Hi. We are the proud owners of a 15 week Leo puppy called Yogi. She is lovely and well behaved most of the time. She has a tendency to 'rag' on our clothes from time to time which I know is normal puppy play behaviour. However, sometimes she gets over-excited and won't let go. This sometimes leads to her mouthing on our wrists, leaving marks and occasionally drawing blood due to her sharp puppy teeth. She isn't biting hard but won't obey voice commands or 'yelps' during these incidents (probably once or twice a day). We have tried the positive reinforcement training techniques, trying to offer her distractions etc., leaving the room when eventually disengaged (and scratched/punctured )but so far with no luck. Has anyone any experience of this with their Leo pups or have any advice? We obviously want to nip this in the bud before it gets ingrained and she grows! Thanks in advance for any hints. Mark
Some pups are mouthier and more full on than others. My own dog is still prone to mouthing at 2 years old! The best thing I've found that helps are time outs. You have to be very consistent and patient, but they do work IME, and actually my dog soon learnt that time out = quiet time in his space. I just put him behind a baby gate in the hallway. Other things you can try are turning any OTT energy ( which ultimately leads to a bitey, mouthy, puppy ) into short training sessions. So keeping her busy and stimulated before she reaches that level of exuberance and OTT play.
My small 13 month-old pup is still mouthy but I have learned that she is not trying to hurt me - it seems to be her way of showing love, silly as that seems. I might get a few bruises as my skin is very thin and she has a very strong jaw, but she always seems to know when to stop. As a very young puppy who I hand-reared from 3 weeks old and who used my hands to teeth on, I accept her mouthing now.
Can you tell when she is going to start ragging on your clothes? Does it follow play or food? Do you play fight with her? What happens if you just stand still, don't make a sound and don't give any eye contact when she starts getting over-excited?