New puppy owner and new to forum

[MikePrater]

So thankful for all the information in this site! Our new puppy is 8 weeks old (boxer mix). I have been working on sit, come and target with her. One question is how often should I be doing this during the day? She is highly motivated by treats but I don't want to upset her tummy. I am using blue buffalo treats cut in half. Also, should I just work on one behaviour until mastery or can I work on several at a time? Thanks, this program is awesome and affordable!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Mike Prater,

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new puppy!

 

If we think carefully about it, puppies are constantly learning, and that includes both good behaviors and bad. Puppies are learning with every interaction so they are always virtually in "training." Play is training. Resting is training. Walking is training and even learning to be away from us is training. If we keep our mind focused on this very important fact, we will be more likely to provide guidance so that our puppies will be more likely to make good choices. By encouraging good behaviors from the get-go, we can avoid the hassle of fixing bad habits that streghten over time and become more and more challenging to overcome.

 

Having said that, to answer your question about how often a puppy should be trained, there are no general rules set in stone on how long and how often a puppy should be trained. It tends to vary on an individual basis.

 

For instance, how is your pup's attention span? Is she easily bored? You can generally train your pup as many times as you like as long as you pup is enjoying it and isn't getting bored. Nothing is worse for a puppy than a tedious training session that is boring or too difficult. With a puppy of 8 weeks, the attention span should not be very long, puppies are a bit in la-la land and it would therefore be more important doing brief and easy sessions rather than worrying too much about frequency.

 

As a rough estimate, a young puppy may do well with 5 to 6 brief sessions a day lasting about 2-3 mins each session. The aim should be doing about 10-15 minutes of training every day in brief sessions spread throughout the day. Of course, a disclaimer is warranted here: this is just a rough estimate. If the puppy shows signs of struggling or feeling bored, by all means it's fine to shorten those sessions and reduce their quantity accordingly. And as always, it's best making sure to end the session on a positive note and always when the pup is still interested. This builds a strong desire to learn.

 

Making the sessions fun will make them less likely to feel "intense" for both owner and puppy. As the puppy matures and the attention span sharpens, it is then possible to do longer and longer sessions.

 

While there is really not right or wrong way to train behaviors (the important factor is that the puppy keeps learning and is eager to do so), with young pups it would be optimal to mix up several different behaviors.

 

Puppies can get bored easily and they have short attention spans so mixing up different behaviors can help them stay focused. Puppy owners can also take advantage of their pup's energy levels and plan what to train accordingly. For instance, most puppies wake up with lots of energy or they may get the "zoomies" after finishing a meal. These are good times to take advantage of this energy bursts and train some fun recalls.

 

Then, as the puppy gets a bit tired, why not focus more on some stationary exercises such as sit, down and stay? Once they are relaxed more, then you can resume with some more kinetic energy exercises such as polite leash walking. These mixed exercises feature shifts in energy that are more in tune with the pups' activity levels and therefore can help maintain interest.

 

On top of training different behaviors, it's important to also train them with different people and locations. All family members should be involved and take turns asking for behaviors. While training should start in a quiet room, it should progress to involve various rooms of the house and the yard and then ouside the home.

 

Although basic obedience is important, with young pups under the age of 16 weeks, it's important to also focus on safe socialization. Puppy parties are an excellent way to introduce people of different ages to young pups who haven't finished their vaccination schedule. Basic handling exercises are important too to teach the puppy to accept being touched for future grooming and vet visits. Use treats to create positive associations with being brushed, touched and having those little paws handled.

 

There are several ways to cut out the number of treats given. Here are a few ideas. You can cut down considerably on the amount of treats by splitting them into very small pieces. A regular soft treat can be broken down into 3 pieces and used each to reward one behavior. Each bit can be at most the size of a small pea. These small bites are often enough to reinforce desired behaviors.

 

You can also mix in some kibble (if your pup loves it) and give it as rewards every now and then when training in low distraction areas. Tossing the kibble at a distance after your puppy performs a desired behavior provides your puppy with a fun game and a little exercise workout.

 

For dogs who love to play, play can too be used to reinforce desired behaviors. For example, why not ask the puppy to sit before tossing a ball? Why not call the puppy when you have a brand new toy? Hide it behind your back and when your puppy reaches you, say 'good boy!' and reward him by giving him the new toy.

