Nipping for attention

[Adrienne]

Hello! Please see my observations under your questions/concerns. 

We definitely have progress here : 

- I try my best to avoid too much fetch or too much tug, so I do limit a bit the over excitment that would appear from that

- when a bit above threshold, treasure hunt helps him cool down a bit while having mental stimulation

- we started the ball pit game... He goes with the paw instead of grabbing with the mouth... But still works to get the treat right 😂

- we rotates toys. New isn't always best, so this is an area of expérimentation... But it's better than when it was always the same toy

With him getting stimulation while being under threshold, we saw improvements

Great to hear that you are seeing progress and kudos to you for working so diligently with your pup! Loki is very lucky to being offered all these great games and that his toys are being rotated. You are doing a wonderful job in recognizing when he is overstimulated and in need of cooling down. 

But (and a big but), there still have some point of out of the blue attack, usually targetting my sleeves. For example, he'd seem calm at first, I go get the last poop in the yard, and booom, few seconds later, I have a pup tugging of my sleeves with all I have in the hand is a bag of poop...

He's a young pup and those sleeves are irresistible. Dog eyes are crafted for detecting movement and those sleeves moving are just calling to be grabbed as they move while you work. The sudden out of the blue "attack" is just that, predatory drive, he's likely stalking calmly and slowly and then pouncing. Dog play is all about that, practicing behaviors that would make dogs better hunters. 

Dogs chase balls? The bouncy balls mimic the fast, erratic movements of prey animals. Dogs vigorously shake stuffed toys while holding them in their mouth? Most likely, they are mimicking what they would do to break the neck of a small critter they have hunted down. Dogs tug sleeves and pant legs? Items tugged are perceived as parts of "pretend prey," and therefore, it evokes a desire to "play fight" mimicking what a dog's ancestors did cooperatively in the wild when bringing down a large animal.

The behavior of playing tug-of-war is ultimately reminiscent of a dog's ancestral past. Back in those olden days, "dogs" didn't have access to all the fancy toys we have available to offer them today. Deprived from colorful bouncing balls, squeaky toys and tug toys, youngsters had to therefore come up with their own forms of entertainment.

Chasing tails may have provided some form of entertainment, but this game may have gotten old at some point, so why not play a game tug by recycling some remnants of a former meal? Perhaps a sturdy piece of hide from an arctic fox or a long piece of bone could have come handy. A game of tug therefore offered several components that would have turned helpful in a dog's future as a hunter. The pulling could have certainly helped dogs develop more strength, confidence and skill.

When tugging of my clothes he sometimes growls. Should this be a concern ? For me it's not, as I read they build confidence like this, they act all fierce and mighty, but this is still play. A growling in a fear context would be problematic, but in a play context it's just him being a "big guy wannabe"

If it's play growling, that is totally normal behavior. Typically, the play growling occurs as a puppy has the tug material in his mouth and he pulls back, perhaps even shaking his head. The sound of the growl is described by Meyer (2004)  as being a “tonal vibrato growling" while Ludwig (1965) describes it as brighter than the deeper, longer growling used outside the context of play, when describing it upon observing boxer dogs playing. 

More serious forms of growling typically take place when a puppy is prone to resource guarding, that is acting possessive  of food, bones, toys, resting places or other things. These pups may take these tug games too seriously and may growl because they want to keep the resource (the toy). They will growl because they are tense since they feel compelled to guard the tug toy from you. Being that he's growling when tugging your sleeves, resource guarding sounds quite improbable. 

In these cases, the growl sounds much more serious than the play growl. The body language is tense rather than loose. You may notice that your pup's body is stiff and he may display a hard stare. He will typically not leave the toy when asked and will be reluctant to give it back. This can be to a good extent prevented by instilling trust and cooperation: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-preventing-resource-guarding-in-puppies/

Only avoidance méthod is walking with a high value toy and redirecting I guess ?

Management is a form of "avoidance" so to say, to prevent rehearsal. It could entail having the puppy enclosed in a pen outside in the yard, having a family member keep the puppy busy with some alternate activities (digging for toys in a sand box?, sniffing games?) not wearing long, loose sleeves, using a pooper scooper to avoid bending down, wearing tall Wellington boots to prevent grabbing pant legs. Since the "attack" happened so quickly and stealthy (as a good hunter!) I doubt you would have been able to redirect before he grabbed on. 

