New Puppy Biting

Puppies bite everything!! Especially when they are teething, which I suspect yours is. I used to raise Shih Tzu's and they are adorable.

I have a new puppy now too (Great Pyrenese) and she is also biting everything. I tap her on the nose and say "no bite." She is slowly learning. I have discovered one of the best discipline tools for a puppy is a spray bottle with water in it. They really don't like being sprayed in the face and after about a week all I have to do is pick up the bottle and the dogs scatter. LOL

As far as housetraining, if you don't have a crate, get one. The crate will become your best friend and your puppy's security place.

Puppies don't have the bladder control to hold it until they are about 4 to 5 months old. So yours should be able to be trained now. Mine was about 4 months old when I got her, but she was a big puppy and it only took about 2 weeks to housebreak her.

Take puppies out after they eat, after they nap, after they play and always take it to the same place and say the same thing. I say "go potty." Both my dogs know if I am tapping my foot and saying "go potty" that they need to go because they are getting ready to go in the crate so I can leave.

Good Luck!

I've had dogs over the years (female) who almost seemed to train themselves. Then I got two male puppies. They just did not get it. I was almost ready to give the boys away & finally out of desperation tried crate training. It took 3 weeks & they got it!

We adopted a lab last year and it was a disaster. He was very good about housetraining though. We put a long bell on the back door and made him hit it with his nose to tell us he wanted to go out. He caught on very quickly. We just watched him and when he acted suspicious (sniffing around in circles) or if we caught him in the act, we scooped him up and in a loud, stern voice said, "NO! Outside!" Gave lots of praise and treats for pottying outside. It was effortless for him.

However, he was pretty rough with the kids. For a long time, I had to seperate the two. He also wanted to chew every toy that was within reach for him...but, we would also put a chew toy in his mouth when he would start nipping. It worked for a second, but there's nothing tempting to play with as a young child running around. I hope you get some good advice.

It's hard work!!!

I copied this from the SPCA website:

Supervising Play: Children move with quick, jerky movements, have high-pitched voices and often run, rather than walk. All of these behaviors somewhat resemble the behavior of prey animals. Almost all of a dog's play behaviors are based on predatory behavior. Consequently, your dog may respond to your child's behavior by chasing him, nipping at his heels, jumping up at him or even trying to knock him down.

At first, your child may need to play quietly around your new dog until he becomes more comfortable and calm and your child has gained more control over the dog. Your dog must also learn that certain behaviors on his part are unacceptable, but he must also be taught what behaviors are the right ones. Our handout: "Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping and Rough Play" outlines procedures for discouraging rough play and encouraging appropriate play. However, most children under the age of ten are not capable of carrying out these procedures, so it's helpful to teach your dog a "leave it" command that you can use when play gets too rough. Taking an obedience class together is a good way to teach your dog to respond to commands.

An approach that is not helpful is to punish your dog for his behavior. If he learns that being around children always results in "bad things" happening to him, he may become defensive in their presence.

Here's a PDF version of the whole article:
http://www.sspca.org/pdfs/Dogs_ChildrenAndDogs.pdf

Act like it's mother...hover over the puppy, stare it down, & growl at it when it does that. It establishes your dominance over the puppy.

For the nipping, get a spray bottle filled with water. You may want to get a few so you can have them on hand. Spritz in the face for nipping.

For potty training, get vinegar. When he pees or poops in the house, clean it up with vinegar and show him. Let him smell the vinegar on the rag. Then put him outside. For a puppy that age, you should have him on a schedule for potty. Just like a kid, potty first thing in the morning, after eating, after naps, and right before bed. A pup should be kept in a crate at night and when you are gone for at least a year. Never use the crate for punishment.

GL and enjoy your puppy!