golden retriever trouble with leash

Question
Hi, my family has recently gotten a golden retriever puppy a little over a week ago and she is a little bit over 9 weeks old.  Whenever we try to put a leash on her she just sits in the grass, lies down, and won't get up.  If she does get up she will grab the leash as if it were a tug o' war toy and only go backwards trying to play tug o' war.  I was wondering what your advice would be for this.  I would also want to know what your advice would be for her to stop biting us.  Thank you and I am eager to hear your answer.

Answer
Hi Joey.  Congratulations on your new pup.  Pick a time when your pup should be hungry, just before a meal.  Take some kibble or soft training treats and go outside on a sidewalk or driveway (not grass) with your pup on leash.  Let her drag the leash at first and toss one treat at a time on the cement.  Walk forward with pup at your side, tossing the treats forward as if you were walking on leash.  Once she's comfortable with moving forward with you dragging the leash, pick it up while you continue to toss treats in a forward motion pattern.  If she grabs the leash to play tug, drop it and toss more treats on the ground.  It's no fun to play tug if the person on the other end isn't pulling.  You might also try to put some Bitter Apple on the end of the leash near the clip to discourage mouthing there.

For puppy biting, there is no better resource than Dr. Ian Dunbar.  Please check out the Dog Star Daily website for his guide on puppy biting:  http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy-biting  This site is a wealth of information.  Create a login and you'll have access to an entire book on puppy issues called AFTER You Get Your Puppy.

Please let me know if you have any questions on the leash walking or puppy biting after you've visited the website.  I'll be happy to clarify if there's something you need to follow up on.

Good luck!