Mouthing/Biting/Teething

Dogs explore the world with their mouths. They want to feel and touch and taste it all! Puppies are curious little creatures and just want to explore everything – so you need to be prepared for this.

Mouthing/biting is definitely an issue that Jase & I have had with Cooper from day one of bringing him home. And let me tell you – they have razor sharp teeth!! The first week, both Jase & I had scratches the whole way up our arms.

So what do you need to do to stop this behaviour?

You need to teach your dog the difference between biting a chew toy and biting human skin. We want them to chew their toys and not us – but they don’t know the difference – so it is our job to teach them.

To a puppy, any attention is good attention so if your puppy tries to bite you – the solution is not to push him or wave your hands around or to run away – he will think this is a game and chase you and come back for more. Rather you need to stop playing with him immediately, stand up and walk away calmly. Or if that doesn’t work – say ‘no’ or ‘ah ah’ in a strong stern voice and take him into a room for 5 minutes of down time.

Another good trick, which I have only been using if Cooper tries to bite the couch or jump on the couch, is shaking an empty water bottle with some stones in it. The second he tries to jump or bite the couch – I shake it close to him and he hates it. Honestly, after doing this twice, he has not tried it again!!

In saying all of this - I am a very big believer in puppy’s responding and learning better from praise and positive reinforcement than punishment. So what Jase and I have also been doing to reduce the mouthing/biting is putting a toy straight into his mouth the second he is about to try and bite us. This is not praising his behaviour – it is rather redirecting it and teaching him the correct thing to chew on.

 

You also need to be aware that when your puppy hits 3-4months of age, the mouthing generally get’s worse because they are teething, so please make sure you have really good chew toys for your pup – kongs and ropes are good for this. Don’t freak out if you see blood on a toy, it means your pup has probably just lost a baby tooth and swallowed it – this is natural and nothing to worry about!

Finally, you need to realize that puppies aren’t trying to bite you on purpose - they don’t mean to hurt you. They just want to play with you, get your attention, sooth their sore gums and explore the world. You just need to be a good leader and make sure they know from day one that you are the boss.  

The Joys of Toilet Training...

Cooper Hendrix has been home with us now for 5 nights. He is a bundle of joy and so beautiful.

Although, let me tell you - raising a puppy is hard work!!

He is like an energizer bunny and then falls asleep, energizer bunny and then back to sleep and so on.

I have so many things that I could talk about now but I will take it one step at a time. So lets begin with toilet training…

Toilet training needs to begin the very second you bring your pup home. Take the puppy straight outside to the spot you would like them to go.

Avoid avoid avoid is my motto!!

Take your pup outside straight after he wakes up, after he plays and after he eats. Just make sure to take your pup out every hour. The key is to not let your puppy make a mistake – and make sure to really praise him when he releases himself outside.

We are using ‘good toilet’ to try and get Cooper used to the word ‘toilet’. Give him a good pat and even a treat instantly if you have one handy. Puppy’s and dogs have a pretty short memory so timing is crucial – don’t give him a treat two minutes later – only give a treat that very second he finishes. And that also goes for telling him off when he releases himself in the house – there is no point telling him off when you find it half an hour later – he wont remember what he did wrong. It really is all about being positive – you don’t want to scare your puppy while he is in the act, as you don’t want them to think that releasing themselves is bad – so yes – I totally disagree with rubbing your dogs nose in their business!! But you can tell him off when you catch him in the act.

We have been pretty lucky with Coop – he has peed inside twice and that is it. One of the times, I knew he needed to go, I waited outside with him for about 45minutes and then my patience grew thin and I brought him back inside – literally 20 seconds later he peed on the carpet. The trick is to make sure you have the right products to get rid of the smell otherwise your puppy will keep going back to the same spot. And be patient!

We are also lucky enough to have a doggy door that is in the laundry where he sleeps. After 2 days of being with us he could use it all by himself and after 3 nights – he was using it during the night rather than going on the newspaper in the laundry. Jase and I trained him by holding the flap up and having one on either side with a treat, encouraging him – he is a very quick learner!!

How have you gone toilet training your pup??

Cooper visiting my work at The Big Group

Cooper with his cousin Diesel