is there anything you can do about this, our puppy has broke the skin on both me and ds.. can they be filed or something...
do not put your body parts in puppy's mouth, seriously. letting him mouth you as a puppy may be "cute" to you now but when he grows and starts mouthing your guests it might not be so frigging adorable!
still not cute but he could be testing you or teething or what he considers playing, depends on his age. when he nips ya, over-react and startle him with a firm OW or YIKES or whatever you say and go on your way making sure to ignore him. look up BITE INHIBITION online - that should point you in the right direction. safe walking!
TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING!!!! If I were to come to your house and your pup snipped at my new shoes I'd be livid! That's just me though. When DH was training Hunter (lab) he would hold his mouth closed and say NO BITING!! Didn't take long for him to stop! :wink:
NO!!!!! Yopu can not file their teeth! BUT you can break the behavior. First, NEVER give the puppy permission to 'mouth' you. When it opens it's mouth and wantsto chew or nip on you, give the pup a chew rope, a kong, something safe and acceptable to chew on. It is likely the pup is cutting teeth - since your screen name suggests you have children - think about this - when the child was cutting teeth, did you let them chew on you? Was it ever acceptable for your child to bite you? OF COURSE NOT! Dogs are no different! When playing - here is my biggest 'pet peeve' directed to the male of the human species - NEVER 'face slap' a dog or puppy, that's when you take both of your hands and place them at either side of the dogs face and playfuly tap alternating hands. This is something I've seen countless men do. Why they tend to do this, must be due to that Y chromozone. If you give a dog permission to grab your hands, or any other body part while playing, you are giving them permission to do it anytime. Do not confuse your dog! If you want to play, throw a ball or a frisbee, play tug with a rope. YOUR HANDS ARE NOT A TOY! Everyone in the household MUST do the same thing - if all don't comply, you will not break the habit. Ditto with visitors, don't let them play like this with your dog. As far as the nipping at heels, if the dog is a herding breed, this is instinctive - that is what the dog was bred for and it may be quite difficult, if not impossible to break - which is an important reason to KNOW the breed or breed mix in the dog you buy or adopt, so you will know how that dog will likely behave. When the dog goes to mouth you, distract them with something else. Think positive and don't yell or freak out about it. Stay calm and patient and help the dog relearn proper behavior.
thanks for all the advice and harley I totally agree my last dog never nipped or jumped on anyone, this puppy seems to be very stubborn and zoo he does have some blue heeler and australlian shephard in him.. thanks again
mom2 - What you have is a dog that is born to nip heels. This may not be a trait that you can break. My suggestion is give this dog a job! If a dog of this breed mix doesn't have a job which you choose for him, you will not like the the job he will choose for himself. This breed mix is ENERGETIC and must have attention. They excell in agility and fly-ball. Please, understand, in type things don't always come out as they are intended, so considering that - please think about this - IF you realy don't have the time to give this dog plenty of exercise and attention - this is not a dog who will make a good yard dog, nor will it make a good house dog without a lot of attention - Find him a home with someone who will work him as he needs to be before he gets any older. Once they mature, stresses set in if they haven't been exercised properly. Very bad and annoying habits begin and are very tough in breeds that tend to be stubborn to break, without breaking the spirit of the dog...which is a very sad thing to do. A good many Heelers, Aussies, Border Collies, and many other herding as well as a number of sporting breeds end up in shelters and rescues because their families found they just didn't fit their lifestyle. Blue Heeler Traits: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...els&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a Warnings: Blue heelers have been known to nip at the heels of humans, much like they do with the cattle they are herding. Children should avoid running near your blue heeler when you are training it, as the dog may chase and nip the child. This breed of dog is not easy to train. Be prepared to be rigorous and tough in your training if you decide to own a blue heeler. Blue heelers may respond with hostility if they are treated harshly or with force. Australian Shepherd Traits http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...els&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4&client=firefox-a Personality These dogs are very loyal to their families. They make great watchdogs as they have a strong guarding instinct. They are also instinctual herders and will tend to nip at your heels when running and playing. Aussies are very high energy. They love to work and will become destructive if they don’t have a job. They need loads of exercise and demand time and attention.
time and attention is not a problem, but when it states job what would that be... he is a very sweet and loving dog and I know he has plenty of energy.. thanks
Wow, what help! Of course now let us remember that she has a mixed breed so some, all, or none of the above always apply! Truly, since you have the dog already, enroll in a training class outside your home. That gets him socialized and you on the way to proper training techniques - you do not want harleygirl coming over otherwise! Threads like these make this board very valuable! Good to know ya, Zoo!
let me say when I mean attention a good 3 to 4 hours a day during the week and almost all day on the weekends, as we are outside people thanks again for all your help, I would really like to keep this puppy also he does have some lab and other breeds in him
let me say when I mean attention a good 3 to 4 hours a day during the week and almost all day on the weekends, as we are outside people thanks again for all your help, I would really like to keep this puppy also he does have some lab and other breeds in him
As for JOB - Agility, Flyball, Frisbee - something with a lot of running - keep thier mind busy! What I like about the first two- is it requires that the dog really THINK -( 2 of my guys are mixes of herding breeds - but not Aussie or Blue heelers - but I work with several of them) General obedience is important as well, but it must be in addition to regular exercise, not just walking around. Labs are a great breed to be mixed with, just keep in mind that Labs are also very needy of exercise. They tend to be puppies for like 7 years!
:?: Do you home school mom2? I'm right in the middle of obedience classes, which I offer for free each year to homeschoolers and their parents - for their dogs :lol: but the people get trained as well, to understand what their dog is communicating, both through body language as well as actions. We had class this morning as a matter of fact, 2 lab/border collie mixes - brother and sister pups aged nine months, 2 Aussies (pure breed adult dogs) and a Boston Terrier almost a year. Good class of kids, moms, and doggies If you do homeschool, get up with me.
hehe thanks for all the advice it seems to have paid off, we are working with him alot on the snipping and it is getting much better, we are now mainly having the probs with him and my son, ds is 2 so he likes to play alot with the puppy but we are interacting alot and making it much easier on both of them.. he is also very good at fetching and likes to play tug of war :lol: we took him to the lake with us this weekend and he did great, he hates a leash so that is our next thing to work on, again thanks for all the advice
Any tips for a dog that just flat-out ignores you? We can't get our dog inside. He just sits and looks at you. And if you go towards him, he takes off. :twisted: Like it's some game, or he just loves to be outside.
