Provide appropriate chew toys- soft latex squeakies, enzyme treated rawhide chews, like CET Chews, Kong toys, etc.                                                                                                        Teach your puppy to play with these toys.                                                                               Praise the puppy every time you see him playing with his toys.                                                  Teach your puppy to get a toy to greet you with. Each time he runs up to you, ask him to find and get a toy.                                                                                                                                If you find your puppy with your best shoe, distract him away from it and replace with an appropriate toy.                                                                                                                    DO NOT chase the puppy in an attempt to take something away- this becomes a “CHASE ME” game.                                                                                                                                  DO NOT allow unsupervised access to “unchewables”. Crate or baby gate the area off- limits. You  would not let an infant loose in your house without supervision.

MOUTHING, NIPPING, PLAY BITING

     I think some puppies are separated from their littermates at too early an age, if this is happening. Other puppies would not play with them if they play too rough. An “OW!!” sounds like a “YIP!’ to the puppy, so he understands that he is playing too rough. End the play session if he bites, hold his mouth shut, say “NO BITE!!”. Say “GOOD BITE” when he stops the activity, and if he persists he must be placed in his kennel for a “TIME OUT” for at least 60 seconds.

     Hide a treat in the palm of your hand, and let the puppy gently lick and chew on it. If he only uses his lips he can have the treat. If he gets nippy or too rough, say “OW!!” and end the session. This will also teach him to inhibit his bite.

ABSOLUTELY NO TUG OF WAR GAMES, NO ROUGHHOUSING OR WRESTLING.!

     These games teach the puppy to bite you. If he will not give the toy back , then refuse to play any more until he gives it to you. You can teach him to “GIVE” by squeezing the sides of the mouth together, with your hand reaching up from the bottom of his jaw.  “GOOD GIVE”

WHINING, HOWLING, BARKING

Your puppy is howling, whining, or barking for a reason. If the problem is not resolved immediately, whining can become an ingrained habit that is intensely irritating and annoying. Many dogs use whining, howling, and barking as a means of vocal blackmail in order to control their owners.

When confined to a crate or small room or pen, always give your puppy the benefit of the doubt. When he begins whining, immediately take him to his toilet area.

Teach your dog to accept isolation and privacy. Accustom your puppy to being left by himself, even if you are at home. This will prevent separation anxiety and all the problems that accompany it.

Make sure your puppy is comfortable. Is the puppy hungry, thirsty, too hot, too cold, uncomfortable, sick, or has lost his toy under the furniture?

When you know that all your puppy’s needs are met and you have taken the time to accustom him to isolation, then teach him that whining is unacceptable.

Do not give in and reward your puppy for whining.

Do not hesitate to appropriately reprimand unnecessary whining.

Do not let your dog feel abandoned.

Do not let your dog soil his crate.

BITING AND NIPPING VS. LOVE AND RESPECT

Before you can teach your dog anything, there are two prerequisites that are essential: Trust and Respect. If your dog does not trust you, there is no reason why he should respect you. If your dog does not respect you, your relationship will be like two five year olds bossing each other around. If your dog does not trust and respect you, then, when you attempt to teach him something, he will regard you as if he were thinking “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO?”

Never hit, kick or slap your dog. This is the quickest way to erode the dog’s trust in you. Yes, he will still love you. Even abused dogs love their owners. A unique characteristic of dogs is their unconditional love. You do not have to do anything to acquire your dog’s love. But you must do a lot to gain your dog’s trust and respect. Another area where we destroy our dog’s trust in us is when we scold them for housesoiling mistakes and accidents. When housetraining your puppy, there is never an appropriate time to punish or reprimand. If you catch your dog in the act, make an interrupting noise like “AT!!”, take him immediately to the proper area, let him finish, then  praise him for eliminating in the proper area. You have no right to scold him, because if he is eliminating in the wrong place, it is our fault for not catching him in time. If you find an accident after the fact, just make sure he does not watch you clean it up.

Reprimand alone will never stop the biting.

If no respect exists, the biting will get worse. If you act like a littermate, the dog will treat you like one.

If trust is not there, the dog may eventually bite out of fear or lack of confidence.

Inconsistency sabotages training. If you let the dog bite and mouth you some of the time, then biting will never be completely eliminated.

Don’t forget follow up. The dog must understand that it is the biting that you don’t like, not the dog himself. Make up afterwards, but on your own terms, not the dog’s.