Discipline Question

[Tracy A]

Mousse is 11 weeks tomorrow, and I have a question about the best way to address bad behavior.  Whenever I scold him for something like snapping at my kids clothes, or digging under my fence, or biting at me when I'm trying to put his leash on, he just bites at me more. I'll say "no!" sternly and tell him to sit, and he'll bite in my direction, or sometimes jump up at me and bite.  I've never had a dog before, and I want to nip this behavior in the bud before it turns into a real problem.  Can someone give me some advice?  What I do now, seems to escalate his behavior, rather than correct him.

[Adina P]

Mousse sounds like a typical young pup. Feisty, wiggly, doesn't tolerate handling or doing what he doesn't want to do--very much like a toddler who has learned to say "No." A battle of wills doesn't always work. You're probably not going to be very successful by a physical battle and Mousse sounds like my Rosco when you say that what you do only escalates things rather than helps him to calm down or accept the 'discipline'.

Your BEST bet is to take each issue on its own and through positive association, patience and teaching help him to learn to accept those things:

1) Snapping, nipping and such are puppy behaviors that are almost on autopilot. They snap and nip as easily as babies put stuff in their mouth and drool. It will most likely be something he outgrows by 4 months or so. Try to redirect him to an appropriate chew toy, crate him until he's chilled out a bit, keep him on leash, don't leave him with kids unsupervised, etc. How old are your kids? There are some things they can do too to help the situation and de-escalate things.

2) Digging under your fence. Dogs dig...puppies especially are trying out all their new skills. Supervision and redirecting his behavior is probably best. Don't allow him time to dig .. be ready to catch him and redirect him. The most important thing is you keep bad habits from growing ROOTS...but you're not going to make him NOT want to dig at this age. He's too young and his attention span is like that of a gnat.

3) Biting when putting leash on. That's the only way he knows to say "I don't like getting my leash on!" So help him LIKE it by taking it in baby steps. Help him think the sight of his leash is the most exciting things. Show him the leash and give him a tiny amazingly delicious treat. Show him the leash and treat. Show him the leash and treat. Do it a handful of times when you do NOT need to leash him. Then put the leash away and bring it out again an hour later. Repeat.... Next time touch the leash to him and repeat as above. Next time put it on him and take it off...repeat as above. And so on until he WELCOMES the leash being clipped to him.

4) Young puppy nips rarely turn into a 'real problem' -- most do outgrow it. Just remember he is a baby and have patience with him as you would with a baby that is fussing when you change its diaper and turning his head when you want to give it a taste of some new baby food...etc. Look at it from his point of view and see if you can make the experience more pleasant FIRST. He's not being ornery at this point...just a puppy. It doesn't necessarily indicate bad things to come.

[Tracy A]

Thanks, Adina. I guess I'm just paranoid because I've never done this before. I just want to make sure we get off on the right foot :) My biggest fear is that I end up with this big crazy dog that people don't want to be around, all because I didn't do my part with training him.

I keep trying to be mindful of my energy with him, and try not to get frustrated or angry, because I know he will sense that. My kids are young, 6 and 2, so they're not much help ;)

the leash thing isn't really bad, he just gets excited and and starts nipping me because my hand are right there by his head. He's not really very interested in chew toys, but likes stuffed animals and ropes. I tried the bully sticks, but he isn't interested in them much either. I got him a beef tendon spiral thing that he's chewed a little here and there, so that's been my go to for now.

Thanks again for the advice, I just need to relax, I think :)

[Adina P]

He probably will NOT end up the big crazy dog you fear. You are too conscientious to let him become that. Have you identified some GOOOOD local training classes? Find some place that teaches you how to train him to an advanced level. Though you will probably start with Puppy K for the sake of learning to manage your pup...you want to plan to train him to a high level as stopping sooner will probably be fruitless.

You are right...your 2 year old will probably not be much help. But the 6 year old can learn quite a bit about how to respond to puppy. I know there are a lot of articles in this group, but if you have 15 minutes...flip through the archives and even do a search for "nipping" in the search box and you'll come up with lots of past advice and suggestions on how to deal with this and with kids. There's a book that I see recommended often that is called, I think, "Raising Puppies and Kids Together." Look it up online.

Don't be afraid to use the crate as long as he also gets a chance to learn some good habits outside of the crate and gets his energy/exercise needs taken care of. Teach your kids how to teach him some tricks or at least to say to him "Mousse, SIT" -- they'll need to not SQUEAL this, but say it in a 'grown-up' voice. Practice with them on what/how to say things to Mousse, when to ignore him, when to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground (because running kids = chasing puppy), and how to call for help from mommy (in a grown up voice or by singing a song you'll recognize).

