We do the same thing with our puppies from time to time. Sometimes it’s just really difficult to catch yourself. I’ve caught myself many times saying my dogs names in a not so happy tone because they did something wrong.

Congratulations on your new puppy! We have a 12 week old Golden Retriever puppy at our house that we’re raising as a service dog so I feel your pain. One thing you want to try and do is find something more interesting then all the things (leaves, leash, grass) distracting your puppy and use that to regain her focus. Regarding the leash biting you can work on that by spraying the end of your leash with bitter apple spray. Most puppies don’t like the taste and will eventually stop chewing on the leash. Good luck with your puppy.

P.S. I’ve tried getting her attention with treats and trying to run/walk faster with very little success

Early congratulations on your new Golden Retriever puppy! Those little fluff balls are adorable. I totally get the idea that your other dog will be too distracting for your puppy to concentrate. When we first started working with Archer we either trained in a separate room or outside to give him fewer distractions. However, as he got older we worked on training him in many different locations including the park, on walks, different rooms in the house, at grocery stores, etc. Eventually your puppy will have to get used to distraction especially if you plan on him being a therapy dog. Our friends have an intact male dog that is used in the guide dog breeding program. He is also a therapy dog. We know of several other intact dogs that volunteer as therapy dog teams. Hopefully that helps. Good luck with your training!