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help with my pup

19 9:19:17

Question
Hi, I have a great dane puppy. He is 8 weeks old. I have had him for two weeks now and he has learned to like the crate and also the sit command. However, i have 2 very frustrating problems. 1. He seems to absolutely hate the sun so we cannot go for walks bc he backs up and wants to go inside(its not the leash bc i got him used to that by letting him walk around the house with it for days). 2. his biting problem is outrageous! I have tried bitter apple spray and yelping like a mother and turning back for minutes at a time but he still does it. This kills play time for us and I am in fear of losing my bond with him. He doesn't go to obedience school for another 2 weeks bc of his age. what can i do?

Answer
It may just be outside, not the sun.  Try taking him out later in the evening.  Also talk to the vet about it, it could be a vision problem.  

As for the biting, there isn't any quick, easy solution.  Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find one that won't yelp, jerk their hand away, and leave.

You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens. Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords. Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.