Am not sure at all about the lamppost method here. I'm sure I can endure even if he touches the skin, but with him nipping and tugging, I'll have Swiss cheese instead of a sweatshirt... Or maybe the lamppost is the way to go, and I should just get a cheap sweatshirt when with him, and sacrifice it for the greater good until the behavior is over ?

This is why I am not too crazy about this method.  Firstly it requires one to stand completely still, secondly, the puppy may resume interest once the person resumes moving, thirdly if it works, it  can trigger an extinction burst that a person with delicate skin may not be able to endure, and fourthly, it doesn't do much to address the pup's underlying needs. However, it can work (mostly in having the puppy lose interest in that setting, more than stopping the nipping completely) if one wears tall Wellington boots and extra padding and therefore can stand still without wincing. 

 I tried the "getting away from the scène", but with his tugging, he has a good grasp, and I end up tracting him. Also, when leaving, it excites him a little more until I pass the door, as I would walk away and he would go on the feet then, or even try jumping during my walk and I wonder if that do not reinforce...

Yep, that's the typical alligator hold (croco-pup) I describe often on the forums. It's reinforcing for them to grab on our clothes like that and when we move we are playing with them because we are offering "resistance." So the pup will look forward to this game more and more. That's why I am a big fan of management and catching the puppy before he has a chance to latch on.  I offer more tips on redirection before the pup attaches here:

If he is nipping hard, you may also find the game of tug with a tug toy helpful (since he loves to tug so much!).  Make sure he knows take and drop it. Eventually, as you play tug, you'll notice how sometimes he may accidentally make contact with your hands.  Take advantage of this and make it a teaching moment. Screech “OUCH!” (even if it didn’t hurt) and end the game in its tracks for a minute or two. Then resume playing. Rinse an repeat as needed. This can help in bite inhibition as you remind your pup of the hypersensitivity of human skin. This may not work with all pups as some become more overstimulated by our "ouch," but in some pups it can be effective so it may be worthy of trying.

Consider that young puppies have baby teeth and their jaws are still developing so it's important to gently tug and keep tugging sessions short. Avoid lifting a dog up by its teeth during tug of war. 

For me that's his worst problem, as it appears unexpectedly, when I off guard, and I usually feel lost at the moment, which cause huge amount of frustration on my side, not mentioning me being pissed with the increasing number of holes in my sweatshirts...

I would aim to manage when you cannot focus on training alternate activities so that you are not caught off-guard. When you have time to train, then preempt the behavior as often as you can. When I have puppies to work on, I walk around with kibble in my pocket or treat bag, a flirt pole over my shoulder like a purse and a long tug toy in my other pocket. 

[FrederykBlot]

Management really helped

I walked with a rubber chicken in the pocket when I went to get the poop in the yard this morning, and when the little hunter came to his prey (me) he was presented the rubber chicken and was ok with that (I guess it was still an interaction with me, even with a lesser value toy than my clothes)

Yay ! celebrating small victory ! \o/

 

 

On the other hand, I came accross also using bite inhibition scream / yelp for the clothes, the rationale being that the pup does not need to know the difference between skin and clothes, as they're both off limits of strong bite and tugging

With skin, I understood the biting should  be ok with a controlled strength, as it is necessary for them to undertand how much is too much, and avoiding any biting at all will prevent them to have good control about their strength

Is this relevant ? can this be given a try during an "off guard moment" ? (I'll try my best on management for now on, but I'm realist in the fact that there will be one time I'll be caught off guard again)

[Adrienne]

Management really helped

I walked with a rubber chicken in the pocket when I went to get the poop in the yard this morning, and when the little hunter came to his prey (me) he was presented the rubber chicken and was ok with that (I guess it was still an interaction with me, even with a lesser value toy than my clothes)

Yay ! celebrating small victory ! 

Glad to hear! Baby steps. This is a win-win because your puppy, not only didn't get a chance to nip you or your clothes, but you surprised him with a little "gift" which reinforces your position as a provider of great things. 

On the other hand, I came accross also using bite inhibition scream / yelp for the clothes, the rationale being that the pup does not need to know the difference between skin and clothes, as they're both off limits of strong bite and tugging.

