New Puppy have ?s

bkshasta · Post by **bkshasta** » Nov 21, 2003 10:22 am

We got a new puppy (he's a mix/mutt) about a month ago. He's now about 2 1/2 to 3 months old. We haven't had a puppy in about 15 yrs. so we aren't used to puppies. Here's my question. How long does the biting and nipping go on? I've about had it with him. The cats are about through with him also.

Karry

Dirtyhands · Post by **Dirtyhands** » Nov 21, 2003 10:38 am

in my opion
the biting stops when you make it stop.

We used a rolled up paper when the dogs where little
if they bit they got a lite smack on the but or nose.
mind you just a little smack so it scares them but doesn;t hurt them. then give them a chew toy and let them bite that.
My husband also getting sick of the biting
he acutally bit them back on the ear, they didn't like that either.

gardenkat · Post by **gardenkat** » Nov 21, 2003 11:05 am

Check out this website for some good information on the subject. Scroll down about 3/4 of the page and click on the link "puppy biting"
http://www.veterinarypartners.com/Conte ... ourceID=47
By the way, congratulations on your new puppy!

Garden_of_Mu · Post by **Garden_of_Mu** » Nov 21, 2003 11:50 am

Pictures, we must have pictures. I think it is an unwritten rule around here that you aren't allowed to mention cute new babies without posting a picture so we can all oooh and aaah over how adorable they are.

... and congrats on the new addition to the family!!

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Nov 21, 2003 1:18 pm

I second that Mike!! I want to see a pic of the adorable little furkid!!!
Joan

bkshasta · Post by **bkshasta** » Nov 21, 2003 9:03 pm

GardenKat thanks for the website. It has everything.
I will try to post a picture. Have never done that before so it may be awhile. Will figure it out.
Karry

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Nov 22, 2003 1:35 am

Sorry to disagree Dirtyhands but NEVER smack a puppy on the nose with hands or anything else. That's a very easy way to make the pup hand shy. Try to redirect the pup towards a toy that he likes. This will only work if you do it before he gets hold of you or he will think nipping is a way to get his toy. The method I've always had success with is when the pup grabs your hand, don't say a word but stick a finger down his throat till it gags. Be sure to place your fingers BEHIND the back teeth or you may get nipped when he fights to get away. Don't yell, get mad or give any show of emotion. If you do this without saying anything, the pup will begin to think grabbing your hand is an unpleasant act. If you yell, swat and swing at the pup, that will only teach it to be quicker to avoid your wrath. Under most circumstances, chewing will be outgrown by 6-7 months when the teething is done. Another method is to immideately stop playing with the dog when the biting starts. Pups learn from their litter mates that if they bite to hard, the pup they are playing with will stop the game. This is one of the best reasons to never get a pup before it is 7-8 wks old. They learn a lot of bite inhibition from their littermates between 5-7 weeks old.Beyound this, it's a bad habit and the beginning of dominance issues.
About the best site on dog training is Dr. P's dog training site. It has more info than you'll imagine.

lazygardner · Post by **lazygardner** » Nov 22, 2003 2:10 am

I know NOTHIING about puppies, other than that they are awfully cute and fun. However, I haven't had good results with training cats when using a swat either. They start to become afraid of the swatter more than anything. Still I know nothing. OED is the puppy Guru.

Astilbeblu · Post by **Astilbeblu** » Nov 22, 2003 11:41 am

Congrats on the new puppy! OED gave superb advice about getting a handle on the nipping. Redirecting your pup is about the only thing that will help in the long run. Give him plenty of appropriate things to chew on. Give him tons and tons of exercise. A sleepy puppy is a happy puppy. Please give your furbaby a smooch on the nose from me;just watch out for the teeth!

jmboyer · Post by **jmboyer** » Nov 22, 2003 5:09 pm

Congratulations, Karry, on getting a new furkid in the family. As always, OED's advice is on the money. Also, as Dorothy advised, get lots of chew stuff for the little critter, but hide the shoes, purses, and wallets. I'm definitely with Mike and Joan in wanting to see some photos of this little sweetie. It drives us all crazy to hear the word "puppy" and not see a photo. Good luck with your new baby and let us know how things are going.

