CockersOnline Forum

Cocker Specific Discussion => Puppies => Topic started by: Jenn_Rooney on October 21, 2019, 07:18:28 PM

Title: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Jenn_Rooney on October 21, 2019, 07:18:28 PM
Hi all I posted last week about my 10 month old cocker Bonnie. Bonnie has always been a mouthy dog as I said especially with my husband. It is getting easier but I suppose I am looking for help.
We have noticed she has started to bare teeth when she is getting told off. We don't ever really shout at her just use very stern voices.  She has also started to nip a lot more when she is getting too over excited and it is almost like she goes past the point of no return >:( like she is going back to the early days of puppyhood. As I said this hasn't been going on for too long just the past month or 2.
I am just wondering is this normal behaviour at her age. I know that this is the age that they may be trying to see what they can get away with and how far she can push the boundaries but the whole teeth thing is bit nerve wracking. Anyone got any advice?

Thanks :)
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: juju on October 21, 2019, 09:24:59 PM
Izzy, a W.C.S, did this as a puppy. She is now seven and the only time she does it is , occasionally, when it's bedtime. She goes out in the garden for a wee quite happily and if I don't shut the dog gate she will sometimes sneak back into her living room bed and if I approach she will bare her teeth. She treats this as a bit of a game and I just tip up the bed and encourage her back to the kitchen. I can remember as a puppy she would show similar behaviour when having a collar or lead put on and sometimes when being put into the car. This was really annoying , especially as she was a friendly puppy and loved everyone she met. I found the way to deal with it was to ignore her and then try again. I always rewarded good behaviour with a small treat. I tried not to speak to her when this happened,  perhaps just standing up or turning away from her. Another thing that was useful was using a slip lead occasionally. I don't think Izzy would have nipped, I just think  she was 'trying it on'.
                      Julia
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Jenn_Rooney on October 22, 2019, 11:14:40 AM
Thanks for your response. We are first time dog owners so we are sort of it unchartered territory and learning as we go. Bonnie is the same very friendly with people she meets and is only a bit nippy when she gets herself excited and I just tell people to ignore her and she calms down quite quickly.
I have told my husband to stop trying to talk to her when she does it and just walk off but it's almost like I am having to train him as well. He doesnt want to have to keep doing this everytime she starts but it's one of the only ways that we can get her to stop.
It's nice to know she is not a demon lol
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: its.sme on October 23, 2019, 06:45:16 PM
Is Bonnie getting enough sleep, I always found Bea would go over the top when she was tired ?

I know what you mean when you say training other's and not just Bonnie,  it can be very tiring and I struggled to get everyone doing the same with my girl, my dad for one has his own idea's about Training and Bea has a very different relationship with him because of it.

Most behaiviourists would ask about Sleep, Food and Exercise first before anything else as I believed these are the main reasons for issues.

Praise the good and ignore the bad is so important,  a bit like toddlers (apparently)
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Jenn_Rooney on October 23, 2019, 09:05:09 PM
As far as I am aware I think she is getting enough sleep. My husband and I both work. He works 5 days and and I work 4. She gets a 30 min walk before we got to work and by that time she is usually falling asleep before we go. She isn't left more than 4 hours alone and I am home for an hour at lunch she gets a 20 min walk if it's a nice day and then when I get home she is still sleepy. She is left with a treat toy, her Kong and a few other toys. Then she would get another 20-30 min walk in the evening. We do two 5 mins session of training. Could she be over tired her worst time is at night so I am maybe thinking is it over stimulation.

Personally speaking I think she is looking for attention from him when he gets home I play with her for a while and do the most with her but my husband tends to ignore her and just play on his phone and thinks that giving her 5 mins attention is enough. I keep having to remind him she is still young and also she hasnt seen him all day.

The baring of the teeth hasn't happened now since saturday. Which as progress is every time my husband tried to reason with her he just made it worse. He is now getting up and ignoring her. The nipping is still happening when he does this but she is settling quicker and learning slowly.
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: bizzylizzy on October 24, 2019, 07:03:13 AM
I would suggest offering her some mental stimulation rather than just physical exercise and games, its sounds to me as if she‘s frustrated. Cockers just love to use their noses so you could introduce her to sniff and search activities. Hide  treats, toys etc and send her off to look for them, you can start by hiding things behind cushions etc and then increase the difficulty and distance. Make her sit and stay (good exercise), while you go and hide things in another room and then release with a „Find“. We do the same outdoors on walks, I just discreetly drop a toy or a dummy and then after a few yards send him back to look for it. A cardboard box full of rolled up balls of newspaper with a few treats thrown in will create a bit of a mess but will let her use her nose. There are lots of ideas online and you don‘t need to spend a fortune on commercial dog games, just a bit of imagination.
Dogs minds don‘t work like ours unfortunately, so trying to reason with her is unlikely to get you very far, praise her good behaviour and teach an alternative behaviour to the bad, - a sit, a down, or even a give paw with praise when she‘s done properly, are ways you can distract her.
10 months is „a difficult age“  :lol2: but is also a great time for nurturing the bond that will stand you in good stead for the future, so try and stay patient but be prepared to invest a bit of time teaching her things rather than just offering her amusement.
You‘ll get there! Best of luck!!  :D
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Jenn_Rooney on October 24, 2019, 08:35:51 AM
Thanks I do that with her but probably not as much as I should she loves it!
I think I need to do it more often with her. I used to do it outside but she is a scavenger and tends to eat things off the floor we are also working on leave a lot at the moment as there is still an unwillingness to give things up. Even for chicken  :005:

I do think my husband needs to start taking more to do with her. I have done the majority of the training with her and taught her a lot but I do think he needs to start pulling his weight. Thanks for the advice  :D
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Gerryjane on October 24, 2019, 11:40:33 AM
I think bizzylizzy is spot on in her advice :D

We have tried to stick to the mantra that teaching Toby what to do rather than what not to do is the way forward. Showing the alternative and rewarding rather than a telling off which won’t necessarily be understood just seen a scary thing. I had to have the same conversations with my OH. How many times have I said Toby doesn’t speak English :D
Yes, your husband should take your advice ..... your pup is asking for interaction and getting frustrated I would guess ..... still very much a baby.
Title: Re: Puppy baring teeth
Post by: Jenn_Rooney on October 24, 2019, 03:34:28 PM
Thanks for the advice. I know i think my husband is worse to train than the dog. I have told him he needs to be more involved with training and playing rather than just petting and saying hello to her.  >:(