Puppy Training - De Pere,WI

Just as human babies put everything in their mouths, puppies do, too. It's part of their baby nature. Unhappily, puppies have little puppy teeth. Ouch!

AND... this little gal doesn't know what's proper playing and what isn't. When she goes after your hands or feet, it's because they're moving, or because they're there, and she thinks, "Go for it!" After all, that's what she did with her siblings back at Mama's house.

You need to protect the puppy and your daughter from one another for a while. I always use baby gates with puppies. I keep the pup with me in the room where I'm doing something. There are several reasons, one being that if she isn't in the room with me doing something approved, she'll be in another room doing something unapproved. (Another is because I take a puppy outside after every meal, every nap, and once every hour that she's up. The fewer mistakes she makes in the house, the faster she'll learn what to do when she needs to go.)

Provide your puppy with a lot of things she CAN chew on. I don't advise old shoes because she can't tell what's old and what's new. But give her squeaky toys, puppy nylabones (not food bones that can splinter), and clean cloths soaked in water and frozen. When she starts nibbling on something she shouldn't, say, "No," or "Don't," and give her something she can have. When she starts pouncing on toes, give her something approved. It is well to keep shoes on during these few weeks. By the way, this is something perhaps your daughter can help with - you don't say how old she is, but she can hand her puppy a squeaky toy.

I'm sure your four-footed girl is trying the best she can. But she's just a baby and it takes time for her to learn. If you can work patiently with her and keep your sense of humor, she will be smart and confident later on - not afraid of you but looking up to you as her leader.

One good thing to make sure you have/are doing, is to provide the puppy with things that ARE intended for her to chew! She is a puppy, they chew. You have removed everything she can chew except for yourselves it sounds like. So give her some things that she is SUPPOSED to chew. When she goes for your hand or foot, make a high pitched youch. Then give her a chewstick, rawhide or some other chewtoy and praise her for chewing on it.

It's like a baby with the urge to suck. Some have a higher NEED for it than others, but they ALL NEED it some. Only with puppies, it is a need to CHEW. Let her chew herself silly on appropriate items. It will cut back on her need to chew on YOU. :)

Also, if she is chewing up so many things in the house, I wonder how she is getting access to those items.... Are you using a crate? If not, you should read up on crate training and implement it. It will be wonderful for your puppy (and your house!) both now when she is young and is learning about her world, and later when she will want a place she can go to feel safe/secure and not be bothered. It also is a HUGE help in house-training.

hth

When I had a puppy, I was told to scream, "OUCH!!" and act hurt (not always acting). It seemed to curb it for the personal stuff. Also, does she have any chew toys or rawhides?

Make sure that you are taking your dog for a walk, once in the morning and once at night for at least 1/2 hour. Dogs need exercise and change of scenery or they will get bored. Running around the house or around the yard are not the same thing as a good walk.

Start watching The Dog Whisperer. Cesar Millan gives great advice on how to stop bad behaviors. Exercise is one thing that he says over and over is extremely important to tire out your dog which in turn will lead to better behavior.

buy the pig ears and rawhide bones. get hm a toy to chase to curb his instinct.

We've been to puppy class with 2 pups, and what most people forget is that when you tell a puppy "No!" and they stop, IMMEDIATELY say "Good dog!" and give a treat. They respond very well and learn alot faster if you don't forget the verbal reward and the treat. As far as chewing, puppy should be in a crate when you can't watch every move, and taken out every time it gets out of the crate. Get soft treats, like the bacon strips, cut them in tiny pieces, and always have them handy. Good luck in puppy class---it's alot of fun.

Have you ever watch a group of puppies play? They roll, scratch, and bite each other. Since they are all the same size, they don't hurt each other. But they are learning a valuable lesson: bites hurt. And they only way to learn this is to be bitten. That means, you need to bite back. (This is called learning "bite inhibition.") Not literally with your teeth, but a gentle but firm pinch with your fingers. "Biting" on the back of the neck is best. And sound off a firm growl when you do it.

I grew up on (not in :) a professional breeding kennel and have watched how adult dogs teach their pups to behave. A puppy who gets out of hand with an adult dog will be "put down"--that means the adult will gently but firmly grasp the pup by the neck and hold him down until the pup settles down. They also growl and bare their teeth, which may look scary, but it's completely natural. Humans can mimic this behavior, too. And it's a must if your pup is only 13 weeks old and not being trained by other dogs. (So puppy class should help!)