Annika · Post by **Annika** » Nov 25, 2003 1:41 pm

Congrats on the little one ! Chewing on you is the puppy's way of connecting with you ......... to assertain that he is part of your pack. It is a social behaviour from the puppy and thus should not be punished. Since puppy teeth are sharp I usually withdraw my fingers, insert chew bone and then gently pet the puppy to give it the connection it was looking for. Older puppies that chew might be changing teeth or be over active due to stress ( to much playing with them ).
Try to react as little as possible to the chewing, it is a short period and they can get stressed if punished for a normal, social behaviour. Have rags and other chewtoys scattered around to substitute for your hand.
We want pics

Annika

r_leblanc · Post by **r_leblanc** » Jul 18, 2005 8:08 pm

bkshasta wrote:We got a new puppy (he's a mix/mutt) about a month ago. He's now about 2 1/2 to 3 months old. We haven't had a puppy in about 15 yrs. so we aren't used to puppies. Here's my question. How long does the biting and nipping go on? I've about had it with him. The cats are about through with him also.

Karry

Hi,I'm fairly new on this website.A word of caution on your young puppy.Do not let him nip or play biting at all.This is a no no.He will develop into a biter as an adult dog.Everytime he tries to nip or bite you give him a time out & put him in his kennel.Also these rope pulls they sell as toys for dogs also create an adult biter.Dogs learn by association.If they associate certain traits you do not want him to have & you cause him some unpleasantness,he will soon learn to avoid doing that.Dogs learn to do the right thing by rewarding him with a doggy treat everytime he does.Time out when bad.The very first thing you must do to gain an obediant dog is leash training.You must teach him to heal (next to your left foot) & keep at this until it is automatic for him.Do not try teaching any other things until he learns healing 100 %.Next,you teach him the down command,when this is accomplished,you add the stay command.You keep at this until he remains where you put him in the down position,let others try & coax him to come to them & if he does,don't get upset or give up.Dogs read your body language so be carefull not to give him the wrong idea.You must work with your dog every day but keep the training short & fun for him.Do not scold a dog for bad behavior,be kind & gentle with him at all times.He will learn quickly & don't forget to praise him when he does good with a good scratch on the ear & a treat.I'm a proffesional trainer of hunting dogs & like I said,teach obediance,obediance,obediance.Good luck....Ron

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Jul 21, 2005 7:27 am

Well, the only thing I can say that really works (sorry, no professional here, but..) the finger down the throat worked for both our girls. Also, not doing the pully rope play I think helped with them not doing the normal pulling at pant legs and other toys from teh kids hands. With so many kids here it was very important to establish these two things quickly.

Have you thought about a puppy training class (Kindergarten class here). Can't remember how young they start, but they will give a lot of the basics that OED and r_leblanc stated. It's a great way to learn along your new member!

And hey? WHere's the pics?

bkshasta · Post by **bkshasta** » Jul 21, 2005 9:03 am

Thanks for the info Ron. We survived puppyhood here. There were times though when I thought it's him or me.

I didn't want to get a dog. Didn't want the responsiblity. Was happy being able to do what I wanted without having to worry about an animal. DH really wanted another dog. Funny thing is, he is now more my pet than DH's.

This dog is in no way trained up to your standards. But that's OK. He's turned into a pretty good pet. He minds very well, but sometimes he still has his moments.

PeggyB · Post by **PeggyB** » Jul 21, 2005 10:29 am

Congrats Kerry on 'making it'! It's a trial sometimes without a doubt.

Enjoy!

Just my two cents on the puppy biting. In my experience the most simple and effective method to stop a pup from play biting is to yelp, rather loud, like another pup. All of the pups we've raised would immediately stop.

As with everything prevention is the best cure. Better to prevent a bad habit than to try and break a bad habit. I think a lot of time owners, innocently, create a play biting atmosphere by how they play with a puppy. Like rough playing with their hands etc. The pup's natural reaction will be to bite/nip.

Ginger · Post by **Ginger** » Jul 21, 2005 2:29 pm

Congrats on the new puppy. They will wear your patience just like a child, but they are such fun.

Ron: you mentioned that using a rope for play was not a good thing. I don't understand that logic. My boxes have a rope we play tug with, and they have never tried to bite even in play. They know the rope is for play and will bring it to me when they want to play. They are very careful about getting only one end of the rope in their mouths. If they get their mouth close to my hand, they will move down the rope or let go of it until I change the position of my hands.
Am I just lucky with the breed of dog, or what? Please explain what you meant

Ginger

r_leblanc · Post by **r_leblanc** » Jul 21, 2005 8:04 pm

Ginger wrote:Congrats on the new puppy. They will wear your patience just like a child, but they are such fun.

