Hi everyone. New here. We got Cooper at 9 weeks old from a farm. He's currently almost 16 weeks. He's got a great temperament, very smart as has learned so many tricks, he started kennel training right away. Sleeps in his kennel at night time perfectly and has kennel time throughout the day. He is constantly nipping though & we've tried replacing my hands w/ teething puppy toys, a regular toy, getting up and leaving the room & trying to settle him. Hoping he grows out of it. He also can't stop ripping up & pulling out my grass. I've tried to stop him, he's not bored as we constantly take him for long walks, play frisbee with him yet he still pulls & rips up my grass! He also has growled at my 10 yr old when eating. He's gotten much better as when he growls, I take the food away, hold him to the ground and tell him no. I have my son come and pet him and tell him no and he's so much better but it's still a work in progress. He only growled at me once with food at 10 weeks, I did the same method and never again. I've been off work since the end of June (we got Cooper on father's day weekend) and he gets kenneled 2-3 hours a day.. However I go back to work (I work in a school) on August 30 and Cooper will be kenneled from 830am until 330pm so this will be new to him. I've purchased an XL crate that was for a husky so Cooper will have lots of room & a water bowl do I'm hoping he'll be fine. Any suggestions? I've uploaded a pic of Cooper
16 weeks give or take a few days either side is when they start losing their baby teeth. It's an annoying and painful time for them and chewing is at it's height. A lot of the above behaviour sounds perfectly normal for this age and should settle as second teeth come in. When you say, he rips up the grass, is this just for fun or does he eat it? If for fun, then watch him like a hawk and interrupt the behaviour as it starts (or preferably before if you know his build up signs). Breaking the habit before it becomes engrained usually stops it I don't like the method you are using. It sounds like you are reinforcing it by encouraging him to see your son as the reason his food disappears (which he was trying to stop in the first place). Can you supervise your son feeding him? If so and it is kibble you are feeding, let him put half in the bowl and have him add the other as the food in the bowl gets less. This needs strict and alert supervision, but will help your dog to realise that your son is a 'giver' and not someone who will take away
Resource guarding By doing this you are enforcing his fears by taking his food off him. I always do some hand feeding with new pups, before putting down their dish, then I would start by intermittently adding more food or dropping in a treat while he is eating , that way he will realise that you’re not going to take his food away when you go near his dish and not something to be defensive about, or worry about a correction. Gradually working up till he’s confident enough to let you remove dish if need be. I also have them wait’ before putting down the dish, then give them a quick pat, release them with an OK, or word of your choice. Nipping/biting is normal puppy behaviour , teach bite inhibition/ bite control, no one method will work for all and there are numerous ways to teach them to understand what's acceptable, main point is teaching the pup what is allowable/acceptable. Whatever method you choose, the more consistent you are the faster they will learn, http://www.crickethollowfarm.com/biteinhib.htm As for the digging up the lawn, don’t leave him outside unsupervised and if he does do start to dig, redirect with a game or toy.
Thank you for your suggestions. When I place his food down, I tell him to wait and he does until I say okay, then he eats. My son has fed him and does also hand feed him as well. I want to train him to eat anywhere and have been feeding in all throughout the house so that the kitchen is not a threat. Cooper is a lot better and when he's eating my son can come up and pet him telling him he's a good boy. He's only growled a few times and when he has I tell him no & repeat my son coming up pet him a few more times until he realizes he's not a threat to his food. He's a lot better than he was at 13 weeks.
Thank you! He's great with me taking his bowl away while eating and telling him he's a lucky boy and giving it back right away. I'll try your suggestions too
I agree with all of the above. Nipping - make sure he has plenty of appropriate options - toys, chews, etc. Continue to redirect him whenever he starts nipping on non-approporiate opitions -like people. He'll start easing off. Feeding - I personally hate the "hold the dog down" concept. Being held down is controlling and scary. For anyone. With a dog, it can create a level of fear - the dog will behave not because he trusts you completely but because he fears you. Same with making a dog roll over on his back. Never force a dog into a position of trust. Positions of trust are just that - trust - forcing them into it counters that trust. Also, pushing on the dog's back like that makes patting or petting on the back a negative thing. Touch my back and force me down and deny me my food. Taking a bowl away from a dog who is growling is simply reinforcing his fear that he won't get his food. Many puppies learn to growl when eating because they have to compete with litter mates for food. You want to teach him that his food is his food. As mentioned above, having the dog sit before putting the food down and giving them a release to start eating will help. Hand feeding some kibble helps. When touching his bowl while he is eating, you should add in a treat. This connects your touching the bowl with a positive result. I wouldn't worry about getting him to eat anywhere. Feed him where you prefer him to eat and stick with that location. Give him stability in regards to food - he gets it at this time in this location - so he can trust in being fed. If you keep changing the location of the meal, you again reinforce the unreliability of meals. When you feed him, talk to him without touching him or his bowl. Sit in a chair nearby and let him get used to you and your son being around him while he eats. Do dishes while he eats, etc. Let him learn that your presence is not focused on what's in his bowl. Slowly move closer to him as he eats. When he finishes eating, praise him. As he lets you come closer without growling, start adding a treat to his bowl while he's eating. Let him see that your hand at his bowl is positive. When he lets you do this without issue, start having your son do it. And remember that kids often equate to food for a dog. Kids eat snacks and dogs see it as an opportunity to take that snack. Have your son snack at a table where the food can be out of the dog's reach. This prevents your son from having to play the "leave it, it's my food" keep away game. Which in turns separates your son from food going away. If you choose to let the dog have a snack or plate leftovers, etc, always put it in his bowl first. Don't pick up his bowl until he has decided it's empty - many dogs will eat, walk away, and then return to the bowl for a thorough licking or just to make sure it really is empty (they believe in magic and that bowl may just refill itself). Wait until the dog does his recheck and then pick up the bowl - this ensures him that you are not keeping food away from him. When giving treats or a toy, always have the dog do something for it - even if it's just sit. First, it stops him from jumping on you to get stuff. Second, it helps him focus on the prize and not on trying to get it before something takes it away.
I would add to all the above suggestions that there is no need to pet the dog while he’s eating. Let him enjoy his food in peace, and enjoy pets at a different time.
Nothing to add to what the others have said about resource guarding. Puppies can sometimes have hang-ups about protecting their food, especially if they have had to compete with siblings. I am not a fan of Cesar Milan's pin down methods. The results are too uncertain, crush the puppy's spirit, or provoke him into retaliating. You mention long walks and games of frisbee. Please bear in mind that your puppy's joints are still forming, and too much twisting or over-exertion is better avoided. The general rule is 5 minutes exercise for each month of life. Free play on grass does not count. Mind games and searching can be used to tire your puppy too. I hate to sound so negative, and I hope your puppy will cope with being left for six hour stretches. However, it is a long time in a crate, and to hold his urine. Would it be possible for you to arrange someone to call in and let him have a break at lunchtime?
