Mouthiness to the max!

[Melissa Bissell]

Hi everyone-

We are really enjoying our now 10 week old Hugo (ALD).  He is sweet as can be and so smart.  He has not had an "accident" in 7 days straight ( have had him for 13 days).  He sleeps through the night, almost every night in his crate, and loves car rides.  We couldn't have asked for a better pooch!  The one area I am really struggling with is his mouthy/bitey phases, which he has several times a day.  I know this is normal puppy behavior.  And we are all hard at work with yelping, leaving the room, short time outs in the crate (although I use that as a last resort), redirecting behavior to a toy, giving him the Kong stuffed with applesauce, banana, or sweet potato.  I have started working on training when he gets mouthy also, as a way to redirect him (sit, down, leave it).  He is very food-centric so this usually works well, but is often a temporary distraction for him.  It has been VERY cold here and on days when I can't get him out for a short walk, stroll around the yard the behaviors are worse, understandable.  So I think we are doing all of the right things, but here is my dilemma.  I have found that what works best is to just leave the room for about 15 seconds and then return and try again.  But often Hugo has attached himself to my pant leg (I've tried to ignore him when he does this but that does not work at all).  What is the best way to detach him in a way that isn't giving him attention so that I can actually leave the room?!  I think he thinks this is all a pretty fun game, as I drag him around the room by my pant leg until I can get out of the kitchen gate.  So I fear that it has all become part of his fun.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Also, these behaviors are definitely worse when I am making our human meals.  I try to always give him a lot of good snuggle time and gentle play before I have to start making meals, but it does't seem to make a difference.  Is he old enough for a Bully Stick?  I feel something like that might keep him busy while I am cooking (the Kong does;t keep him content for very long).  I do like to have him in the kitchen with me whenever I am in there so he feels like a member of the family, but sometimes I do have to crate him for a a few minutes to calm him down so I can get the kids school lunches made on time.  Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Melissa Bissell]

Thank you!  I am definitely going to pick up both of these books.  We are first time doggie parents so I feel like the more info the better.  And I am a reader and gather a lot of my info from books.  So thank you!!!  And thanks for the tip on the thumb maneuver.  I will have to try that, especially when he goes for my jeans which is his very favorite place to be.  He seems to go after me the most.  I know it isn't aggressive, and I am not at all afraid of him, but he does get growly and out of control and I want to "nip" that behavior in the bud.  We do have kids, although my youngest is nearly 12.  He is the most timid around Hugo.  My 16 year old daughter has an awesome relationship with the pup and he rarely goes after her.  She seems to be able to get him under control, quickly not sure why.  But he definitely pushes it with me - and I know it is a combination of wanting to play and also to get my attention.  We are together most so I guess that probably has a lot to do with it.

[Kelly & Zoe]

I gave Zoe cow ears rather than bully sticks at that age - they are gentler on stomachs.  Even now she prefers cow ears to bully sticks.  Have you tried a split antler or a Himalayan chew?

Also try freezing the Kong with whatever you have stuffed it - it should last longer.

[Melissa Bissell]

Hi-

Where do you get the cow ears - is that a pet store product?  I do have an antler for him.  He likes it ok, but is not not that attached to it.  What is a Himalayan chew?  And yes I do freeze the Kong, but he loses interest when the food is too far down for him to reach.  Thanks for all of the great suggestions!

[John Wang]

You can find most of these things at most pet stores- I know my local Petsmart has all three (and pig ears!) available, they're in the same section you can find rawhide bones in. Most organic/holistic pet stores will definitely carry bully sticks and ears.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&f...

Enzo loves these!

[Katie Ternes]

A sharp correction every time! Consistency is going to be key here for you, so make sure you and everyone in your family use the SAME method and the SAME words every.single.time. And after the correction is applied, give him a toy that's fine for him to chew on. It kind of seems like he's going for things that are softer to chew on, so maybe a stuffed toy vs something terribly hard?

[Rosella T]

I could have written this exact post! Exactly to a T what I am going through with Omar. He is 11 weeks old and I miss the sweet calm shy little guy we had the first week we brought him home. Now that he's comfortable he's a little piranha! Thanks for starting the thread. There are lots of good tips here. I am bracing myself for things getting worse before they get better. It's a good thing these little buggers are cute!