Keely's due to go out for her first walk on Tuesday and we're really looking forward to is cos she's got so much curiosity that the garden is no longer enough for her.

I'm looking for ideas on how to get her to stop grabbing at the lead.  I've been walking her around the garden and house, and i'm well aware that pups do grab at the lead initially but she's really got a thing for it.  So far i've: distracted her with toys, distracted her with treats/food, followed her not allowing the lead to go taught and so tried to make the lead feel light, stood still and turned/looked away so that the grabbing doesnt get her any attention or reaction.

I was going to try leaving the lead on her just trailing behind her so she becomes accustomed to it, but i've been told that might encourage her to chew it.  I cant really think of anything else to do.  I know that eventually the novelty will wear off once she realises that i'm not reacting to it, and also that once outside everything else will be far more interesting, but i just dont want it to be an issue before we set foot outside the garden.

Any ideas?

 Let her drag the leash, but don't let her chew on it.  You might try a short tab that she can't get at to chew.  The tabs give the pups a sensation of wearing a leash, but they are not long.

In case you don't know what I mean by a tab: www.jjdog.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

You can also make one with an old leash.  Just cut it off at the length you want.  If it is a nylon leash, heat the end of it with a match to melt the threads so it doesn't unravel.

Then once she gets used to the shorter tab, increase the length.  She just needs to get used to the leash. My guess is she doesn't like the restraint.  Also, when I have a puppy that likes to chew on the leash, I gently remove the leash from her mouth and praise her when she is not chewing it.  Giving her a toy might be perceived as a reward.  Same thing with treating.  Be sure and praise her allot when she is walking on the leash the way you want her to as that is the only way she knows what you want. You can also lure her with food to walk on a loose leash since, if I remember right, she is very food motivated.  Use that food motivation to your advantage.  You can fade the food later.

What are everyone's opinions on incorporating clicker training when training a gsp pup? I introduced the clicker to Kintra when she was starting agility and she seemed to pick it up quickly. 

I'm in the process of leash training Keely and training her to heel off lead and walk with a loose lead.  I know obviously that verbal praise can be immediate but i just wonder if the clicker may be more succinct and directly associated with food and treating.

I watched a Willow Creek kennels vid on youtube a while ago and the use of the clicker with leash training seemed to make sense, although it appeared to be a trained dog that was used in the video.

I have been working on getting and keeping her attention and tried to build it up so that she wouldnt be completely ignoring me when outside the garden, but she is actually now quite distracted by vehicles passing and i wonder whether my verbal praise is just too "blah, blah" when she's anxious about cars.  

I like Michael Ellis's training methods.

Great for puppies.

http://michaelellisschool.com/vid_engagement.htm

Jeez, she's so headstrong and independent! She's finally got her toilet training back on track after the UTI, and we're really getting somewhere with her basic obedience, but the loose leash training is a nightmare  I've been clicking/treating when she's where i want her to be on the lead ie by my left side, and i give her crazy praise when she's paying a lot of attention to me when walking.  I've taken her ball and bounced it, given her cheese, played with duckie etc all when she's doing the right thing and it really reinforces it well i think.  But its the times when you just CANT get her attention (usually when her nose is down). I've had the leash high up on her neck, tried giving it a wee tug, i've tried the kissy noises (that usually gets her attention everywhere except when she's on the lead), i've tried threatening to run, changing direction etc the additional problem is that obviously when she starts pulling with her nose down i CANT just let her do it seeing as she is actually starting to understand what she is meant to do so i dont want to let her away with pulling at all.

This one's really hard work!

The leash walking is the only thing i can foresee being a problem, and i'm trying really hard not to think negatively when we head out to walk but my mind's really filled with a million different methods to try and i dont think that's helping.  One major problem is that i've always been taught to keep her on my left side, holding the leash in my right hand, and using my left hand for extra control if required - but i find (also with Kintra) that she is inclined to follow where the lead is coming from and try to cross over in front of me.  I would be happy just to have a loose leash eventually, but felt it would be easier to keep her to one side in the meantime.

Somebody, please help! I'm even reading cesar milan to try to become the "calm assertive" being that supposedly has better luck with leash training lol.  Besides the walky problem, she's doing really well, and dont worry, i'm still allowing her to be a puppy, i'm just really aware that this would benefit from being sorted out early on.

I agree with pixie. When I start the loose leash training with my puppies, I do it in a quiet and boring environment inside. I usually also start without the leash teaching them where I want them to be. I don't use a clicker, but I do use a verbal marker in much the same way. I then start adding in the leash. Also there is a difference between loose leash training and heeling. Loose leash training just means they are not pulling, and heeling is walking in heel position with their head to the side of my left leg by a few inches. I teach both and mainly focus on the loose leash at first. I also never try training outside when they are puppies as it is just too hard to compete with the good smells and interesting stuff, especially while they are so young. So my recommendation would be to save the training for a quiet and boring place and let her enjoy her walk outside. If you do anything, just work on the loose leash and don't try the more formal heeling. Also, I never work heeling more than a couple of minutes or so even with my older dogs. Also break your heeling work down into small segments. Work on starting off crisply where you start from a stand and after only a few steps if she had a nice attentive start reward. Then you can work on the position by your left side in a straight line, then add in turns and about turns. I use a food lure allot for the turning stuff. Hold the food right in front of her nose. Also you can teach the left and right circle to help the dog learn body awareness. This helps them later get a nice close turn around you. So I do two kinds of left and right circles. The first is where I spin them out in front of me. The second is a circle to the right or left where I am part of the turning. Those are some ideas that should help, but if you have specific questions ask away. Have fun!!