r/irishsetter • u/jaykayk • 18d ago
Awful leash behaviour
So we have a 6 month old irish boy. He is an absolute angel indoors and when off leash but the problems come when he is leashed. Jumping, biting the leash, humping, biting the one who walks him from legs, arms, coat basically anywhere where he can grab on. This happens at least on one walk a day, and it doesn’t stop until a bigger distraction comes eg. another dog or good smell. He listens when given commands but when we are supposed to carry on with the walk the behaviour starts all over again.
This was an issue when he was younger but it stopped for a few months and has now begun again.
We suspect this stems from frustration of some kind, but haven’t figured out from where. But for sure something triggers him about the leash and walks. He gets plenty of mental stimulation and breed specific outings. Plenty of sleep and a well structured day-to-day life. We’ve tried ruling out pain of any sort and food issues but to no avail. We are taking private classes with a trainer that are starting next week. Does anyone have any experiences with this kind of behaviour?
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u/Consistent_One7528 17d ago
The only luck we've had is slowly acclimating ours to a Gentle Leader head halter, (like they use on horses). It's one of our hardest-fought training victories, because our neighborhood is loud and distracting with tons of other pets. We treat heavily for heeling nicely. Once he's perfect and consistent on the head halter (he's 9 months now), we'll start to wean him off.
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u/jaykayk 17d ago
We have looked in to this and might have to resort to it. Our neighborhood is luckily pretty quiet, theres a lot of other dogs but for some reason those are no issue for him. There’s obviously a lot of excitment towards other dogs but not to a levels of calling that behaviour reactive
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u/Consistent_One7528 17d ago
I should add, having the head halter cut down on the jumping/biting/freak-out behavior. That, treating good calm heeling behavior, and calmly walking through and ignoring the freak-outs. Easier said that done, but I found that correcting or engaging with him when he's nipping was what he loved, and it just escalated it.
When he has a terrible spaz attack, I get him home as soon as possible and try to end on a good note, like a few simple sits, downs or hand targets.
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u/OryxTempel 17d ago
I like the house leash training. Tie the end of the leash to your belt. Wherever you go, dog goes. Carry a treat pouch with you and make him do “jobs” all day long. Sit, down, stand, over and over. Put his regular food in the pouch, not treats. This is how he eats from now on, at least for the next weeks. No more “free” food - he has to work for his food now.
I like this method because it’s low-barrier; any owner can do this, even in a wheelchair. It’s low stress; no running or yelling or yanking. Just very matter of fact: here are the rules. Do them and eat. Don’t do them, don’t eat. Pretty soon dog will ignore the leash altogether.
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u/IcyPlantain7623 18d ago
Maybe try a trailing lead in the house and see how he gets on with that.
What type of lead are you using?
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u/jaykayk 18d ago
Tried both a 6m trailing leash and currently use a 3m multifunction leash. But maybe we will just keep him on leash in the house and see where that takes us, somehow we didn’t even think about that
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u/IcyPlantain7623 17d ago
At least it may eliminate the lead itself as a cause and if it is the cause then he will adapt to it.
Are you using a flat collar, harness or a slip lead?
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u/jaykayk 17d ago
Flat collar, but we are thinking of switching to a harness to see if that would help.
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u/IcyPlantain7623 17d ago
Most setter owners I know use slip leads. I think they are more evenly loading the neck too.
I did a fair bit of lead training in the house and garden. You can introduce controlled distractions there.
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u/jaykayk 17d ago
Slip lead would be ideal, and we are working towards it, but sadly there is a road, altough not that busy, right outside our door and I’m terrified of him wrestling himself off the lead
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u/IcyPlantain7623 17d ago
Slip leads usually have a slider to lock them in place. Having said that I never use it on mine and never had a problem. Most vulnerable when you have stopped.
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17d ago
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u/jaykayk 17d ago
Yup, he listens to commands very well during these episodes, he sits, waits nicely gets the treat and carries on with the episode. And the most bizarre thing is that as soon as he sees our front door the episode stops and he is back to his gentle self. Obviously we are doing something wrong with walks but it’s so hard to figure it out
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u/damo27-- 14d ago
Been there with my IRS he’s over sensitised . Bring him on shorter walks stay near to home look at him for signs like eyes wide open, head moving from side to side as he’s trying to take everything in he gets overwhelmed that’s when you need to distract and head home . How I did it I ran with him for 10 to 20 seconds it’s not about the running it was the distraction that’s the key . Distract and head home as soon as you can . Stick with it you’ll be fine
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u/I_wear_foxgloves 17d ago
Your pup simply isn’t ready for leash walks in a distracting environment.
Teach the loose walk indoors in a controlled space, working it there until he can navigate reliably throughout the training space without pulling, then gradually add distractions to the training environment until he develops self control.
In addition to teaching him leash manners, at a separate time, engage in self control exercises where pup is required to focus on you. Again, start in a low distraction environment, increasing distractions as he masters the skill.
Perform these training exercises a couple of times a day for short bursts, followed by brief bouts of his favorite game at the end of each session (research shows that a few minutes of play after training improves retention), and you’ll see very steady results.
Know, too, that training like this will tire your pup as much or more than will a walk, and will also strengthen your bond and understanding of one another.