Jack Russell/Pug Mix Advice Needed

Question
Hi Carol,

We have a 8 month old Jack Russell-Pug mix (JUG) named Reece as part of
our family. She has been with us since March 2007. Reece is a beautiful,
healthy dog and has a nice temprement. My question involves 2 things. First
Reece loves to chew and bite, she has destroyed many pairs of shoes in our
house even after we have encouraged her with proper chew toys and sprayed
bitter apple on all of our shoes. We have 2 small children who have a habit of
leaving their shoes on the floor and it is difficult to keep them out of Reece's
reach. Is there anything you would suggest that we should try to keep this
from happening. Reece also likes to bite in a playful way and I want to
discourage that also. I realize she is still a puppy but I want to reinforce
positve behavior with her. Second, she has a bad habit of pooping on the
floor in the house even after she has been walked. We normally walk her 4-5
times a day. She does not normally urinate in the house at all. Any
suggestions to help correct this behavior. She is very Jack Russell like with
tons of energy and a desire to go,go,go and play. Reece will be starting a
puppy training class this month.

Thanks for your advice.

Mark

Answer
Hello Mark
It sounds like you're doing the right thing with removing the "unchewables" and the bitter apple spray is a good idea too. The only other thing I can suggest is, when she IS chewing something she isn't supposed to, startle her out of it with a loud NO - immediately take the item away and replace it with something she can chew. She is still a puppy and chewing is just something they HAVE to do. It does get better as they get older. You might want to give her something to chew on that lasts a long time like a nice big rawhide roll. I put mine in the refrigerator because they LOVE the coldness of the chew, and it keeps them busy and chewing for a longer time.  
The playful biting is a completely different issue and a serious one. You can't EVER let her bite, even if only playing. It's the same thing with tug-of-war games. When you "let" them bite or purposely play a game of who's the boss, you are sending a message that is basically making your dog the dominant one.
Tell your kids, the SECOND she starts biting that they have to immediately stop playing.  If they are playing with a toy with Reece, drop the toy and FREEZE in place and completely ignore her. It takes some time but she will eventually learn that any biting will not be tolerated.
I don't know how old your children are but if they can say NO BITE when they freeze it will help. Of course, when you are playing and she starts play biting, you have to do the same thing.
Another less used but very helpful tactic is (this is going to sound crazy but it works) instead of immediately freezing, you could literally act like a litter mate (puppy) and shriek/cry like a puppy, high pitched and hurt, walk away and then freeze. I know, I know,  it does sound silly, but you are trying to get into the brain of an 8 month old puppy and this is something that they are genetically wired to understand.
As with any "baby" repetition and consistency is important and not to ever deviate from your system - like letting her get away with it sometimes.
Lastly, the pooping saga...... walking her 4 or 5 times a day is great, but to house train a puppy, you have to take her out of that house on an hourly basis. I usually do this with my puppies starting at 8 weeks old, and they are trained within two weeks. Reece is older but it's never too late to start.... I have heard back from people who had to "retrain" their 5 year old dogs from going in the house.
It's the same thing....repetition and consistency....
Take her out in the yard to pee/poop on a leash if necessary and wait until she "goes", or at least tries to go. When she DOES go, you have to be insanely over-excited and lavish her with praise and even a little treat like a tiny piece of cheese or something. You are sending her a positive reinforcement message of HEY THIS IS A GREAT THING I'M DOING OUT HERE!! There will obviously be times that she won't have to go, but take her out anyway, every hour, if you can, eliminating the opportunity to have an accident in the house. (In the beginning, I even take my puppies out around the clock... not easy for the average working person I know, but it works and it works fast.
You won't have to do this crazy stuff for very long because once they learn, they learn forever. It's very hard in the beginning because it demands a lot of your time, but it is so well worth it when you have a dog that is well trained and respects you.  Puppy training class is great, and lots of fun too!
Best of luck with everything, you can do it!!
Take care, write anytime.
Carol