Scared of leash/collar

[DanielChapman]

Hi ive got a 9week old staffy pup and I've been slowly trying to get her used to the collar and leash I've been letting her sniff and play with it and giving lots of praise and treats when she interacts with it but as soon as i try and put the collar on or the leash and she feels something by her throat she freaks out. Am I just doing this step too soon or are there any helpful tips you guys have please

[Adrienne]

Hi there!

Welcome the forums.

You are on the right path in creating positive associations with the collar and the leash, but it sounds like your puppy can benefit from more baby steps. The reactions you are seeing are not abnormal, they are simply the result of your pup recognizing there's a foreign body encircling her neck and reacts strongly so to try to remove it.  Just like a horse wearing a saddle for the first time, puppies will react to the feeling of a collar and will try anything to get it off. Common reactions are whining, backing away, bucking, rolling on the ground, rubbing against surfaces and scratching at the collar. 

These reactions, if we think about it, are natural and adaptive. It is normal to react when we detect something that shouldn't be on our bodies.  Some puppies though may develop sheer panic in response to the collar. These puppies benefit from a gradual, step-by-step approach using baby steps during the introductory phase. Here are some tips:

-Choose collars that are lightweight and comfortable. It helps to initially have the collar on a bit loosen, but not so much the puppy can grasp it with his mouth. Avoid putting on tags until your puppy gets better used to wearing the collar. Don't put the leash on right away, give your pup a few days to get used to wearing the collar. 

-Another good way to get a puppy used to a collar is to distract her while wearing it. The more your pup is distracted (and engages in pleasant activities that keep the pup's brain focused), the less attention he will pay to the collar. There are several ways to distract your puppy and crate positive associations. Here are several:

-Take baby steps. Put on the collar, feed several treats in a row, then take the collar off, hide it behind your back and no more treats. Repeat several times, gradually increasing the time the puppy keeps it on.

-The above exercise can be further split in further steps. You can use praise and treat for looking at the collar, then sniffing the collar, then for having the collar placed on the neck unbuckled, then for placing the collar around the neck unbuckled, and then finally buckled, ending with a jackpot of treats. 

-Provide your puppy with a long-lasting treat or toy she has never had before while wearing the collar. I like to use a long piece of rabbit fur that the puppies can tug to their heart's content.

-Take your puppy outside in a safely fenced area. The distractions of the great outdoors can help distract your puppy and be less inclined to paying attention to the collar. 

-Have a play date with another puppy (that is also vaccinated for safety). Make sure you use a breakaway collar so that the collar will snap off in case one pup gets his mouth stuck in the other puppy's' collar. 

-If your puppy loves to eat meals, put the collar on your puppy right before mealtime and keep it on during the meal. Then, remove it the moment your puppy is done eating. With time, the collar will become a predictor that food is coming! Just like a bib for babies!

-If your pup likes to be in the car, take her on a fun car ride to distract her from the collar. You don't need to go anywhere special, just around the block a few times if she isn't prone to getting motion sick.  Have a helper sitting with her in the seats behind to praise and give treats (and for safety to prevent her from going to the driver's areas) so to make the car ride even more fun. 

-Be patient. It takes time for puppies to get used to wearing a collar. However, with time, they'll get used to the feeling and care less about it. 

-Once your puppy gets used to wearing the collar, your next step is acclimatizing your puppy to collar grabs and teaching her to give in to pressure, which paves the path towards introducing the leash the first time. Touch the collar and give a treat, then hold the collar with your whole hand around it and give a treat, then hold the collar and let your pup walk one step and give a treat, and then practice holding the collar and letting your pup walk a few steps towards her meal. Let go and have her enjoy his meal. 

-Now, that she has adjusted to wearing the collar, we can start attaching the leash to the collar (give a treat when you attach it) and teaching your puppy to "give in" to leash pressure. You can try this exercise:

Sit on the couch while she is wearing her collar and leash. Gently tug a bit on the leash and at the same time show her a treat from your hand. The moment she gives in to the leash pressure moving in direction of the kibble, praise and give her the treat. Rinse and repeat several times, until she gives signs of knowing that she should give in to the pressure rather than oppose to it. 

Then, try this same exercise standing up. Walk a bit  away from her and gently tug a bit on the leash and show her the kibble from your hand. The moment she gives in to the leash pressure moving in direction of the kibble, praise and give her the kibble. 

Next raise criteria, and start showing the kibble in heel position next to your knee. Follow the instructions in this guide: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

-If at any time during these exercises your pup appears uncomfortable, split the exercise into smaller steps or go back a step to find her comfort zone and restart from there. Feel free to post here if your pup seems to be struggling with any of these steps and we can split things further for her comfort. 

-Last but not least, puppies often are bothered by the ID tags once attached to the collar. There are ways though to minimize the jingling such as using an elastic band to attach them to one another or investing in a dog tag silencer. 

Hope this helps!

Feel free to ask any further questions or if your pup seems to be struggling with any of these steps. 

Best,

Adrienne

 

[DanielChapman]

Thank you for those tips I shall try them:) think maybe I was rushing it because I'm so looking forward to the first walk together. 🙂

[Adrienne]

Sounds like a plan! Yes, for sure taking baby steps and not moving forward until your pup seems comfortable at the previous step, can help for cases as such. Make sure to check with your vet when it's safe for your pup to go on walks as young pups can be vulnerable to infectious diseases such as parvo.  

Keep me posted on how things go!

Best,

Adrienne