Excessive biting behavior. :( Help.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

So, Orwell goes through times when all he wants to do is bite our legs or feet. Even when we sternly discipline him, he continues to do it and will bark and growl at us. I need help to improve this behavior… everyone is getting fed up with it. 

That's all I really have to say about it… if anyone has specific questions about the behavior, feel free to ask. I just can't think of anything specific right now.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I put him in the laundry room when I leave him. I kind of think of it as a large crate, but I could whip out Bonny's old crate and set it up in there as well.

And thank you… I love his name too. (:

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

hmmm, this may be an issue. Let me try to find information for you about putting the dog in a bathroom vs using a crate. In the meantime, yes, get out that crate!!      I'll get back to you about why bathrooms may not be the best idea

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Just to reiterate, it is a utility room with nothing that he can get into.

[Adina P]

Rosco was really bad.  I felt helpless and scared of him.  He stopped at about a year and later became a therapy dog and I've had no issues since he was a year old (he is 8 now).  I did a lot of 'discipline' type responses and he really didn't take them seriously.  It just amped him up.  I think if I were to do it all over again, I'd have done better ignoring and crating/time out in response.  As he got older, it was being very serious about obedience that I think snapped him out of it--but that took a few months, it wasn't instant.  That and having another dog around that he could wrestle with---but that's not 'the answer' because another dog right now isn't necessarily realistic for most new puppy owners.  I just think it helped him to chase and bite and wrestle with Thule at the time. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Eventually I will be getting another dog after I am long gone with my fiancee. We both have the same approach to handling a puppy, so things will be more calm then, and I hope Orwell can set a good example for that little one--  whoever he may be. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think there's a lot of great advice here.  The one thing I'd add is that when he's doing this he's likely in a very excited state of mind...that's when they get a little crazy.  It's best that you don't react to that excitement with more excitement of your own.  Lots of times when we're in this situation we are frustrated and the dog can feel that.  My response would be to calmly use my correction word and then crate him until he calms down.  If you meet his excitement with your own calmness it will often defuse the situation quickly. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

:)

[Ginny Nightingale]

I have a feeling that you are trying to do  everything right but are surrounded by people who say that you have a "bad puppy" and that you should "fix him" and "make him behave" --this is eroding your confidence and making you resort to doing more forceful things to make the bad behavior stop immediately so that your relatives will be happy--and therein lies the problem. It will take months for a young pup to learn how to behave--and the 12 week old is similar to a two year old--he is feeling his oats and does not know what to do with all the energy and newfound confidence--also, in four weeks, all the puppy teeth will start falling out and then you will really see the biting! Just be patient and repeat the corrections suggested by others (they are all correct) many times--puppies do not learn the first time or even the tenth time--they need repetition and lots of it--and lots if praise when things are done right!

One other thing about the chew toys--get a large shank bone at the grocery store--clear out all the fat (it will give him diarrhea) and boil the bone--then stuff it with canned pure pumpkin with some treats or his kibble mixed in and freeze it--make a bunch of them and he can get one a day ( you don't want to introduce too much of a new food at once)--the bone can come out of the freezer when it is time for a time-out--that will increase his interest in the chewing. plain cow hooves are great too--just limit the time he gets to chew on it so he does not upset his tummy.

What is most important is that someday in the future, you have a good DOG and that will take time--don't let the others push you into harsh discipline! It is your pup, and you need to make the pup and yourself happy!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Ginny, perfectly said.  She is trying to keep everyone happy.  That's a tough job.  Know though, that right now, you are forming a great puppy and  go with your knowledge of proper training.  You now have both humans and a dog to train in your home.  It's a tough job because we parents think we know it all.... :(

You may want to write or print some documentation as to how you want your dog trained to others in your home.  When it is calm you can go over with your mom because when things get crazy in that "witching hour" your wishes dont get communicated as well. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

If I want to get an important message across, I tend to write it out for whoever I'm talking to. Otherwise, I leave things out and I think I tend to come across as not credible if I'm explaining something I want to do or my previous actions. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

You are exactly right. Even after I told everyone what we had to do, my mother said, "I don't even want him to have his teeth on me." I told her it was a process and that his teeth would end up on her at some point and then we have to take the steps I originally suggested. 

I will definitely be trying the bone thing. Thank you. (:

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I THINK I HAVE AN ANSWER!!!

Just hear me out for  a minute.

I found that spray bottles or cans with coins that made loud noises were difficult at this age.  They were always somewhere else out of reach and in an inconvenient place.   They were NEVER where I needed them. 

Response to a dog needs to be immediate or it is useless. Maybe even cruel.   The dog, bless its heart, has no idea why two minutes later you reprimand him.

What are your thoughts about a Whistle? Your mom and you can where a whistle for a few weeks during that horrible witching hour-shark tooth hour until this passes.  It will be an easy reach, immediate response your dog will come to understand---with a lot of practice of course.

Use the directions I gave you on page  one where it talks about letting the puppy 'mouth' you. That's okay. But, when Orwell gets out of hand and bites too hard, give the shrill sound that emulates a yelp.

Of course, putting yourselves in a time away from each other helps too, but I thought this might be a great idea for voice fluctuation issues