Pup is settling in well, but guess what, she bites! [shock]

[doggiesayswoof]

Only joking about the

I knew she would bite/nip. She is a puppy after all. However I wasn't really prepared for the full-on excited biting and I'm not managing it very well

So the theory is you say 'no' firmly, turn your back, end the game, yes?

I do all of that. She is very excited at this point and pays no attention to me. If I turn from her and stand still she thinks great, now I can get a good grip on her ankle. So last night in the garden I ended up grabbing her to take her back inside (it was sore!) so of course she bit my hands too.

She was supposed to pee then play for a while in the garden. But I couldn't divert her attention from biting me, so she was taken back in, then of course remembered she had to pee and did it in the kitchen.

it's very early days and I know we'll get there. But help please!

[doggiesayswoof]

That post sounds so negative!

There are loads of really good things - she is very sweet and will happily go and lie in her bed in the kitchen when we are pottering about.

She already comes to lie at our feet in the evening after dc go to bed.

She is happy to be left in the kitchen for a short time with the stair gate closed when we need to e.g. bath the dc - cries a little but is generally quite relaxed about it.

She sleeps in her crate and has accepted that very readily, only really cried the first night.

Housetraining is going ok, not that many accidents inside.

so there is a lot which is working out well and it's only day 4.

[morethanyoubargainfor]

don't turn away from her as it just adds to excitment, you shoul do the opposite and walk towards her so she naturally backs away an dgives you space. Be consisitent with it and use 'no' at the same time.

[KingCanuteIAm]

Sounds like you are doing really well

Some dogs are more bitey than others, some really are much more difficult to divert from it than others. Stick with it, you have the basics, just do it more and more! If you cannot divert easily try offering a chew toy, say "No" then straight away give the toy and say" Good boy, ooh your toy, yay, well done" etc. Basically you are saying, bite me and I am cross, bite the toy and I am fun!

[Sherbert37]

Can I ask what you are doing at night re toilet training? We are about to pick up our Border Terrier pup.

[doggiesayswoof]

Oh good idea morethan, I hadn't thought of walking towards her.

Thanks king, stupidly I forgot to bring a toy out into the garden last night, but I have been trying that too. atm she definitely prefers to bite flesh and will work her way round to get at our hands! I know she just needs to learn to love toys more.

The weather hasn't helped - she was so hot yesterday she was not at all active, then in the evening she had a lot of pent-up energy.

[doggiesayswoof]

Sherbert I posted on your thread! Glad you found a pup.

At night we are putting some newspaper down in the crate at one end, then her bed goes at the other end. We got a bigger crate than she really needs so there was enough room to do this in the early days.

She has used the newspaper each night, but only for peeing - all her poos so far have been outside luckily. (well, ok, a couple of times she has had to be swiftly interrupted mid-poo)

But we haven't come down in the morning to poo in the crate (yet)

[Sherbert37]

Thank you. Wasn't feeling confident about going out in the garden in the dark with her. We were so lucky to find her as Border Terriers seem to be very scarce. I phoned a Kennel Club breeder and she had a female pup ready to go to a home now, so we're not even having to wait until after holiday. Picking her up in a couple of days.

We have had a tough time this last year as my DH left us. The 3 DCs are all teenagers and are so excited about the new pup. Glad they will have something new to focus on.

What have you put on your dog's tag? Dog's name or your name?

No doubt I will be back on soon with more silly questions.

[Molesworth]

Congrats on your new pup, sherbert

As far as I'm aware it's best not to put your dog's name on the tag so that potential thieves can't lure the dog away by calling its name. That's what I've been told anyway!

[Sherbert37]

Thanks Molesworth. That is what I remembered from my dogs as a child. Shame as her name is so much prettier than mine!

[doggiesayswoof]

I decided not to go out with her at night. I know some people do it and say it speeds up housetraining - but we don't have a light outside and there are stairs down from our back door and then up again into the garden, so on balance I thought this way would suit us better.

Also I don't think I would know when she was crying to go to the toilet and when she was just feeling a bit lonely. And we didn't want to encourage the crying by going to her at night.

Tags - I'll just put my name on it when I get one.

