behaviour problem

Question
Hello sir,
     I have a doberman puppy which is 2 month and 10days old. sometime it behave arrogant and bite us. please suggest us how to handle those situation.
     Does those bite, can creat problem to us. should we take some medical precaution for those dog bites.
      Also please suggest how and when to start giving trainning to our puppy.


Suraj.

Answer

Hi Suraj,

Your puppy is acting like a normal, healthy puppy that hasn't been trained to behave otherwise! If your puppy bites, and breaks the skin, wash the area well with soap and water. If your puppy has had all his inoculations, you aren't in danger of getting sick.

You can learn how to gain control of your puppy, and make him stop biting,  here:

http://www.perfectpaws.com/bite.html

http://www.doggonesafe.com/stop%20puppy%20from%20biting.htm

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/how-to-stop-a-puppy-from-biting.htm...

Make sure you (and people in your household) aren't playing "mouth games" with the puppy that encourage him to put his teeth on people for any reason. Never entice your  puppy to bite you. Games like tug-of-war, play-fighting and waving your hands in front of the puppy instead of using toys, can encourage the puppy to bite.

When your puppy nips, you need to react with a loud  "Yipe!", or "Ouch!" of pain the way another dog would,  every time your puppy's teeth touch your skin, whether it hurts or not, so your puppy will understand this vital concept: no teeth on people... ever!  The "yipe" sound should be so sudden and sharp that the puppy is immediately startled and stops the behavior. If done correctly, you will be surprised at how instantly the pup removes his mouth and looks bewildered. At that point, quickly substitute a toy, such as a ball, the puppy can chew on. This redirects the puppy's biting behavior to the ball. This way the puppy learns it is no fun at all biting you, but chewing on the toy is. You may need to do this multiple times if the puppy gets over-excited in play. If your puppy ignores your reaction and bites again, repeat your yelp, and quickly leave the room for a few minutes. Let your puppy know that when he bites, he will lose his playmate. This, too, mirrors the reaction he would get from another puppy if he played too roughly.

Reinforce your puppy's good behavior. Whenever he licks you without using his teeth and whenever he plays nicely and appropriately, give him plenty of praise. Never hit or punish your puppy for nipping. He simply don't understand what you're punishing him for, and it can cause other behavioral problems.

Begin teaching the "off" command after your puppy has stopped biting with any pressure. Hold a handful of the puppy's dry food, close your hand and say "off." After a few seconds, if the puppy has not touched your hand, say "take it" and give him a piece of food. You are teaching him that "off" means not to touch. Practice "Off," "Sit," and "Settle Down" many times during your puppy's play sessions, and you will soon have an easily controllable adult dog, one that has learned to listen to you no matter how excited and worked up he may be. Do not play with your pup without frequent interruptions. Have short timeouts at least every fifteen seconds or so to check that you're in control and can easily and quickly get the puppy to let go, calm down, and settle down. The more you practice, the more control you'll have. You can read more about training your puppy to settle down here:

http://dogtime.com/dog-training-settle-down-dunbar.html

http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/training2.html

Be patient, and be consistent in your training! As your puppy's behavior improves and his bites are softer, continue to yelp whenever he puts his teeth on you. Make it clear that all bites are painful and unacceptable to humans. This problem didn't start over night, and this won't be fixed over night, but it's definitely something you can teach your puppy. Now is the time to do this, if you don't get this under control soon your puppy will have learned that he can dominate you. That's something which will lead to a host of other problems.

If you're still having trouble getting your puppy trained on your own, then it's time to get some professional help, from a live and in person trainer. Enrolling in a  "puppy kindergarten" obedience class is an excellent way of teaching a puppy the basic obedience he needs to know, and is also helpful in socializing him.  Ask your veterinarian if they can refer you to a dog obedience class, or look for a dog obedience school in your local yellow pages.

Best of luck,

Patti