 

There are also life rewards that can be used to your advantage. Life rewards are anything your puppy loves to do naturally and that can be used to reinforce desired behaviors. Does your puppy love to go out in the yard? Ask him to sitbefore you open the door and once the door is open release him to the yard. Off he goes to explore! Does your puppy love to go on walks? Ask him to sit when you put the leash on and go outside. So many opportunities!

 

Hope this helps, happy training!

Adrienne

Edited July 29, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

I'll second the kibble idea. I give Gertie 1 cup of food per feeding. If I know I'm going to have to crate her I'll feed her 3/4 cup and reserve ¼ cup of her morning meal for her Kong and then toss in a teaspoon of yogurt or yogurt and peanut butter mixed together, then freeze it. That way I'm only really giving her a teaspoon of extra goodies. If I know I'm going to be unable to give her much attention that day (e.g., Mondays and Tuesdays are the days I pay my business bills and I'm hyper focused on those numbers), I'll reserve half of her food so I can hide it around the rooms she's allowed in for the "Find It" game. I'll hide 3-4 pieces of kibble per spot. This serves two purposes - keeps her occupied And makes her food a reward, rather than an expected commodity. Wait, I guess it serves a third - it makes high value rewards really easy to think up! Instead of having to go all the way up to chicken or steak, a potato chip seems quite exotic compared to kibble.

 

I also keep Goldfish on hand. In Florida we have Publix grocery stores and Publix has buy one get one free sales, or 10 for $10, on Goldfish at least once per month. We're talking bargain dog treats! I mix plain, cheddar, and cinnamon flavors and keep those in a container by my desk. Far cheaper than dog treats and just as many empty calories. :D 4.8 calories per Zuke's Crunchy Naturals treats vs 2.54 in a Goldfish cracker. The main difference might be the amount of carbs - I couldn't find carb info on Zuke's. 9% protein in Goldfish, 10% in Zuke's. I keep the Zuke's on hand for our allergic-to-everything weenie dog, and to change things up. I use either or for training rewards, and the Goldfish for "Find It" games, and stuffing into her Kong Goodie Bone.

 

Going back to my first train of thought, when I know we're going to do intense training I'll feed her half her food in the morning and then determine her nighttime feeding based on how many treats she earned during the day. Really, when they're puppies it's kind of hard to overfeed them, unless you're going to extremes, because they're burning so much energy. When we first got Gertie, and before her toe injury, I was feeding her 1½ cups and was considering upping it because her ribs were still showing. Now that she's on limited activity I've bumped it down because she started getting a cuddle layer. :D I like to keep my dogs trim.

 

My biggest issue with treats is the aftermath (potty) as it can wreak havoc on their digestion, and upset the routine. That's a strong factor in why I favor kibble, lol.

[MikePrater]

You are right, all moments are training :) thank you so much for your advice.

[MikePrater]

Thank you so much! I really appreciated the ideas!

[MikePrater]

Can I ask another question? We have had our puppy for 9 days. She was doing ok with biting. She would stop when we would yelp. She then didn't always stop, now she doesn't. She comes in hard each time and has drawn blood multiple times. We try toys but she always goes for hands or feet. I did give her a frozen cloth like you had suggested to another person in the forum. She likes it for a time, but seems to want human hands. I am worried. Should I seek out a local trainer?

[JMFS]

I'm not sure how well this one will go over, but when my cat and older dog were young I would counterattack, I guess you would call it, by moving my finger towards the back of their throat. Never hard, but enough to tickle the back of their tongue, which caused them to gag. I only had to do it a couple times because they learned quickly. I'd wait for Adrienne to weigh in on that tactic, though, because I know I made some mistakes with Momo, and that could have been one of them!

 

One thing I Do know I'm right about is that puppies at that age have razor sharp teeth so it's not surprising blood is being drawn. Teaching bite inhibition is going to be helpful and I've seen several posts lately about that so you might poke around here to see what others have been advised to do. Another thing is that puppies use their mouths to discover pretty much Everything. Especially things that move, and what moves more than our hands and feet? Not much! :D I know one thing that is likely to be advised is to make like a tree when your puppy is biting. Stop moving, be still, like a tree. The less exciting and animated the hands and feet are, the less interesting they are. Dogs generally don't bite trees because trees are boring to dogs. Leaves blowing around, insects, cats swishing tails, squirrels with their twitchy movements, hands, toes, children playing, bicycles, etc . . . are interesting because they move. One more suggestion - if she tends to nip your fingers you might try curling them under so she has less to aim for - knuckles are tougher to latch on to.

