Are you all ALWAYS happy with your dogs???

[Sandy]

I feel like such a loser right now. I love Toby, but some days I just want my pre-puppy life back. I am alone with him from about 7:30 a.m., when everyone else goes to work or school, until about 5 p.m. until they start coming home again. Toby is 11 weeks old, so I have to deal with being nipped, cleaning up pee on the floor (one or two accidents a day), playing, walking etc. I don't have any resemblance of my life before the puppy at all. When, oh when, might I have some light at the end of the tunnel? I have a crate and I do use it, but he certainly can't be in there all day. He behaves so much better for my husband than he does for me. I feel like bursting into tears. I have received such support from this board - can someone give me a glimmer of hope??

[Sandy]

Maryann - thank you. That was heartfelt, honest and helpful. Today was much better. I crated him, went to the library, and looked in some puppy training books. One tip I found very helpful was to give a big, deep "Naaaah" when he mouths, like a mother dog would. I have a sore throat, so it was a sacrifice, but I did it, and lo and behind he backed off, sat down, and then licked my hand. The housebreaking - I can't wait. I can't have him in the living room (much as he'd like to), or upstairs, as he is still having pee-pee accidents. When he first started going outside we always said "Good boy!" and now it seems that if I say "Be a good boy" he will find a spot and pee. Guess I should have chosen better words!

I do love him, but right now it kind of feels like a one way street. When he starts reciprocating a little more we will both be in love!

[1w14sgrfac7bx]

Don't feel like a loser. I have had many a day when I thought, what have I done. Prada is now 5 months and things are so much better. It is very much like having a new baby. Once the housetraining kicks in you will feel like a new person. It will go very quickly and now I find myself trying to remember what it was like only a couple of months ago. I think I must be insane though, as soon as Prada became a lot less high maintenance, we got another dog!!!

[37s8mbb5ro8bh]

When our Louie was about 6 months to about a year, we were miserable! Louie was so out of control, jumping, biting, nipping, chewing, etc., we were like, what did we get ourselves into? Then when he was about 8 months old he developed a terrible rash, and was so miserable, biting himself, itching, scratching, etc. Many months later, two doctors later, and a visit to a doggie dermatoligist, we found he was allergic to pretty much everything (trees, grass, dust, mold, etc), so after a series of allergy shots, medication, etc., he finally became a new dog. But between the crazy puppyhood, the out of control jumping and biting and nipping, followed by the horrible allergies, we were seriously wondering what possessed us to get this monster. By the time Louie was a little over a year old, after we had him for about a year, he started to settle down. Louie is going to be six next month, and we can barely remember those bad old days. He is such a wonderful puppy now. Yes, puppy, he still occasionally has the crazies, but for the most part, he is loving, affectionate, adorable, CALM, cute, lovable, etc. He sleeps a lot now, but wakes up and is ready to play in an instant. So, sometime after a year, he started to settle down, and after a few years, you don't even remember the bad times! Hang in there, it does get better. I agree, though, use your crate liberally, we crate trained him and he was good to go with few accidents pretty quickly. The trick is to take him out and run him as much as you can to get the crazies out frequently when he's still that young. Tire him out. We used to take him on massive long walks just to wear him out. It is a lot of work, but worth it when they get a bit older!

[Joy Originator of GiantSchnoodles]

Hi Sandy, AS a breeder, trainer, you don't have to put up with any of that behavior. here are my suggestions: Go to http://clickertraining.com . Start clicker training your puppy. You can have communication happening between you in a week. Once you have communication, your puppy will be your friend. I will post one of my articles on puppy nipping. For potty training, be sure your puppy does not have the run of the house. Get an xpen and keep her penned. Take her out every hour with lots of praise when she performs. She'll be potty trained in a week. PUppy proof your house especially if you have some shoes you value. Puppy hood can be lots of fun if you start training right now. PUppy love from JOy & furry folk

[Joy Originator of GiantSchnoodles]

HI Sandy, Hope this helps. Pls keep me posted.
Gentle command: Put a treat in your fist. Hold tight till you only feel tongue & lips. I say “gentle”. When I only feel tongue & lips I say “good gentle” & they get the treat. Keep doing this til they get the idea. This is an important exercise for any dog to learn to take food from a human. Without it, if someone feeds your dog from their hand, even without your permission, if they feel teeth, they can accuse your dog of biting.

