Puppy eating through wall.

[Mel]

Now I can catagorically say Keli did not do this so as a loss as to what to do.

Tali has taken to eating into walls or doorframes when not being entertained for even a few seconds. It's driving me mad as I can't even go to the loo without him doing it. If I go to pull him away whilst saying No very firmly, he starts a bit of growling and leaps at my hand ripping it to shreds. He will also leap at hands and my tummy now and bite quite hard. I am following the advice on here to the letter but he's not getting it. If I raise my voice too much he ends up curling up in his bed turning his back on me showing hurt feelings.

I actually think he doesn't like me.

Any advice would be appreciated. He just howls and messes himself in the crate so I don't have that luxury. He has tons of toys of all different textures but even then he won't play with them on his own.

I fon't want him to hate me and see my hands as fearful things but he seems to be reacting a bit in this way.

[Karma]

Try a houseline.... you can guide him away without having to get hands on! 

I'd also recommend doing some foundation work on the crate.... scatter loads of treats in there, so that he goes in of his own accord.... once he's it feed him some really yummy treats through the bars... once he's happily going in there looking for treats, close the door, feed him treats, and then open the door and call him out.  Repeat loads... gradually increase the length of time in the crate, and the length of time between treats.  Once he will wait in the crate for a little while between treats, start walking away from the crate... start with just one step away, one step back and treat, and gradually build it up so that you can leave the room for a few seconds... It may take a while (or he might take to it really quickly) but this way you are building a positive association with the crate... 
(It took us about a week to get Honey happy with her crate when we reintroduced her to it late last year!)

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

its very, very early days and these things take time and consistency.

I would seriously go back to crate training, have you tried having the crate up with the door open and just throwing in treats? Also feed him his meals in there with the door open.

Once hes quite happily going in shut the door when hes eating but make sure you open it before he finishes then gradually build up the time. Make sure whenever he goes in his crate something good happens and he gets something yummy, kongs cam be really good for this.

I wouldnt pull him away, if you see him chewing something he shouldnt pick up a toy and act like its the best thing in the world to get him to leave what hes doing and come to you.

As hard as it is the best thing to do with biting is to ignore it or walk away. Have you tried leaving him for 30 seconds on his own when he bites.

Hes not showing hurt feelings after you have shouted at him hes showing fear and confusion.

From his point of view everythings a chew toy and biting is perfectly acceptable. As an owner its our job to explain to them what is and what isnt acceptable without damaging our relationship with them. He wont understand why you sometimes shout, it will make you seem unpredictable to him

[Mel]

I started working with the crate the minute he was home. He gets fed in there so he goes in and out of his own accord quite happily til you shut the door then he goes ballistic. Then he poos, stands in it and knocks over food and water. I've tried leaving him with a kong and saying what a good boy, but the ,minute I shut the door he dumps the kong. He just wants to be at my side all the time. He's brilliant when the care workers come. He greets thems nicely, some pick him up, etc. And he will wait in his bed behing the babygate in my room without howling the place down.

He just seems like he has a stampy foot moment if I'm not there playing.

As I said previously I do not want him to hate me or my hands. I've tried the toy distrzction and treats but he's not buying it.

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

use a clicker and literally shut the door for one second but make sure you click when it closes then start building on it. with some pups it takes a lot of time to get them used to a crate. With Amber it took two weeks of feeding her in one with the door open before I started to close it ( she was three not a pup)

How old is he?

Is he going out on walks yet?

Play biting can last months there is no quick fix.

what training are you doing with him?

Maybe work on a really good sit command then ask for a sit when hes chewing the wall and reward him for it

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

Think about it like this, if you were teaching your dog a stay you wouldn’t teach it to sit and then expect it to go straight to sitting for 5mins with you 30ft away.  You would first slowly build up the distance then when you were happy with that go back to shorter distances but for longer times until it came together. Crate trainings the same start off slowly with it being short times with the door shut ie 1 second then build up the time slowly. Once you have that try leaving the room but again but because you have upped it from you being in the room to him being alone bring the time you leave for back down to a second and build up. 

Hes very young and I honestly wouldn’t of expected him to of stopped play biting already. You have to be thinking of things long term as in months not weeks. Taking him out for socialisation walks and  letting him play with other vaccinated dogs will help stimulate him, I would also start hand feeding him one of his meals and doing little bits of clicker training with him during the day. At his age doing a minute or two at a time will be plenty. Make sure only good things happen when your around.
Hes not throwing a strop when your not around hes just entertaining him self, he doesn’t realise your walls are not fair game.  Show him how to play with his toys, also reward everything good he does so if he picks up a toy reward him, lying nice reward him, gets in his bed reward him etc.