[doggiesayswoof]

I'm sure I will be asking loads of silly questions too

[KingCanuteIAm]

If they are close enough to your dog to read his name on a 2/3cm disc then they are close enough to grab his collar and take him away like that (unless they have high power binoculars as part of their dog napping kit)

[Molesworth]

Yes, thinking about it, it's totally implausible KC

[HuffwardlyRudge]

At our puppy classes they told us to make a loud puppy cry noise and stop playing with the puppy when she bit (or bit too hard) because this is what the other puppies in her litter would do if she bit too hard, so it's a message she understands.

[KingCanuteIAm]

In fact, thinking about it, you usually have to actually have hold of the collar to read the tag in any case

[doggiesayswoof]

Thanks Huff.

When I stop playing and say no (or yelp, I've tried both) she just carries on gnawing. She just loooves to bite and doesn't seem to notice that I've stopped interacting.

Last night she got hold of my ankle and "killed" it I was upset that the skin/flesh was baggy enough for her to get a good mouthful tbh

[Sherbert37]

Just found this on the Kennel club website:
You are required by law (The Control of Dogs Order 1992) to inscribe the name and address of the owner on the collar or on a plate or disc attached to it. You must comply with this, even if it is microchipped, and you can be fined up to £5,000 if you do not. You may also want to put your telephone numbers on the tag, but you do not need to put your dog's name on it.

[doggiesayswoof]

Thanks Sherbert. Will need to organise this.

[gegs73]

We have a new puppy just 11 weeks old and have had him for the last 3 weeks. He is most definately a nipper too though he is getting alot better!

Things that have helped us are:

Getting him a soft toy/teddy bear.

Pigs ears - he loves them and will chew on them for ages.

Lots of chew toys generally and trying to divert his attention onto that instead.

Moving yourself very calmly away from him when he is nipping so he can't reach you and ignoring him (walking away/towards/yelping etc just encouraged him) When he has stopped and was behaving himself give him a toy.

Saying OFF in a loud stern voice if he is hanging off your trouser leg, and if he is still there saying GET OFF in an equally stern voice.

Lastly exercise. Since our dog has been allowed out he has been much better. I'm sure you do already but maybe try and encourage her to belt round the garden as much as you can before she has had all her jabs.

Our dog is definately much better than he was and I've been told by everyone it will pass soon. Good luck

[doggiesayswoof]

Thanks gegs. Lots of good ideas!

She'll get more exercise during the day when the weather cools down. ATM she's saving up all her energy for the evening - not ideal.

DH suggested I "tone down" the games I've been playing with her

Now I am not sure about this - I'd read that their energy and desire to chew etc need to be channelled and vigorous (not rough) playing helps to stop them getting bored. I am also trying to encourage her to think of her toys as fun - she's not that into them yet. DH thinks I am winding her up too much. Have to say that when she started nipping last night I wasn't playing with her - but DH thinks she has marked me down as the fun person, the go-to guy for hyper games

Should I calm it down a bit?

[Sherbert37]

What do your puppies play with? Spent ages in Pets at home choosing toys, only for the cashier to tell us all but one would not be suitable for a young puppy. She has a ball and that's it at the moment (I even bought the wrong size Kong toy).

Also, Doggiesayswoof, what size crate did you get? 79cm or 91cm?

[doggiesayswoof]

We have soft toys (she loves chewing them), puppy kong, a couple of rope toys. Will be getting nylabones on MN recommendation.

My crate is 30 inches, about 76cm. Got it from ebay - here

Cheap and it's good quality.

[Sherbert37]

Well,she is here and totally gorgeous. Feel like a new mum again. She slept until 4am last night, took her out to the toilet then back to sleep until I got up at 7.30am.

I bought a large grey plastic crate 2nd hand. It looks a bit functional but it is great as she cannot see much out the sides and it is dark inside. She is happy to be placed in there in her basket and goes off to sleep. I even managed to pop put to the supermarket this morning.

She is alternately running around like a mad thing and sitting on laps for cuddles.

Toilet training is obviously going to take a while. Carpet is awash.

[Sherbert37]

Oh and she doesn't bite as such but is very excited by bare toes, laces and flapping trousers. Keeps putting stones in her mouth too and carrying them to us.

[doggiesayswoof]

Oh fab Sherbert, that is lovely to hear. Respect to you for taking her out at 4am

Should we have a new thread and maybe other new puppy owners could join in too?