Nipping Puppies positive approach
Try this. Try to anticipate when he is about to go into routine. Give him a command like – no bite – then treat and say – good no bite – You will find that when you say – no bite – he will be distracted expecting a treat. After a few days he will forget about getting into biting mode
reprint of nipping Puppies
Sun Nov 2 03:09:50 2003
66.121.113.155

Sara
Joy R. or other experienced pup person, re:Nipping Puppy
Fri Jul 11 16:00:07 2003
24.209.189.51
I was calmly petting and playing with an 8-week-old puppy and it kept gently biting my fingers and toes (I had sandals on.) I was not teasing him or playing rough when he did this. Is this normal puppy behavior or a harbinger of things to come? I haven't had a puppy in yrs. and can't remember. A book I was reading said that you should not pick the puppy in the litter who nips/bites a lot. Otherwise, he was an absolutely adorable puppy who let me hold him and loves to interact. What do you think? Thanks!

Hi Sara, I don't allow a puppy to nibble even gently on a human. I use a lot of different methods. If they are biting my hands I say "no bite, give kisses" and put my hand perpedicular to their mouth and insist on getting a kiss. I put a chewy, usually a cow hoof in the mouth and say "this is YOUR little chewy". I make a distinction between yours and mine on many things. I yip like a wounded puppy. Or I growl like a big dog. If they grab my pants when I'm walking, I say "no bite". If they do it again, they could get a chin chuck. I know a lot of you don't like this but it works for me. "no bite" then with my hand in a fist I chuck them under the chin. It isn't hard but it isn't pleasant. After a couple of times, "no bite" is sufficient. It happens so fast that I don't think they know they got the chin chuck from me. They just associate the unpleasant chin chuck with biting. The important thing is when child comes up to pet my dog on the street, they don't get bitten and I get to not be hauled into court. It's worth it to me. I also hand feed my puppies. I might hand feed the whole meal if I have time. They only get the food if they are "gentle" I say "gentle". If I feel a tooth, I put the kibble in my fist and they don't get it until I only feel tongue and lips. Sometimes they have to miss a meal to be hungry enogh for this to work. I do this to gentle their mouths at a very young age, I think about 5 weeks. Definitely before they go to their new families. Eveyone who has gotten one of my puppies has reported that they are gentle and don't nip. Of course the owners are instructed to continue what I've been doing. I also suggest that you read Leader of the Pack to learn how to teach your puppy not to teach your children like littermates. If I get requests, I will post my puppy instructions to the new parents. I really love to get feedback when I share my methods. Please keep me posted. PUppy love from Joy and furry gang





Here are some posts regarding nipping and biting. A dog of any age should never be allowed to nip a human or human clothing. It must be stopped as soon as it starts. My puppies are trained “no bite give kisses” at 4 weeks. They should not be nipping when they go to their forever homes.

Schnoodle, Doodle, Poodle Hybrid Chat Forum
Tony Piscitello
Aggressive Behavior
Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:51pm
68.15.8.190

Crate trained 10-week old Tessa, an adorable Giant Schnoodle of Joy, joined our family 3-weeks ago. My wife, Melissa and I also have a 1-1/2 year old daughter, Nina, who is very loving toward the puppy.

During the work week, I take Tessa out for potty/walks/runs during the nighttime, first thing in the morning and a few times in the evening. Also, in the morning Melissa gives Tessa her full loving attention. She feeds her then takes her out to do potty and walk/run before our daughter gets up.

We non-violently discourage aggressive behavior, i.e. no tug-o-war, no rough-housing, no jumping up on people or gates, etc. We work with the "no biting, kisses" command to discourage biting, which typically works. Tessa has several chew toys to keep her busy when she's not sleeping or out for a walk.

