Advice Please!

[CFeely]

Hiya. dont know if this will help but worth a try….. I have 3 dogs, the first one was and is a very large dog which was rescued and had no manners when he arrived, so I had to do something fast! He used to take the treats, hand, arm and all at the same time! I taught him the command ‘be gentle’. If he wasnt gentle he didnt get the goodies. If he tried to snap I just put my finger in front of his face, between the treat and him, and repeated the words be gentle. He very quickly learned the command. My other two later additions have been taught the same thing and it works a treat. I also use the command if play gets a little too rough, and they back down and start licking instead of biting. It has to be said with a firm voice though…. and dont give in! It should only take a very short while for the dog to realise what he needs to do and what the command means. Best of luck and hope it works as well for you and your family

[jojo20]

Hi, can i suggest you look at this link and download the FREE pdf book by Ian Dunbar- After you get your puppy!
http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads
There is a section on mouthing and taking treats appropriately. Every puppy owner should have this bible.

Those needle sharp teeth can really hurt and the poor puppy is also teething. On the fosters we had from DID i used teething gel and a chew ring. It helps sooth their gums and they loved it. (its about 6euro from pet stores)

Also ask the kids to let a big YELP! and remove their hands from near puppy mouth. Even if the pup being gentle still yelp. You want to each the pup that us humans are wimps and as soon as their mouths touch us it hurts. If the pup continues to come back mouthing then everyone up and leave the room or remove the pup to another room alone, with no toys etc. This might take numerous times, but if your consistant the pup will learn as soon as i mouth play stops and thats not fun. When pup is playing with no mouthing make sure there is lots of praise ‘good puppy’ etc etc so the association of good things happen when no mouthing. Start this inside if outside you say the pup gets over excited he/she may not be able to stop itself from mouthing thro excitment.
Ideally puppy socialisation classes with trainers who use positive reinforcement will help you and bring the kids along.
Good Luck

[Author]

Posts