 

Gertie is also a Boxer mix and she's very much attracted to things that move. I found teaching her "give" was easy because of that. As soon as I start showing her something else more animated she redirects, or if I stopped moving the toy we're tugging with, she lets go. Here's to hoping your little rapscallion is the same!

[MikePrater]

Thanks, Jennifer!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Mike,

Your puppy is very young, and what you are seeing is pretty much normal behavior. Our hands and feet become the best tug toys. You are at the prime stage for training bite inhibition.

 

Yelping must always be accompanied by a temporary withdrawal of play. Yelp and stop any form of interaction. Some pups may bite more to just get more interaction and if they get it, their biting with more intensity is rewarded. It's important to not reward with any interaction, leaving the room also if necessary. If the biting is getting stronger in intensity, there may be chances you may be dealing with an extinction burst, see definition here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Glossary.pdf

 

At this point therefore, stopping any interaction and possibly leaving the room are good follow ups to make the point, athough its understandable how unfeasible this may feel if the pup is latching on and biting at the point of breaking skin. Yelping may work for some pups, but not all. Some pups may get more aroused. Here are two threads with some alternate suggestions on how to tackle nipping along with some replacement behaviors. Visit the links for some puppy bite inhibition games.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?57-Biting-dog

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?17-Puppy-biting-feet-for-attention

Edited August 2, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MikePrater]

Thank you. Today was a rough day. The biting was bad. You give me hope that this behavior is on the down slide. Time outs are difficult in that she just chases after our feet or pulls on our pants. The yelping does not work. She does enjoy and do well with training. She is highly motivated by treats! We are working on sit, target, look in my eyes, leave, heal on leash, down. The biting behavior starts right away after we finish. I am doing 5 to 7 training sessions a day. She doesn't seem to want any other interact in with us. She does not have interest in the toys or frozen towel. Thank you for the link to the other threads. It does help me feel not so alone. I am committed to her, I guess bad days are to be expected :)

[MikePrater]

I was thinking this morning, and I realized that this behavior might be connected with her collar? We have started to have her wear one most of the day (did small periods of time for awhile). I take it off at night and she is very reluctant to put it back on in the morning (even with treats). I do put her on a leash most times when she goes out back. I find that she is now wondering eating everything and will dash away when I ask her to drop and come closer to take the object.

Also, when I was reading one of the threads, you said the womans dog could not go out for walks until all her shots were done? I was really hoping to start walks in our neighborhood at 12 weeks (after her second set of shots). Do you advise against that?

Edited August 2, 2018 by MikePrater

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you. Today was a rough day. The biting was bad. You give me hope that this behavior is on the down slide. Time outs are difficult in that she just chases after our feet or pulls on our pants. The yelping does not work. She does enjoy and do well with training. She is highly motivated by treats! We are working on sit, target, look in my eyes, leave, heal on leash, down. The biting behavior starts right away after we finish. I am doing 5 to 7 training sessions a day. She doesn't seem to want any other interact in with us. She does not have interest in the toys or frozen towel. Thank you for the link to the other threads. It does help me feel not so alone. I am committed to her, I guess bad days are to be expected :)

 

Hello Mike,

So sorry to hear you had a rough day. There may be various reasons why you may not be seeing desired results. One main thing to keep in mind is to be patient and persistent. Your pup is very young and on a learning curve. Setbacks are normal when you are training bite inhibition. You may notice that when your puppy is over aroused and over threshold, she may bite harder. Puppy nipping is not a behavior that will go quickly away. It's been rehearsed for a while in the litter with littermates (who have stronger skin than us!) and it's strongly istinctive.

 

If we watch puppies interact, we will see how they are constantly nipping each other in play. Puppies find legs, floppy ears and tails irrestitible to play with because they move and provide interactive fun. Play in many animals encompasses rehearsing behaviors that will later on turn handy in life. During puppy play, we may witness several play behaviors that mimic hunting. We can see the stalking, the chasing, the pouncing, the grabbing. Movement triggers predatory drive and therefore a puppy moving away and running will be readily chased. A moving tail will be nipped. The forward moving legs will be quite an attraction too with funny episodes of a pup trying to walk while the other pup is latched on to a leg with a crocodile hold.

