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Need Some Advice

1K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  SuperG 
#1 ·
Our puppy is 11 weeks old, and we are having some issues. She is biting a lot ( I know this is normal), jumping on furniture (we want to teach to her stay down because we have small children), and chasing our cats. We can barely even pet her because she wants to bit constantly.

In the morning her behavior is the worst because she is hyper and excited to be out of her crate. Our small children are becoming scared of her because she nips at them a lot, and tries to jump on them. She does pretty good with me, but my kids are too young to know how to react properly.

Other than keeping her in her crate constantly when indoors what can we do?
 
#2 ·
You need to be firmer with her. I have small kids too, mine are 1 1/2 and 3. My pup is almost five months. We stopped the nipping in the bud from the start. I issued corrections for biting along with a stern NO BITE, and disengaging in play if she bit at me. If she is truly out of control indoors, I would suggest some training and exercise. Help her get that energy out, and spend 5 minutes 2-3 times a day working with her on basic obedience. She is a smart dog and needs mental stimulation as well as exercise. If you know she is going to be hyper and jump when she sees your kids, you need to be one step ahead of her to correct the problem. Who is up first, the kids or the dog? If the dog is up first, then before your kids come out in the morning, put the puppy on leash and correct her when she jumps up, saying OFF, and direct her into a sit while the kids say good morning. Do this every time she would normally jump. You have to be prepared for the behavior to occur and stop it before it happens, the second you see your dog about to do it. My three year old has been getting some "training" on dogs too, and now my pup will actually listen to her when she says Sit!
 
#3 ·
No solid advice from me, just sympathy -

My (Lab) pup was just impossible when she was little. She didn't mind being scolded, or sudden noises, or time-outs - she was very independent and would chase her tail in a circle during time-out. If I yelped or said "OUCH!" when she bit too hard, she would wag her tail furiously and bite harder. She disliked pottying outside and would chase the cats mercilessly. She was very noisy at night for several weeks, despite everyone ignoring her. I cried a lot and considered taking her back to the breeder.

Things got much better at 4 months, when she suddenly decided the grass was an excellent place to poop. We still had to keep her in a separate gated area from the cats. She still chewed everything but it was a bit easier to redirect her teeth to Nylabones.

At 6 months, despite having been to puppy and beginning obedience classes since she was 8 weeks old, she became horrible to walk on a leash, impossible to control around other dogs (she got soooo excited) and we had to drop out of advanced obedience classes and were advised not to continue until she had lost a bit of her 'puppyness.

Abby is about 18 months old now. We are able to go on nice hikes with her easy-walk harness. She greets other dogs with a furiously wagging tail but is polite and sociable. She passed her Canine Good Citizen test and I look forward to getting her certified as a therapy dog in a few years. She still gets excited about the cats. Luckily she has a short attention span so I can distract her with fun stuff, like a stuffed Kong or squeaky toy.

You aren't alone, puppies are horrible. :) When you feel like screaming and pulling your hair out, just remember this isn't going to last forever, and this tiny annoying little creature depends on you for everything.
 
#4 ·
Provide your puppy with raw bones for her itchy gums, that is easy and will save your furniture. What could be challenging - 2-3 hours a day outdoor off-leash exercise to really let her stretch her legs and spend energy - you ought to do it if you want to have a dog without any problems. Imprisonment in the crate develops aggressiveness and other mental disorders. Your pup doesn't feel she is something lesser than your kids, a position above the ground indicates her social status in her pack (your kids are rightfully considered as other puppies of the same litter for her), I wouldn't bother about it at all at the moment.
 
#5 ·
I could not safely pet my puppy until after about 4 months old. He has high prey drive and a moving hand was a target. Always had something for him to chew on so there was something in my hand he could go after instead of my hand.

Baby gates will help. Children contained on one side, puppy on the other. Positive training with treats for short bursts throughout the day will help, too (for the puppy :)).

AND your kids have to learn how to behave around the dog. No running so the dog chases them, no going around where the puppy eats, no taking toys away from puppy, no bothering the puppy in her crate, respecting the puppy's space. The burden to behave is not all on the puppy.

My children learned that if they did not behave around the dog, they went to their rooms, the dog was not removed.
 
#7 ·
This! Remember that you have a baby - can't really expect them to have that level of self-control and self discipline. However, the kids should have enough self awareness and self-control, and be at a highly-trainable stage in their development.

Manage you puppy's environment to set it up to succeed, teach the children that the puppy needs it's space and food respected. Messing with their food all the time only creates possesiveness. Leave them alone to eat so they know they don't have to fight for their food, and that they will be left alone. Constant petting and handling their food will create stress around feeding time - the opposite of what you want.
 
#6 ·
I agree that children bear some responsibility in facilitating a good and respectful relationship with the puppy, but I think the puppy needs to learn that in pack status, the kids are higher up than the dog is. This is why I've been having my three year old give commands - she can get our dog to sit now, and opens the crate for her if the pup is sitting calmly.

I also teach my girls to love and respect the dog as a member of our family.

Also, I told both my girls to pet the puppy while she was eating regularly so the puppy doesn't ever get growly or snappy with them while eating anything. We started this at 8-9 weeks and my puppy has never showed annoyance or guarding of her food.
 
#8 ·
Isabelle--

If my puppy had a bully stick and I needed to crate him, we both held the bully stick while I walked him to his crate where it was safe for him to have it there, too. Puppy held one end and I held the other. This builds TRUST--what I give you is yours. The message is "you do not have to guard or protect your stuff because no one is coming to take it away forever."

At this stage of your puppies life, you want as much positive interactions as possible. Don't worry about hierarchy with the children. Worry about keeping your children out of the puppies way. Then, they are not "bitten" by those sharp puppy teeth and dislike the puppy because she is not fun. GSDs are not great puppies with small children. Old English Sheepdogs (well-bred) are fantastic with small children--but you do not have one.

This is a critical time to bond with the adults in the family for the puppy. Adults are more predictable for puppy and can be relied upon for a schedule and needs being met. If you are constantly correcting a puppy, it's not great for the relationship. You want to do everything you can to build trust.

There is time in the future to "lay down the law." When you have trust.
FWIW
 
#11 ·
Thank you all. I appreciate your advice. She is really good later in the day, she is just so hyper and excited first thing in the morning. My husband takes her out first thing in the morning and walks her around (our yard it large), and plays fetch a little with her. She still has so much energy though. My youngest kids are 5 & 6, and they are really good with her. No running or bad behavior. She just nips at their feet/legs/ankles, and if they are walking by she sometimes bites at their arms. Its the worst in the morning, as the day goes on she gets much much calmer. I have started teaching her the sit command. I have never taught any obedience commands before, so this is all new to me too. Overall she is a very sweet dog, so hopefully I will survive this stage.
 
#12 ·
Nyla is 15 weeks... I have 4 kids myself... 7 and under... she would nip at them a lot and lung etc. but its starting to tone down a bit now I guess because she is getting older... I had bought a small muzzle and I would put it on when the kids were playing with her.. and take it off when the kids weren't around.. after a few days of this I've noticed that she hasn't been nipping has much so I dont really have to muzzle her when the kids are around anymore... I would try that! just worked for me.. hopefully works for you

(your pup will burn a lot of energy trying to get the muzzle off as well... good exercise lol)
 
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