New to OES and concerned about behavior
My wife and I picked up our little Sherlock 2 weeks ago. He is 14 weeks old now. And he is a bundle of joy. We are both new to OES and I am new to dog's all together. We have been crate training him and after 2 days he is pretty much sleeping through the night. I think we are almost getting there with house breaking too as he is not having too many accidents despite a UTI which he is on antibiotics for for another week. Now... He is biting quite a lot. The first few days he wasn't. But now he is. We have tried yelping loudly and then walking away/ignoring. We have tried substituting toys for limbs. On advice from our breeder we are now holding his muzzle shut and saying no. THis doesn't seem to be working too much either. We are walking him a lot, he is eating and drinking well. We're just not sure how to curtail his biting  Any advice for new OES puppy parents? http://goslingphotographyblog.com/2013/02/18/sherlock-sundays-1/ |
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| His gums hurt, teeth are growing in, then coming out and growing back in. Patience. You are doing all he right things, replacing your limbs with toys, reacting loudly and walking away. The muzzle thing onl worked on my older dogs, not 14 weekers. Maybe a change in toys? Somebody had something you could freeze thus the cold soothed the gums. Back to Petco. |
| What Susan said. Plus, in addition to toys, try more "chewies" - knuckle and/or shank bones and, at that age, even rawhides (which I never give to older dogs as they quickly get soggy and dangerous, but baby teeth aren't much of a contest for them. Still watch and throw out at earliest convenience once they start to get at all soft) Even ice cubes. Hopefully others can add chew things that have worked for their young puppies. They truly can't help themselves. This too shall pass. But not (completely - it will get better) for many months yet, so please remember that and don't freak out when they don't magically stop being little chew monsters. Though the older they get, the more they tend to chew things rather than people. In a perfect world you have a temperamentally sound adult dog who would be the chewing target AND teach them how to behave and what's too much a lot more effectively than us mere humans  But lots of homes raise puppy on their lonesome and that's fine too. Just a lot more work on the owners' part. Kristine |
| Dexter was a biter, Winston was not. We taught Dexter to get something in his mouth when he got excited. He's 2 now and still gets something in his mouth so he doesn't fall victim to mouthing (he doesn't bite, he just mouths arms, still not acceptable). When someone comes over he will make sure they are all right to be in the house then frantically find a bone. We found chews to be more effective than toys. Winston will be 1 tomorrow and is a nipper; he will nip your leg or butt to get you to go or not go where he wants. That is harder to stop than outright biting, done and forgotten so hard to correct. |
| A wet, facecloth frozen worked well for us when teething. |
| He also jumps sometimes during his walks and tries to bite the back of our pants/legs. Is this normal? |
| We had the usual pup bitey bits and then he went on to nippy bits. At the training class we go to now they are so good-the man seems to know the answere to everything and then I think "of course!" and it makes sence. Sprocket has very strong herding instincts,he crouches and sort of sneaks up on you and other dogs,gives a little sound and then barges you to where he wants you to be-it is really quite funny to watch but of course he can't get away with to much of his own way. He likes to get hold of your jumper or whatever he can and lead you. Now we know what is going on we know how to handle it-he rounds up his toys and sits and guards them.x |
| What I can gather yes it is but you need to tell him your in charge viewtopic.php?f=2&t=37308 |
SherlockPemberley wrote: He also jumps sometimes during his walks and tries to bite the back of our pants/legs. Is this normal? Yes. It's play drive. To be discouraged, of course, but there's a reason young puppies are known as land sharks...  I raised a friend's (future) puppy (he was a singleton - they are the worst as they have no littermates to chomp on and drag around.) I gave her such a hard time about his horrid puppy chomping that she actually gave me a new housecoat for my birthday to replace the one he shredded dragging me around the yard. And that was before he was even 8 weeks old   Of course, my litter of 8 did the same thing, but that was my litter so I had to buy my own new housecoat. My last litter there were only three and I kept two and they were outnumbered by adult OES and much better behaved (in that regard, at least) much more quickly as mom and grandma and aunties took a very poor view of their indiscriminant mouthing. Kristine |
| Welcome to our furry little corner of the web! |
| All I can say is keep teaching him the right thing to do. It may seem like he isn't getting it but he will! When Leonard was little there were so many things I had to teach him over and over and over and over again and it kinda felt like beating my head against the wall. Eventually he got it! The most important thing to do is to keep re-enforcing the rules and just like the behaviour appeared... It should disappear. My wiggling, whining, yipping, nipping, jumping, peeing on the floor and chewing on people's feet puppy has been replaced with a generally well behaved and happy adolescent dog. I honestly can't tell you when or how that happened other than we never stopped showing him how we expected him to act. Good luck! One day you will look back at pictures and think how darn cute and portable he was! |
Keep in mind, they DO get over it!  14 weeks so still pretty much in thick of being a little nippy puppy. By 20 weeks the phase should be over, if not sooner, especially if you are doing all the right things to counter it. And remember, it's a baby puppy phase, it is NOT a sign of future aggression! Hang in there! |
| 2 weeks isn't a very long time; although it might feel like forever where biting and nipping is concerned. As everyone else has said, it sounds like this is normal and that you are addressing it correctly. You just need to keep at it; in time he'll calm down as well as respond to your training him to not do it. But it will take a bit of time, as you are trying to train over instinct. |
| Congrats on your new puppy! Having just gone thru this again with my second OES, yes...it's normal, they are teething. We kept the small rawhides in the fridge and gave them to Bear whenever he wanted to gnaw on something. It was cold, and gave him something to do. He also liked ice cubes, in fact he still thinks they are treats |