 

Deprived from a littermate to focus on, it is natural for puppies to want to play with their humans in the same way they play among each other. Fingers, arms and legs soon become their favorite tug-toys to interact with. And the more they move, the better!

 

The purpose of yelping to stop puppy biting is adopted from what puppies do in the litter. When the puppies in the litter start playing, they do not have perfect control of their bites. Should a puppy bite another puppy too hard, the puppy reacts by emitting a high-pitched yelp and withdrawing temporarily from play. The scenario may repeat several times and with different pups. Yelp after yelp, the rough biting pup (hopefully!) learns a valuable lesson: rough play makes his favorite playmates withdraw from play and the yelp is a vocal marker that predictably announces such withdrawal.

 

Humans are often advised to adopt the same yelping as it happens in the litter. As mentioned though, yelping doesn't always stop puppy biting.

 

There are several potential reasons why yelping doesn't always stop puppy nipping. A little troubleshooting can help reveal some dynamics going on and some possible flaws.

 

1)First, Is it just an extinction burst?

 

If your puppy was used to you playing with her despite his rough biting and now you suddenly decide to yelp and stop playing, this inconsistency may pave the path to a phenomenon we talked about before that's known as an extinction burst. Here's a closer insight into what happens.

 

When puppies play with our hands, and they bite hard and we keep playing, their biting is reinforced because they associate it with continued attention and play. What happen the day though when we suddenly stop playing and ignore the behavior? The puppy may feel compelled to bite stronger and with more intensity just to get us to play with them again (extinction burst).

 

The phenomenon is similar to what happens when you always buy candy to a toddler when he cries for candy and then one day you decide to become strict and refuse to buy it. Next, watch the toddler cry even more and possibly even progress to the worst temper tantrum you have ever witnessed on earth.

 

Now, what happens next is very critical: if you give up and buy the candy, you will have just rewarded persistence. The toddler has learned that crying longer and louder will gain the candy. But what happens if you don't give in? Chances are high that if you stick to your plan, you may witness perhaps a couple more extinction bursts, but then the behavior will extinguish just like a fire without oxygen to fuel it.

 

Therefore, if you are dealing with an extinction burst, it's important that you stick to your plan when training your puppy to stop nipping. If your puppy has played with you rough in the past and now you wish him to stop (as his teeth are starting to inflict pain), it's important that, should you decide to go the yelping and withdrawal from play route, that you stick to it.

 

2) Is the yelping causing the puppy to become more aroused?

 

Yes, yelping followed by withdrawal from play may work with many puppies (perhaps the most mellow ones), but not all. Indeed, some puppies seem to become even more excited or aroused when they hear the yelping. I am not sure if this is an issue you are facing, as I would have to see the behavior in person.

 

I have dealt though with a few cases like this where yelping didn't work. See my story in training a persistent German shepherd pup here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ This is the beauty of working with dogs; not all dogs are created equally and therefore you can never take an approach that will work 100 percent for all when it comes to changing behavior.

 

Now why do some puppies get more hyper and excited after hearing people "yelp?" Most likely for the same reason they love squeaky toys: yelps and squeaks trigger a dog's predatory drive. How fun is it to play with a live tug toy (you) which, on top of moving, emits squeaking and squawking noises too?

 

Of course, that small puppy has no intent to maul you, but there are chances that those yelping sounds just might make you sound more like a hurt animal than anything. With puppies as such, it may therefore help to skip the yelping and just walk away, maybe count up to 20 and then return and rinse and repeat until the pup gets it or use an alternative method described below.

 

3) What if the withdrawal part is not working?

 

This sounds like the issue you are dealing with when trying to give a timeout. The act of leaving the room for very movement-oriented pups like yours can turn problematic. The mere turning and walking to leave the room appears to encourage further engagement with the pup latching on and chasing. Now, the pup may get the the idea that he has lost his favorite playmate once you are eventually gone, but he might have had fun in the meanwhile, and therefore there is no guarantee whether the association between nipping and leaving was made (which must take place immediately).

