Author Topic: Manic Puppy!  (Read 17173 times)

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Offline Frugal Mule

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #30 on: January 28, 2010, 01:32:44 PM »
I can completely empathize with the way you feel. Having a puppy is HARD! Especially if you have landed yourself a croc, as we both have, by the sounds of it.

My boy is nearly 20 weeks (! where did that go?) and he is still a real biter. He never used to respond to squealing, but around Christmas time he began to take a little more notice and would stop for a split second. He has been really hard work, but has also given me many moments of complete joy when I see the hard work paying off, and when he has his occasional sleepy moments.

I have only actually cried once and that was on Christmas eve when he bit me harder than ever before and was a complete hyperactive monster. I would not give up on him though and the next day he seemed to have had a personality overhaul and was a genuine angel. The only thing I can think of that I had changed at that time was upping the clicker training. I clicked and rewarded everything I was pleased with him for, and taught him some tricks to focus his attention. I didn't expect it to have the effect that it did.

Since then, he has the odd "Angel Day" and is really improving but as I said, the biting is still a problem despite having quite a few of his adult teeth now. He doesn't bite furniture, just us! I was really determined from the beginning to teach him to mouth softly before teaching him not to to bite at all, so that as an adult he would have a safe "warning" bite if he ever got stepped on etc, but so far I have completely failed at this and am running out of time.

Hang in there, I think you will find your own rhythm and will start to see improvements soon. I'm convinced ours are especially exhausting puppies, but at the same time completely normal.

Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #31 on: January 28, 2010, 02:15:02 PM »
blueroanlover, I have just re-read this thread, and I want to apologise for my comments last night. Not only was my ramblings about training in all sorts of different places completely irrelevant but to suggest that teaching a pup bite inhibition is the most basic of lessons, was very insensitive and somewhat arrogant of me. I wasn't really paying attention and all I could think about was the fact that you seemed so negative about your pup, when you've only had him a fortnight or so. I really hope that things will get better for you, I'm sure they will. You will get great advice on here, fortunately not everyone is as tactless as me (I blame the whisky  ph34r :005:)

Hi Sue - no problem - apology accepted...
After a hard day puppy dealings I myself retreat with a whisky! LOL!

Thanks for writing again - much appreciated.  :D

Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #32 on: January 28, 2010, 02:18:39 PM »
Thanks you guys - you are keeping us going here LOL!

I have now found that because we have taught him to sit, when he is biting we repeat that and he immediately stops biting and sits... waiting for a treat!  So perhaps we have reached a break through stage and will be able to build on that.

Thanks to ALL of you for taking the time to explain your own experiences, it makes us realise we may not have the dog from hell (been looking for the three 6's on his head!) and things will improve. We will definitely try the treat training - and try and find the clicker we have somewhere.  Even without that we can treat train and maybe building on the SIT we can move mountains! LOL!

Offline Roslyn McConnell

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2010, 03:22:55 PM »
The best advice I ever got when going through this stage was to wear a pair of wellies in the house, it stops u getting hurt and they dont flap about and look as attractive for little teeth (at really manic times u might want a pair of gardening gloves too  :005: )

Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #34 on: January 28, 2010, 04:14:02 PM »
LOL!! Thanks!  I may invest in a pair and get some gloves!

Little darling is crashed out asleep now looking like butter wouldn't melt....

Offline SkyeSue

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #35 on: January 28, 2010, 06:51:05 PM »
The fact that he will sit and pay attention to you when you're trying to distract him from biting is absolutely brilliant. The key is to get him focussed on something more interesting than biting, it can take time to find out what this might be, its different for each dog, but it sounds to me as if your little one, is happy to focus on you cos he knows he will get rewarded for that behaviour. If you've got a pup as responsive as that, then I would reckon clicker training would be great for you both. Good luck with him, I suppose I was really lucky with Chloe, she did hang off my pjs/trousers etc for a wee while, but it wasn't a massive problem. She only caused a bruise once, and just that once was enough for me to land up in tears, thinking I'd got the puppy from hell  :D


Sue and Chloe, happy girls on the Isle of Skye

Offline Clover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #36 on: January 28, 2010, 07:06:18 PM »
Glad you feel a bit more positive.  Before you know it, you will look back and chuckle at what he put you through, I know I look at Willow now and think 'wow, were you really that naughty !  Good luck, and honestly, it will get better, maybe not overnight, but you will come through it, just be consistent and you will reap the rewards.  :blink:


Willow and Katie

Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #37 on: January 28, 2010, 07:53:53 PM »
Thanks Clover and SkySue

Hopefully we are building on something here. I will carry on with the training and let you know.