Like any 1-1/2 year old, our daughter requires most of Melissa's attention. When Nina is playing by herself, we make sure to give Tessa our full attention and love to show her that she is important also.

When Tessa gets excited she's particularly aggressive with our daughter by jumping on her and biting. However playful it may be, Nina is getting bitten and we are extremely concerned that Tessa will hurt her. We supervise the two together, but taking our eyes off for a moment and we find Tessa being aggressive with Nina.

If Tessa doesn't get our full attention, she nips and/or bites for attention.

We love Tessa and want her to remain a part of our family. Please help with your prompt suggestions to eliminate Tessa's aggressive behavior and avoid our daughter from getting hurt.

Concerned,
Tony Piscitello

Hi Tony and Melissa
First let me say that ordinarily, I seldom place a puppy with a toddler. But Nina is an incredible child. She had an immediate communication wi Xena. Very unlike a toddler. She just had a way about her wi dogs. She reminds me of me at that age. However, she still is a toddler. The puppy is probably seeing her and treating her like a littermate. Littermates bite each other. A book I recommend to most people is Leader of the Pack. Its an easy reading book that tells how to set up the hierarchy in your family so the dog knows her place. A dog that does not have a strong leader will try to take over leadership of the pack. A dog likes a strong leader so she doesn’t have to take over leadership. She would prefer to follow if the leader leads. The puppy expects to be told what is expected and is comfortable if disciplined by the leader. The puppy will play with the other puppies. They nip each other. If you watch the group, you will see that the mama dog will discipline them. The puppies will also cry out in pain when they get nipped. The puppies respond to each other by inhibiting their bite. This teaches them to inhibit their bite in other situations. If you read my article, I mention several methods of getting the puppies to stop nipping. 2 of the methods are growling at them, like the mama dog does or squealing in pain like the other puppies do. This article also includes several other techniques you can try.
But the most important thing is that as wonderful a child as Nina is, she is still a toddler. I think she and Tessa should be separated for awhile until she is able to establish her place above the puppy in the family hierarchy, and until the puppy is a little older and has learned and established her “no bites” and that should be “Give kisses”. If the puppy nips, you should give complete concentration on the puppy and insist that she give kisses and don’t remove your hand from her mouth until she does give kisses. Don’t forget to say “good kisses”
At this time, you should never take your eyes off them when they are together. Tessa will have to learn to stay in her pen while Melissa is occupied with Nina. Playtime between the 2 should be limited to the time that you &/or Melissa can put aside to watch them both very carefully and not take your eyes off them. When Melissa is busy with Nina, Tessa will have to be in her pen or crate with her toys. Once you set up the hierarchy and when the puppy is a little older, this will pass. But Tessa should never have an opportunity to nip any human or human’s clothing. Also, Tessa is a very intelligent dog who needs to be learning new things. Her brain is like a little sponge. I suggest that you start clicker training. Tessa could be learning to sit and down. She can earn treats for doing this behavior. Then when it looks like she is going to misbehave, get her working on what she has learned and treat her for it. Notice I said “when it looks like she WILL” in other words, anticipate the behavior and substitute it with something else that is positive. If you don’t have time to anticipate and focus on Tessa, then Tessa should be in her pen or crate. Additionally, you mention that Tessa nips when she is excited. This should be monitored. Dogs and kids feed off each other’s moods. If Nina is excited, Tessa will pick up on it, and they will escalate together, just like a couple of kids. If Tessa is getting over excited, she needs to be confined before anything happens.
Negative reinforcement for nipping should be consistent. Any move in that direction should be met with immediate correction whether it is isolation, collar jerk, growls, ouches or whatever you choose and whatever may be appropriate for your dog at that particular time. I don’t’ mean it always has to be the same negative reinforcer I mean there must always be an immediate negative reinforcer. It should take place within one second of the behavior. It is best if the negative reinforcer is followed by a command to do something positive and the positive reinforcer should take place within one second of the positive behavior. This can be difficult to concentrate on for one person, a toddler and a puppy. I suggest that you have an x pen that can be moved around the house so Tessa won’t be lonely, and can be with Melissa and Nina, but cannot get to Nina when there isn’t enough time to work with Tessa. Another thing you can do is tether, Tessa with a leash to yours or Melissa’s belt. If she mishaves, you can jerk her over to you immediately by the leash. So please try these things along with the suggestions in my other article and some of the suggestions in the article Sheila linked to. See what works best for you. I know this seems like a lot of work but when you find what works for you, I think you will find that it will turn around quickly and you will love the result. Pls keep us posted on how it goes. Puppy love from Joy, Fury Folk, Xena and the Twinkles***