 

 

So what to do in such a case? It's great news that your smart puppy is highly motivated by treats. So when the puppy bites:

 

1) Turn into a lamppost. This helps to make the rough nipping at your feet, arms, legs extra boring. When you are walking and you see your puppy approach, stop in your tracks and become boring like a tree. Movement as we have seen triggers more biting and the more we resist by moving, the more a puppy will latch on and treat us as tug toys.

2) Since your dog is doing good with training and loves treats, great! Let's use this as an opportunity to ask for a replacement behavior (that you have trained prior to the point of a certain level of fluency). As discussed, you have several options as to what replacement behaviors to use (target, sit, heel). They all offer the puppy an opportunity to perform a behavior that is incompatible with biting. Teaching these replacement behaviors requires you to carry a treat bag on you during the day so that you are a ready to redirect at a moment's notice when you walk around. Kibble rather than treats can be used for pups who love their food a lot and for those owners concerned about extra calories or digestive upset.

3) When the training session is done, to prevent the nipping behavior you can get creative and try several options. a) finish up with an interactive toy/game to keep her focus off of you. Ask for a last behavior, praise and reward by giving choice of a stuffed Kong, muffin tin game or a fun treasure hunt (toss handful of kibble in several directions) as you walk away b) let your pup chase a flirt pole as you walk out the yard and let her get some steam off in the yard (most dogs will sniff in the yard rather than focus on us, c) ask a last behavior and end the session by tossing a ball the opposite direction as you walk away d) ask your pup a last behavior and have a helper call your pup away and place a toy in the crate and let the pup chill out a bit in the crate e) have a toy handy in your pocket and end the training session by redirecting your pup to play with the toy (before the nipping begins).

 

Hope this helps!

Good luck with your pup!

Adrienne

Edited August 3, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

I was thinking this morning, and I realized that this behavior might be connected with her collar? We have started to have her wear one most of the day (did small periods of time for awhile). I take it off at night and she is very reluctant to put it back on in the morning (even with treats). I do put her on a leash most times when she goes out back. I find that she is now wondering eating everything and will dash away when I ask her to drop and come closer to take the object.

Also, when I was reading one of the threads, you said the womans dog could not go out for walks until all her shots were done? I was really hoping to start walks in our neighborhood at 12 weeks (after her second set of shots). Do you advise against that?

 

Getting a puppy used to wearing a collar can take some time. Yes, positive associations with treats can help with pups accepting us putting it on, but after the treat is given, the sensation of that collar encircling the neck remains, so the pup is often back to scratching at it or rubbing his body on things to attempt to remove it. This may create persistence of negative associations. It's important to never remove a collar when the pup is actively trying to remove it. Otherwise we have rewarded such removal-attempt behaviors and those behaviors will persist.

 

I would practice on this exercise: Practicing putting the collar on and removing it several times in a row. Buckle the collar, and as you do this, make a big deal of it, tell her how good she looks in it and give several treats in a row. Then, remove the collar and stop giving treats and no more praise. Rinse and repeat several times. You are looking for a change in her emotional response. If you encounter problems with this exercise, let me know. We can break it down further in smaller steps.

 

Next, we need to keep that collar for longer times snd create further positive associations based on duration. Something I often have recommended doing is trying to shift the pup's focus off the collar and taking baby steps. If we can do this for a long enough time, the pup will start accepting the sensation of the collar as norm. So it's a good idea to put that collar on when it coincides with rewarding activities that keep the pup's brain focused. So for example, we may put the collar on right prior to feeding the pup her meals, or right prior to playing with a new toy, or right prior playing some brain games or training or right prior exploring in the yard, or right prior having some fun guests over. Then, right before these enjoyment activities end, we can remove the collar, before the pup returns to focusing on it. The word before is emphasized here because we don't want to be late and have to wait for the pup to stop trying to take it off on his own to remove it. The collar must be removed always when the pup is calm (hint if the pup is trying to remove the collar this is often an indication that a postive associations hasn't yet formed so we must go back a few steps in conditioning a positive emotional response)

 

Tip:Try to put the collar on before mealtime and keep it on during the meal. Remove it once your pup is done eating. With time, the collar will become a cue that food is coming! Just like a bib!

 

 

I will address the other issues you are facing shortly.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

I find that she is now wondering eating everything and will dash away when I ask her to drop and come closer to take the object.

Also, when I was reading one of the threads, you said the womans dog could not go out for walks until all her shots were done? I was really hoping to start walks in our neighborhood at 12 weeks (after her second set of shots). Do you advise against that?