We got our chocolate lab puppy when she was 12 weeks old, and what a ball of biting, chewing, crazy energy she was! What we learned in puppy class (and worked WONDERS!) was to wrap their top lip around one of their teeth and push hard enough for them to feel the tooth on their lip, but not too hard. Also, give them something they CAN chew on, like nylabones, frozen puppy teethers, etc. When they chew on those, say in a high voice "good chew"! When they are chewing on something they shouldn't be, say "bad chew" in a deep voice, then replace it with the nylabone and say "good chew" in the high voice. Also, LOTS of exercise is key with dogs-if they get bored, they will dig and/or chew anywhere and anything. Like another person posted, puppies usually from their littermates and mom. YOU are now the mom/littermate. Good luck and have fun!

I have a 16 week old puppy right now. He's doing many of the same things so I can relate. He has a lot of chew toys of different textures, which was recommended in puppy class--some of the plush toys, various brands of the rubber type bones and Kongs. I was warned that rawhides and pig ears can be too rich and can cause possible intestinal obstructions. I have let him chew on a cow hoof (recommended by the breeder) when it seems like he really needs to chew, but that does sometimes make him throw up. One thing I read about in a training book that I haven't tried yet, but plan to soon is making noise with a shaker can. It is an emptied, clean soda can filled with 15 pennies and taped shut. You shake it when they misbehave and they apparently don't like the sound. Finally, I was advised is that the best possible thing to do for biting after saying "No bite" or something similar is to ignore them. They HATE to be ignored. Play only when they play nicely. Good luck! I'll be checking here for anwers too. BTW, I recommend the book "Good Dogs, Great Owners" (or is it Great Dogs, Good Owners?) for training advice and information.

puppies are no different than children-you have to baby proof EVERYTHING-most of all electric cords-their favorite-the puppy is trying to play with you-so get some rope or old socks-they love those-play tug o war-i have a 4 month old min pin that i kept from my dogs litter-i forgot how much work an attention they need.dogs teeth the 1st year of their life.so be prepared.just like little kids everything goes in the mouth-get her squeaky toys-stuffed animals-try the big meaty knuckle bones-thats great for teething-and good for them.my dogs love them.puppies take alot of attention-and my tubby sure has pushed my patients-but glad i kept her-i had to put her mom to sleep bout 3 weeks ago-some how she got poisoned-it was horrifying-she was my rescue from a real bad situation in iowa 2 yrs ago.i miss her terribly-but i still have my cockespaniel and my lil tubby.when you take the pup outside-if you walk her-please put a muzzle on her-so she doesnt end up like my sassy did.their so close to the ground they can pick up anything without you knowing it.have a blast with her.any other questions feel free to email me.good luck

Updated

someone posted on here to take your dog out twice a day..puppies need to go out more than that until their brain an body work together-just like kids-potty training is intense-i take my dogs out 6-8 times a day....

I was actually told (on this site!) that yelling "ouch" sounds too much like a playful bark. Instead, yelp like they would, and this will let her know that she hurt you. As far as chewing: she's a baby, and really shouldn't ever be unsupervised. I know that's next to impossible but it's your best hope. Every time you catch her in the act of chewing on something she's not supposed to chew on, correct her firmly and then immediately, in a fun voice, say, "here, play with this!" and give her something acceptable to chew on. The more times you can catch her in the act and correct her, the quicker she will learn. You might make a game of it with your kids, which could help empower your older daughter. Just make sure you're all correcting her the same way!

Make sure there's always plenty of toys around for her so she has lots of acceptable options for chewing.

I've heard a lot of bad things about rawhides. Do an internet search and you will see that many of them are treated with preservatives that are actually quite harmful to the dog. I've had great success with Nylabones instead. Also, a real beef bone will be nearly impossible for a pug to "eat," but she'll have fun trying! You can find them at PetSmart. I got a couple that are hollow. The company that sells them, fills them with some sort of goodie. Once the dog eats all the goodie out, you can refill it with peanut butter or easy cheese and give it to the dog again. This will keep her busy for long periods of time. It's good for when you can't have your eyes on her nonstop--lets you walk away and just check on her occasionally.

As far as chewing on people, I wonder if you could spray the Bitter Apple on your feet? :) Also, don't rough-house with her, because that will just reinforce that it's okay to chew on you. You could do the yelp thing and then give her a toy, just like if she were chewing on the mattress again.

One last thought, I remember a trainer once telling me that when correcting a puppy, for instance when it's chewing on you, to clench your teeth together and then a deep, growly voice, say "enough!" through your clenched teeth. This will sound like a mother dog's corrective growl to the pup.

Good luck!