Next task is to stop him chasing the poor cat and terrifying her! That seems a tad more difficult though.


Offline Sheepscheeks

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #38 on: January 28, 2010, 07:55:35 PM »
- and try and find the clicker we have somewhere.  Even without that we can treat train and maybe building on the SIT we can move mountains! LOL!

Top Barks suggested that you can use a command such as 'Yes' in place of a clicker - at least it is something you always have with you. Use the word when you would use the clicker. I have done it a little bit but intend to work on it more because, even though I bought 3 clickers off ebay at once, I lost one within days!!!!!

By the way, Freddie, nearly 15 weeks, has just this week started to take notice (sometimes!) when we shout "ow" if he bites/hangs off our clothes. I guess it is maybe 50% of the time? We have consistently  given him time out behind a stair gate (or tried to) when he bites so it seems to be paying off.

And you are not alone in feeling you are not enjoying your puppy one iota. I felt like that until a couple of weeks ago, not just because of the biting but also because of the extra work, lack of sleep, problems with children and puppy, going back to work. I should have kept a diary to remind me if I ever felt like I would like another one!!!!  :lol2:

Paula & Freddie x

Offline MaggieR

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #39 on: January 29, 2010, 01:04:32 AM »
Really pleased your seeing some positives to balance the nipping etc... Keep up the great work :)
Lisa & Maggie x

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why.  ~Author Unknown

Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #40 on: January 29, 2010, 08:57:33 AM »
Cheers Sheepscheeks and Maggie

It is certainly hard work and the way the cat is feeling doesn't make it any easier...

Thanks for all the advice though - another day of training commences!

Offline Ben's mum

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #41 on: January 29, 2010, 07:25:39 PM »
Just wanted to send hugs, I know how hard it is, Ben was a biter and our first pup and I didn't enjoy those first few weeks at all, it took ages to bond with him and I often thought 'what have i done...'
I had the idea pups were snuggly bundles of fluff and it came as a bit of a shock to have this manic, tearaway, biting thing in my house :005: and he wanted things all the time, like attention, going out for a wee, food and more attention  ;)  I just had no idea really what having a dog was going to be like and we didn't even have COL to let me know this was all normal.

To be honest it was a couple of months before I was completely smitten with Ben, but I found a good puppy class, read the Perfect Puppy and drank gallons of whiskey  ph34r and got through it and you will too.  It suddenly crept up on me how much I adored Ben and it all becomes worthwhile.

I hope you do stick with it - its all worth it in the end and it won't be long before you are on here consoling other people with new pups  ;)  COL really helps you to feel you are not on your own with a problem.


Offline blueroanlover

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #42 on: January 29, 2010, 08:20:58 PM »
Ben's Mum - thank you so much.

Well I've got the whisky; I think that's a start. LOL!

Like you say, I thought it would be like other pups I have had in the past (not Cockers) - a sunggly playful bundle... ok a few nips now and then but not something that is hyperactive and every waking moment wanting to take lumps out of us and our clothes!

We are also trying to get the cat to accept him but he chases her and she is terrified... another problem and our cat used to be a person cat, always with us in the same room - most time on our laps.  Now she has to be kept in another room most of the time because he has to be with us.  At 12, our little timid cat is not happy in her own home.

Neither are we come to that - but we hope that we will come thru it in the end.... COL is a great help.

Offline jla

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #43 on: January 29, 2010, 08:57:55 PM »
You could try a baby gate at the living room door.  Periodically give your cat a break and put pup out.  He'll still be able to see you but not get at you.  Bit by bit the cat should relax and while I think pup will kick up a fuss the first few times he'll soon get used to it and settle.

Offline maccie75

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Re: Manic Puppy!
« Reply #44 on: January 29, 2010, 09:01:46 PM »
Hi There - I have Marco who is a 4 month old solid show type cocker we - he is getting much better but at about 10 weeks I had the week from hell with him - if you look at some of my old posts on puppies you will see what I mean!! LOL

Felt like I had made a massive mistake in getting him, I have had other dogs and as puppies they were never so nippy or just so hyper. I felt I spent all day yelling at him or at my son for getting him excited and the rest of the time clearing up after him and overall had a miserable exhausting week - the more I tried to stop him biting the more he went for me and growled and was an absolute pain. Then suddenly one morning he was just calmer so from that point I just stuck with all the good advice I had been given on here and stopped yelling and tapping noses ect and just tried to enjoy him  dont get me wrong now and again we have an off day - but dont we all LOL

Hang on in there - once you get him out the cabin fever will stop and he will have a whole new world to discover

Debbie & Marco (AKA Lucifer)