We got a new puppy a few month ago. He's now about 4 and half months old. He a real sweetie most of the time, but sometimes he gets agressive and bites very hard. When he does this I put him in his portable kennel. Is this typical for puppies of this age? Will he get over it? Does playing with him, such as playing with tug-a-war with a rubber toy, help or does it make him more agreesive? Thanks for any help you can give.
Toy French Poodle
by ChrisVance 5 Replies latest jw friends
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kls
Hi Chris , tug of war with a dog is a no no. It is said that it can make a dog more aggressive , as far as him getting aggressive and biting is part of his age and trying to see how far he can go . Instead of crating him when he bites ,tell him NO, Stearnly and give him a toy to chew on. When you crate him for biting you are not really telling him that what he is doing is wrong but bascially just ending it when he is bad but not showing him what you want him to do .
Treat your puppy like a little kid ,punish when needed but let them know what they are being punished for and show them what you want them to do or not do.
Any dog will try to dominate and you have to show that you are boss and what you say goes.
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Sirona
Hi Chris,
We have a five month old miniature schnauzer called Monty. We've had a major problem with him biting but we've had a dog trainer down and here is the solution:
When he bites you, say a loud "ouch" and I mean like a YELP ouch. This is because when they play with their puppy litter mates that is how they tell each other that "that was too hard a bite". So then, after the ouch, look away and STOP everything you are doing for about five seconds. If you are playing, stop playing immediately. Then when he isn't biting (and the ouch usually shocks them into stopping and looking at you sort of "what did you say OUCH for?") then you continue play.
DO NOT put your puppy into his house when he bites. If you do, it does 2 things. First it tells him that his house is a punishment place where he doesn't want to be. Second he doesn't understand that you're doing it because of the biting. Honestly they just don't put 2 and 2 together.
When he does wrong, he only knows for literally a few seconds....so you react immediately with the ouch....stop play. That is a punishment in itself because stopping play is just what he DOESN'T want! So he learns that NOT biting means that play continues.
As for his crate or house, you must ALWAYs make it a place of happiness for him. When he goes in there, treat him lots. Praise him. Do it gradually so he likes it in there. Never ever put him in there as a punishment.
I know I know, I have a puppy and some mornings they act up and you get really annoyed....but the worst I've done is put him in the other room and shut the door for just one minute. That way, he calms a little.
The dog trainer told us, bad behaviour should not be rewarded. So remember, if he bites you, sometimes he wants attention and you going crazy and putting him somewhere is sort of a form of attention. If you say ouch then ignore him, well then that isn't attention and he learns not to do that behaviour. Our dog Monty doesn't bite very much now, he is doing really well. He does occasionally when he is excited but we soon show him it isn't worth biting us!
PM me if you want to know other stuff, I've been dog training mad this last few weeks!
Sirona
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Sirona
Treat your puppy like a little kid ,punish when needed but let them know what they are being punished for and show them what you want them to do or not do.
Any dog will try to dominate and you have to show that you are boss and what you say goes.
kls, I disagree with this very strongly.
A pupply is not a child. They don't think like a child. They think like a dog.
They don't always know what they are being punished for. Punishment is NOT the way to go with dogs, unless the extent of the punishment is the withdrawal of something they like, temporarily.
If, for instance, you get home and the dog has peed on the floor, you don't punish. Why? the dog doesn't know what you're punishing for. He probably peed hours or minutes ago and doesn't know why you walk through the door and shout and go crazy. NO you just ignore the wrong behaviour and you praise praise praise the good behaviour.
You do have to establish the dog's ranking in the family, and yes they do have to learn to obey. The thing is, they obey because they enjoy obeying because you make obeying better for them than disobeying.
I am only saying this because I don't agree with punishing an animal UNLESS it is immediate and the punishment constitutes purely a removal of the things they want or like (for a time).
Sirona
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love11
Hi Chris- I used to be a vet technician, so I know a little bit about this. When a puppy is first born, they will bite their own brothers and sisters of the litter for play. When the play gets too rough, the other puppy yelps to let them know that it hurt and next time to be more gentle when they want to play. Your puppy now considers you to be a part of his "pack" and he is playing with you the same as he would with his kind. I know it sounds crazy, but this technique has really worked! Next time you are playing and he gets too rough, make a yelping sound. You will notice your puppy stop and look up at you because you are now communicating something that he understands- Oh, I was too rough! He will keep trying to bite, but each time you will notice less and less pressure on your skin till eventually it's a soft grazing of his teeth, then eventually nothing at all. But remember to yelp every time he bites too hard, you are letting him know what pressure is tolerable. Also, your puppy is teething so get lots of chew toys. Throwing a ball or toy is a better way to play then tug of war. Tug of war teaches puppies how to fight, like when human boys practice fighting with each other. Once you understand how your puppy is communicating to you, it's alot easier to raise them. Some people smack their dog for doing wrong, but that only confuses the dog and he wonders why his family member hurt him.
Oh, I almost forgot- after you yelp (his language) say NO ( teach him your language ).
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ChrisVance
Thanks everyone! What you've told me makes a lot of sense. I'll reread the comments and follow them. Thanks! I love my puppy, but I don't like to be bitten.