Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    konapuppylover's Avatar
    konapuppylover Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Jun 21, 2005, 03:17 PM
    My 9 week old Lab puppy
    Hello,
    Of corse I think I have the cuteset puppy in the world and yes I fawn over him ALL the time he is never left alone inless he has to be he gose to the store with us he basicaLy gose every where with us. But all he really wants to do is bite us or tear something up. At this point I have no clue what to do becasue we say no in a stern voice but that dosen't work so i've been locking him up in a little 1/2 bathroom. Is that a good method and what is becasue we don't want to smack him or like hurt him but we don't know what else to do PLEASE HELP!!!! :)
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
    Uber Member
     
    #2

    Jun 21, 2005, 08:28 PM
    Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about
    Biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting
    Another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are
    Alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months
    They are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking
    Moment biting or chewing. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another
    Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find
    One that won't yelp and jerk their hand away, or growl "Bad dog." and clamp
    Their mouth shut. Then offer a chew toy. They keep trying despite hundreds
    Of corrections. Another good technique is to quit playing and go away. Be
    Sure to praise them when they are playing nice and not biting.

    You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens.
    Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can
    Chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords.
    Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

    The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into
    Pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
    There to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
    Close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
    Pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
    These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
    Chewers such as Labs.

    Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made
    Lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the
    Foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get
    them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch
    carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

    The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
    safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
    else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
    to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
    intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
    "safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
    Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
    Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
    Itself.

    When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice ''Bad dog, its name drop!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of her toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.
    daehnolem's Avatar
    daehnolem Posts: 61, Reputation: 12
    Junior Member
     
    #3

    Jun 23, 2005, 04:35 PM
    I've been dealing with the same thing with my lab puppy. I've tried almost everything I've read that I could find about it. My best advice is to find toys that your little guy absolutely loves. Annie loves her puppy nylabone (I got her the wolf size because she chews through the regular size in two days now). She also has squeaky stuffed duck toy that she loves. The problem with toys is that puppies get tired of things so quickly. But those are a couple of things she hasn't gotten tired of, yet. It is best to rotate the toys, so they always seem new, though. The toys I bought from Walmart are her favorites, and they were less expensive. Just make sure you find ones that are very sturdily built and inspect them daily for damage. Lab puppies will chew through anything if you let them.
    As for the biting, for a while I would yell 'owwww' really loud for even the littlest bites. Then I would look at her in the eyes, tell her she's mean, and then I'd turn my back on her. Leaving the room works best, but sometimes, it's not possible. When my husband came home (he's been out of town for a while), he started holding her mouth shut until she whimpered a little. Everyone will tell you that they'll just think you're playing with them, but I think this has worked better than the other way. You have to hold the muzzle until they whimper, but it doesn't hurt them. And maybe it won't work for your dog, but in the past week that my husband has been home, she's bitten me less, and when she did, it was much softer. But you should probably try it the first way first because I've read that in numerous places. It just didn't work well for Annie.
    Basic obedience training helps, too. Annie has almost completely figured out what 'no' means. But it's good to have the training relationship with your dog, because he'll know that when he does something you want him to do (they really do aim to please), he'll be rewarded. Anyway, I've rambled enough. Have fun with your baby and good luck!
    GardenGirl's Avatar
    GardenGirl Posts: 8, Reputation: 4
    New Member
     
    #4

    May 7, 2007, 03:57 PM
    Gently close the puppy's mouth and say "No Nipping". Let him put his teeth on you, but not bite. Labs are very mouthy dogs, they show love by "holding" your hand in their mouth, etc. Be careful not to pinch his tongue between his teeth when you close his mouth.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search


Check out some similar questions!

A few questions about a 7 week old lab puppy [ 7 Answers ]

I'm pretty much convinced I have the cutest, best puppy ever. But I have a few questions. Everything I've read says that puppies will defecate in an hour or so after eating. I think my little girl holds hers in for as long as she possibly can because she doesn't go until several hours after...

5 Week Old Puppy won't eat! [ 8 Answers ]

Hello- I was at a flea market last Sat. and an individual there had a box full of puppies, Apparently different breeds and different ages- he professed the age of the puppy I acquired was 5 weeks old, along with his siblings which were about twice the size of this apparent runt. The person was...

6 Week Old Puppy has Fleas! [ 8 Answers ]

Are 2 older dogs had fleas, so got 2 flea collars for them. Now are puppy is getting fleas and she is only 6 weeks old, what's the best treatment for a puppy so young? Also what's best for the older dogs?

9 week old puppy pooping at night (in crate) [ 1 Answers ]

Hello. We have had our little mini-schnauzer for a week now. She is doing very well during the day, but night time is becoming a problem. She has started pooping 3 or 4 times at night... the problem is that she doesn't whine until she's already soiled her crate. Her last meal is at 5:00, and we...

8 week lab puppy not eating [ 2 Answers ]

I got a 5 week old lab puppy which became familiar in 2-3 days. He is now 8 weeks and got his first vaccination 2 week back. He has also got the de-worming. Now he has stopped eating. He just has few (very few) water or milk and became weak. Also he is not as playful as he used to be. We tried...


View more questions Search