Sara
Joy R. or other experienced pup person, re:Nipping Puppy
Fri Jul 11 16:00:07 2003
24.209.189.51
I was calmly petting and playing with an 8-week-old puppy and it kept gently biting my fingers and toes (I had sandals on.) I was not teasing him or playing rough when he did this. Is this normal puppy behavior or a harbinger of things to come? I haven't had a puppy in yrs. and can't remember. A book I was reading said that you should not pick the puppy in the litter who nips/bites a lot. Otherwise, he was an absolutely adorable puppy who let me hold him and loves to interact. What do you think? Thanks!

Hi Sara, I don't allow a puppy to nibble even gently on a human. I use a lot of different methods. If they are biting my hands I say "no bite, give kisses" and put my hand perpedicular to their mouth and insist on getting a kiss. I put a chewy, usually a cow hoof in the mouth and say "this is YOUR little chewy". I make a distinction between yours and mine on many things. I yip like a wounded puppy. Or I growl like a big dog. If they grab my pants when I'm walking, I say "no bite". If they do it again, they could get a chin chuck. I know a lot of you don't like this but it works for me. "no bite" then with my hand in a fist I chuck them under the chin. It isn't hard but it isn't pleasant. After a couple of times, "no bite" is sufficient. It happens so fast that I don't think they know they got the chin chuck from me. They just associate the unpleasant chin chuck with biting. Timing is everything in using this and all techniques. If you don’t respond within one second, forget it. Another time will come around and you should aniticipate it and respond within 1 second. The important thing is when child comes up to pet my dog on the street, they don't get bitten and I get to not be hauled into court. It's worth it to me. I also hand feed my puppies. I might hand feed the whole meal if I have time. They only get the food if they are "gentle" I say "gentle". If I feel a tooth, I put the kibble in my fist and they don't get it until I only feel tongue and lips. Sometimes they have to miss a meal to be hungry enogh for this to work. I do this to gentle their mouths at a very young age, I think about 5 weeks. Definitely before they go to their new families. Everyone who has gotten one of my puppies has reported that they are gentle and don't nip. Of course the owners are instructed to continue what I've been doing. If I get requests, I will post my puppy instructions to the new parents. I really love to get feedback when I share my methods. Please keep me posted. PUppy love from Joy and furry gang
Hey Joy,
Just a quick note to thank you for the great insights & experience in this article. I agree, most folks don't agree w/a chin chuck, etc. but it has worked for me. As you said, it don't do it hard, but he rarely nips or bites on me or my pant legs ever.
I believe I told you, I have a 4-1/2 yr. old daughter who takes a beating from the puppy in this regard. I feel bad for her, because she loves to play with him and of course he can't play with her without biting her, snarling her clothes, etc. She's a tough girl and doesn't really mind, etc. I have occasionally told her to "wack him" under his chin, etc. She says NO BITE and screams a zillion times a day at him (which makes me a little insane, lol). Of course, I intercede and the puppy stops for a brief moment, sits down & looks at me while I say NO BITE, redirect him to "his toys", etc. then continues to bite her in play when I walk away. You know, how exhausted I get. The tether strap you suggested has been an absolute God send in terms of the potty training, and keeping the puppy & my daughter Adrienne separated at times and giving me some relief. Thanks for that great tip.
I am going to try to let Adrienne hand feed the puppy with me sitting next to her to see if that helps. I think your idea is a great one, and will definately let you know how it goes. I'm thinking that maybe I should sit with my little one and the puppy and help her do the "no bite, kisses" thing w/him. I want him to see it coming from her though, and don't know if I would confuse the matter. What are your thoughts ? If you have any other ideas re: little kids, please let me know. It's hard because I don't want to teach my daughter agressive behaviors as she is too young to know the difference. God forbid, she would chin chuck a playmate, ha! ha! I wouldn't put it past her if I taught the behavior as she's a tough, very strong, little girl. Then, again she most likely would understand if I continuously explained the difference to her.
I laugh sometimes, because I'm pretty experienced with training dogs and have always been very successful. Then again, I've never had a very spirited, active Labradoodle ! Our last puppy was a Leonberger giant breed, and even at 8 weeks was way to BIG to get overly zealous w/anything ! He was also very laid back... Prior to that, we had German Shephards.
Aside from all that, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your posts and that you share so freely only tells me that you are a confident, logical and very caring person who puts her heart & soul into breeding. How fortunate are those who purchase their pups from you. Thanks so much ! Do you have a website? Where are you located ?
I'm getting my next puppy from you !
Respectfully,
Tracy
Lambertville, MI