| Thank you all for the words of wisdom! Sherlock is starting to be a little better but we still have some concerns. He is 15 weeks old tomorrow and every now and again (usually once a day) he will just lose it and freak out on a walk. He starts jumping and trying to bite us. Usually going for the knees. Does anyone know what this is about? |
| Quite normal.........wasn't it Vance who had a "land shark" attack in the show ring from his young girl? So this one continues for awhile, always be prepared and take action immediately. |
| Oh yeah, it's totally normal. All of it. It's just part of having a puppy. We raised two OES girls, un-related to each other, at the same time. I lost many pairs of pants due to pants tugging, suffered many small nips and bites to various parts of the body, and had myself, my children, and anything else completely chewed. They got over it. Or rather, we taught them it wasn't acceptable, AND they got over it. They're both a year now. Now they're more intent on chewing "things" that are more acceptable (though sometimes not) and chewing on each other, lol |
| You could try. Bite him back and pin him to the ground (by the scruff of the neck) and growl while doing it! His mum would have if he got unruly, he doesn't understand upright language he will understand DOG, obviously don't hurt him doing it, he just needs to know that it isn't acceptable. Oh, and that you are in charge! being 225lbs was probably in my favour to get the message across! |
| I also have a new puppy, well, she's about 17 weeks now. We have had ALL of the same issues. We have three kids that are 7, 9, and 11 and boy does she torment them. I tell friends that she is 90% fluff ball and 10% cujo. I needed to take quick action because my kids were getting very upset so I enrolled her in two different puppy classes at once. She is a quick learner of commands so I am really trying to incorporate the learned behavior into our everyday lives. Part of my challenge is to also train my kids not to act like her litter mates! We too did all of the recommended actions with minor success. What seems to work (sometimes) is getting her to understand that "sit" is her default behavior. Always have treats in your pocket or close by and be ready to reward the sit. Then I get her to lay down (reward) and try to calm her excitement. If that doesn't work we tether her to the kitchen table. Here she is "punished" by not being able to interact with us. I let her off in a couple of minutes. I could go on, but I'd take up this whole page! It's definitely a daily challenge but we're all trying hard. Mozzarella sticks are a extra treat to lure her into a laundry room when I need a time out. Good luck! I hope our hair ball settles down soon! |
SheepieBoss wrote: Quite normal.........wasn't it Vance who had a "land shark" attack in the show ring from his young girl? So this one continues for awhile, always be prepared and take action immediately. When you say take action... What do you mean? |
Hello and welcome. Sherlock is adorable, thanks for the link. Puppies get away with so much cause they are that stinking cute  Glad to hear that he's doing better with the nipping, which means you are doing great with the redirecting  My guess about the jumping and nipping during a walk is just puppy play. That's what they do to each other. Sherlock wants to play, and that's all he knows. Take a toy, tuggie, ball or anything to distract him. Teach him how you play. Now, playing on a leash is difficult, and playing during leash walking might be a no-no later but at 15 weeks, should be okay. Get him into classes as soon as he has all his shots. The trainers are invaluable with their help. Sherlock sounds perfectly normal to me. I'm still wearing ripped pjs and torn jackets from two years ago when Charm was a young pup Hang in there  |
| Ahhh, yes, "needle teeth." Everyone has already given great advice, so there is not much to add. Frozen items truly help the soreness from teething--anything that is safe to wet, freeze, and chew. An ice cube also helps and doubles as a play toy. I recommend following the rule that "teeth on skin is a sin." The minute the puppy chomps on you or your clothing, exclaim "Ouch!," calmly stop interactive play, give him one of his toys, and do something else for a bit while he amps down. For example, let him follow you around while you do something in the house, have him take some quiet self-play/nap time his "space" (play pen, crate, etc.), etc. Be consistent...and patient. The best behaved Old English puppy I ever had was the slowest to learn about teeth on skin. Then one day she chomped me, I shreaked "Ouch!," and I could see the light go on in her fuzzy head. She never did it again. Enjoy your puppy! |
| Hello everyone. Thank you all for the great advice... I just wanted to give you an update. Sherlock is 19 weeks old today and we have seen a great improvement in behavior. We figured out that we was at his worst in the evening on his night time walks. It turns out that we were over exercising him. We were walking him 3 times a day when he only needed 2 times. Now our schedule has a dog-park play in the morning to run free and burn energy. And then a long walk in the mid-afternoon. When he gets a little more energy around 7-8 pm, we just play with him at home with his toys. No more ripped clothes He is thankfully (touch wood) fully house trained now. We have bells that he headbutts when he wants to go outside. And he has also stopped bite-y playing. Occasionally we will feel the teeth on skin still but when that happens we are consistent in the loud noise and stopping play time thing. He is getting it much better. He can still be a puller on the leash but that is mainly when he is over-stimulated or tired or thirsty, so we just have to make sure we know whats going on and if he has had enough rest. But we are just very happy to report that he is becoming the cuddly charmer we had wished for! Thank you all so much for your help and advice! New pictures http://goslingphotographyblog.com/category/sherlock/ |
| I'm glad to hear things are falling into place for you and Sherlock. What a cute baby - keep taking pictures, it passes way too quickly! |
Okay, you got our advice now we want pictures!!!  ) Enjoy your sweet little Sherlock. Love the name! |
You want pictures        |
| When we say pictures, you supplied GREAT pictures! What a wonderful little pup! |
OMG. SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH. I'm mentally squishing your puppy! |
| So cute Beautiful pics |
Love the pics!!! Glad to hear he is settling in  |
| Again, great pictures! The laying down, head between paws - typical sheepdog pose! Always so cute |
| Oh how cute. What a lovely puppy. |
| Sherlock is adorable! Thanks for sharing the photos. |
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