More questions about Leo and puppies

[StevePax]

OK, I know I've asked tons of questions here. I've read tons and tons about puppies and dogs, and my wife has too, and I just want to clear a few things up. From my prior thread, as you can see, Leo has had a tough couple of days when it comes to biting - some of his bites have gotten pretty hard. He's just turning 7 weeks tomorrow (I know, he was too young when we got him, but unfortunately his momma dog got sick and the whole litter was weaned a bit early) so I know that pretty much all biting is just normal puppy play, but we certainly aren't going to tolerate biting that leaves scratches on our arms (doesn't exactly break the skin, because he's only 2 1/2 pounds, but still). So I kept reading article after article well into the night last night, and I've pretty much dismissed any of the rough physical correction ideas (like scruffing and shaking, etc). I decided maybe we aren't saying "No!" loud enough when he bites us. So, I've tried to pretty much just sharply shout it at him, very loudly, when he offends with a bite, and today when I did that it certainly got his attention, and he calmed down quite a bit right away. We're going to keep trying this, unless anyone has any reason that we shouldn't - my wife and I are totally committed to making this dog thing work for us and our kids. We certainly aren't giving up on Leo

Now, I'd also like to start using treats - He's a tiny dog, so it's not like he eats very much. In fact, his kibble is still mixed with a small amount of canned food, because it takes him forever to eat on dry piece of dog food, since he was never fed that before (I guess he always had canned before). I want to give him a treat when he lets me rub his belly without biting, and when he lets me play with his toys without biting, and when he does anything, basically, that's calm and correct. I read somewhere, maybe it was here somewhere, that maybe I could take some turkey hot dogs, slice them thin, and microwave them kind of crispy to use as a treat. I think I could make pretty small treats that way, so he won't just fill up after 2 or 3 treats. Does anyone see a problem with using that for a treat?

Final question - How do you play with a puppy? How do puppies play? I posted that video earlier of him with a toy in his mouth, sort of shaking his head back and forth and thrashing a bit. Is that normal play? Is it normal for him to pounce on his tiger and sort of attack it, biting it and shaking it around? Or is all that promoting aggression? It seems normal to me, and that we just need to make sure he only plays with his toys like that, and not people. Is that right?

Help me out - this is my first dog ever (growing up, my siblings all had allergies), and my wife's first since she was in high school. So share your experience and expertise with me, please.

[Maxy24]

I'm glad you have given up the physical punishment, it's really not fair to do that to any dog never mind a baby. I personally don't like the use of "No" in the way you are doing it. I don't like using "no" for that reason, people tend to think the dog knows what it means so when they say it and he does not stop they think it will not work so they get louder until they scare him into stopping. So basically you are scaring him into obedience, not a way I like to train. I don't know how others like to teach "no" or how they got their dog to obey it, I think it should be taught in a way like you say know, remove your hand and ignore the dog for 10 seconds then go back to petting/playing. This way he learns "no" means the removal of your attention and therefor is something he does not want to happen again. Once he figures out exactly when you use "no" an remove you hand he will have figured out that it is every time he bites and will stop biting. You can though, simply do the ignoring without the command since it is not a behavior you want to turn on and off (like going on the couch or barking where you get the commands "off" and "quiet" since sometimes you want him on the couch and sometimes you want him to bark once or twice) you want it to stop all together and never happen.

I know you are frustrated but have you even tried the ignore him when he bites for ten seconds then go back to giving attention until he bites then ignore etc.? You have had him a week, he should not have completely learned not to bite in a week especially since he is so young. He should have been given at 10-12 weeks for his size. He is an infant so he will take longer to pick new things up. You need to stick with ONE method to teach this, use the ignore him when he bites hen continue play method. Don't waver from it and don't expect it to work after two attempts. Yelling "no" might have made him stop but it did not teach him anything, it just scared him to the point he needed to move away from you and stop doing everything. He did not learn what no meant and he will still bite you next time. He did not listen to the word he listened only to the loudness of your voice, it scared him. I'm not angry at you I'm just explaining my feelings on it. So use the ignoring please and if you need me to explain exactly how the ignoring works then ask and I'll explain myself better.

As far as treats go cooked hot dog is perfect! I use cold cuts (roast beef, turkey and ham) to train my uncles dog since it's quicker for me to prepare, it's thin and yummy. I just rip it up into little pieces, she LOVES the roast beef. With puppies it seems like you should have treats with you at all times, you could always use he kibble for treats or actually feed her half of a meal through training sessions (let her eat the other half in peace). Every time she does something good she should get a treat. Also whenever she is doing something wrong (shewing couch lets say) you need a treat for when you get her to chew her toy. If you just remove her from the couch and don't give her a toy to chew and reward for chewing it then she will not see any reason to chew her toys instead of the couch.

The way your puppy was playing was perfectly normal. They are supposed to "kill" the toys. It will not turn the aggressive, they can play like that with toys not hands and they learn that aggression towards toys is fine and towards hands is wrong. If they could not kill toys they would find something else to do it to (like your sofa).

Now that is all independent play, make sure you play sometimes too! I think tug-of-war is fine although some people disagree. Don't play it until your dog knows "drop it" though. Play fetch or make his toys "come alive" if it is big enough to get your hand under and move around. This is also a good time to work with training not to bite. As you play these games if he bites, even to get the toy, stand up with the toy and don't look at the dog, hold the toy to your chest and wait 10-20 seconds. then sit back down and continue play. Every time he bites repeat this and eventually he will learn that biting ends the fun.

Hope this helps if you need me to explain anything further then just ask.

[~Tucker&Me~]

If he bites, simply squeal (make it sound as if it was the most painful thing you've ever endured) and give him a horrifed, hurt look. Then leave and COMPLETELY ignore him for a minute or so.

No, he is just playing :). Popular games are tug (just make sure you are in control of the game), throwing a ball, and (a favorite of mine) get one of his toys and drag it along the ground while running.

~Tucker

~Tucker

[Blondie]

Oh Steve, it's the most adorable thing when my dogs "kill" their toys. Maybe they're too spoiled, but Blondie who is 3 years old already knows that it's funny and he does it to get attention now (thinks he's so adorable and an entertainer) but he doesn't do it with any other things, like shoes or furniture! So it's OK... now biting... Christie has killer teeth too :(

[Chell]

When we got our puppy last year she was very mouthy as well. Yelping (like a dog would) when she bit was very helpful. I also tried to teach her to lick rather than bite. First you can teach her how to give 'kisses' on command.....one way of doing that is by rubbing a stick of butter on your hand and when she starts licking you say 'kisses.......good dog'. repeat a few times and she will get the hang of it. then when she gets mouthy, yelp....when she stops mouthing, say kisses and have her lick you and when she does say 'good dog!' It takes some time, but it teaches her good vs. bad ways of using her mouth.

as far as the way she is playing, that is perfectly normal. one of my dogs favorite toys when she was a pup was an empty water bottle (remove labels) because it would make a lot of noise and it rolled away from her every time she got near it cause she would invariably kick it.