Biting and Barking

Question
Carrie,

I have a 6 mo. old black and white male pom who is already 12.5 pounds, but not overweight. When I got him from a pet store he was biting and nipping the other puppies in the large box they shared in the pet store (elevated with a glass rim ansd newspaper inside.) Well...he still bites, and at MY fingers, my feet, my legs, anything. I have tried holding his snout and the back of his head and saying "No biting" until he calms down and is submissive because if I don't wait that long he'll do it again once I remove my hand and make a "playful" sound/snarl. He also squirms around when I have his snout and whimpers. I have to struggle to hold on to him until he's calm otherwise he'll do it again or do it to get back at me. He's proud of his naughtiness unless he whimpers and I hold him down until he's calm.

Then there's when he's outside and finds something bad and I tell him to "Drop it" he holds on tighter. I've tried picking him up and sometimes the item will fall out. However sometimes it won't, especially if it's something really yummy like cat poop. When I try to remove it from his mouth he bites me in a very different, aggressive way. I guess it's stupid to put my hand in his mouth but I feel I should be able to teach him to drop the item. When he bites me at those times, it is very aggressive and painful, he's done the same to my boyfriend who made the mistake of trying to remove some poop after I had picked him up, so its not just me. I also watch him closely while were outside because if I don't he'll pick up anything from a tree branch to a napkin and carry it around proudly on his lead/walk. Why does he do this and how do I get him to stop? I have so many chew toys and treats and regular puppy toys, and I usually try to subsitute the toy to get my hand back or whatever he's play biting, but he's constently biting me. How can I get him to stop? When my boyfriend comes over he will bite his toes or legs and make the playful growl sound. It's like "look at me, give me the attention." However this needs to stop, I can't give him my attention all the time, and I've even taught my boyfriend to bend down straight away and say hello to "Sam". Any suggestions on getting him to stop nipping/biting?

As for the barking, he does the typical barking to get me to notice, barking at night in his crate, barking profusely at other dogs and some people, even my own two cats, and just won't stop. I've tried picking him up, holding his snout, making a loud noise, stomping my foot, ignoring the barking, and using a spray bottle. But he still barks. This is getting out of control. He definately seems to be an alpha dog, but I need to be the only alpha in our little family. Please help!

Answer
Hi Jenny,

Yikes! Sounds like you've got your hands full!  First of all, I'd like to mention that pet stores, as well as many backyard breeders are notorious for selling puppies with behavioral (aggressiveness, hyperactivity, etc.) and/or health problems.  Also, puppies kept at a pet store are sometimes very difficult to house train.  I have received lots of questions from people who have dogs that have problems due to poor breeding and/or socialization.

I realize that you didn't know this, but I want to put this out there in case someone else gets to read it. I don't want anyone to have to go through what you are going through or have they hearts broken because they have a sick puppy.

Here is an interesting site on breeding: http://wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm

Here is a response I wrote to someone who had the exact same problem:
{Did you purchase the puppy from a backyard breeder?  Hopefully, she is just not recognizing you as the alpha dog instead of the alternative--behavioral problems from
poor breeding.  It doesn't sound like normal pom behavior.  Poms are not near this aggressive.  By the way, you are rewarding her when you give her a toy after she bites you.  Here's what I recommend:  You must show the puppy that you are the boss!  The puppy receives nothing without obeying a command first.  This includes:  food, attention, treats, toys, etc.  In other words, make her
sit, lay down, speak, etc.  Do not allow her to sleep in your bed.  (Put her in a crate near your bed.)  Do not allow her on the furniture or the bed.  Higher physically means higher socially to a dog.  Do not hold her over your head.  Do not lay on the floor and allow her to lay on you. No dominant positions until she is completely retrained. No tug of war games.  She owns no toys--the toys are yours and you allow her to play with them.
Let her play with the toy for awhile and then take it away.  If she acts aggressive with a toy, take it away immediately.  Do not be mean to her, be sweet but firm.
If she growls or bites grab her by the scruff of the neck, shake and scold her in a low-toned, threatening voice, then look her in the eyes until she looks away.  Looking a dog in the eyes is dominant behavior.  Look her in
the eyes often until she looks away.  The first one to look away is the least dominant.  Don't allow her to get close to your face until trained not to bite.  I think you have a good chance of retraining her if you'll be consistant and firm.}

Jenny, is your pom neutered?  If not, neutering him will make him less aggressive and the sooner the better--small dogs mature at approximately nine months.  Put him on a leash when you take him outside.  This way you can prevent him from eating poop.  Yuck!  If he has something in his mouth you want him to drop--offer a yummy treat.  Treats work great for training.  I strongly suggest that you take him to a puppy or dog training class.  It would help a lot.

Please go to: http://perfectpaws.com/bark.html
They have excellent information on training your dog to stop barking.

If you are still experiencing problems after trying these suggestions I would suggest you contact a dog trainer/behaviorist.

Please keep me posted.  Don't give up and stay consistant and be persistant.  You can do it!

Best Regards,
Carrie
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS.