What do I need for a new puppy?

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Luce
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Luce »

This might sound weird and sorry if you’ve already done this but have you tried doing a high pitch yelp every time she bites? It was the only thing that worked on Roxy. That and her jumping up all the time nearly drove me potty. It does settle down a lot as they get older.

Oh and the bit just before she’s fully vaccinated is really hard! You’re all desperate to get out the house. Long walks will tire her out, even more so if you have a safe place to let her off the lead with loads of stuff to look at and play with.
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Luna
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Luna »

I remember the bitey stage very well. It gets better after 6 months. All her baby teeth should have gone by then. Puppies are hard work and yes, hopefully when she can go out , this will tire her out. Have you tried any proper training for her?
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overthehill
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by overthehill »

Luce wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:33 pm This might sound weird and sorry if you’ve already done this but have you tried doing a high pitch yelp every time she bites? It was the only thing that worked on Roxy.
I agree. I seem to remember our cats were very similar as kittens. Both R and I were covered in tooth marks and scratches. The only thing I can say is that we never retaliated physically, or got angry, and it eventually stopped - or nearly stopped (Foggy still shows his affection with an occasional nibble). The important thing was to let them know that they'd hurt you and you didn't like it, and to do it without accidentally turning it into a game.
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purple_dress
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by purple_dress »

My sister's trainer has also told them to say 'no' and turn their back on their puppy when he does something like jumping up or biting. Once he's being good, he gets attention again and a fuss.
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Little My
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Little My »

Thanks, Luce. Yes, we have tried the yelping technique. It literally just makes her bite more. And she has a lot of toys to bite, which we do still try to use as a diversion and it sometimes helps.

Luna, we haven't tried a professional trainer. My friend is taking her puppy to see a behaviourist next week, so I will get their details if they're helpful. (Her pup is a bit older.) I also spotted there are outdoor puppy training classes in my new neighbourhood, so may well check that out once she's vaccinated. To be honest, it feels like there is little to be done but wait for her to settle down. I just don't know when that will be and if I will lose my marbles in the process.

She is very food motivated. So we give her lots of praise and treats when she is well behaved, or able to calm down when asked. And use things like stuffed Kongs so the kids can sit and eat at the table without being bitten.

Here she is from when we moved in two weeks ago.
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She was almost 3 months in that pic, and is definitely on the big side. (Not insanely huge, that's a kiddie chair not adult sized.) So as you can see, it's a very different prospect having her jump on you and bite versus a kitten. One of my kittens was a bit bitey, and it's like night and day. I have had to physically push her away, or hold her by the collar because she's really attacking. It's not something you could turn your back on. She often doesn't stop until given space.
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Luna
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Luna »

Do you do time out in her crate? We did this a lot with Poppy! Also we’d give her pizzle sticks to chew (cow penis 😝) she loved just sitting there gnawing on those!
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Cosmopolitan
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Cosmopolitan »

Oh the bitey stage. It's so awful! I would immediately stuff a toy in her mouth when she tried to bite which helps. I mean, the house looks dreadful because there are toys everywhere but it helps. And the few weeks before she's vaccinated enough to go out but has allll the energy, it's so tough. Have you tried lots of throwing toys and balls around? We got a 10 metre long lead which really helped with her being able to run.
And Lunas suggestion of long lasting bones / puzzles / nylabones all will allow her time to chew safely.

It really gets better soon though, once the puppy teeth fallout, it's pretty miraculous.
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overthehill
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by overthehill »

Little My wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:04 pm She was almost 3 months in that pic, and is definitely on the big side. (Not insanely huge, that's a kiddie chair not adult sized.) So as you can see, it's a very different prospect having her jump on you and bite versus a kitten.
Yes, sorry, I didn't mean to belittle the nuisance and pain of the same behaviour exhibited by a much larger and heavier animal.
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Little My
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Little My »

overthehill wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:04 pm
Little My wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:04 pm She was almost 3 months in that pic, and is definitely on the big side. (Not insanely huge, that's a kiddie chair not adult sized.) So as you can see, it's a very different prospect having her jump on you and bite versus a kitten.
Yes, sorry, I didn't mean to belittle the nuisance and pain of the same behaviour exhibited by a much larger and heavier animal.
You know what, I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude. Those crazy kitten claws and little razor teeth digging in like they really mean business isn't nothing either. I suppose the big difference, to me, is that it isn't frightening compared with they way my pup is right now.

Another friend has a puppy one month older than Gilda, and it's a smaller breed that literally isn't much bigger than a large guinnea pig right now and barely utters a noise. It's so different! It couldn't even get its jaws around your wrist.

You know, I picked up a bag of bully sticks this morning and then decided against them. I've been regretting it all day.. I will get them! Even though they had detectable hair on them. :vomit:

Thank you for all the ideas everyone. It has been nice to vent as well. Fingers crossed we are at the worst of it. She just totalled one of my favourite t-shirts on the last walk. :(
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Duophonic
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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It will pass. Innes is mainly ok at 9 months but his recall is down the tubes and is so bouncy the jumping up on folk is unreal.

I'm covered in bruises, my broken finger is still broken months later and I have a few scars from his claws catching me.
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Little My
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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What happened to your finger, Duo?
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Duophonic
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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I fell a few months ago out walking him. Not strictly his fault but he's getting the blame.
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Little My
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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Luna wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:41 pm Do you do time out in her crate? We did this a lot with Poppy! Also we’d give her pizzle sticks to chew (cow penis 😝) she loved just sitting there gnawing on those!
Oh! I meant to say no, we don't usually do time out in her crate. Mr LM did put her in there a couple of days ago so we could all eat dinner in peace because she would not listen to 'NO' at all. She usually just gets put in her crate for bedtime and nap time when I want to go out. I'm afraid of making her hate her crate. But that's not to say it would be a problem. Man there are so many conflicting opinions on the use of crates.
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Little My
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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Duophonic wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:25 pm I fell a few months ago out walking him. Not strictly his fault but he's getting the blame.
Oh, I must have missed that! Ouch! (This isn't making me feel better. :lol: ) You poor thing though.
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Livilla
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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We never used the crate for discipline, but were lucky in that we could shut her in or out of the kitchen when it all just got too much, and she was just in the way/too exuberant/too bitey. It is so hard though! Hang in there, it will improve. I used to try and mentally tire her out when she was being a nightmare - take her out on a lead and change direction every 20 steps or so with loads of “sit” and “stop” while doing it. Extremely boring for you marching up and down a small section of garden or pavement (and looking very odd to passer-bys :)) ), but it definitely helped.
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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Livilla wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:49 pm We never used the crate for discipline, but were lucky in that we could shut her in or out of the kitchen when it all just got too much, and she was just in the way/too exuberant/too bitey. It is so hard though! Hang in there, it will improve. I used to try and mentally tire her out when she was being a nightmare - take her out on a lead and change direction every 20 steps or so with loads of “sit” and “stop” while doing it. Extremely boring for you marching up and down a small section of garden or pavement (and looking very odd to passer-bys :)) ), but it definitely helped.
How is Kiwi now, Liv? My sister is still really struggling with her Viszla (male, 10 months). He jumps up loads and wants attention all the time.
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Luce
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Luce »

I'd not use the crate for time outs either; it should be their safe haven rather than a place of punishment. We did a lot of Being A Tree* :))

*just stand up tall with your arms crossed, looking up. Really, really hard to get the kids to do this when they should.
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

Post by Toast »

Yes, I've read that about crates being their safe space too. Not that we can get Ziggy near one.

We didn't have Ziggy from a puppy but did (and still do) the yelping or a loud "ow!" and he got that eventually. A deep, stern voice and a loud clap also worked for us to some degree. He can definitely tell what our crosss voices sound like at least.

I also put him in timeout which for us is just a spot in the hall that's not of any interest to him. Mostly I lead him there and then walk away only for him to get up almost straight away but he does seem to recognise it for what it is. I'd really recommend a harness for this as you have a little more control and it won't tug on Gilda's neck.

I think the key things for us have been consistency and keeping it up even when you feel like (and probably have) done the same thing a hundred times and it isn't working.

Something I also read a lot was correcting the bad behaviour (and rewarding the good) at the exact moment it occurs. So if I notice that Zig has peed on the floor after the event, for example, I don't correct that behaviour because he likely won't know what he's getting a telling off for. If I catch him about to do it, I encourage (drag) him ouside and if I catch him in the act then I reprimand.

Oh yes, one other thing is to make sure you're all using the same commands. Ziggy likes to eat the sofa and sometimes I'd say "no biting" and other times it might be "stop chewing". Or, "hey! Ziggy! What do you think you're doing? Stop eating the furniture you naughty boy" which is utterly confusing to him. Just "no biting" in a stern voice, perhaps with a clap is much more constructive.
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Livilla
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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purple_dress wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:34 pm How is Kiwi now, Liv? My sister is still really struggling with her Viszla (male, 10 months). He jumps up loads and wants attention all the time.
She is 14 months old now, and a really lovely dog - gentle, very affectionate and very good at listening and following instructions. We have worked on leaving her on her own in the house (the longest has been for 2.5 hours so far, and we aren’t planning on leaving her for longer than that - we have a dog sitter for longer periods) and the only times she is a bit overexuberant is when we come back home - she is desperate for attention then! But she doesn’t do any damage to the house or bark while we’re away. She is really good at taking herself to her crate when the house is in a bustle - getting everybody ready for school and out the door, mostly :))

I have heard that male Vizslas are more needy than females - but the adult males I know are delightfully chilled dogs, so may be your sister’s will be better as he grows up? 10 months is still very much an adolescent.
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purple_dress
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Re: What do I need for a new puppy?

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Thanks! She sounds lovely. They've not left him alone at all yet and yes, he's still young (but massive). My sister is 4 months pregnant so that's not helping with her ability to deal with it all.
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