[Tracy A]

Your advice brings to mind another question...how do I know if a trainer / class is good? I've looked online for places and people in my area (Baltimore, MD) and there are several, but I feel clueless about what to look for. I hear not so good things about petsmart, so I ruled them out, but I'm not sure how to decide. I'd love to get him trained to an advanced level, I just don't know where to start.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Adina P]

Google the following: Association of Pet Dog Trainers AND then Certified Pet Dog Trainers AND then International Association of Canine Professionals. Then use the zip code search function on each of those sites to see what trainers are listed near you.

The first two I listed are generally of the 'all positive' or 'mostly positive' approach to training (meaning few or no corrections in training). The last does not have a specific philosophy required.

Personally, the way *I* choose a training method is based on its results. So I would get referrals from vets offices, groomers, and other dog folks to find out what trainers/classes get good results. Who trains to a high level? Perhaps there is an obedience club or local kennel club that has advice or trainers they recommend? I don't like to choose a class based on philosophy alone. Whether someone uses corrections and praise or only praise/treats is a philosophical issue...it says nothing about what their methods are (good or bad or effective or ineffective) or results are.

Perhaps attend a graduating class and see what the dogs can do and how they behave. That's what I'd want to know. I'm not as interested in whether other students "enjoyed" the classes as much as whether or not what they learned, if applied, was effective. Yes, you don't want some evil instructor who makes life hell for you and your dog...but you don't want a sweetie pie instructor who doesn't actually teach you anything useful either. You want an excellent instructor who gets excellent results (assuming you follow instructions ;-)).

[Lona and Bogart]

Adina, I blogged tonight about my dog Bogart getting away from me. I was terrified, I am going to take your advice and see if I can google the websites you suggested and find GOOD dog trainers to help me. Thanks for all your help. Lona and Bogart

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Wow...Adina is brilliant. Great information. All I can add is that my Fudge nipped everyone, pulled on her leash, jumped, etc. and I did use time out in the crate when it started to escalate or I had it. It is a stage and they do outgrow it. The redirecting with a chew toy is great information and bully sticks were my best friend during this stage. Good luck and I love his name.

[Sandra Griffith]

Adina's advice is terrific. I would not allow the puppy around your children unsupervised. You are right, they are way too young to be helpful at such a young age, and supervision will help to prevent problems from developing; it's always easier to prevent a problem than to fix it once it has been well established. Puppies play with their mouths so a lot of the behaviour that you are describing is play behaviour. The problem is that we humans are such delicate sensitive creatures and must teach the puppy how fragile we really are.
1. I like to do what I call "puppy massage" with young pups. I do this twice a day for about 1 minute each. Sit on the floor and hold your puppy on your lap. Hook your thumb in his collar so that you have a hold of him in a way that he cannot reach your hand with his mouth. With your other hand gently massage him everywhere. This should include the ears, feet, tail, stomach, etc. If he struggles just hold onto him gently but firmly. You want to get him used to being handled. If he is held correctly he will not be able to reach you with his mouth. Do not end your session while he is struggling. You are the one to decide when the session ends. This technique is not about the infamous "alpha rolll" (where the puppy is placed on his back)- I do not believe in this EVER. There will be many times that your dog will need to be handled throughout his life- including by your vet so the idea is to accustom him to being handled in a gentle fashion. If your puppy struggles just calmly, gently (but firmly) hold him until he settles down. Do not yell at him. You will be surprised at how quickly he gets used to this, and it's much easier to accustom a puppy to being handled than an older dog.

2.My general rule with mouthy behaviour of puppies is: they may put their mouth on me gently until 12 weeks. After 12 weeks no mouth on human skin (this does not include licking). If the puppy mouths or nips too hard, I yell very dramatically and loudly OW!! If done dramatically enough this will usually only take once or twice before it is stopped. You want it to be dramatic enough that the puppy looks at you in surprise. I then ignore the puppy for about 10 seconds. The reason for allowing the minimal contact until 12 weeks is to help the puppy learn bite inhibition (or how hard we humans can handle their mouths). Try not to inadvertently reward the puppy by pushing him away, or giving him attention of any kind. While ignoring him for your 10 seconds or so, do not look at him. If necessary, get up and leave the room without looking at him during this brief period.
I thoroughly agree with Adina about leaving the leash on while you are going through this stage. Do treat when putting on the leash and of course do not leave the leash on while the puppy is unsupervised. If the puppy chews on the leash you may use either a chain leash or get one of the tie-out cables available from stores like PETCO (just get a light-weight one) and let the puppy drag it around (again not unsupervised). I don't believe in ever tiying a dog outside but these tie-out cables are nice to use for this purpose as they are made of nylon coated metal cable so the puppy can't chew it up.
Hope this helps and good luck. This puppy stage doesen't last long.