YvonneM Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Am I over thinking this? Banjo is our 12 week old maltese and is going fantastic so far - but being so close to the ground is constantly at our feet. He bites our toes and feet and,pulls on the bottom of our jeans/pants etc. we have been trying to correct this with very firm NO and distracting him with toys - but we really want him to understand that no means no. We had our second session of puppy preschool this morning and our teacher was talking about this exact problem and said that an effective method of deterring puppies from the pulling on hems of jeans and jumping and biting feel/ankles is a spray bottle using the jet rather than mist spray. So tonight when he just was going into overdrive pulling etc and took absolutely no notice of NO i used the spray bottle and did as she suggested. His reaction was to immediately stop the pulling and biting. For the last hour or so I now have a puppy who is absolutely petrified of everything and is hiding in corners, behind things and in his crate - I am so upset that I have caused him to be so frightened of everything - he won't even come to us now. Is this a normal reaction? Did I do the wrong thing? Or am I overthinking the whole thing and he will be just fine? Right now I am really sorry that I took her advice and used the spray bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Behave normally and he will be fine. It is a bit of an over reaction from him but shouldn't cause any lasting issues. Play some games, feed him some treats etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Sounds like a puppy surprised that he has been disciplined and is having a sulk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Thank you for speedy responses - he is hiding in the back of his crate and refuses to be tempted out with any of his favourite toys for a game or any treats either. Minimax - I've seen him sulk before and this seems different. Having never had a puppy before I really want to be doing the right thing by him and not creating problems for him - maybe it just seems worse than it actually is - and it's night time - things always seem worse at night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 To stop my puppy doing this I would walk around with some toys and treats in my pockets so every time she went for my feet I could ask for a sit to reward (or drop or paw) or could throw a toy and redirect all that energy into something I wanted. Every time I played the toy I said 'get the toy' so that after a very short amount of time I could say that and she would find a toy to play with me instead of having to carry one around. My puppy liked the spray bottle which is why I used the above method. I did however traumatise her in other ways and she recovered from them all aka being stepped on, dropping a pan next to her and the most horrid of all- the nail clippers!!!!!! After much work she now presents each foot to have nails trimmed. So it shouldnt be a long lasting disaster. Just take it as a lesson about how sensitive your pup is to punishments at the moment and try not to feel badly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Some of the little white fluffies can be real 'princesses'. Often reactions can depend\ on what experience the pup has had in the past with other pups or life experience even before you got him. It is fairly easy when you get a new delicate fluffy to be a bit of a softy with them and then their behaviour can get cocky.... Sounds very much an over-reaction by your pup..... after all as if a spray of water is really going to do anything...... it will pass - and don't necessarily think you can't spray him again if he starts biting again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) . Edited May 26, 2013 by Rosetta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 While i certainly tend toward positive methods for the vast maority of training- obedience, good manners etc, mouthing is one behaviour that needs to be stopped swiftly. The longer it continues the harder it is to stop and MANY people have difficulty with this behaviour into adulthood. Curbing it using a appropriate correction is not a bad thing, though in this situation a different correction may need to be utilised. How is the pup now YvonneM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted May 26, 2013 Author Share Posted May 26, 2013 Thanks for checking back cosmolo - banjo seems to have recovered with no ill effects! He was definitely frightened by his experience with the spray bottle - I found him hiding behind the toilet in the bathroom at one stage last night and he later pushed himself right up into the back corner of his soft sided crate and refused to come out for the rest of the night - he was not interested in any of his toys or food of any description but this morning he was perfectly ok. I worried all night that I had created a fear. We have decided that we will not be using the spray bottle again but just using redirection and praise on successful redirection which today seems to be effective. I guess some techniques work for some dogs and not for others! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashtank Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Just wondering (and I think I know the answer) is playing games with puppy that encourage chewing eg tug o war with toys counterproductive to getting him to stop biting? When he bites or mouths me or say a pillow or my pants, I try and get a toy for him instead for him to chew on. Is this okay? Or should I start spraying him with water lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 Hi there Smashtank - we play lots of games with Banjo - they include some tug games and plenty of "chase the ball" games, but as he is a Maltese and sooo close to the ground I think he just finds feet and pants easy to reach. Since the weekend's spray bottle episode we have put the spray bottle up and are using much more redirection and lots of praise when this is followed. I so want to come over and join you in the other puppy thread .... Tank looks just so adorable!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melina Bea Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Why don't you join us there Yvonne? The more the merrier! I'm sure things like the spray bottle are a step further, for when redirection isn't working. Don't quote me though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Smashtank, having a puppy that loves to tug can be great for training! Just check out some of the threads in Training and dog sports :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melina Bea Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 My puppy won't tug. Should I be worried? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 (edited) I wouldn't think so Melina - Banjo didn't reallynstartnthe whole tugging of toys,thing until he was 9 ish weeks old - and even then only gently because he still didn't have all his teeth through then - so I imagine it was a bit harder for hold and tug. Does Louis have all his teeth yet? Edited May 27, 2013 by YvonneM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 My puppy won't tug. Should I be worried? Don't be worried, my old boy had no interest in them at all, much preferred food :) They don't need to tug, people use them a lot as a reward in dog sports. If you want the puppy to tug and he isn't naturally interested in it you have to train him to do it, make him love it :) If he has a high prey drive it's easier, but I've heard of people rubbing tugs with food and stuff to entice him. Or just treat him and make a huge deal when he pays any interest in that toy, when he bites it, when he tugs. When he loves the tug it's used as a reward, so he should only get the tug when training, not to play with all the time on his own. Lots of information in the training threads and on the net in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melina Bea Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Okay now I'm worried, he doesn't care for treats either :laugh: I think he's still adjusting to life without his sister, she was his main source of entertainment / masochistic pleasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Okay now I'm worried, he doesn't care for treats either :laugh: I think he's still adjusting to life without his sister, she was his main source of entertainment / masochistic pleasure. No don't be worried! All dogs are different! It might just be you he ends up being interested in My boy who passed was the lab in my profile pic... known Food Hoovers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melina Bea Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I'm sorry about your dog, he's gorgeous though! He's definitely into ME, it's all about being with me, doesn't care about anything else! Except his kibble, so I've been using those as treats. Still getting the hang of it as he looks at my hand instead of the food I put in front of him. I'll definitely be checking the training section. I thought it was more about agility etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 There is a bit of everything in there if you go looking. And the pinned thread is worth a read :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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