 

OK, I am back. The behavior of dashing away when you ask her to drop sounds like a game of keepaway! Puppies will find many things as valuable and their istinct is to run away with them and their reluctance to give them up often turns into a game of "keepaway." This is something that we need to work on, because it may lead to possessive behaviors in the long-term. Instead, we want to establish trust.

 

I am not sure if you stopped by the obedience section and worked on training drop it using the methods described. Here is the section on how to train drop it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

 

However, your puppy is very young, and I wouldn't expect 100 percent fluency on this yet because pups just like toddlers have little impulse control and go through some possessive stages just like toddlers do (mine!, mine, mine!). On top of that, they may see your approach as an opportunity to play. It is best to minimize the opportunities for the pup to grab things that she can take off with (also because they may turn harmful if ingested) until we have trained a better response of drop it using low-value items and high-value treats. Working on distance gradually, if key for the issue you are facing.

 

I am not sure which thread you are referring to. For sake of clarity, can you please post it here? I can't recall it and don't know the details of that particular situation. Do you know what other breed your puppy is mixed with? Do you know whether there are infective diseases prevalent in your area? Is the area you plan on walking inhabited by lots of dogs? Any stray dogs? It might be worthy checking with your vet when your pup gets her second booster just to play it safe.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MikePrater]

Apparently we are terrible trainers. Layla is now 12 weeks. We have had her 4 weeks. She is still biting although now it is mainly at my 15 and 11 yr old. She also sometimes targets me. She is more aggressive, going for hands and feet. She sometimes barks. I have tried to tell my kids to do the stop and be a telephone pole or try to get her to sit with treats and a stern no. NOTHING works. She does not give up unless they run from the room. By no means are we rewarding this type of behavior and have bought various toys to try to entice her to chew. I understand she is a puppy but we all have bloody arms and feet and torn clothing. My kids are so frustrated and really want to spend little time with her. I do training with her several times a day, I also take her outside and try to give her exercise several times a day. She spends a lot of time chewing and finding sticks. Do we need a professional to come into our home? I really am at my wits end. Thank you for your time and help.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Apparently we are terrible trainers. Layla is now 12 weeks. We have had her 4 weeks. She is still biting although now it is mainly at my 15 and 11 yr old. She also sometimes targets me. She is more aggressive, going for hands and feet. She sometimes barks. I have tried to tell my kids to do the stop and be a telephone pole or try to get her to sit with treats and a stern no. NOTHING works. She does not give up unless they run from the room. By no means are we rewarding this type of behavior and have bought various toys to try to entice her to chew. I understand she is a puppy but we all have bloody arms and feet and torn clothing. My kids are so frustrated and really want to spend little time with her. I do training with her several times a day, I also take her outside and try to give her exercise several times a day. She spends a lot of time chewing and finding sticks. Do we need a professional to come into our home? I really am at my wits end. Thank you for your time and help.

 

Please do not blame yourselves. Reducing nipping takes lots of consistency and a mindful purpose and loads and loads of patience. Often things get worse, before getting better. If your puppy is biting you less, it means that something you are doing must be working. With children, things are always more challenging because they move faster or scream or do other things that excite the puppy. It's important to monitor the interactions to ensure consistency. Everybody must be on the same page. Failure to have the same standards confuses the puppy and if the puppy gets to randomly perform the mouthy behavior, this will only make the behavior stronger.

 

If the children are engaging in boisterous play among each other (running, screaming, playing with a ball) it is best to keep the puppy in another room to prevent her from getting too excited and engage in excessive biting and barking. Best to avoid the children engaging in games that encourage the pup to chase and nip at them. Remember that all interactions are training opportunities, so best to involve the puppy when the kids are calm and there is space for good learning opportunities. Make sure you are all ready for the training and equipped (treat bags on you, toys handy). Teach games that encourage the pup to use her brain (hide and seek, target, obedience training). Make more and more room for interactions that do not get her into full biting mode. Once she is doing better in controlling the barking/biting, then we can increase the challenge and try training her when there is more excitement going on.

