Calming excited puppy

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mMickey-56
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Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2016 1:18 am

Calming excited puppy

Post by mMickey-56 »

Hello, I have a Rottweiler puppy now little over 8 weeks. My husband an daughter found a reputable breeder with excellent credentials and blue ribbon dogs They gave him to me for my 60th birthday ( the gift the keeps giving, love ,affection, companionship and security). I have owned and trained Rottweilers before , I'm aware of their abilities and their stuborness. The breeder let this puppy go at a little over 6mon. I think a bit on the young side. The breeder was moving and had to sell 3,liters this could motivate an early sale. When my pup goes in to play mode his biting gets stronger and he gets more worked out. His mouthing turns into skin tearing fast a few days ago, I figured to get a better grip on him I'd use his harness. To my surprise he calmed down, played more cautious and gave lots more loving than biting. Question is , is it bad to put the harness on him every time he starts to get out of hand? He is getting used to the leash and doesn't protest when we put on his harness.
Any physical correction pinning him down or tapping his nose only ups his level of rough play. That's what he wants, someone to rough house with him. I've tried all the popular suggestion, redirecting, shaking chains in a can, spray water all of which he looks at like an invitation to play harder.
,
Last edited by mMickey-56 on Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
JudyN
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Re: Calming excited puupyq

Post by JudyN »

mMickey-56 wrote:HThe breeder let this puppy go at a little over 6mon. I think a bit on the young side.
I need to do some work right now, but can I just ask - do you mean a little over 6 months, or was he a little over 6 weeks?
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
mMickey-56
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Re: Calming excited puupyq

Post by mMickey-56 »

Sorry your correct I mean a little over Six WEEKS. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I'm a bit over tired. A.m. trips outside are takings its toll lol.
JudyN
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Re: Calming excited puupyq

Post by JudyN »

Haha, I remember it well :lol:

I'm not surprised the methods you've tried haven't worked. I tried yelping and it just got my dog more worked up. What we recommend is a) trying to avoid him biting in the first place, by always having a toy in your hand that you can stuff in his mouth, and b) using timeouts - so when he bites, you calmly, without saying anything, either remove him from the room (behind a door or stairgate) of (often easier) remove yourself from the room. You only have to leave him for a matter of seconds - say 10 seconds - as otherwise he'll have forgotten what happened before he was put in the room and will either get upset and start crying for you or find something in the room he can destroy. You have to be really, really consistent - you could be doing this thirty times in thirty minutes - but eventually it will work. At first I would see my pup coming out of timout and going straight for my ankle but then hesitating at the last moment. Now, sometimes he just couldn't stop himself and after he hesitated he would latch on again, but it was a start, and eventually he got the idea.

It also helps to avoid the sort of roughhousing and excitement levels where he just has to bite - encourage tug games, or mind games where he has to think, like hide & seek.

Teaching impulse control also helps because not only does he need to know he shouldn't bite, he needs the self-control to stop himself, and that takes time.

In the thread here viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11503 there's a link to the impulse control video ('It's Yer Choice') and also articles on puppy biting, timeout and brain games.

Hope that helps :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Calming excited puupyq

Post by Nettle »

Just to put your mind at rest - 6 weeks is seen as young nowadays, but pups always used to change homes at 6 weeks when I was first into dogs, and one of mine came home the day she turned 6 weeks. Some pups are plenty forward enogh at that age, while some could do with a bit longer with the litter, but what's done is done and IMO wouldn't add to your issues.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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mMickey-56
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Re: Calming excited puppy

Post by mMickey-56 »

Thank you so much for you suggestions and help. I will start ignoring his play and giving him (myself) time outs. He really is a stubborn pup. Funny I've already washed puppy toys in my pants pockets. Again thanks to all.
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