Puppy mouthing and attitude!! Help!! - Page 2

Triksta · #11 03-09-10, 11:11 PM

Nothing much seems to be working with Echo, shes now 16 weeks and still mouthing despite my best efforts

She doesnt bite as such just tries to hold your hand or worse clothes and her teeth are like razors

Im not sure what else to try now, was thinking of the coke can with stones in

I tried the water pistol which was great with our last shepherd but Echo justs sits there completely unfazed by it as she loves water

Tedsmum · #12 04-09-10, 07:56 AM

My pup was a nightmare with mouthing, it really began to upset me a one point as I wanted to love him but he was just a snapping crocodile every time I went near him. It is very early days for you and there is a certain amount of this you will have to go through but it WILL IMPROVE. Chose a word now to use to correct her either "no" or "bite" and use is sternly as if you mean in whe she bites you. Never tap her nose or bum when she does it, this can cause more problems. I used to find that he did it when he was hyper more than any other time so I learnt to stop play and distract with a chewy toy when he reached that level. He will learn but it takes time. When she is older ignoring will impact on her but you may find she is a bit little yet. Meanwhile, get yourself a pair of boot slippers - they saved my ankles for the first few weeks.

nickynockynoonoo · #13 05-09-10, 03:50 PM

If you can put up with your house being untidy for a while, this will work. Have loads of things dotted around for the pup to chew. It could be chewy toys, empty loo rolls, plastic bottles etc. Each time the pup nips you, say NO and put the toy/cardboard in his mouth. Praise him for chewing on the right things and he'll soon get the message.

This will also help him learn not to destroy the wrong things when he needs to chew something. Every time he is chewing on his toys, tell him what a good boy he is.

Xenos · #14 06-09-10, 01:35 PM

I had tried the "owww!!" but it instantly made it worse. What we ended up doing was wearing shoes in the house and as we walked - he would nip, demand, etc., but he eventually caught on that we were ignoring him. After a while (less than a week), he began sitting behind us with his head tilted. When he would start up again - we would cross our arms and turn away. It seemed to work quite well.

It's one of the hardest stages to endure - I feel for you!!!

Annetty1 · #15 06-09-10, 01:55 PM

Thanks all for the fab tips! My arms are a bit bruised after this weekend and hubby bought me some of them fluffy boot slippers which does help altho she likes to hang off them lol I tried the waterspray and that really does work but i keep forgetting to keep it to hand so sometimes its too late as she already has a grip on me, she definately seems to be easing off thouhgt and she does sometimes let go when i yell no (usually in great pain) lol
My 3 year old Grandaughrer visited at the weekend and I was a bit worried she would hurt her but I neednt have been, she changed from this tazmanian devil into a soft lovely cuddly puppy, she was tapping her and snuggling up and a completely different dog i was gobsmacked hahah But very very pleased she made me proud, then when she left she bit us all to bits again, oh the joys hahahaha

RebelMoonGSDs · #16 06-09-10, 03:42 PM

What about a small water pistol you can load and keep in your back pocket so you don't have to carry a sprayer around?

Caryll · #17 06-09-10, 10:06 PM

I've always found that the ignoring attitude works well. We've always said a firm 'no' when our pups have mouthed or nipped & then turned away & ignored them - it drives them crazy, and it takes a while, but they get it eventually & seems to last!

RainbowLass · #18 16-09-10, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caryll

I've always found that the ignoring attitude works well. We've always said a firm 'no' when our pups have mouthed or nipped & then turned away & ignored them - it drives them crazy, and it takes a while, but they get it eventually & seems to last!

that is what is working with Rogue at the moment (accompanied by the occasional nose hug when it REALLY hurts!)

Mewzard · #19 16-09-10, 08:35 PM

Oka is nearly 13weeks and is sometimes a nightmare. I say sometimes as she mouths worse at two times of the day - first thing in the morning and before she falls asleep for the night. Other times corralate to when she is tired.

We tried the yelping but that made her worse. We tried walking away - nearly impossible with a puppy hanging from your foot -detach; one step; detach; one step etc

In the end we got to a thing where she bites i say NO, and remove her from my clothing/ankle etc, if she tries again i put her out of the room (30secs or so). If she lets go, i wait a moment and then offer her a tug/ chewy toy, say 'take it' and play with her.
- We removed her as it was easier to be consistant with because having two youngish kids i can't expect them to keep leaving the room with me every few minutes.

Now if when we play and she goes to bite i say 'ah' as a warning and she can sometimes correct herself. But otherwise i use the method above.

I had my nephew over (17months) and i was terrified of Oka hurting him. She did plant her paw on his head but she was actually in a "submissive" position and was totally sweet.... 10 minutes after he left she jumped on the sofa and chewed at my daughters feet.