Kingdom of Pets

Posted by cindynw156
Jun 3, 2011

Hi,

First off, this is my very first experience having a puppy (although i've had adult dogs before). I just adopted a chi/rat terrier that was taken from his litter very early - at 6 weeks. He is 14 weeks now. So far crate training and house training have all gone well. The problem is with aggression. His nipping and chewing is really becoming a huge problem.
The usual advice of playing the role of the littermate (high pitched yelp and ignoring) doesn't work at all and only excites him more. Holding him down firmly until he calms is equally ineffective. It seems that once he gets into biting mode nothing works other than putting him in his crate. He does this not only to me but to guests as well. Actually, he gets even more wound up and agressive when guests are here. It's gotten so that it's hard to sit on the sofa unless he's in his crate.
For the purpose of context - i live alone, have no other pets, work at home and he has a secure fenced backyard that he plays in. I have a back door that he can come in and out of and I take breaks from work and play tug of war games and fetch games with him several times a day.
What am i doing wrong?

Cindy

Posted by Clova
Jun 3, 2011

Hi,

Congrats on the new pup. We've just got a new pup too and noticed that she was nipping, latching on to clothing as we walked by. I've only just tried the following method (day 2) but our pup seems to have calmed down quite a bit already so might be worth a go. I noticed that she was particularly nippy after playing tug and this was encouraging toy guarding when playing so I simply stopped playing tug with her and concentrated on fetch instead, holding the toy gently when she brought it back until she let go - if she did try and tug it away I would either follow the toy round with her head or let go.
When not playing fetch with the toys and she started nipping I tap her nose and then ignore her, or if she's really nippy I have a jar with stones in that I shake once sharply (used very very occasionally).

I'm a first time puppy/dog owner too so can't claim that this will work but I've had success so far with it. Would be great to see what advice others have about this.

Good luck

Posted by KOPCaroline
Jun 5, 2011

Hey guys,

I think this is a pretty common issue with new pups Especially once they get into the teething stage of life - they seem to enjoy putting their mouths on everything!

A few other suggestions that I've had personal success with, or know worked for friends -

When puppy starts biting, simply stand up, turn your back to them, cross your arms, and ignore them. If they keep trying to nip for a minute, just keep ignoring. Some pups get the idea right away and will stop nipping once they get ignored, so you turn around when they've stopped and give them praise. Some dogs just dont get it, but its worth a shot

You can try time out, which seems to be working somewhat with the crate, yes? Instead of just leaving pup in there for extended times or as soon as guests come over, wait until the bad behaviour shows. As soon as the nipping reaches some point you define as too much, pup goes into the crate or gets put in a room by themselves to calm down. Leave them alone in there until they are quiet, for about 5-10 minutes. Then bring them out again. The idea here is that everytime the bad behaviour starts, they are IMMEDIATELY put away. You can say "no" first, to get the idea that they are misbehaving in their heads When you bring the dog back out once theyve calmed down, you can give a "good dog", but remember, its straight back to time out if they act up again. I used this on my own dog for some manners training at home and it worked really well.

Another thing I did with my own dog (my flatmate at the time introduced me to it, and it worked for both our pups growing up) to specifically work on him stopping using his teeth on things was to grab his bottom jaw when he got to be too much. Youre not hurting the dog, but a firm grip so they cant pull away or really mouth on you works on some dogs. Grab and say "no" or "enough" (I used enough ) and hold the dog there until it stops wiggling around. When they accept the fact that youre stronger and you mean it, say "ok" and let go. It was really effective with my dog, who liked to have peoples hands and arms in his teeth, which no one else really seemed to enjoy!

I hope these helps, I'm sure other members will have more advice. Let us know how your pups go! And congrats both of you on the new additions!

Posted by MaxHollyNoah
Jun 6, 2011

Hi there!

Biting is a natural behavior for puppies as Caroline says so I would rather give them something to chew, instead of stopping the behavior itself. In other words, divert them to something suitable for their chewing/biting.

My current foster pups (10wks and 6 mos) are not much of biters but still Jake, the 10 wks old, bites me when excited or first thing in the morning. I simply offer him a Nylobone or a skeaky toy to divert his attention as I tell him "Uh-uh" in a calm voice. You will have to be patient and consistant.

When Tina, the 6 mos old, happens to be around she will become his biting target. Tina lets him bite her and she bites him back too but when it gets too much for her, she simply snaps at him showing her teeth. I wish I could snap too but since I am not a dog, I am taking the above mentioned approach. It works pretty well.

Attached is a picture of Tina and Jake. They are so cute when they are sound asleep (and not biting me)

Good luck

Posted by cindynw156
Jun 6, 2011

Caroline - I think a combination of the first two is going to be the key... along with some better puppy owner training The final suggestion - using the physical restraint - just makes him get more excited. I think he sees it as a challenge of some sort. Ignoring is working some when he's not completely manic so long as i decided turn my head away and refuse to look at him. With the time out I need to be more consistent and pay more attention so that i don't just give up and leave him there for more than 5 or ten minutes.

MaxHollyNoah - You pups are adorable!! Unfortunately when Bo gets into his biting mode other toys only deter him momentarily because he "wants" the hand or arm or nose or ear or whatever other piece of human flesh seems like a good idea. I think that often his behavior is about wanting puppy play action and he's going on instinct.

I've started taking him outside and play a game of fetch with two balls or tug of war for about 10 minutes. That helps, but i can't always do that.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Attached is a pic of my Bogart (who is Bo until he gets grown enough to be "cool" )

[ATTACH]107[/ATTACH]

Posted by paul6lopeez
Jun 20, 2011

[QUOTE=cindynw156;6815] Caroline - I think a combination of the first two is going to be the key... along with some better puppy owner training The final suggestion - using the physical restraint - just makes him get more excited. I think he sees it as a challenge of some sort. Ignoring is working some when he's not completely manic so long as i decided turn my head away and refuse to look at him. With the time out I need to be more consistent and pay more attention so that i don't just give up and leave him there for more than 5 or ten minutes.

MaxHollyNoah - You pups are adorable!! Unfortunately when Bo gets into his biting mode other toys only deter him momentarily because he "wants" the hand or arm or nose or ear or whatever other piece of human flesh seems like a good idea. I think that often his behavior is about wanting puppy play action and he's going on instinct.

I've started taking him outside and play a game of fetch with two balls or tug of war for about 10 minutes. That helps, but i can't always do that.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Attached is a pic of my Bogart (who is Bo until he gets grown enough to be "cool" )

[ATTACH]107[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]

Thanks for sharing information. keep updating.

Puppy Biting