help with puppy biting

[cerulean]

Our pup is now 13 weeks. Sure, she does the same things, but we don't stress about it.
Here's what helps us and Mango:
When she gets really zoomie and wild (we call it the MangoTango) she usually needs a Kong and a nap,,, that's EVERY mid-morning and EVERY mid-afternoon, and bedtime. By now it's on a pretty regular schedule every day. (She needed twice as many naps just a couple weeks ago).

When she nips, it's usually because she's asking us to play with her. We fold our arms, say "OUT" and look at the ceiling until she lets go, then we either: 1- get down and play with toys, mouth-jive with the favorite toys, or
2- grab the treats and play "games" (our word for training sessions). Finally she's beginning to realize that she can ask us to play without shredding us to bits.

Either one wears her out. Hope these ideas help.

[kschmi1721]

An update on the behavior issue I was having with Pantera. He is getting better. He still has his moments. I have been redirecting and I think my 3yr old lab may also be helping me in the redirection. Its really funny when it happens. If I tell Pantera NO Gunner goes and gets a toy for them to play with.

[nmgdaytona]

Hi! I read your post about the puppy biting and wanted to respond because my 6 month old male sounded exactly like what you described with Pantera when he was younger. In fact, I really thought that I wouldn't be able to bond with him because our interactions were always negative due to his excessive biting. I was so exhausted and frustrated. However, I learned that by calming down and working with him rather than against him was the key. (Using re-directing, and while napping is important....I can't stress EXERCISE enough). It isn't going to correct itself overnight, but I am happy to say that at 6 months, he is becoming the dog I always dreamed of. The biting is 90% over. He still has "episodes" but I can end it rather quickly now. So, while this isn't a "quick fix" message, it's hopefully a message to show that there is light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel! Glad to hear you are making progress. Keep at it!

[kschmi1721]

Thanks for the advice like I said he is getting better but we had a rough weekend. I am trying to exercise him as much as I can but I am still learning how to walk the two dogs together. He also seems to be afraid of cars which I guess isn't a bad thing but he will only walk so far and then he turns around and pulls me back home. He pulls more than my lab does. I am going to get a correction collar so walking will be easier.

Another issue we are having is with my husband. When my husband approaches Pantera he growls at him. He will let him pet him but he growls as soon as he comes close to him. Do you think this is because he know my husband is the alpha male? He even growls when we pet him. Did that happen to you also? I hope at 6 months this is 90% gone like in your case.

thanks again

[nmgdaytona]

I guess my first question would be, how does or initially did your husband interact with him? I'm being honest here....when we first got Diesel, he was very aggressive and mouthy right from day one. We had just lost a 10 year old Rottie and NEVER experienced this before so we didn't know how to handle him. After trying everything we read on the posts and having NOTHING seem to work, we found ourselves becoming really stressed out and frustrated. And the dog was getting more agressive because by us trying everything we read, there was no consistency and he didn't know what we were trying to teach him. Then one day it hit me that this little ball of fur was running me ragged and he was winning the battle. So I began by calming down and not fighting with him when he was in one of his frenzies. I began walking away from him when he "picked the fight" so to speak. If he was biting me or growling unnecessarily I would give him a firm "NO" once.....stick a chew toy in his mouth and give him NO further attention by walking away and sure enough he started to figure it out. If he wanted interaction with me it was going to be positive and it started to work. The other thing I did which helped was tackle ONE issue at a time. First it was the biting. Then it was chewing the throw rugs, etc. It wasn't overnight and he still tries to "win" here and there. Only it's not with overt agression anymore. I'm not an expert....just a pet owner who found a solution that worked for me. Obedience training helped also. Yes, I would say you have an alpha male on your hands and if he's anything like Diesel, he's not going to take being second lightly until he realizes that being second is actually more fun and easier! As your little guy gets older, you should see some of that subside also. There is a lot of truth to the puppy biting posts. It does get better. I truly was where you are at. At one point I found myself thinking that I couldn't keep him. But I realized that what was wrong was partially the way we were interacting with him. This may not be the case with you guys.....but was with us! I really wish you the best.