With skin, I understood the biting should  be ok with a controlled strength, as it is necessary for them to undertand how much is too much, and avoiding any biting at all will prevent them to have good control about their strength

Is this relevant ? can this be given a try during an "off guard moment" ? (I'll try my best on management for now on, but I'm realist in the fact that there will be one time I'll be caught off guard again)

You can try the method of screaming or Ian Dunbar's "ouch" method, and see how he reacts, however I am a big proponent of managing when we cannot train so we aren't caught off guard, and then systematically working on training when we are more prepared.

So if this type of nipping clothes happens when you are bending down in the yard picking poop and are too busy to offer the toy as you did greatly earlier, it may be better to manage for the time being  (like keeping him inside the home/ or with a family member) and then, when you have finished picking up the poop, or later when you have more time, you can repeat the same situation (pretending to bend down to pick up poop as you watch carefully for him approaching) so that you can help set your pup up for success by paving the path for him to make goof choices. 

Be ready as he approaches to: 

-Offer him a toy he doesn't see too often

-Toss him kibble to go catch 

-Ask him to sit and reward by tossing several kibble to find

-Offer him a long tug toy to play tug with 

-Offer him a flirt pole

-Ask him to hand target and reward by tossing several kibble to find

-Ask him to sit and reward by tossing a ball away from you to catch

You mention that tug or fetch seem to overstimulate him. I can see this happening, but I like to add the Premack Principle https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ to tone down some of the excitement by asking for a sit before each tossed ball for fetch and asking a take and drop when playing tug. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

How is his obedience training doing? Does he know sit well and hand target well enough to respond to those cues when he approaches you? These would be great opportunities to implement some training.

Back to the screaming/ouch method, as mentioned, it may yield mixed results. It may work for some dogs, it might not work for others. Evaluating whether a behavior intervention plan is working requires tracking the behavior over time.

What's important to do is to have a baseline of what the biting currently looks like. Jolt down in a journal the current date and when the biting occurs the most, the intensity of the biting and how long the episodes last. 

Then, start tracking over the course of several days whether it's improving, staying the same or getting worse. When a method is working, there should be a steady yet gradual reduction in the biting behavior. Of course, you need to factor whether he is being exercised/socialized/trained/ provided with mental stimulation enough on certain days (like rainy days things may be worse) .Keep in mind that as puppies are teething, you may see an increase in biting so make sure to provide soothing chew toys. Your puppy is now in the full teething phase. 

In most cases, when puppy nipping persists past the age of 6 to 8 months it's because there are factors that are putting a dent in the process. For example, allowing the puppy to persistently nip children, other family members or guests, allowing over aroused play, not providing enough outlets for exercise/mental stimulation, allowing puppies to take rewards roughly from our hands https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ or the use of physical corrections. Some pups may be genetically more prone to biting so some pups do take longer. 

[FrederykBlot]

Thank you for the precision. The alternate behavior are really helpful. My first instinct was just to put a toy in front of his nose when I sense the "hunter mode" but you gave many possibilities that would help variation and avoid boredom I guess

 

 

About his training, it's mostly ok in home environment without much stimuli. He has a good sit, a way better stay now (in both distance and duration), leave it at home is even not that bad (even with high value treat like chicken). Drop it is a hard one, I guess it's because the thing he has to drop is usually high value and exiting, but I feel like when he lets go it's more random to adapt his grasp than a real response to the cue

Outside, it's way harder, but we're kinda happy with the progress. Impulse control when people passes is way better, we sometimes get some sit, he still pulls a little but he's no more crazy and jumping everywhere. We have better "followed walk" (he's on long leash during walks), with many more eyes checks. We even have some good recalls (about 15m I'd say, longer than the leash that we drop down at some point when not much stimuli around)

I don't know if we should be proud or worried, but for less than 4 months, we're quite happy (now that I've changed my mindset also, passing the worst of the puppy blues :)), imho it's still so young. Not much for the state he is right now, but for the progress we've seen. The better stay, the better impulse control during walks... Besides we will attend puppy school starting tonight, we'll see what the instructor will say

 

 

The poop taking was just an example. He also occurs when I'll take his toys in the yard. This morning, I got another hole this way : 7am, he was lying down on his mat, and I'd say to myself "ok, nice, a little cooling time, lets take advantage of it", and I went lie down on the sofa. Two secs later, pup went rushing to get on also, so I try a "get down / four on floor" with the hand signal... Big mistake, it gave access to my sleeve, which he took and tugged directly, and I had to drag a croco-pup to reach for a toy.