 

If the puppy is still biting the kids most of the time, keeping the puppy leashed when around the kids to prevent rehearsal of biting behavior may help (otherwise the puppy will keep seeing the kids as big tug toys). While on leash at a distance from the kids, you can try practicing replacement behaviors (sit, target, heeling nearby etc.) and reward these behaviors heavily until the puppy is very fluent on these and the pup learns that alternate behaviors are worthy and much better than biting. You can then try off leash and see if the kids can get the pup to perform them when she approaches them and toss a treat/kibble the opposite side of the room for a fun workout.

 

At 12 weeks, a puppy will be still prone to bite, albeit with training and redirection, we should see a decrease in bite pressure and frequency. Twelve weeks is still a very young age. I usually expect the nipping to subside considerably by the age of 5-6 months. However, overtime you should see a reduction in the biting. It sounds worrisome though that you mention the word "aggressive." Occasionally, among all the pups that nip and bite, some may be particularly challenging and yes, may require the intervention of a professional to come in person and observe the body language and exact dynamics going on. Your case may be one of these.

 

In a previous post I offered the following options to try:

 

1) Turn into a lamppost. This helps to make the rough nipping at your feet, arms, legs extra boring. When you are walking and you see your puppy approach, stop in your tracks and become boring like a tree. Movement as we have seen triggers more biting and the more we resist by moving, the more a puppy will latch on and treat us as tug toys.

2) Since your dog is doing good with training and loves treats, great! Let's use this as an opportunity to ask for a replacement behavior (that you have trained prior to the point of a certain level of fluency). As discussed, you have several options as to what replacement behaviors to use (target, sit, heel). They all offer the puppy an opportunity to perform a behavior that is incompatible with biting. Teaching these replacement behaviors requires you to carry a treat bag on you during the day so that you are a ready to redirect at a moment's notice when you walk around. Kibble rather than treats can be used for pups who love their food a lot and for those owners concerned about extra calories or digestive upset.

3) When the training session is done, to prevent the nipping behavior you can get creative and try several options. a) finish up with an interactive toy/game to keep her focus off of you. Ask for a last behavior, praise and reward by giving choice of a stuffed Kong, muffin tin game or a fun treasure hunt (toss handful of kibble in several directions) as you walk away b) let your pup chase a flirt pole as you walk out the yard and let her get some steam off in the yard (most dogs will sniff in the yard rather than focus on us, c) ask a last behavior and end the session by tossing a ball the opposite direction as you walk away d) ask your pup a last behavior and have a helper call your pup away and place a toy in the crate and let the pup chill out a bit in the crate e) have a toy handy in your pocket and end the training session by redirecting your pup to play with the toy (before the nipping begins).

 

You mentioned that nothing works. Can you please provide more details on what happens when the kids turn into a lamppost and the puppy is asked to sit, target or perform a replacement behavior? Is the puppy fluent on these behaviors when asked during training? Is she unable to perform them when asked? When complying, is she rewarded with a treat/kibble tossed across the room? What happens if the puppy approaches and your children toss a ball the other way or offer her a stuffed Kong? What about tossing a handful of kibble across the room for a fun treasure hunt game? Is the puppy not play or food motivated? Most puppies will chase the ball and play with the Kong or search the kibble. Another additional option would be to incorporate clicker training and use a long rope toy knotted at both ends and click/treat everytime she grabs the rope toy instead of trying to grab a leg. This requires great timing and precision to ensure that she gets the idea that playing with the rope toy is what earns her the treat and that it is far more rewarding then legs.

 

Running from the room unfortunately is one of worst things to do with a puppy who is biting. It will likely reinforce the biting as movement makes things much, much worse and adds chasing into the biting and barking behavior reportoire. It also risks increasing excitement as there's likely lots of commotion going on. The word "no" used on its own doesn't give the pup much information as the puppy needs to know what to do instead. Toys to chew may be fun when the puppy has nothing to do, but when the puppy is in biting mode, it's best to redirect using toys that bounce or deliver treats (stuffed Kong, Kong wobbler) as they become interactive and more valuable than biting moving hands or legs. Something to consider as well is that sometimes a puppy becomes more nippy when getting cranky and in need of a nap. When you notice the puppy starts getting out of control or over-stimulated, then it may be time to calmly put him her in the crate with a chew toy for a nap.

 

If you notice aggression, then by all means, stop your children from interacting and consult with a credentialed professional (make sure he/she is using positive training and behavior modification methods) for an in-person assessment and behavior modification.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli