Shark Dog
Morgan is a rather mouthy little thing and he even ran up behind my brothers little girl today and nipped her on her leg. She of course decided she must call her mom right away and report that he Bit her. So her mom freaked out and was really pissed. I understand her concern but he did not even leave a mark sooo i need a shark dog refresher.
Re: Shark Dog
Zen is really mouthy too and a few times left the kids bawling. She especially liked to jump up and nip and go after my little boy's privates. It hurts and the kids shed a lot of tears but they always go back later and try again with her. They even fight over who gets to give her treats.
I think the mouthyness has been the hardest part for me but she's starting to get the idea that she doesn't have to bite us all the time. Yelping and saying ouch doesn't always work. But the standing up, turning our back and saying off seems to work a bit. Now at 14 weeks, she seems to be letting up a bit and figuring out she gets more attention when she licks instead of nips. But its tough.
The kid thing.. yeah, its tough. Honestly, we just keep a really good eye on her and never let kids and her go unsupervised. There have been a few times where i've had to pull her off them; i mean, they just are over-grown squeak toys aren't they?
Re: Shark Dog
yah. I think while we do not want him doing this its a great time for her to see that pups do these things and they are not just fluffy, sweet, beds of roses. Her family is thinking of getting a dog in the next few years. My brother was raised with dogs but does not really know about the process or hard work we have put into them. 8 says she is not mad at him but will wait till he calms down a little before she engages with him again. Hopefully she will pass onto mom and dad that they are not ready.
Re: Shark Dog
I know there are many schools of thought on this. I am not an overly hands off person with this because I have watched my bitches raise litters and THEY, are certainly not hands off. The first time a pup bites their mother too hard is pretty much a come to Jesus experience for them. They are snapped at, often nipped, rolled and pinned almost before they know what occured, yelping, sometimes peeing...and only allowed to rise when they calm down. Oftentimes this happens a few times before the pup connects the exact action with the consequences...but they learn quite fast.
You can try offering a toy or some of the other types of ideas. Some dogs need things in their mouths to remain civil with their teeth in mixed company.
I personally use the bass method which is a two finger downwards pressure on the lower jaw attached to a command "quit!" and seldom have to do that more than a few times. But aside from Sully none of my hounds have been overly interested in chewing on people...perhaps because I discourage it from birth and so do their dams.
Cleo never put a tooth on any of us, but she was older when she got here at 4 months and simply doesn't have that sort of temperament. But I would not have hestitated to use the bass on her too. When I had Akitas (a tougher breed mentally than many people are even aware of) I scruffed them a couple of times and that was that...for the rest of their lives. But you have to know your breed and your pup, of course.
This is something definitely to address young so you are definitely right to do so NOW, especially with a larger dog. People in the public can be so obnoxious and I know folks who's older pups or teen dogs have gotten them into trouble because of mouthing (ie biting to Joe Public most times)...hopefully you can get it straightened out!
Gina H.
"What a drag it is...getting old."-The Rolling Stones "Mother's Little Helper"
My Blog: http://ryngwrayth.blogspot.com/
Cleo's Blog: http://lionessrampantblog.blogspot.com/
Re: Shark Dog
They may not be ready. But like you said.. maybe this is the wake up call. Far be it from me to discourage anybody if they really want a puppy and are willing to work with all the family members to make it happen.. but maybe an older dog that is calmer?Originally Posted by ShilohsGirlJen
As far as morgan goes.. if he's half as mouthy as Zen is.. i can atest to the hands off method. We tried the bass method first, and it just made her more riled up. Plus, if its the kids he's going after...they are the ones that have to get it to stop, and it's HARD to teach little kids to stick their fingers in the pups mouth.
We've been getting them to "stand like a tree."
1) Back to the pup
2) hands clasped around each other in fists
3) not looking and yelling OFF.
This is the method prescribed by our trainer and seems to be working. And it's a method we can get little kids to follow.
Good luck! Keep updating, yah? I'm curious with what works and doesn't work for you guys.
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