up when being put on the leash.
I have an anti-pull harness that I use when we go out due to her strength. I just can't handle her when she pulls. Lately when I put on the leash OR the harness she grabs it aggressively in her mouth. I was told by the PetSmart trainer (which owns a greyhound with the same problem) that she pulls the leash towards her to get it out of the dogs mouth and says "no" in a stern voice and if it doesn't work she grabs the collar by the top of the neck and holds tight till her dog stops. Obviously these are 2 different breeds. When I pull the leash from my dog's mouth she barks and aggressively bites at the leash again...usually up toward my hand. I have tried in the past 2 wks to lay her on the ground and lay on her almost till she settles down (I was told this is how I show my dominance, and it has worked in the past). This doesn't seem to work for my pit. When I get up she goes right back to what she was doing.
Please help. I love her greatly. As she is getting older she is improving on listening. I no longer have to repeat the sit or lay down command as she does it the first time. She has retained her "shake" command which I taught her at 4mo. She is still good with rollover too. She just has issues.
AnswerHi there,
This can be a very common problem as Pits are smart, strong and just plain STUBBORN. And that seems to be the issue that you are having. Her stubborness is probably the problem, or perhaps she just doesnt like the leash. However i have a suggestion that might work.
If you dont mind spending a few bucks, go to the local petstore and get her a chain leash. THat is very uncomfortable to chew, and is strong. Nylon i can see a pit chewing or biting, but i think a chain is just to uncomfortable. There is no doubt that pits are strong, but you should never underestimate the greyhound. Those things can pull you right off your feet. They got very strong legs.
Back to the subject on hand. So I would recommend trying a chain.
Next,(if you keep the leas) does she do this only outside of the house like on the walk, or when ever she is on her walk. Another recommendation i can make is that you try walking her in the back yard. Everytime she bites or nips at the leash say no. If she listens reward her with a treat. Or when she tries just let her sniff the treat, and as she ignores the leash praise her and give her the treat.
My last suggestion is; try and walk her in the backyard and have a jar full of pennies handy. And everytime she bites or nips on the leash say no. If she doesnt stop. Say NO and violently shake the jar full of coins. That noise is supposed to irritate dogs a lot, its also used to conquer bad dog behavious problems.
Thats all i got, and i hope it helps.
Let me know how this works out for you
bye
