I have a 7 month old toy poodle who is absolutely terrified of leashes. I've had him for over 3 months now and have tried almost every type of harness or collar and leash combination on the market, but so far I haven't had any success. Any time a leash is hooked onto his collar or harness, he will cower and try to hide by either cowering in some isolated corner or trying to hide underneath something like the couch or my bed if possible. If the leash is somehow connected to his neck (like it would be with a collar or some harnesses), he will absolutely freak out and start squealing in fear if the leash tugs on him. On other types of harnesses that don't pull on his neck, he is still very uncomfortable and will still cry if tugged too much, but it's much less severe. As you might imagine, this is especially a challenge when he's hidden underneath something small and gentle tugging is one of the only ways to coax him out other that just waiting for him to eventually crawl out, which can take a while.
My guess is that he had some sort of traumatic experience involving a leash as a puppy. Fortunately, I am quite sure it wasn't some sort of abusive situation because I have known the family from which he came from for many years. They (the husband and wife) are getting old and my puppy was from the last litter they were planning on having. They have always seemed to be nothing but loving and respectful of their dogs and any puppies their dogs had. My guess is that the traumatic experience was probably a result of an accident or a result of the couple being older.
It's probably pretty obvious at this point, but I'm just looking for advice on how to help ease the phobia my puppy has of leashes. I've tried using positive association with various leashes (i.e. presenting him with a toy or treat after the leash has been clipped on). That has seemed to make him a little more comfortable just simply having the lease attached to him. However, he still barely moves almost out of fear; he'll get really close to me if he can and sometimes eventually doze off.
Currently, I've been working with an "Easy Walk" harness https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Harness- ... B0009ZBKG4, which attaches at the front and has a martingale loop. He seems to like this a little better than some of the others as it doesn't pull on his neck. However, he still tries to hide and will sometimes whine a little. If we're in a very open area where there are no hiding spots, he'll just sit/cower and refuse to move. Strangely enough, collars don't seem to bother him. He did display some "annoyance" for the first week or so of wearing one, but now he acts like he doesn't even notice it anymore.
Please, ANY suggestions are welcome!
My puppy is afraid of leashes
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: My puppy is afraid of leashes
I'm not an expert, but...
I would first decide what you want to walk him in in the long run: leash or harness. Is he OK having a harness put on and off if the leash isn't attached? If this is also scary, the collar may be a better choice as he will wear it all the time.
Then I would attach a very short, light length of fabric - maybe a puppy's first lead cut down to a few inches - and leave it on him all the time. You could touch the lead and treat him, then hold the lead with no tension in it and treat him, until he sees you holding the lead as absolutely fine. You could graduate to a longer lead that trails behind him (with no loop on the end that could catch on anything, and not worn while he's playing in case it gets tangled and gets tight). Or, if it doesn't seem likely to get caught on anything, have a game of ball with him wearing the lead so he associates it with fun and no pressure. Then you could pick up the lead and stand next to him - NO tension - and put it down and treat him.
THEN while you are holding the lead, walk alongside him where HE wants to go, so there's no tension. Maybe throw a treat in front of you and walk next to him as he goes to get it.
I think The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell advocates lead training where the lead is really just a safety device. The puppy is trained to walk alongside the owner with no tension on it at all - I think the initial training is done without a lead. It might be worth checking out this method for your dog so when you can walk him on the lead, tension on the lead will be absolutely minimal - you'll be using other cues to 'steer' him. Possibly you'll find that walks work better when your dog can determine where to go and when to stop and sniff, at least till the pup is happier with the lead, but a lot of my walks are like this anyway
In the meantime, don't use the lead to coax him out when he's hiding - would treats work instead? If he's too scared for treats, I'd just wait for him to come out of his own accord.
I've no idea how long this process might take - weeks, months? He should be relaxed at every stage before advancing to the next stage. I hope something here helps.
I would first decide what you want to walk him in in the long run: leash or harness. Is he OK having a harness put on and off if the leash isn't attached? If this is also scary, the collar may be a better choice as he will wear it all the time.
Then I would attach a very short, light length of fabric - maybe a puppy's first lead cut down to a few inches - and leave it on him all the time. You could touch the lead and treat him, then hold the lead with no tension in it and treat him, until he sees you holding the lead as absolutely fine. You could graduate to a longer lead that trails behind him (with no loop on the end that could catch on anything, and not worn while he's playing in case it gets tangled and gets tight). Or, if it doesn't seem likely to get caught on anything, have a game of ball with him wearing the lead so he associates it with fun and no pressure. Then you could pick up the lead and stand next to him - NO tension - and put it down and treat him.
THEN while you are holding the lead, walk alongside him where HE wants to go, so there's no tension. Maybe throw a treat in front of you and walk next to him as he goes to get it.
I think The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell advocates lead training where the lead is really just a safety device. The puppy is trained to walk alongside the owner with no tension on it at all - I think the initial training is done without a lead. It might be worth checking out this method for your dog so when you can walk him on the lead, tension on the lead will be absolutely minimal - you'll be using other cues to 'steer' him. Possibly you'll find that walks work better when your dog can determine where to go and when to stop and sniff, at least till the pup is happier with the lead, but a lot of my walks are like this anyway
In the meantime, don't use the lead to coax him out when he's hiding - would treats work instead? If he's too scared for treats, I'd just wait for him to come out of his own accord.
I've no idea how long this process might take - weeks, months? He should be relaxed at every stage before advancing to the next stage. I hope something here helps.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