Hi Tracy, I think what is happening is a very dangerous situation. Not only for your daughter, but for other children who may get bitten. Your dog is treating your child like a litter mate. [Read: Leader of the Pack] In my opinion, a young child should never be left alone with a large dog. First of all I would separate the 2. I would not let your child play with the dog if she is being bitten. I would have your child help you feed the dog as I suggested in the post on biting and nipping as long as she can get the timing right and not give the kibble or treat unless she is for sure only feeling tongue and lips. I would do things to put your child in a superior position in the pack such as she eats before the dog, goes through doors first etc. and other things suggested in Leader of the Pack. However, I would not let her play with the dog until the dog is no longer biting her. One bite, nip or mouthing is a giant step backward. I realize that this may be difficult for your daughter to accept but none of us always gets everything we want, do we? In time and with diligent and proper training your puppy will learn not to bite and then you can gradually allow them to play together with close supervision. As I said, if you allow this to continue, the behavior will not stop. Although your daughter may be a tough little girl, if this continues and another child is bitten, the liability can cause you to lose everything including your home if you own it. Personally, I grew up thinking it was normal to get bitten on a regular basis. It wasn’t a big deal. But these days it is a big deal and you need to be careful of liability. Also, I think maybe it’s a bigger deal than my parents thought it was. Also, this kind of biting will not get better with time. It will probably get worse the more the puppy knows he can get away with it. So keep him tethered to you and let your daughter use the crate as a safe haven. She’ll probably love it. Make it clear that she only touches the dog under close supervision. When you are doing a chin chuck or hand feeding teach commands. “lips” “good lips” “no bite” “good no bite” “kiss” “good kiss”. When you tell the dog what is expected and then follow the behavior by telling the dog that the behavior was “good”, this teaches the dog your language so that you can use it from further away when you are introducing the child and dog to playing together again. Clicker training is an excellent way to train these commands. Remember, timing is everything. The command must come just before or at the same time as the behavior. The reinforcement whether it be “good ___”, a click or a treat must come during the desired behavior or within 1 second or less. Hope this helps. Pls keep us posted on progress.
My web site is www.campstamp.com Scroll to bottom left corner. Click on dogs of Joy. For recent pics click on photos and then photo albums.
Puppy love from Joy and furry people

Hi Tracy, What a lovely email to receive. I don't know that I have the answer but I'll try. BTW, I breed giant schnoodles of Joy and I start training them at 4 weeks. When the new parents get them, they are usually within days of being housebroken and they tell me that they don't nip or bite. My web site is www.giantshcnoodles.com . For latest pics click on photographs, photo albums Puppy love from Joy and furry people





[e-mail] wrote:
well the nipping battle isnt over... but there is progress. we have been holding her muzzle and saying no bite and then ignoring her. She HATES to be ignored. We also say good kisses when she gives kisses. i think it was you who suggested we make her kiss us by putting our hand perpendicular to her mouth. this has worked well also.


