What to do during active time?

[Tracy O]

So Archie is 12 weeks old. I stay home with him and our 2 kids (ages 5 and 3). I'm having a breakdown today because every time I try to play with him (i.e. work on sit, stay, lay down, touch, fetch), he ends up biting and attacking me. I eventually put him in a timeout.

What else can I do with him during his awake time to burn his energy and/or engage his mind?

Thanks for any advice. I'm desperate.

[Joyce,David"Mochi,Latte,Popcorn"]

Mochi is almost 10 months and still like this...
he always gets too excited when I play with him and he ends up jumping and biting me. Attack is the right word to describe his action. I also time him out when he does that.

Looking for advices too!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is a very common problem. Peri (now 9 months) was nippy at first. Our trainer (and advice from others on DK) told us to act like we are very hurt and cry when they nip. It does get their attention. Peri caught on quickly. I would yelp and leave the room - she would just look at me like "did I make you leave???". This worked for us because I guess she started putting it together (nipping = mom and dad leave me).

There are numerous discussions on this and my technique may not work for your Archie. Here is a past discussion I found that may be helpful to you: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/2065244:Topic:171669?comme...

Sounds like you are doing the right thing with training already. I guess you can't take Archie on long walks yet since he is so young. Are there any dogs you can socialize him with that are fully vaccinated? This is how they start learning when to back down, etc.... That is why a "yelp" means a lot to them.

[Erin and Dexter]

Our dog LOVED (still does) to play tug...he gets to be a little aggressive and excited but it's structured. he's only allowed to play with rope tug toys and that's all we use it for...when we (I, he is never done!) are done playing, it goes on the top shelf. that way when it comes out, he knows it's play time.

[Lori]

I too had the same concerns when we brought Casper home. The water bottle has done wonders for me! I say in a loud voice "NO BITE!" and squirt him when he would "attack" me...it has really paid off. I do still need to use it, but only occasionally. I hope it helps you too : )

[Holly Doodle]

If you can find a good chew toy it can really wear them out mentally. It's been below zero here so we haven't been able to take Holly for walks but if she chews on a good toy for a while she actually seems tired. She also went through the crazy biting/attacking phase until she was 5-6 months, but eventually she just outgrew it (she's 7 1/2 months now). Time-outs in her crate were the only way we could snap her out of it. It'll get better, Good luck!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

This is a good idea. Try bully sticks, they're highly digestible and won't be too hard for her puppy teeth. Once he has his adult teeth you can try antlers or marrow bones. Allyson's advice on yelping really does work too! We did this with Timbow and he learned pretty quickly that biting isn't good.

[Sarah Georger-Clark]

We usually fill hollowed out bones with canned dog food and freeze them to make "pupsicles". They will last for hours with Gilda and she is always so happy. Tug is also huge on the list.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

These are all really good suggestions. Lucy turned 9 weeks today and I find she also gets into a frenzied biting/jumping (into my face) mode when we play fetch... which is a good way to expend energy, but at a cost. Yelping doesn't seem to help, nor does, "off" when she jumps. Yelping helped the 1st week here, but she's grown immune to it. She's just so excited that nothing will calm her. I like the idea of leaving the room when she gets like that and I'll try it. We live in the Pacific NW and the rain has been a big issue causing muddy paws during potty breaks. Lucy nips nonstop when I go to dry her feet upon reentering the house. I can't really just leave her because the job needs to be done, but I like the idea of spraying a stream of water into her mouth at those times. I'm also going to try a little clicker training for getting her to do circles on the towel, so she can wipe her own feet (she's very smart and knows LOTS of commands already).

The chew toy (a bully stick) really did tire her out today. More so than the fetching exercise she got earlier, I think. You wouldn't think chewing would be such a drain, but it seems to be.

I'll be using these tips... thanks everyone!

[Kyoko]

I remember those nippy days..... We used to yell "Yip Yip" to discourage her from nipping, but I don't even know if it was effective or not. Eventually, it stopped..... We used to take her out in our yard ( It was difficult because it was very cold, too ) and play and play and play with her to give her a lot of exercise.....

[Laura & Chewie]

Chewie (8 months) doesn't jump up/biting while playing, but will do that (along with barking) when he wants attention. Yelping louding has never phased him at all. Turning and walking away doesn't work as he'll just bite you in the behind...LOL. I usually make him sit or some other command then give him some attention...usually works. I have noticed he hasn't done it as frequently lately. Hopefully he's growing out of it.

[Tracy O]

THANK YOU all for your advice...wow, so many things to think about! It's the end of a long week for me... doesn't help to have a hard day with the kids AND the dog either. I'm glad it's Friday and we're going to puppy socialization class tomorrow. Also, we live in MN where the temps have been below zero... and it's forecasting a warm up (closer to 20 degrees...yeah)! I took a couple hour break when dh got home tonight. That along with all your feedback and ideas makes me feel better. I'll sleep on it all tonight.

Thank you again!
Mom of Archie :)

[Jane & Tessa]

Get "Good Dog 101" and do what it says on page 238. Pay particular attention to the info about :Acquired Bite Inhibition. Basically you have until about 18 weeks to get this worked out. Without quoting the book in detail, essentially it's normal and not "bad behavior" for a puppy to explore the world with his teeth. You have to channel it. (1) Decide how much pressure is too much (2) Encourage your puppy to play with you with his mouth. Use toys or not. (3) "The moment your puppy delivers a bite harder than that which you'll allow, say a loud, firm, but controlled "Ouch!" and cease play immediately. You may remain in the area if you wish, or get up and leave altogether. - Note: Leave the bite inhibition training to adults. " From "Good Dog 101" by Christine Dahl.

She has a BS in Biological Science with a focus on mammalian mind and brain matters. She was recognized by the American Medical Association for her work helping doctors better understand the circumstances surrounding dogs biting children. She has many other certificates and honorable mentions.

I found it also helped to exercise Tessa when she was 12 weeks old about 15 minutes, twice a day - we went for a walk on leash. As Tessa began to understand how much pressure was too much, she became a lot of fun to play with. Now she puts her teeth on me when I initiate that kind of play, but it doesn't hurt at all. She knows how much is too much. She also got a lot of chew toys at 12 weeks, since I knew she was teething and needed stuff to chew on. She had a nylabone puppy teething ring, a Kong Puppy Teething Stick, and numerous stuffed toys. You probably know to avoid the rawhide toys as they can do rude things when swollowed. Tessa chews all the time still at 6.5 months but now knows how much pressure is too much when we play.

The other suggestions I received from puppy training class (I much prefer the behaviorists approach rather than the dominant pack approach) is that puppies learn from each other. If your puppy is introduced to other puppies and gets to play with them, then they also learn how much is too much biting and pressure that way too. Socialization with other puppies is very important too.

It's unfortunate that some schools of dog training emphasize how dangerous some things are in puppies. They are just babies and only want to play, and learn. They really are too young to form the intention behind an "attack". Eager play is about all they can generate. You'll do fine. I see that others have suggested some of the same solutions.