puppy growls

2119 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Jac, Dec 31, 2005

susan

Discussion Starter · Dec 29, 2005

Hi. The lice is gone! Biscuit has been with us for 1 week. He is 9 weeks old. He is getting used to his kennel and slept 6 hours last night without a wimper, yea, we got to sleep last night!

He's very bitey, but I think it's just the desire to chew on anything. But, he does bite at my kids legs and they cry. I think he views them as playthings - prey.

I do have one question. Biscuit growls when I try to remove something from his mouth that he's not supposed to have (not every time, but on occassion). Each time, I pick him up by the back of the neck and give him a stern no. He lets out a little yelp and then I pet him after. I want him to know that I am his leader and I don't like growling. I am trying to go by the book.

Any suggestions for such a young puppy?

Thanks.

Susan

Save

1 - 5 of 5 Posts

Jac

· #2 · Dec 30, 2005

I think you are doing the right thing. My Bayley was like that when she was young...she growled if I tried to take things from her or if I moved her while she was comfortable. I would scold her and just continue to do what had to be done.
My vet said that she thought I was going to take away everything she liked...so she was getting protective of her "things"...and when I asserted my position as her "top dog" she was much better. She soon realized that I would give it back to her if it wasn't a bad thing for her to have and I would also replace the thing I took away by giving her something else.
She is so sweet now...I could do anything to her and she would never complain. I can open her mouth, take things out, put things in (pills) and brush her teeth, I pry her jaws open if I need to...she never gets mad at me. (She tries to hide though, :wink: )
So, just realize that your puppy is still learning his place in the family and when he feels secure he will get much better.
It is important to stop him from biting your children too. And don't ever let your kids play tug-of-war games with him. There are so many ways to train...you will find the one that works for you.

See less See more

Save

DunkinDoodle

· #3 · Dec 30, 2005

Puppy growls and bites

Hi...My husband and I have a puppy that we have had for a week also. The puppy gets very nippy with me. He is constantly trying to bite my hands, legs, and feet. As he does this he growls at me. If I stand like a tree he barks and jumps at me. I was getting worried because he certainly does this to me much more then he does to my husband. Any suggestions? Any reasons why he may be acting this way other then the fact that hes a puppy? I haven't found anything that seems to be working either.

Cassie

Save

Chesterpal

· #4 · Dec 30, 2005

When Chester was a pup my husband worked with him on not being food agressive. He would take his bone or chew toy away or even move his bowl of food. Then he would give it back and do it all over again.He wanted Chester to know where his ranking was in the house. It worked with him.

Save

Jac

· #5 · Dec 31, 2005

Cassie, the thing that worked for us when our dogs jumped on us like that is we would shake a can behind us, so they couldn't see that we were controlling the can. It frightened them to where they jumped down and ran away for long enough to praise them and cuddle them...but if they came back up to jump, the can would shake again. We kept the can by the door and it worked very well. They still mind me when I shake a can.
(You can use a steel can, used for Slim Fast, and clean it out, and put 40 pennies inside, then seal it back up. The steel makes a better sound than the aluminum ones.
Also, we asked people when they visited not to make eye contact with our dogs, not to talk to them and to totally ignore them until they settled down. That also worked...but at first we kept them on leash by our side and only released them when they calmed.
Whatever you do, don't talk in a happy, high-pitched voice when you come in...laughter and happy voices seem to get them all excited!

See less See more

Save

1 - 5 of 5 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month