Mouthing and Barking

[Gene]

Ok so I received Brodie last Thursday and he is barely 10 weeks old and he is going through his mouthing phase.  I do not allow it and give him a sharp "No" and then redirect his attention to an appropriate chew toy.  The problem is sometimes instead of him getting the picture he becomes what I would consider determined and bark at me (tail wagging like a game).  I've started giving him a time out in his crate each time he does.

The other issue I'm having is if something startles him that is new to  him he starts barking and it is very hard to divert his attention short of walking him away.  So I've started on the "Leave it" command and I plan to start teaching him the "watch me" game.

I am training him and working with him, heck he just learned what his name is.

Any suggestions?  

Oh I'm socializing him as much as I can with all the neighborhood friends and children that walk by my house for school.  I will enroll him into a training class once I move to Italy in September, they don't offer them here in Japan.

[Ramesh Narayanan]

All the best with the new puppy. I had a hard time getting mine to stop mouthing me. Tried all the tricks in the book including holding her mouth in a fishhook grip. Nothing really worked. She has sort of stopped now that she's older but still does it at times. It's quite painful when they are young with those sharp baby teeth. They are stubborn things.

[Midhad]

Every dog is different and may need a different approach. I had a big problem with mouthing with my first boerboel Kubu when he was a pup. I tried everything and it didn't work. The thing that worked for me with him was a spray bottle. I put water in the spray bottle. When he goes to mouth i say firm NO and spray him right in his face. He didn't like that much and didn't take too long for him to stop. After few sprays just a firm NO was enough.

[Marco]

I've always recommended redirecing the bite as you mentioned your doing.  Sounds like your doing a great job, and on the right track with everything.  One thing I tend to try not to use the crate as a place for punishment, and would not advise it.  They will learn to fear it if you do.  It should be a place of comfort for them to sleep, escape, and so on.  Just my thoughts, I know we all train, and correct differently.  A few things below to take a look at that might help you.  I wish you all the best with your new pup!  Please keep us updated.

 

Training Puppies Not to Bite

Puppies that Bite with Michael Ellis

The Theory of Corrections in Dog Training

[Gene]

Thank you all for the advice and I did check out those links.  Tonight we had an incident that scared my wife again but I was able to explain to her that it is not aggression as the links described and I hope I eased her mind.  I believe that Brodie sees my youngest as his play buddy and tries to initiate play like he would with his litter-mates.  Well every time Nathan would run by he would snap at him and then run behind bouncing playfully, you can actually tell he is trying to play.  But when Nathan would jump up on the couch to escape or up on his slide in the back yard Brodie would bark.  I just think Brodie is trying to say come back down and play.  Later this evening is what scared my wife, Nathan (my youngest) jumped (actually jumped) down off the couch and land right in front of Brodie and Brodie snapped at his face.  I had the leash on him so I was able to stop him before contact while simultaneously yelling NO!  I want him to be able to play with Nathan but I think right now they both are just too young to do so.  Is there a way I can really drive the point home not to snap at my youngest or is it just a matter of time?

Here is a picture to show his excitement around him.

[Lisa Tiro]

The mouthing thing has been and still remains a real challenge with my BB. He is 17 months old now. It is a drive that you don't want to squash but like you are doing needs redirection. We had some problems with jumping up and biting us. He would get really excited when we were in the yard playing with him and he would jump up biting at our limbs and clothing. It got so bad and nothing was working (we used the crate as a time out too) so I started training first with a prong collar and when that didn't work an e-collar. The e-collar allowed me to correct the behavior from a distance right away. It may not be everyone's choice to train with but I am just being honest. I also used it to reinforce recalls off leash and chasing small wildlife outside. I was trained by a professional to use it so don't go out and buy one and start zapping your dog because it could cause more harm than good. You need to build a bond and a relationship first. I started using it on Axel at about 10 months old. He definitely got better but still couldn't help himself at times. Another note he had no interest in the tug. He wanted us. So now he occasionally tries it and I give commands like heel and then sit and redirect with working training commands. Keep a few treats in your pockets at all times to redirect with his nose. He now tries to nibble my sleeve instead of an all out bite to my arm lol..But I turn my body and walk in the other direction and give commands. It works pretty good. Tell your wife that it does not mean he is aggressive. You still have to make him respect your son and I wouldn't let them play at this point until you have it under control. Always supervise when they are in the same room. My first BB never had these issues. She learned from day 1 not to do it but Axel is from working lines and has a lot more drive than she did. He is really a big baby and just loves to be active and play. Keep with what you are doing and I'm sure you'll work through these issues. And remember that those baby teeth are very sharp and could scar your son for life so be very careful. Good luck!