Hi Suzanne, I suggest that instead of holding her muzzle, you put your hand up and say give kisses. If you have already trained her to give kisses when she's not biting, she'll switch her attention to positive behavior. If you are afraid that she'll bite when you hold your hand up, give her a treat and then say give kisses and treat. I know that sounds like your reinforcing her for biting, but it doesn't work that way. She will actually change her attention to positive behvior. Pls let me know how it goes. Puppy lvoe from Joy, furry folk, Karma and the Twinkles*** 2 famales available

[Sandy]

Hi Joy;
The nipping is somewhat improved, although not completely gone. He seems to be going through a phase now - he is regressing a little in that he has started biting pants and jackets again, which he hasn't done in a while. And also disobeying blatantly. I can only assume this is an adolescent thing - he's 12 weeks old. We go to obedience school starting Friday, so I hope this helps a lot. Maybe you could move in for a week and train him for me? :)

[Adina P]

One thing: A 12 week old can NOT be fully trained...thus he can NOT be perfectly obedient. So disobeying is also not possible because he was never fully trained...can't be at this age. Puppies learn things fast, but that doesn't mean because he sat once at 10 weeks he's 'trained' to obey. He merely learned what sit means and how to get rewarded for sitting...it takes TIME to get a dog to be obedient and trained.

[Tricia Campbell]

Sandy, I went through the same thing with Duffy. I promise it will get much better in a few weeks. Duffy is now 9 months & it is just a memory. We are actually thinking of another pup but that memory is still fresh in my mind, I am so happy with Duffy right now & I am scared to do it again. My son just said to me this morning "mom it was only a couple of months & it will be so worth it". Just think this too shall pass :)

[Sandy]

I don't think I could do a second pup! I'm just trying to be consistent with the training, and waiting for the well disciplined adult dog to emerge. :)

[Carole (*Koda*Monty*Bindi)]

I'm the Mom to (4) fur-kids, the youngest being 7 weeks old and the oldest 12 years. As crazy as it gets around here (as I also have a two biological children;)...)the best thing I can compare having a young puppy again in our lives is when our children were newborns. You have children...I'm sure you remember those days?! LOL They were crazy huh? You couldn't get anything done....you walked out of the house with baby food on your shirt, hair out of place....feeling like a zombie for lack of sleep? LOL I remember those days like they were yesterday with my kids and clearly see how quickly they grow and how (at times) I miss those sweet days. Yes, those were very sweet times that go far to quickly. The same can be said for your puppy. You're his Mom---he's turning to you for guidance and love just as your children did when they were young. It's a huge responsibility and one I'm sure you were aware of when you started to research getting a puppy. He is not going to become a well disciplined adult dog overnight and you'll be missing out on the best times with your puppy if your waiting around for that to happen. Embrace his stages and expect only what he developmentally can manage. I'm sure you read tons of baby books when you were pregnant on how to raise your child(ren) to be healthy and well adjusted. Now heed the advice given to you here by many far knowledgable than I and do your best with your new little puppy. He's counting on you. :)

[Sandy]

Thanks Carole. I am enjoying him, and while enjoying him, trying to correct those traits that will not be enjoyable as an adult dog - mouthing, jumping etc. However, the lovely puppy things - sleeping on my knee, extreme joy at my simply being home - are lovely, and quickly make me forget the "bad" stuff. I believe Toby and I are coming to a better understanding re. the mouthing, and I am trying to relax with him. My husband is fantastic with him, and I look forward to the time that I can allow the dog freer reign of the house.....and find no pee pee in the hall!

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

hey sandy...i have a suggestion for you on the house training...i have noticed that when i take tucker out (he is 11 wks old) that he does not totally empty his bladder completely...due to him getting distracted. because he too would pee in the house a few mins after i just had him out. and i couldn't figure out why i was always finding puddles...so now when i take him out i say every few seconds in my toddler voice "go potty" "go potty" and if he gets distracted, i say his " name and again "go potty" to get him back on track to what he is out there for. and also there is no play or no attention until he is finished. and you will be able to tell if he just goes a little or goes a lot! i hope that helps!