Shaolin

You may think this is funny, but i have just bought a Brown labrador puppy, i got him at about 8 weeks old and now he is 10 weeks old.
As you can imagine, he's lovely apart from one thing: you can be playing with him or even just getting in from work, or coming downstairs in the morning and all of a sudden he just goes mental and wants to play (fair enough) but his way of playing is to see how many times he can make me bleed!
How do i stop him doing this? i know that you are not ment to hit them, and i dont, but it does get annoying and his teeth are like bloody needles!
Please help, i can only have so many cuts on my arms!

[Edited by Shaolin - 3/26/2002 1:13:59 PM]

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

give im a sharp soft slap on the nose, nothing hard, just enough to tell im its not on theyre lil scamps eh hehe.

TBMeech

Shaolin,

lol, sorry I have to laugh cos my 2 year old Springer Spaniel is still BONKERS!!!

When we first got him he was the same absolutely hyperactive, he's still bad, but Spaniels are renowned for it, nowdays just give him a tennis ball and he's happy (Simple things please small minds and all!)

The biting thing, he's only teething, he needs to chew on things, u wait till he munches ur trainers and anything else he can get his paws on lol, seriously give him a load of tennis *****, easily replaced plus not to strong for dogs to gnaw thru, in a few months or so he'll stop teething and wont bite too much.

Whatever you do don't hit him - could give him a little snap of the finger over the nose that'll teach him without hurting him (as long as you dont bosh him!).....

scoobyangel

there is a thing called "clicker training" which i used on my dogs after they ate half the house and one took a chunk out of me.
it is hard work but well worth it.
there are sites on the web with info, search for clicker training, it is widely used to train dolphins.

it basically uses a small click box, that is a "reward", if u start training him with it now u could get him doin anything u want in time ( mine will unload the washing machine ) ask at your vets or look up an animal councillor if u cant find anything on here.
it also stops them chewing your stuff as it tires them out mentally and they are no longer bored!!!


good luck...it well worth it to have a well trained pet

XRS

We have a couple of black labs, and always receive excellent greetings. They always have to have something in their mouths when greeting, so make sure you have a few plastic toys (those that squeak are the best) for him to have when greeting you.

Now is also a good time to stop him jumping up (if he does). It may be OK now, but you don't want 70lb of labrador jumping up at you in a few months time. If he does it, just block him with your knee so that he gets the message.

Enjoy!

Mice_Elf

We've got a Border Terrier, now just one and he was into biting EVERYTHING left in mouth reach. He even re-decorated the hall for us by stripping our wallpaper.... I've also got a 4 year old cat who was exactly the same when she was tiny. You could be happily stroking her and then all of a sudden she went into Kitten-Kill mode and attempted to bite you.

Both learnt the correlation bewtixt biting me and getting suddenly sore ears, when I flicked the ends of them. Not enough to do any damage, obviously, but sudden and sharp enough to make them think about it..

The puppy is a little slow at learning, but he's getting there which is just as well as he has chewed umpteen shoes, *****, toys and cushions....and the cat is fine - no more biting.

Diablo

Shaolin, this may sound daft, but your puppy is trying to assert himself as boss and there will be a combination of excitement and, believe it or not, telling you off for being away.

What you need to do is reinforce the pack ranking. Things you must do are:

1) Eat before he does
2) Go through doors before he does
3) Only allow play when you initiate it
4) Make sure you end play
5) Ignore him when you come in to the house for 5 minutes - this shows him.
6) When he jumps up, tell him a sharp "no" and turn your back. If necessary, shut him in a room alone for a couple of minutes when he exibits this behavior.
7) Make a huge fuss of him and give him a treat when he does what he is told. This is VERY important

He'll soon get the message that you are boss, and stop the biting & jumping.

He is, however, a puppy and will need to chew. Make sure he has something to chew on.

Puppies will also chew because they are bored! Simple training for an hour a day like walking to heel, sitting, staying, etc, will help to keep his mind stimulated.

Physical punishment of any sort should be avoided. After all, you want your dog to be obedient through respect and not fear. Trust me, in is MUCH better in the long run.

Good luck

Appart from "mugging" me when I get home , my five and a half stone "baby"



Is brilliant after following the do's and don'ts above. The difference with Rotts is that they will always try and be top dog, so its an ongoing process...LOL...At least the bitches aren't as bad

We've not had her from a puppy, so its been harder to get her to be calm when I come in from work, but we are getting there.

D

[Edited by Diablo - 3/26/2002 2:42:34 PM]

Shaolin

Many thanks peeps, i will try some of these tonight, although Diablo, how do i ignore him for 5 mins when i get in tonight when he is hanging off my arm!!!........again though.......thanks.

Scooby Dooby Blue

Surely getting him neutered is the solution

Diablo

Shaolin,

If he does it, turn your back. When he bites your **** pick him up and put him someplace he cannot get to you.

Keep doing it until he gets the message

D

AndiThompson

Scooby Dooby Blue, your evil whats the poor dog ever done to you eh??

PeteT

We had this problem with our lurcher puppy many years ago and were told that when she got too boisterous to simply get up and walk out of the room. Stay out for a few minutes and the dog soon gets the message. It worked well with ours but then lurchers are a bit more sensitive than labs (especially brown ones!)