 

I may have notice something, and perhap you may help me clarify, or tell if it makes sense.
I notice the morning he's quite excited. I guess the night, the absence, the 8 hours in the crate, he has much accumulated energy.
But he doesn't fetch much, doesn't tug much... he would agree with some training, but if he sees I have treats, but in excited way, maybe even overthreshold...
I mean, he respond quite well to the cue, specially inside the house, but I feel the excitement when getting the treat, or the impatience when we try some longer stay...
In the end after about 1 hour of mixing little spurs of mental / physical / training, the excitment is still there, and I see no sign of tireness
Then he got a chew for me to get my coffee (with me this time, not in the pen) (chew was a buffalo neck tendon, I'll check with the vet, but this one is supposed to be on the safe side)... and magic happened : he gnawned on it almost 30 mins, and he seemed like another puppy just after

My question about this "discovery" is : can the need to gnaw / chew at his age could be a "primary need" that need to be address almost like feeding ? I'm wondering about teething. If teething is unconfortable for him, could the excitment + no-willingness to engage under threshold in any activities , just be the consequence of him having a desperate need to gnaw to relieve / soothe   what's happening in his mouth ?

If that's relevant, perhaps should I tweak a little the morning routine and make : Wake up, chill time, breakfast, potty, CHEW / GNAW, and only then to try engaging other activities like physical / mental / training ?

I don't know if it makes any sense at all, because he has a rubber chicken on which he sometimes chew or a cow hoof accessible also, but I really tend to remark that after a good session of gwaning, the energy level is more adequate for anything

[Adrienne]

I don't know if we should be proud or worried, but for less than 4 months, we're quite happy (now that I've changed my mindset also, passing the worst of the puppy blues :)), imho it's still so young. Not much for the state he is right now, but for the progress we've seen. The better stay, the better impulse control during walks... Besides we will attend puppy school starting tonight, we'll see what the instructor will say.

 

I think you are doing really well considering your pup's age! Great to hear you are taking Loki to classes! That's great! He'll have a blast playing with the pups and it's so great for socialization. He might be too excited to apply what he has learned at home in this setting, but sometimes pups can surprise us, showing that they have retained stuff at a higher level than thought. 

 

 he would agree with some training, but if he sees I have treats, but in excited way, maybe even overthreshold...I mean, he respond quite well to the cue, specially inside the house, but I feel the excitement when getting the treat, or the impatience when we try some longer stay...

 

He shouldn't be seeing treats in plain view. They should be in your treat bag or pocket or at least behind your back. Have you tried rewarding the stays with toys? If you are working on the stay and he's getting impatient, it's often a sign he isn't ready for such length. How long are your longer stays? And how long are the stays he does well with?

 

In the end after about 1 hour of mixing little spurs of mental / physical / training, the excitment is still there, and I see no sign of tireness.

 

Make sure to also work on relaxation rather than just play and stimulation. Not necessarily relaxation to get him sleeping, just calmer activities like enjoying being handled and brushed calmly, getting his teeth brushed (toothpaste for dogs comes in yummy flavors!) https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ sniffing around or just relaxing on a mat. 

 

My question about this "discovery" is : can the need to gnaw / chew at his age could be a "primary need" that need to be address almost like feeding ? I'm wondering about teething. If teething is unconfortable for him, could the excitment + no-willingness to engage under threshold in any activities , just be the consequence of him having a desperate need to gnaw to relieve / soothe   what's happening in his mouth ?

 

 Puppies who are teething are like babies who are teething, they get restless as the permanent teeth are cutting through. 

 

If that's relevant, perhaps should I tweak a little the morning routine and make : Wake up, chill time, breakfast, potty, CHEW / GNAW, and only then to try engaging other activities like physical / mental / training ?

