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Dog Days/Afternoons...

This is my pooch, she was a good girl while the cats were destroying my Christmas tree.
I love this dog so damn much it hurts.

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Anyone got any useful tips on discouraging puppy biting/mouthing?
George is mostly a well behaved dog, but just has a half hour period of the day when he goes nuts, and wants to either chew your arm, or play tug-of-war with your clothing.
 
LV426 said:
Anyone got any useful tips on discouraging puppy biting/mouthing?
George is mostly a well behaved dog, but just has a half hour period of the day when he goes nuts, and wants to either chew your arm, or play tug-of-war with your clothing.
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Depends on the breed. Retrievers and herders (shepherds) are notoriously mouthy, but where retrievers tend to grab and tug, herding dogs tend to be more nippy. As puppy, the best way to reduce the biting is to ignore it. They are doing it for attention, so if you pretend it's not happening, then they usually stop.

I've never been a fan of negative training with dogs (punishing bad behavior) as it always tends to create other bad behavior. That said, a little squirt in the face with a water bottle tends to discourage that sort of thing. The problem there is that every time you pick up a bottle they'll either have a fear response or get aggressive towards the "evil" bottle. And, if you ever leave them alone, every bottle becomes a target.
 
Good suggestions, thanks. Yes I can see the best strategy is to ignore. Trouble is the youngest daughter does tend to squeal, which of course is heaven to a playful dog, thinking it's a game. And those little teeth are very sharp pins. We now just get her out of the room when he commences his mad half hour.
From everything I've read though, this is quite normal behaviour, and doesn't indicate a generally aggressive dog.
 
Wait until those little needle teeth start coming out and you find one in a table leg, or worse, with your bare feet. ;)

Tug-of-war is actually a very good game for a puppy, but you have to set the rules. Use only a rope or a special towel or blanket. If they try a pant leg or finger, put the approved toy in their mouth. They'll get the idea pretty quickly.
 
lunatic59 said:
Wait until those little needle teeth start coming out and you find one in a table leg, or worse, with your bare feet. ;)

Tug-of-war is actually a very good game for a puppy, but you have to set the rules. Use only a rope or a special towel or blanket. If they try a pant leg or finger, put the approved toy in their mouth. They'll get the idea pretty quickly.
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I was told that you shouldn't get into tug of war games, or if you do, then don't let them win, because the dog then gets the idea that he's dominant, and humans should be top dogs.
Truth or BS?
 
I've never heard it put that way, but you should make sure the dog knows that you are in charge.

I'm not sure about the letting him win thing... I play with my dog until it's time to stop playing, and distract her with a little petting. I always end powering with a couple thumps; they learn that thumps mean no more petting and they go on their way.
 
Dogs are pack animals and WANT to fall in line with the Alpha. Once you instill that you are the alpha the BEST way to train a dog is to show them how happy they make you when they do what you want, and show them how unhappy you are when they don't. No I do not mean negative reinforcement, I mean acting a fool being over the top happy, good dog, petting and loving when they are good and looking and acting very unhappy when the reverse happens. Dogs are VERY perceptive and they will WANT to make you happy. It's really the best way to train a dog that I have found.
 
Until they chew there way up and down your body.

Honestly, I think this K9 handler was scared of his dog's reputation and didn't show him enough positive reinforcement. He was a 2 year old short snout Shepard named Fury and he left over 80 holes in that dude in less than 5 seconds. Gun shy though so a couple of blanks fired by the instructor called him off his handler. This was back in the late 70's about 10 years after Patrol Dogs became a thing.

Dogs require an Alpha as has been stated before. Above all else, be sure you're the Alpha.
 
Oh and Maggie and I have been playing tug of war since day one. It's a GREAT game and a GREAT way to instill your dominance. No you don't have to win every time you just have to show you can win when you want to. ;)
 
Interesting. I think my Mrs is alpha dog - no change there then :)
But there's a definite pecking order in dog packs. I think the dog does respect my authority though.
The reward strategy to reinforce good behaviour is a powerful thing. Ultimately it's a combination of wanting to please you, and the prospect of possibly receiving treats.
Not that I know much, but it makes sense to me anyway.

And yeah, the ignoring strategy only goes so far when the little nipper is chewing his way up your arm :)
 
Tickle and I play tug all the time, I played it with Lilly too. There is no 'winning' allowed, if she gets the toy away from me she must bring it back and give it to me before we start again. When we are finished I tell her 'enough, for later' and that's that. When they were puppies if they accidentally bit me I would yelp a bit, tell them 'easy, no biting' and the play would stop (only for a bit, so they got the idea). If you don't like what they are doing and the play stops they do tumble pretty quickly.

edit: when we stop playing tug it's sort of in the middle of a tug so no one 'wins'. And, for biting the arm/leg, try a dog-sounding yelp and a firm but gentle 'no biting', then ignoring everything for a bit. It did work here but all dogs are not equally stupid :D
 
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No treats necessary. Your love and dominance will do the trick.

Military dogs which are still just dogs with special training and they don't get treats.and are still loyal and faithful once they know who's who. I just wish I had known that before I entered the military. Haven't had a dog since for one reason or another.

Cat's have been in my life since the early 80's and the only person I actually know who trained one is my cousin and he still refuses to share his secret. You can't get Alpha over house cats. They could give a s***,.
 
From what I've seen, use of treats (or not) is a divisive issue. Some people tell me they don't use them, but we went to a puppy class this weekend, where the instructor was teaching us a recall exercise. They would throw a small treat away, then the dog goes for it, but if he comes back to you at a command, he gets twice the amount of treats. This made sense to me as a way of reinforcing required behaviour.
I can see that different techniques may work on different dogs though, they don't all react in the same way.
 
There is a time and place for treats, but it should not be the only trick in your book. Using treats on occasion is still a positive reinforcement without making it into a bribe our required payment for good behavior.
 
@LV246 The problem with that strategy to me is what happens when you don't have any treats?

If my sweetie ever lets me get a dog. I'll train him with love. Training puppies is a little different though (treats are a motivator, I guess...) but if I do get a dog he or she will be at least a year old from a shelter. How the heck do people abandon dogs? I just don't get it.
 
dontpanicbobby said:
@LV246 The problem with that strategy to me is what happens when you don't have any treats?

If my sweetie ever lets me get a dog. I'll train him with love. Training puppies is a little different though (treats are a motivator, I guess...) but if I do get a dog he or she will be at least a year old from a shelter. How the heck do people abandon dogs? I just don't get it.
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Don't be too harsh, there could be many reasons. Puppies in particular can be really hard work, I know this now as we're going through it. Maybe some families don't realise this. If a puppy gets traumatised early in life, or doesn't get the attention he/she needs, they can develop behavioural problems which can be difficult to deal with as the dog gets bigger. Family circumstances may change.
Whatever reason, I don't think in most cases it's a decision lightly taken to give up a dog.
 
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