Mark Jackson

Chocolate Labs are renown for being a pain, they are the highest rated dog by pet insurers !

Luke

This has got to be the funniest topic for a long time!!

Tiggs

when my bull terrier was a pup i would bive it a wack if it was bad- now it will eat my arm if i wack it so i use a stick then run...as luck would have it its not naughty to often (although it ate a tin of dog food last week- unopened, just chewed the tin apart!!!!)

my lurchers are the easiest dogs in the world- bit dim but soooo whimpy, i think if i hit one it would need counseling, one good shout and they do what they're told.

Tiggs

ps- whats all this "they're a pack animal and you should exert your authority stuff"?????, sounds like you own wolves!!! my dogs are domestic and have been for hundreads of years! they dont howl at the moon and go hunting moose!

Goldfinger

Shaolin - I've got a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who's now nearly 22 months old; we've had him from 5 weeks. For the first 2-3 months by heck his little teeth were sharp, like razors in fact and as we spent hours playing I had slash after slash over my hands, arms and sometimes legs and face - after a while he just grew out of it as his teeth matured, it was nothing malicious in the first place to be honest

He's still a beast when it comes to playing but if you pull away or if he hurts you he backs off and wants to give you big kisses ... bless him!

Cheers
Phil

Alpine

We have a border collie which is like a dog on speed... totally crazy.. always wanted to chew you as a pup.. we found the answer to be a tap on the muzzle when things got too boisterous.. She is still happy to chew chunks out of me.. so long as it doesn't hurt.. If I say ouch.. she stops and looks all guilty...

Give them PLENTY of toys!

EBRWRX

Looking at Diablos seven point plan do you reckon this will work if I substitute wife for dog ???????????

taz

I agree with the seven point plan but you could also let out a high pitched squeal when he bites you to give him a fright. This worked with my dogs. I saw a program on the tv about locking them away and you must not talk when you are doing it and also no eye contact.

be patient and most of the info here will work but please do not hit him!!!!!!!!!!!



Graham

rr_ww

Taz I think the program you saw I saw. "The Dog Listener". She was fantastic and made it so simple. she wrote a book, if anybodys interested.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...668331-5514834

SuzyQ

Hi there only read the begining of this thread and have to say some of the advice is very wrong....NEVER EVER hit a dog on the nose this is a very sensitive area and you can do irepairable (spelt how ?) damage!!
diablo is correct in the 5 minute rule and all the other advice i suggest that you go and buy yourself a copy of jan fennels book ...the dog whisperer.
alot of the mouthing is your puppy trying to work out where you stand in his pack ...as a pack animal he would now be trying to assert himself with his siblings as he has been taken out his pack and is now in a new one (being you and any other family members)he needs to work out where he is in he pack .....when you leave a dog he doesnt miss you because you are his mum or dad ..but because you are his child and he worries where you are ...dogs also cant tell the time five minutes or five hours they are both the same to a dog.
I have found that having a toy box for my weimaraner helps too ...when she is bored she goes and gets herself a toy for us to play with !! varying the toys also helps especially with thinking breeds...remember your dog was bred for the gun...to work !
if you stick with it and be very hard to start with it can be very rewarding....good luck and may the force be with you

PG

try making an ice cube an appealing treat. It soothes the gums and gets rid of the need to chew or get a KONG and freeze dog food in it.

Or get your dog to turn its attention to Scoobynet



Worked for me

mr_6

How do I bollock my dog when he gives me the sad eye treatment?



He gets his own way every time

Diablo

Quote:

ps- whats all this "they're a pack animal and you should exert your authority stuff"?????, sounds like you own wolves!!! my dogs are domestic and have been for hundreads of years! they dont howl at the moon and go hunting moose!

well, if you want to believe that then thats up to you...LOL...

Tiggs mate, how about you stick to kids and I stick to dogs Areas of expertise and all that

(may I suggest thats why you have problems with your bull terrier...ROFLMAO )

Dogs, domestic or not, are pack animals and will respond to training on that basis. They are not little people with furry faces

Suzy, good points, but I've always understood you should get the toys and initiate play, rather than letting the dog get them. This way you are boss.

Taz, beautiful Bernese Used to have two Newfoundlands.

LOL at surfing boxer

D

stevie c

I agree with Diablo and the others about sorting out the pecking order,your dog is new to the pack and needs to know where his place is in it.He will be just as happy at the bottom as at the top.

Another thing we tried with one of our dogs who kept nipping my wife,she yelped everytime the dogs mouth came into contact with her.This is the same as puppies playing together,they dont know when to stop until they are told.Anyway,a couple of days of yelping and the problem was solved.

Steve

Tiggs

diabalo,

my BT doesnt seem like much of a pack animal- he would eat other dogs in his pack so he's not very team focused!

he saw a mouse at the weekend run under the shed in the garden (6X4 shed full of garden stuff) he started to try and rip the shed apart to get it- had the whol shed moving- i tried to pull him away cause he was cutting his face up doing it but he tried to eat my arm- so i left him to it and he got bored!

clearly what i should have done was dress as a moose to distract him by appealing to his historic wolf like attributes

Tiggs

ps- eat before him not if i want to be able to have tea without beating him off at the same time!

Tiggs

hang on! i've just realised- he got mouse and moose muddled up!