 

You can experiment and see how it goes, every pup is different and there are no rules set in stone on what routine to follow.  In general, with pups, I take the pup out to potty first thing in the morning, then breakfast fed through brain games and then any remnant fed in the bowl, then out in the yard to potty again, then some exploration in the yard, followed by play, training, socialization, walk, then nap time, then potty time again. You can tweak your routine a bit to accommodate his recent needs and keep track on how it goes. 

 

 I don't know if it makes any sense at all, because he has a rubber chicken on which he sometimes chew or a cow hoof accessible also, but I really tend to remark that after a good session of gwaning, the energy level is more adequate for anything. 

 

Chewing is a stress reliever, it helps vent boredom or frustration and has a calming effect.

 

The poop taking was just an example. He also occurs when I'll take his toys in the yard. This morning, I got another hole this way : 7am, he was lying down on his mat, and I'd say to myself "ok, nice, a little cooling time, lets take advantage of it", and I went lie down on the sofa. Two secs later, pup went rushing to get on also, so I try a "get down / four on floor" with the hand signal... Big mistake, it gave access to my sleeve, which he took and tugged directly, and I had to drag a croco-pup to reach for a toy.

 

 Sounds like playing with the sleeve with your moving arm gesture was far too stimulating to resist. The sleeves are his "reindeers to herd" so he's on a mission. And of course teething makes your sleeves even more appealing because it provides some relief, so your pup gets a double whammy of reinforcement. That's why I love to keep a tug toy in my pocket!

 

It would be nice to get him at a time he is calmer and try working on desensitizing him to your sleeves. Does he know clicker training yet? If not, you can use a verbal marker instead. Here's the guide on clicker training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/clicker-training/ Just watch if he's fearful of the sound, if he is, here are other options:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/your-clicker-best-friend-or-worst-enemy/

 

You can try sitting on the floor with him, one arm has the sleeve rolled up and holds the clicker, the other has the sleeve rolled down and has treats in the closed fist. Lower the arm with the sleeve rolled down slightly, the moment your puppy looks at it, be extra quick to click and treat, then lower that arm more, click and treat for just looking at it. If puppy is ever about to grab the sleeve, be ready to set a consequence, get up and stop the game. Then resume a little later. The goal is to build up where you can wave your sleeve in his face and then offering it in different positions, sitting down, standing up etc and he'll resist the temptation to grab on. 

 

Of course, he may still grab on to it at other times of the day when you're not training, but if you can carry a small clicker and treats in a closed pocket you have a powerful game to teach him some impulse control. 

 

The attraction for sleeves or anything cloth just makes me think, it's mostly a matter teething- related so yes, lots of chew toys, different textured toys, frozen strawberries, banana slices and blueberries can be soothing too and they have toys that can be frozen to help out teething pups as well. 

 

You can also get a clean washrag, wet it, wring it out, and twist it into a ropelike shape, then freeze it and offer it to him. The cold temperature and texture will be greatly appreciated! Just make sure he doesn’t eat any of it.

 

[FrederykBlot]

"He shouldn't be seeing treats in plain view. They should be in your treat bag or pocket or at least behind your back"

I may need to do something on that. It's not really in plain sight per say, but I'm pretty sure he understands when I get in the fridge to get the little blue box, it's treats for him and training is coming. I'll try to be less obvious

 

I dont do much reward with toys. Either it's something new or what I find not easy, otherwise it's mainly praise

Only case I could think of toys as reward is when we try "Jazz up and settle down"

 

I'll definitely try the tweak in schedule, and also the Frozen stuff (rags and fruits)

 

thanks again

 

[FrederykBlot]

Edit : "either it's something new or what I find not easy, and I use treats, otherwise it's mainly praise"

 

I Couldn't édit my last message (I guess because I wrote it from my laptop and now I'm on my phone)

[FrederykBlot]

Still couldn't edit my previous message : do this need tech support ? I'm ok with cumulating the message but it can be less convenient for reading to others...

 

Anyway, this morning I almost avoided any sleeves attack, and it seems the chewing tweak helped. We went potty, chill, little soft play on toys, breakfast, CHEW + coffee for me, between 20-30 mins, then play / games, and it went really better on his energy levels 

Although I said almost as I made a mistake : I was low during a fetch to make him come back, he went on to me as if he wanted to snuggle, coming in my arms.. he really has under threshold energy level, so I really thought he wanted so I started to pet, and boooom it was a diversion from the little rascal that went for the sleeve after that

But ball was close, so I could redirect quite easily... The fact that the redirection were kinda efficient really make me think it was just attention seeking this time, certainly thanks to the fact he has depleted his chewing needs before.