[Geordietyke]

Hi, just wanted to let you know that I've had mega problems with more or less the same things.  Odie needed to be surgically removed from me from age 8 weeks - 13 weeks    He hated being left in his puppy pen when I have to go out (school run) and poos and dances in it then smears it all over floor/bars etc (see my many previous posts on this!).  He will be 14 weeks on Monday and I can now leave the room for a minute or so without him but TBH he still poos in pen if I can't get him to toilet before I have to leave on school run at 3pm, he now doesn't step in it so it's easier to clean up now!    I still have horrendous problems with 'play' biting (bl**dy hurts  ) and he sounds so vicious - snarling/barking and biting my trousers/ankles but am hoping and praying this will eventually end somewhere down the line...   He's had me in tears a few times with his behaviours but I have to believe other COLers when they say it will get better. 

[Mel]

Think about it like this, if you were teaching your dog a stay you wouldn’t teach it to sit and then expect it to go straight to sitting for 5mins with you 30ft away.  You would first slowly build up the distance then when you were happy with that go back to shorter distances but for longer times until it came together. Crate trainings the same start off slowly with it being short times with the door shut ie 1 second then build up the time slowly. Once you have that try leaving the room but again but because you have upped it from you being in the room to him being alone bring the time you leave for back down to a second and build up. 

Hes very young and I honestly wouldn’t of expected him to of stopped play biting already. You have to be thinking of things long term as in months not weeks. Taking him out for socialisation walks and  letting him play with other vaccinated dogs will help stimulate him, I would also start hand feeding him one of his meals and doing little bits of clicker training with him during the day. At his age doing a minute or two at a time will be plenty. Make sure only good things happen when your around.
Hes not throwing a strop when your not around hes just entertaining him self, he doesn’t realise your walls are not fair game.  Show him how to play with his toys, also reward everything good he does so if he picks up a toy reward him, lying nice reward him, gets in his bed reward him etc.

Hi CCG
I'm doing all the ghings you suggest for everyghing but the crate. Although he's my third cocker, he's the first one I have used with a crate. I have just spent 10 minutes feeding treats whilst raising hands, moving them auickly paxt him, grabbing neck, nose, etc, (I say grab I do't mean violently), and he's already less bitey to my hands. He's also willingly gone in the crate to eat his dinner.

He is constantly praised, which is why I have felt very down about the wall biting. He's currently demolishing a frozen carrot.

He's a great little man and I am not out to break his spirit.

He sometimes willingly goes into his travel crate which is enclosed with a wire door, but only allows the door shut if we are in the car.

Mum is off for a week of respite from tomorrow so I will attempt the crate training then.

With regard other training; he's learning quickly and enjoying it . I don't expect play biting to stop yet either. He slso plays nicely without my interaction as long as I am right next to him. He's not going out for another couple of weeks and I bet he's as stir crazy as me LOL.

Sorry to sound so lame but I have never experienced wall biting and brick dust can't be too good for a small pupst!

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

if hes fine in his bed when you leave the room have you thought of a play pen around his bed?

Im sure someone put up a link to a pen where you bought panels and could snap them together to make your own design.

[Mel]

Sorry for bad spelling but I'm on my mobile.

[Mel]

if hes fine in his bed when you leave the room have you thought of a play pen around his bed?

Im sure someone put up a link to a pen where you bought panels and could snap them together to make your own design.

I'll give the crate another try!

[Ninasmum]

if hes fine in his bed when you leave the room have you thought of a play pen around his bed?

Im sure someone put up a link to a pen where you bought panels and could snap them together to make your own design.

Mel these puppy pens could be a 'wall saver'  http://www.croftonline.co.uk/products.asp?category=Crufts+Freedom+puppy+pen&subcategory=Freedom+Puppy+Pen+range

[elaine.e]

Mel, Louis was just the same in his crate. I tried so hard doing all the right things but got fed up with having to bath a poo smeared puppy continuously and gave up with the crate in the end.

I already had a few puppy panels from when William was a puppy and bought a few more. I used them to fence Louis in to a safe area at night and also used some as barricades to keep him away from dangerous areas (electrical wires etc.) and away from things he wanted to chew. He was much happier when I gave up on the crate and the panels were a real godsend.

Louis is now nearly 10 months. He has access to the kitchen, hall and study (with William) at night and when I'm out. I've gradually taken away the barricades over the last month and now only have the stairgate in place, plus a puppy panel under the computer desk to protect the cables and one in front of the low shelf where the camera lives.

My only regret about not persevering with the crate training is a worry about what might happen if I needed to crate him for medical reasons in the future. But he hated it so much when he was little that both he and I were very stressed and it wasn't doing our relationship any good at all.

[Top Barks]

if hes fine in his bed when you leave the room have you thought of a play pen around his bed?

Im sure someone put up a link to a pen where you bought panels and could snap them together to make your own design.

great minds as they say! i was just reading through the thread and thinking of a pen

[rupertsmum]

Rupert was eating the walls, skirting boards and radiators until our trainer told us to spray them with perfume or citronella and bingo! All stopped 

Anything that the puppy wont like the smell/taste of, your house does smell very strongly of perfume but we only had to do it for a few until he started playing with his toys more

hope this helps!