Grey chewed through nylon leash

[Murray]

Hi and good to be here, just adopted a retired racing grey, 2 yr old male.  He has been perfectly behaved for 3 months, today, I was sat outside at a cafe, he was tied as normal to the nearby post.  He was snoozing , I looked away briefly  to then  see him still lying in the same spot but with the leash totally chewed through.  I see there are some metal leashes with plastic exterior but I worry he might hurt his teeth if chewing on metal.  Any ideas ?

[greysmom]

There are many different kinds of leashes you can try and one is going to work pretty much like any others.  There's also Bitter Yuck and other sprays that can be put on items to discourage chewing.  

My thought would be to pay more attention to your dog so you can stop and redirect the behavior in the first place.  Your dog could have chewed through the leash and been gone before you noticed.

[Murray]

Thank you.  I was a little late with breakfast so yes, I'm working in that. The obvious choice is a metal leash, might that damage teeth. ? 

[HeyRunDog]

He probably chewed it because it was there was nothing else to do. Spray bitter apple on his lead and take one of his toys with you next time so he can chew on that instead.

If you still want a metal lead Amazon do a plastic coated cable one but I'd be worried if he managed to chew through one of the strands and them cut his mouth. A chain one would be better.

[Murray]

Thank you.  The chain, you don't think he could breat a tooth trying to chew it ?

[mansbestfriend]

He could break a tooth or damage his mouth by chewing on a metal chain. Whether you choose to use synthetic, cotton, metal, or whatever, preventing/managing the reasons for the leash chewing would be beneficial. In the situation you describe, my guess is that your dog is bored and that chewing the leash is a form of 'entertainment'. Also chewing is stress-relieving for dogs.  I'd personally buy a new cotton leash or tie the old one back together, and closely monitor his behaviour in future. A chew toy (or other distraction) at any time could help. Peace. 

[cleptogrey]

old fashioned chained leashes can snap depending upon the pressure and are awful on your hands. boredom is the culprit- i had 2 dogs tied, one chewed the other dog loose. she was standing patiently waiting and my puppy(at the time) felix did the chewing.

i hate hate hate nylon leashes.  i purchase my leather leashes at this site, here is their link for 100% cotton web leashes- a tradition favorite with trainers. cheap and machine washable. i've had some last as long as 15 years https://www.max200.com/cotton-web-longlines  

many of the long lines on amazon are now a mix of cotton and nylon- not the same. and yes, buy some bitter apple and spray it. keep your eyes on the dog when having a snack at a cafe- as soon as the mouth goes into action - correct! 

the only nylon products that i use are by mendota. they are soft- easy to grip and last until your dog eats them.  easy to tie to a fixed post as the cotton web leashes are.

Edited June 17, 2021 by cleptogrey

[Murray]

Thanks, yes, that was my concern and I totally agree with solving the root cause, not the symptom but the risk of not solving it immediately and risking him escaping is also a factor. I've had him 3 months and 100% perfect behavior till this, nothing changed.  We got to that Starbucks 2x per week for 3 months and he normally lies down to snooze...till this week.  

I have bought some bone chew edible toys to keep him occupied. 

 

Thanks 

 

[1Moregrey]

Did something spook/scare him while he was at the cafe?