Need help with 4 month old puppy!

[TxJasmine]

Hi everyone,

I don’t post here very often, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not watching! A few months ago we decided to get a puppy, and started reading about different breeds. We settled on Boston Terrier, but then didn’t really know how to go about getting a dog. We definitely did not want a puppy mill dog, and a purebred wasn’t a requirement. Well, someone on the DIS asked about dogs and someone else replied to check petfinder.com. Thank you so much! We found an 11 week old Boston Terrier mix puppy at a Boston Terrier rescue organization only a few hours away. We’ve now had her for 5 weeks and she’s doing great. She seems to learn fast, and she’s doing great with house training.

But, she does have one major problem. She is a very nippy dog. She plays very rough and bites hard. I don’t think she does it to be mean – she is just playing. She also runs after us and bites legs and feet, and she will jump up to bite our hands. She is fairly jumpy, and she is also a good climber. The vet said that on a nippy scale of 1 to 10 he would give her a 7. He said that it will be difficult to break her, because now we have to break a bad habit. He told me to hold her neck under her chin so that she can’t bite me, and show her who’s boss. I have tried it, and she becomes a very angry snarling dog. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I am willing to try different things. She is signed up for puppy obedience training, but it doesn’t start until the end of the month.

My DD – 8 does very well with the puppy. She does get bitten, but she also grabs the dog and is firm with her. She really doesn’t show fear. My DS – 6, on the other hand, always runs away from the puppy, and she is always nipping at him. The puppy is a very friendly dog, and will be a wonderful pet once we get over this one problem. Sorry this got so long, but any advice anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

We have two labs and two sons that had to learn to control them, so we have tackled this issue in our home!

The biggest suggestion I have is to roll the puppy over on it's back and put your hand on it's chest. This is what the mother would do to keep the pup in check. The pup will struggle at first... and from the way it sounds probably try to nip. If you have to, put your other hand over his muzzle and say "NO" firmly.

Start with doing this for a short time (maybe just until the dog calms a little) then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE... and THEN release the dog.

Best case scenario the dog learns that your family members are in charge, accepts that, and may even start to enjoy these sessions as they can turn into petting and play sessions instead of discipline.

Every time the dog nips I would do this. It will seem like you are doing it every 5 minutes at first (and you might be) but keep at it and hopefully the dog will realize that this is the way it's going to be.

Good luck!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

The nipping you speak of is actually common for Boston Terriers. I would "nip it in the bud" (pun intended) right away.

The real issue is the child who runs away. This will only encourage the puppy, because now he has a reward for his game. He is treating the child as another puppy, so the child needs to become alpha for the puppy to understand not to bite.

When I screen buyers for our pups, I observe very carefully how each person in the family responds to the dogs. If there is a small child who is tentative or runs away when the dog aproaches, I tell them they might not be ready for a puppy just yet. We breed and show Airedales, so we need to make sure there are no timid folks getting their hands on one of these dogs, because like all terriers, they will take advantage of the situation, and be totally out of controll. Same goes for Bostons. BTW, my mom and dad adopted an adult Boston who had a real problem with this. They were able to turn her around in about a year. You are dealing with a puppy, so what they learn with you will be how they develop. See if you can coax the fearful child into handling the situation better, and do not leave that child and the puppy unsupervised. I know that sounds harsh, but you will have a happier experience once the puppy grows up. Eventually the problem will correct as long as you don't allow it to get worse.

 

[mrsv98]

CJMM gave good advice and I would add this. You really must get your son to stop running away. The pup thinks he is playing and doesn't realize anything is wrong. If the pup starts nipping at your DS, have him stand still with his arms crossed over his chest and look up. Ignore the pup completely while it is jumping and/or nipping. Only ever pet her when she is calm, not nipping or jumping. Remember, any attention is good attention to the pup so don't reinforce the bad behavior even with a verbal correction. The training class is a great idea and I am sure the trainer will have more suggestions. Good luck!

 

[TerriP]

When our Lab was a pup he also enjoyed snacking on our hands. This is what we did to break this habit.

When he would bite down on our hand, we'd YELL "Ouch" to get his attention. Then we'd force our hand toward the back of his mouth (granted, he had a mouth large enough to do this without hurting him...I don't know how large your baby's mouth is). With our hand at the back of his mouth, he couldn't bite, couldn't close his mouth even. It was very uncomfortable for him, but not painful. Pretty soon he knew if he put his mouth on us he'd end up in this uncomfortable position and he stopped doing it. Now, if he even licks me (which I HATE) all I have to do is say "Ouch" and he moves his mouth away from me. Usually, I only do that when he licks my face, other than that it isn't too bad.

Good luck with your baby. I know with consistent training, you can nip this in the bud (get it???? NIP???? - Oh Lord, I need a vacation!)

 

[FloridaCat]

You have a potential of a very serious problem here. At 4 months it should be easy to break, if not then you may come to the point of having to put the Dog down. Bear in mind your liable for your pets behavior and this could be a serious monetary situation. I am glad you mentioned Puppy Training class.

BAKGROUHD: I trained and showed Airedales in AKC Dog Obedience Trails. I also taught Dog Obedience for fifteen years. The first lesson with any puppy is to teach it the word NO. You accomplish this by catching the puppy in a wrong act, stomp your foot and give the command NO in a very load authoritative voice.

As for the nipping, when she does it, give her a sharp smack with a open hand on her nose and the command NO. You do not have to hit hard, but fast and sharp. When she jumps up to nip, grab her front paws and give her a gentle flip backwards. In both cases she is going to be surprised and learn you are in control, not her. Teach everyone in the family how to do this and do not run from her as this encourages her. Get her some rawhide or other chew toys.

If this does not work then you need to have a dog cage and when she does it, give her a time out and lock her in her cage. She should get the idea.

Two things to remember, dogs do not respect weakness, but do respect being discipline. Second, any bad habits not corrected by her first birthday you will be doomed to live with.

Hopes this help you.

 

[Dodie]

Just remember to never grab or hit your dog in the face from above his snout. If you come at them from above, it is taken as a sign of aggression and may make the dog "duck" away whenever someone wants to pet it.

If you do discipline your dog for biting behavior from under the chin.

Do not run away when the dog nips. The dog thinks either that it has "won" or that this is part of the game. Discipline the dog immediately upon it's incorrect behavior and teach your children to do the same.

 

[Poohbear123]

old Dachshunds, and have had them since they were 3 months. I have a girl (Lady bug) and a Boy (Mickey). The girl is VERY gentle, and ONLY licks, but the boy Licks and NIPS! A firm NO and he will stop, but he has bitten my Chin and my Nose. Now that he is a little older, he is getting a little better, but boy what a difference between the two. Now, if I can only stop him from chewing on rocks.......