~Lisa

[Gene]

Hi Lisa thank you for the advise, I started doing something yesterday with all of my kids that seems to be working but its only been two days.  He is still nibbling but not as bad as he did a few days ago.  I had each of them feed him one meal but only after they ate a bowl of potato chips, or fruit loops right next to his bowl while he watched.  I was coaching from inside the kitchen so he couldn't see me and only went out when they approached his feeding area.  As they took his food to him they gave the sit - stay command and would not put it down until he stayed seated.  I know its early but I need to drive it home that they are his master also.  The other thing I'm doing is when he bites I give a loud "Yelp!" followed by "No!" it doesn't hurt but I read it triggers the release response in them and lets them know they bit too hard.  As I said he is still nibbling but its not as bad or as hard.

[Lisa Tiro]

That's good. Yes, he has to view all family members that way. Hand feeding works also. Good luck!

~Lisa

[Carlos Daniel Soto]

the watch me game, is there a training for that or is there a train book that teach it. I am interested on the training.

[Lisa Tiro]

Every time you catch them looking at you say YES! and treat them. Then once they get that part of the game you make them look at you longer before you treat them. It's just repetition. After they get it in a quiet place, move to a place with more distractions and try it there. It may take longer and you may have to up the anti with better treats.

[Carlos Daniel Soto]

Thank you very much. I have heard about it and I thought there was more detail to it. Thank you


Lisa Tiro said:

Every time you catch them looking at you say YES! and treat them. Then once they get that part of the game you make them look at you longer before you treat them. It's just repetition. After they get it in a quiet place, move to a place with more distractions and try it there. It may take longer and you may have to up the anti with better treats.

[Lisa Tiro]

You're welcome. One more thing. After they get it give it the name (watch me) or (Look at me) whatever works for you.

Carlos Daniel Soto said:

Thank you very much. I have heard about it and I thought there was more detail to it. Thank you


Lisa Tiro said:

Every time you catch them looking at you say YES! and treat them. Then once they get that part of the game you make them look at you longer before you treat them. It's just repetition. After they get it in a quiet place, move to a place with more distractions and try it there. It may take longer and you may have to up the anti with better treats.

[Gene]

On the watch me game, the best treat that worked for me was boiled (15min)  then baked (20min) chicken livers.  I don't know why but it was like he couldn't get enough of it and his attention was locked on.  I think I put the cart before the horse a little and tried to walk down the street with him saying watch me and then treating him every few feet we had continueous contact.  I say before the horse because he didn't have it down just yet and sometimes got distracted.  I just have to go back to the basics until he's got it down all the way. 

 

Question for anyone out there.  Is placing them on their back a bad thing when thier behavior gets way out of control.  He's getting bigger and the mouthing developed into harder bitting, standing up and turning away from him he just went for my pant legs.  When I saw that nothing was working, (tugging the leash, "ah-ah", No!, etc)  I put him on his back and gave him a stern "No bitting".  It seemed to work as he hasn't tried to mouth me since (1 day) but I don't want to do that too much as I'm affraid it could have adverse effects.  Can anyone comment if this was a bad thing on my part, I only want whats best for him.  Again he was not aggressive heck I think he's too young to be aggressive but he did growl at me before I did, however I think all puppies growl when their playing. 

 

One thing I noticed is his excitement has a snowball effect, once he gets rolling and wound up it is hard to bring him back down.