I have never had any issues with my puppies and young dogs biting on their leads. But every week I work with families that are really struggling with this issue. But did you know lead biting isn’t “bad behaviour”, it’s usually a sign of stress, over-stimulation, tiredness or unmet needs. Maybe its just luck but I really believe its how I tailor our early lifestyle and my training choices. After twenty years as a pro dog trainer, I will give you the tips I follow and what I think works best: • We use a longer lead, so walks aren’t constant pressure and frustration. I allow my puppy time to walk at their pace, sniff, stop, watch - while they figure out the world. I don't get into a tug of war with them. • We walk in nature, not just paths. I intentionally reduce the amount of stimulation, noise and triggers my puppy has to cope with while they have no cues and coping skills worked on. I slowly introduce these things as we are learning and getting more confident. • Training is short and sweet, around 5-10 minutes, separate to our lovely walks, we do very short sessions on paths and busy areas with traffic. I keep it short so they don’t get frustrated and yes …bite the lead. As their confidence grows, we increase the amount of time we spend in busy areas. • We don’t say hello to everyone, blending in is the goal, not main character energy. Wanting to say hello to every dog creates over arousal and frustration when you can't. • Engagement matters, I reward for every bit of eye contact, check-ins, connection. What is rewarded is repeated. • Toy play. At home and on walks I guess lots of opportunity to play and tug and have an abundance of natural chews. • And yes… rest is training too. I watch for signs and clues my puppies and young dogs are getting over tired.