 

Sneaky pup !

Management, again and again 

[FrederykBlot]

Forgot this part, and still could not edit :

 

On another topic : we want to classes. It was so nice, and so short, specially as they quite some time of free play between pups

He made us ashamed 2 times : 

- he was the only one humping other pups :)

- during the recall exercise, he was the only one that failed it... I'm reassuring myself, thinking he was the oldest, thus the only one in the "flight period" and a little more independant :) He started to come to me on the "come when called", and mid-way went straight to a ball on the side

Was really nice though, and he was exhaaauuussstted after. Will redo next week, and try on his recall meanwhile :)

[Adrienne]

 I dont do much reward with toys. Either it's something new or what I find not easy, otherwise it's mainly praise. Only case I could think of toys as reward is when we try "Jazz up and settle down"

On top of the novelty factor, adding movement to the toys can turn them into a reward. In other words, you can ask Loki to sit, and then to reward the sit, you toss a ball or offer him to play tug with a toy. If you rotate toys, keeping some out of sight for some time, when you re-present them, they re-assume a novelty factor. 

 

Although I said almost as I made a mistake : I was low during a fetch to make him come back, he went on to me as if he wanted to snuggle, coming in my arms.. he really has under threshold energy level, so I really thought he wanted so I started to pet, and boooom it was a diversion from the little rascal that went for the sleeve after that. 

 

Hmm... maybe rolling up the sleeves when playing fetch can help for now? At least until he's past the teething phase and fabrics may be less appealing? Even if this was for attention, your sleeve likely feels good in his mouth and has a history of that, sort of like a baby always sticking his fingers in his mouth to alleviate sore gums. Glad to hear you had the ball handy!

He made us ashamed 2 times : 

- he was the only one humping other pups 🙂

 

Puppy humping may look bad to us, but it most of time just play. It can be redirected if you notice the pre-humping behavior if he's persisting in doing that. The area trainer can help you with training that. 

 

- during the recall exercise, he was the only one that failed it... I'm reassuring myself, thinking he was the oldest, thus the only one in the "flight period" and a little more independant 🙂 He started to come to me on the "come when called", and mid-way went straight to a ball on the side

Was really nice though, and he was exhaaauuussstted after. Will redo next week, and try on his recall meanwhile 🙂

 

Well, you know what to work on this week! Placing a ball or other toys in the middle of the room and practicing him coming to you despite the distraction of it rewarding with something higher in value compared to the ball. 

[FrederykBlot]

We definitely did that : my gf and I were each on one side of the yard with a yummy treat

One would call "come"... we learn at puppy school that "come" has a meaning only if he comes close enough so you can grab the collar...
so we grad the collar at come

then the other one call a "come" from the other side, grab the collar, reward... rinse and repeat

 

hope next week we'll be a little less ashamed thanks to that (just kidding, we're proud of him, and even the instructor said Finnish Lapphound are kinda stubborn and independant)

[FrederykBlot]

Used the frozen washrag advice

I cut the sleeves of an old tshirt, tied in knots, watered them, and go in the freezer

 

He seems to like to chew on it

 

Good thing with 2 sleeves is I can alternate : while he chews on one, the other is in the freezer, preparing to be next

 

It looks like a perfect cheap efficient chew

 

We'll see how it goes

 

Thank for the great advice

[Adrienne]

 

We definitely did that : my gf and I were each on one side of the yard with a yummy treat One would call "come"... we learn at puppy school that "come" has a meaning only if he comes close enough so you can grab the collar...
so we grad the collar at come then the other one call a "come" from the other side, grab the collar, reward... rinse and repeat

Yup! I am all for those collar grabs, I recommend conditioning to them by creating positive associations with them, and then practicing them with recalls, this is covered in the recall section and handling games:

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

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

Used the frozen washrag advice. I cut the sleeves of an old tshirt, tied in knots, watered them, and go in the freezer He seems to like to chew on it

Glad to see he is enjoying chewing on them! Always supervise to ensure he doesn't chew off parts and eats them. 

Happy training!