why does my 11 week old puupy do this?

From New York, 10 posts

HI. She is a Toy American Eskie. I am the primary care giver. I have a couple of concerns, so I figured I would put them here and see what you all think.

First of all, she has been biting my feet and legs when I walk around the house. SHe will sit and hide until she sees me move and then go for me? She only does this to me, not the kids? My first thought was she thought it was a game but no matter what I do to try to discourage her, she does it more! When I tell her NO, she will sit , give me one of her cute little faces and then growl and then do again at my feet. SOmetimes she does get a good bite in and it does hurt!

Also what do you consider the best "teething" item is? She just wants to chew anything hard.

She is very aggressive with my 1 1/2 year old Shih Tzu. My Shih Tzu was staying on the couch most of the time but has recently started to go and try to play with the new pup but the pup will bite her and hurt her. So the Shih Tzu will go up onto the couch. She wont even allow the Shih Tzu to go to the bathroom without being bothered.

Thanks for any input.

PS,, My Shih Tzu's name is Mia and the Toy Eskie is Midge. My kids think we should change her name to TAZ,, as in Tazmanian Devil!!

From Uk, 45 posts

You were right - she is playing. It's what puppies do. Telling her NO (assuming she knows what NO means) may interupt it but it won't stop her doing it next time. Best to teach her to do something else instead. If she has lots of toys to play with and she can have them whenever she wants then she will probably choose you as the new and novel thing to bite when you come into the room. If however you have an exciting toy for her when you walk across the room then she may choose to bite that instead. Keep the toys exciting by limiting her access to them. You could also scatter some of her daily food ration on the floor. Whilst she is busy eating she is not biting.

The older dog is the best one to tell her if she is getting on his nerves, however you should make sure that they both get lots of time with you on their own, without the other dog, especially the pup or she will bond with him and not you.

40 posts

Another suggestion is to just ignore her. When she attacks your feet just walk off, don't acknowledge her. If you react then she'll keep doing it because what she wants is for you to play with her. Eventually she'll not bother.

As for her playing rough with your other dog, she probably doesn't realise she's being too rough. The other dog will know this. If it gets too much the older dog will let the puppy know...just let them sort it out between them.

From Ontario, 1 post

hello

I have a 13 week old border collie terrier or shep cross
She goes after my children's feet all the time they can not move around the house I have tried all the suggestions with giving her a toy ignoring her etc. If you found something that worked with your puppy please let me know

thanking you in advance

Michelle

From Widnes, 1 post

i have an 11 week old cocker spaniel and tried everything in the world to stop her nipping. i have found a water spray bottle is brilliant and whenever she bites the kids feet i spray her. she soon stopped doing it and is now much calmer, hope this helps

From United Kingdom, 56 posts

I had a Labrador for many, many years, sadly died of old age, and is missed terribly! But he used to be a little terror when he was a puppy, been fantastic since then though, although he did nip me "once".

Slightly on the ‘harsh’ side maybe, but a small sharp stick or object that doesn’t cause any sort of seriously harm, can do the trick! (By no means am I promoting violence towards animals!!!!, but usually a swift tap on the back side is enough for them to see that it does sting, and if they miss-behave again, all you have to do is fetch the stick out, and 99% the time they remember exactly what it will is, and what it can do and they will suddenly become good as gold!.(If not swing it in mid air so it makes a swoosh sound, followed by a telling off, this will usually work (Some people spend hundreds of pounds training their dogs, and sometimes never succeeding, when some of the most simplest/cheapest techniques can work wonders)

Loads of other methods available, such as muzzles, (These are not harmful) but annoy pets something chronic!, leave on for about 5 minutes every time they miss-behave, and if they keep doing it, maybe increase to 10 minutes, (Don’t leave it on for too long though!), the mere sight of this device will usually make them behave.

By all means DO NOT! be cruel to any animal (There’s a fine line between being ‘cruel to be kind’, and just being plain cruel!, but they must learn before they get used to what they are doing, as they will think its perfectly normal and acceptable to carry on miss-behaving (Although maybe funny at first, such problems could/can have major consequences in later years)

A dog that nips/bites, (although only minor) only has to snap at a child whilst playing and 'could' be deemed as a public danger, and could be destroyed (put down), I came close with my dog on one occasion when he nipped (minor) a child whilst playing,.. Trust me, Prevention is much better than the cure!!

To prove my point, Myself and my brother had a number of smacks when we were little, and neither of us have forgot them!, Taught me a lesson or two,. And we certainly know right from wrong. Same goes for pets, once they are shown the error of their ways, a simple reminder of the punishment usually works to calm things down!

For those not wanting to threaten their pets with such devices, there are some new devices on the market, such as ‘harmless electric collars’, remote operated they will introduce a small, electric shock which the animal will not enjoy, this maybe a solution, as a flick of the switch followed by a telling off may do the job better. If you are not sure, ask a qualified person (your local vet, pet shop may be able to advice better on ways to control unruly animals)

Obviously I would not suggest threatening an animal that becomes aggressive whilst doing so! Definitely seek professional advice, and eventually if not successful at all attempts consider getting rid of the animal if extremely violent! (Especially if children are an aspect to worry about), usually not a great combination!!



!!May I once again point out that in no way do I Condone violence, or injury to any animal, I am purely stating a common practice that is certainly used up and down the county, Simple, not harmful, but extremely effective. Serious Ill-treatment of any animal is a criminal offence! but a simple threat is not harmful and does usually work!

3 posts

The best thing to do to stop nipping and mouthing is to let out a puppy like yelp, this immediately makes the puppy back away as it is what her litter mates would do. Its a way to let her know that hurts. She won't understand all the no's and putting her in another room etc. When she nips, you yelp then turn your back on her (get visitors to do the same) she will soon get the message of 'ouch that hurts and i am not playing because of it'

I have just written a new article about this very subject and its really quick and easy http://www.teachingpuppies.com/how-to-stop-my-puppy-nipping-and-mouthing

You should also teach your puppy the ‘leave it’ command this is not only for objects but also helps them control their bite inhibition (become more aware of how people like to be interacted with). This will show you how (its really easy) http://www.teachingpuppies.com/how-to-teach-my-puppy-to-leave-it

Puppies also bite and mouth because they are teething and is heavily linked to chewing. So relieve the pain a bit with these quick fixes and you should see an improvement http://www.teachingpuppies.com/stop-my-puppy-chewing-6-quick-fixes

Hope this helps

Qualified dog training instructor
Qualified guide dogs for the blind trainer
Animal Behaviourist
Completing a BSc in Animal Behaviour
See my puppy training blog at http://www.teachingpuppies.com