|
Chewing Puppies much like children explore their world by putting things in their mouths. Puppies are teething until they are about 6 months of age, which usually creates discomfort for them. Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore gums feel better. Puppies may chew on furniture, shoes, shrubbery, as well as many other objects. This is a normal puppy behavior, but it can still create problems for you. Unfortunately, unlike children, puppies will not magically "outgrow" these behaviors as they mature. Instead, it is up to you to shape your puppy's behaviors and teach him/her which ones are acceptable and which are not. Discouraging Unacceptable Behaviors It's virtually inevitable that your puppy will, at some point, chew up something you value. This is part of raising a puppy! You can, however, prevent most problems by taking the following precautions.
Encouraging Acceptable Behaviors
Other Reasons for Destructive Behavior In most cases, destructive chewing by puppies is nothing more than normal puppy behavior. However, occasionally, puppies as well as adult dogs can exhibit destructive behaviors for specific reasons. Examples include separation anxiety, fear-related behaviors, and attention-getting behaviors. For help with these problems, contact a professional animal behaviorist. What Not to Do NEVER discipline or punish your puppy after the fact. If you discover a chewed item even minutes after he/she's chewed it, you are too late. Animals associate correction with what they are doing at the time they are being corrected. A puppy can not reason that. When you are angry and upset, your puppy feels threatened by your tone of voice, body posture, and facial expressions, so he may hide or show submissive postures. Punishment after the fact will not only fail to eliminate the undesirable behavior, but may also provoke other undesirable behaviors as well. A puppy has a lot to learn in his/her new home. Be patient and consistent when training your new puppy and you'll share a special bond for years to come.
Nipping/Biting When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. Because of this, they may also be inclined to bite or "mouth" your hand during play or when being petted. This is rarely aggressive behavior meant to do harm, but it can be a difficult habit to break unless you encourage your puppy to try an acceptable alternative behavior. The idea is to redirect your puppy's energy onto acceptable chew toys and to teach him/her to be gentle when a hand is in or near him/her mouth. Encouraging Acceptable Behaviors Redirect your puppy's nipping and biting to more acceptable objects, such as chew toys. This is especially helpful and effective for when children want to pet him/her. As you or the children reach out to scratch him/her behind the ears with one hand, offer the chew toy with the other. This will not only help your puppy learn that people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep his/her mouth busy while he/she is being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has the chew toy. Start off with short periods of time, since the longer he/she is petted, the more likely he/she is to get excited and start to nip. Discouraging Unacceptable Behaviors You must also teach your puppy to be gentle with hands and show him/her that nipping results in unpleasant consequences. Teach your puppy that nipping stops any attention and social interaction with you. As soon as a nip occurs, look your puppy right in the eye and yell "OUCH" as though you have been mortally wounded. Then ignore him/her. Leave the room if you must, but ignore him/her until he/she is calm, and then try the chew toy and petting method again. See What Not to Do Under the Jumping Up Section of this page.
Jumping Up When your puppy jumps up on you, he/she wants attention. Whether you rub his/her head or you push him/her away, he/she is getting the attention he/she asked for by doing the behavior. Whether the response is positive or negative is irrelevant because it is attention. When your Puppy Jumps Up:
When your puppy realizes that he/she gets no attention from you while he/she is jumping up, but does get attention when he/she sits, he/she will stop jumping up. Remember, once you have taught him/her to come and sit quietly for attention, you must reward that behavior. Be careful not to ignore him/her when he/she comes and sits politely, waiting for your attention. What Not to Do Tapping, slapping or hitting your puppy in the face for nipping or jumping up are almost guaranteed to backfire. Several things may happen, depending on your puppy's temperament and the severity of the correction:
Never play "tug-of-war" or wrestling games with your puppy. These types of games encourage out-of-control behavior, grabbing, lunging, competition with you, and possibly aggression...behaviors you do not want him/her to learn.
Mounting Mounting is when one puppy/dog place his/her paws and chest on the hindquarters of another dog. This is a normal and very common canine behavior. In most cases, it is NOT a sexual behavior. In young puppies, it can be a play behavior but more likely then not, it is an alpha behavior. In older dogs, it is generally a display of dominance. Puppies generally display this behavior to their littermates to define the pecking order. In other words, they do this to show each other "who's the boss." Some puppies will attempt this on their new owner or family members. It is very important that the behavior is recognized and then corrected. If you see the behavior taking place, immediately say "OFF" in a stern, commanding voice then give the sit or lay command to further discourage the behavior. If your puppy does not know the sit or lay commands, then an alternative would be the person whom the behavior is directed to turning and walking away from the puppy.
Be Consistent This section goes for all puppy behaviors. It is important that all behaviors, acceptable and unacceptable, be managed consistently by all family members. And remember that any method you try will probably not be effective unless you work hard to teach your puppy an acceptable alternative behavior. A Note About Children and Puppies It's very difficult for children under eight years of age to practice the kind of behavior modification outlined here. Children's first reaction to being nipped, mouthed, jumped on, etc. is to push the puppy away with their hands and arms. This will be interpreted by the puppy as play and will probably cause the puppy to act in that way even more. Adults should closely monitor all interactions between their children and dogs.
|