Ron: you mentioned that using a rope for play was not a good thing. I don't understand that logic. My boxes have a rope we play tug with, and they have never tried to bite even in play. They know the rope is for play and will bring it to me when they want to play. They are very careful about getting only one end of the rope in their mouths. If they get their mouth close to my hand, they will move down the rope or let go of it until I change the position of my hands.
Am I just lucky with the breed of dog, or what? Please explain what you meant Hi Ginger,the reason I don't play tug of war with my dogs is because the rope (to the dog) is just an extention of your arm (paw).They learn that it's ok to grab me if they decide they want to be Alpha & replace me as leader of the pack.I see this a lot with people who decide to aquire a Drahthaar & don't keep a firm hand on the situation at all times.This breed especially is a pack animal & not for everyone to own.They love to hunt in a pack like the wolf.If you ever had the opportunity to be around 5 or 6 Drahthaars that live together,you would see the never ending pursuit of rank.You would swear they were going to kill each other.My dogs do it quite a bit & for anyone who doesn't know this breed,it could be quite nerve racking.So...I do not play tug of war with them because I do not want to be included in these chalenges.It could quickly get out of hand when the adrenaline is flowing.If anyone is interested in how to pick out a suitable puppy for their home & family it is fairly easy.You pick up a puppy in your hands & turn the pup upside down on their back.If the pup fights hard to right itself,it will be aggresive.If it lies there not making a fuss or whimpering then it is passive.What anyone would want is middle of the road,trying to right itself but not to strongly & after 15 or 20 minutes settles down & accepts the situation.This pup would be aggressive enough to have desire & easilly trained but passive enough to comply with your commands.This is a fact of life for any utility (working) dog......Ron

Ginger

outtahand · Post by **outtahand** » Jul 21, 2005 8:24 pm

and then, my two cents...lol
I am not sure what kind of biting and nipping you are talking about-
I work at a doggie daycare/ obedience/agility training facility,
and see the puppy kindergarten classes, and in between grooming,
help with the daycare puppies and dogs.
Some puppies use their sharp little puppy teeth too hard
in play, others nip when youre doing something they dont
want you to do- pick them up, touch their feet,
push them away from something, etc.
I use the "yelp" (actually, I screamed like I was in pain)
when a puppy play bit too hard. If a puppy nipped to tell me
not to do something, I hold the mouth closed, very calmly,
no yelling or scolding, until the puppy relaxes and gives up.
The holding the mouth usually only takes a time or two for
the nippers to get the message.
But in between all your training, dont let ANYONE play
roughly with the puppy with their hands , allowing teeth
on hands.
My ridgeback puppy is 7 1/2 months old now, and I have
NEVER spanked, swatted etc, just firm voice, and lots, LOTS,
of praise for behaviors I want. Now we play in the floor
every night, and if her mouth accidently comes over my hand,
she gets this shocked look on her face, and pauses,
then gives me lots of face kisses... "sorry dad"
Lots of people think of obedience training as forcing your dog
to perform your commands like a robot.
If you find a good trainer, and ask around, you will not believe
how much fun you can have in puppy class, and, later,
obedience class.
And, what a happy, well adjusted dog you'll have.
Besides word of mouth, if you consider obedience,
go and watch a class or two before you enroll.
If they're being rough, or you dont feel comfortable with the way
the dogs are being treated, look for someone else.

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Jul 25, 2005 11:44 pm

Just another viewpoint on playing tug with a puppy or dog. I've always done it with my dogs. It's just a matter of having rules to the game. The dog does NOT own the tug or toy. It belongs to me, and we play when I say so. If the dog has easy access to the tug, and brings it to you to play with, that could be a dominance thing. That all depends on the dog and the social structure in your house. My kids never played tug till they were old enough to be higher on the social structure than the dogs. Mouthing people is a completely different thing from a CONTROLLED game of tug with MY toy. Having had terriers for 30+ yrs and hunting terriers for 15+ yrs, these little guys know how to use their mouth. Just NOT with people.
Then there's my Schutzhund trained GSD. He's from some serious bloodlines in the Czech Republic. His mother is from VERY serious Czech border Patrol lines and his sire is still a Slavic Republic police K9. I've actually worked at developing his bite on an object. Starting with a rag, going to a soft sleeve, then on to a hard sleeve. AGAIN, this is biting an OBJECT, not a person. What is important in his training is learning not only when and how to bite, but more importantly (as a family dog) he has learned when NOT to bite. Roughhouse games at my house, with the dogs, can sound deadly serious but they know the rules. My neighbors freak out when I work my own dog on a bite sleeve. What they don't/refuse to understand is I NEVER put my dog into defence. That's the job of the training director/helper on the training field. It's all prey work with me. Just a very advanced game of tug. Even when they are totally in drive, if the teeth accidentally touch god, (me), they hit the deck like a wet sack of mud. It's all about rules, and being consistent. I hae no fear of aggression with my dogs around the gkids. Course there is my wacko JRT, but, as most here know, he's a story in himself.

Hallson Gardens

New Puppy have ?s

New Puppy have ?s

Re: New Puppy have ?s