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!

[John Wang]

If he thinks being dragged around is like a game, I would just stand there waiting until he gives up. If he sees you're not playing with him actively, he'll stop. As soon as that happens, stick a toy in his mouth to play with. We do this with Boomer; whenever he starts getting mouthy we stop interacting with him. He's now 18 weeks old (ahh!) and is rarely mouthy, but if he gets over-stimulated he'll nip still, and we'll go "ERR!" loudly, then hand him his own toy, or just ignore him. He learns quickly. If he doesn't calm down (jumping/pawing) with people around then we pick him up for time-out and put him into his playpen for some time.

Give it a few more weeks! 10 weeks is pretty young still  : )

If you stick with what you're doing it'll suddenly click.

[Melissa Bissell]

Thanks - I try just ignoring him ,but he rarely will let go of me.  However, tonight when I walked out of the room (after I detached him) he whimpered.  And after that he was so much better.  It seemed as if something clicked in his little puppy brain, that his human mom will not play with him if he does that and that made him sad.  Prior to that it didn't seem to bother him too much when  left, just part of the game.

[Toni Clayton]

George gets bully sticks..he's 10 weeks tomorrow...they're a godsend...

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

FYI....bully sticks are very fatty and often cause stomach issues, if not, just plain diarrhea, in young puppies.

[Melissa Bissell]

Ok - Thanks.  I heard they were great to keep dogs busy, but also not to give them too young, so I am glad I know why now.  At what age are they ok to give?

[Rosella T]

I agree! I give Omar bully sticks. It usually takes him at least 3 days to go through one stick and then I wait a couple of days until I give him another one because of how fatty they are but they haven't given Omar diarrhea. Kong toys are also a godsend! I put some of Omar's food in them and a little teaspoon of natural peanut butter to hold it in and he works on them for at least 20 peaceful minutes.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

10 weeks!  This is all so very normal!  In fact, at some point it may actually get worse, due to teething. Somewhere around the 3-4 month mark.  Sounds like you are doing everything right....keep replacing your hands, arms, pants, fingers....with a toy.  This too shall pass! ;)

[Melissa Bissell]

Thanks-

Sometimes replacing with a toy just doesn't work.  Although tonight he was into it.  Especially if I just stayed right with him and let him chew on it while I held it.  I am figuring out that he basically just really wants my undivided attention.  So sitting with him and giving him the chew toy helps him to calm down, SOMETIMES (not always).

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna's nickname was "land shark" when she was a puppy :)

Instead of a bully stick I'd give something like a deer antler that wouldn't affect his digestion.

Do you have an exercise pen you could keep him in while you cook?  That would keep him contained but he could still "participate" in making the meal.  

Here's Luna's (in the background with her crate inside) - she spent her days in there while we were at work... or was in there if she couldn't be out and about. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Look at that adorable face! I think I see a " halo" hovering over her head! ;)

[Melissa Bissell]

Such a cute photo!  The idea for a pen in the kitchen is a good idea.  I'm not sure if we have the space for it, but I will look into it.  It could help though, I can see your point.

[Susan and Sochi]

Hi Melissa we are in the same boat with our mouthy puppies!  mine has gone so far as to snap at us but not in a way to bite us just like she is trying to tell us something. her mouth will shut and you can hear the snap but she doesnt lean into us to bite us. i asked about this on a facebook dodole site and on eowner who had the same problem left this link as a good resourse for these issues. here it is. im going to purchase it and thought i woujld share it with you too ..http://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Your-Dog-Ultimate-Behaviors-ebook/dp...  her is something else an owner left for me and i tried it today with our doodle Sochi. i saw some results for the better hwne i did this to her. time will tell ...."Give kisses" (and they've learned to lick the hand to get attention, rather than to use teeth). We're trying to teach them that humans don't want doggie teeth on them EVER.  If you find your pup's mouth on your hand faster than you can blink, we find we can turn so the pad of the thumb is onto the roof of their mouth-it's a quick maneuver that makes them uncomfortable with the situation. They'll want to stop the mouthing. It takes some times, but they do get the point: they don't really want to be doing that... moreover, WE don't really want them to be doing that!
Some folks opt to move the hand enough further in, that you get a gag reflex... but I thought that was rough on the little pups. Gag reflex is unpleasant, and may be a deterrent. Older dogs have more common sense on that one, to figure out "don't do that again." So while mine were young, I preferred the thumb. Verbal reprimand is essential, so they know you aren't playing. Tone of voice gets across. (Yelling only means you've lost the struggle, and aren't in control)
It's important to get used to handling their mouths safely, and not be afraid of their teeth. We have a lot of situations where they get things they shouldn't have, and don't all know "drop it" yet. 
Yesterday ours got a mouthful of something that really was dangerous and pointy, and I had to get it out, while he was panicky. It's vital to have the ability & relationship with them that gives you that know-how to help them. 
That said, the How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, by New Skete Monks also tells some ways to work with older alpha dogs, and get them used to what you need to be able to do for them. They too train dogs. Their puppy book tells some exercises to help your pup calm down, and become accustomed to your hands checking his mouth, ears, and paws, humanely. We've used that same hold to calm them when they're over-excited.