New Puppy - Not letting go???

[copper]

We just got our rotti mix puppy last week from the SPCA. We love her to pieces already, but there is one thing we are concerned about. She will often grab onto our clothes (sleeves, pants) and just hold on. She won't let go no matter what we do. She will often start to growl as well.

We've tried "No Bite" both calmly and more sternly. We've tried yelping (didn't work). But she just won't let go. We usually have to pry her mouth open just to get her off.

Should we be concerned about this? Will she grow out of this?
Any suggestions on how we can get her to stop?
Any suggestions on how we can get her to let go??

We also have two grown cats so any suggestions on how to introduce them would be much appreciated. So far we keep her on a leash in the house to keep her from jumping at the cats. They are too scared right now to really come near.

BTW, we intend to enroll her in puppy class. She is getting her second set of shots tonight, then we are calling to arrange puppy class.

Thanks in advance for the great advice (sorry it was so long).

[mmgy]

Welcome!!!! You will get great advice here, but not from me, I'm not a behavior expert!

Have fun with your new puppy!:)

M2

[RottiMomCT]

Can you try to re-direct her biting to an appropriate chew/bite toy? When she grabs hold of your pant leg/shirt sleeve, wiggle the toy in front of her face and say 'Leave It!'. When she stops biting you, praise her and give her the toy. Easy to deal with now that she's a pup, but once she hits 50-60 pounds it's gonna hurt alot more!!!

How old is she?? If under 10 weeks, she may have been taken from Mom and siblings too soon and did not get appropriate lessons from Mom that young puppers need.

Good luck with her - be patient...she's like a lump of clay waiting for YOU to mold her. Everything she learns is a direct result of what you teach her (makes ya nervous, eh?!?!).

As for the cats...make sure, when she is not crated or directly supervised by you, that the cats have a 'safe place' they can go to (a room the pup is not allowed in or something along those lines), and if the cat gets frazzled by the pup, maybe what the pup needs is a good whack in the nose by the cats to teach her a lesson! That certainly taught my dog who was boss...and it's NOT the dog! Obviously do this while you are supervising so nobody gets hurt (dog, cat or you!)...

[copper]

I forgot to mention that she is 2 mths old. From what we understand she was put into a foster home for some time then she was brought to the SPCA where we adopted her.

We do try to give her a toy instead but she doesn't seem interested.

I agree we need to stop this. My biggest concern is that she will continue and I don't know how we could handle this with an adult dog.

[Judi W]

A lot of her determination connects with the tugging that she is enjoying. Put your hand through her collar so that she cannot be tugging against what she is gripping. Move her towards what she has rather than away from it and then simply hold her immobile. If she can't pull, you have removed most of the fun. If she must be still, she should release after a patient on your part wait. When she does, keep you hand through the collar, (very calmly - no physical exiting movement) and tell her in a quiet voice "good girl" When you see that light dim down in her eye, then you will offer a toy or treat. If offering a toy, toss it so she can enjoy going after the toy.

See if this works for you. Remember, that movement stimulates the biting ......