Stopping the 3 Most Annoying Puppy Behaviors Part I

Sir Simon the Sad

Interestingly, the 3 most annoying puppy behaviors are all appropriate doggie behaviors. Unfortunately, they contradict human rules, so we spend our time trying to stop them, sometimes unsuccessfully.

The three most common and annoying puppy behaviors are as follows:
Biting and Mouthing
Jumping Up on People
Chewing

I'll spend this and the next 2 posts summarizing the the whys and hows of stopping these puppy behaviors. This post addresses Biting and Mouthing.

Why puppies bite and mouth
If you could visit a pet store or a breeder with a litter of pups, you'd see puppies attacking each other by mouthing and biting. Sometimes that's the only way it's possible to get food. Sometimes they're just playing. It's what they do instinctively.

Regardless, it hurts when a puppy bites. Little needle teeth leave marks on human skin.

If you let the biting and mouthing continue, you will be stuck with a dog that could seriously injure you.

How to stop puppy biting
As a young pup, innocent-looking Simon (pictured) arrived with a biting and mouthing issue. We got him at ten weeks, two weeks away from being separated from his litter mates.

This article: http://www.squidoo.com/puppy-training-problems explains how to stop puppy biting in detail. It's a simple and quick 3-step procedure.

Tips to stop puppy biting
A caution - do it over and over until the pup stops biting. Not every once and a while, but EVERY TIME the puppy starts to bite. Eventually he will learn to substitute another behavior for biting. Your persistence will pay off.

One more tip - EVERYONE who comes in contact with the pup has to follow the procedure to stop puppy biting. NO exceptions.

The 3-step procedure described in the link above worked for Simon. Give it a persistent and consistent try!

Four Tips To Avoid Behavior Problems With A New Puppy

I don't know about your dogs, but Alvin and Simon are sorta well-behaved - when they choose to be. And sometimes they behave badly, like this morning when they tried to dig a hole for the foundation of their new dog house and came in covered in mud.

But they can behave well - I asked them to pose for the picture below, and they actually sat still for a few minutes. Miracles abound!


According to Dr. Becker, the holistic vet, you can avoid puppy behavior problems by following the following tips (additional references are below each section):

Bring your puppy to the vet as soon as possible for an examination. A sick pup won’t adjust well to his new environment, even if the illness is minor. It’s also hard to gauge a new dog’s real temperament and personality if he’s feeling under the weather.

Crate train your puppy. It’s much easier to housebreak and supervise a crate-trained puppy. Dogs are natural den dwellers, so if you make all your new pet’s crate experiences positive ones, he’ll quickly come to view it as his ‘bedroom’ – his own quiet, safe space. References: http://www.squidoo.com/dog-and-puppy-crate-training-tips and http://www.squidoo.com/More-Crate-Training-Tips

Make sure your new puppy gets plenty of rest and quiet time in her crate or another enclosed, safe area of your home. Puppies are babies and require lots of sleep. In addition, your new pup needs to learn to be alone and not to expect constant attention from human family members. Reference is http://www.squidoo.com/puppy-house-training-schedule

Socialize and train your puppy. In order to create a balanced, well-behaved adult dog, puppy owners must be extremely conscientious about socialization and training. There is nothing more important in raising a healthy, well-adjusted dog than insuring she is thoroughly socialized and receives basic obedience training, at a minimum. Reference is ezinearticles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Puppy-Socials---Are-They-Necessary-Or-a-Passing-Trend?&id=3020622

Also refer to http://www.squidoo.com/solving-puppy-training-problems