how do i stop my 13 week old puppy gwaling at me when i tell him "no"?

Answer 1

NEVER HIT A DOG WITH HANDS THATS WHY THEY GROW UP AND BITE PEOPLE..........Newspaper on the Nose and a FIRM no........Eventually he will be trained.

Answer 2

Do we really agree with hitting puppies on the head? I was under the impression that puppies have very delicate structures in their ears and nasal passages and smacking them anywhere around the head could easily cause permanent damage to these. I've NEVER hit my dogs around the head though a sharp tap on the rump has been delivered occassionally and seems to do the trick, more as a distraction than a punishment. I've also used the coins-in-a-tin method, hitting the GROUND next to the puppy with a newspaper, growling or barking at it myself and, in very extreme situations where the puppy is getting thoroughly over-excited and out of control, the pin-it-down-on-its-back trick that someone described in an earlier answer. At 13 weeks though your puppy still pretty much has mush for a brain and isn't going to learn by being punished. Generally distraction is better or, if this doesn't work, crate the puppy when it becomes aggressive and leave it until it calms down.

Answer 3

Please don't hit him EVER with anything, newspaper indeed! How would you like it for doing something that came naturally!

Move your hand away and tell him "NO!". If he carries on, get up and walk away from him preferably out of the room and leave him, definately don't go back into him if he is crying. When you return if he does it again, repeat the process. Dogs are pretty smart and soon learn which behaviour is acceptable and which isn't.....

Try distracting him too. Give him a toy or a chew.

The above worked with our Rottie when we first got him at 10 weeks old. He now knows that if he gnaws or chews our hand doesn't get attention and he hasn't done it since he was about 13 weeks old.

Hope that helps, but once again, please don't resort to hitting your pup you are asking for trouble in the long run.

Have a look at the site below, her books are by far the best and her advice is easy to follow and it works.

Answer 4

Cali - what a load of B.S.

Hitting a dog with an OBJECT puts a fear of the object in them. Much better that YOU are the obect & administrator of any small whacks on the nose. ALL of our dogs have been trained like that - ALL of them are incredibly well trained and have NEVER bitten anyody - even when their fur is pulled. So much so that one was a registered 'therapet' for a local hospital geriatric ward where hitting & pulling fur were common place and he would sit & take more than most dogs would....but he could do a bit of rough & tumble at home 'mouthing' my arms in play.

Dogs are pack animals and have a strict social order. By establishing the Alpha male/female roles early on ie. THE HUMANS - they will never dare bite, growl or nip a human as they KNOW it will result in a fight which they cannot win in terms of leadership (pretty much the only reason dogs fight). But use an object - and the dog will fear the object. If then it sees a neighbour's child with a similar thing eg. rolled up newspaper, it may attack the 'thing' (especially as it is not wielded or protected by a strong pack member) and by extension the child.

Answer 5

I agree with Dog Doc, 'no' is too abstract. Its very difficult to teach a dog to not do something, very easy to teach them to do a positive action. Plus you can reward them often instead of being an ogre, so its more rewarding being an owner with this attitude.
If your dog is growling at you at 13 weeks, something has gone wrong; he may be very dominant, and you may be a little inexperienced at handling. I'd strongly recommend you take him to puppy training classes as soon as possible, you'll learn lots of neat tricks to manage him and most importantly you can get on top of this before he gets bigger and more sure of himself.

I've just thought of something, are you saying a long 'no-o-o-o?' that rises up at the end like a question? If you are, stop, you need to be more definate when you handle a dog. (and kids come to think of it.) It sounds too much like a dog growl, just use a short sharp word.

Answer 6

Try to avoid telling him 'no' and use distraction and positive reinforcement instead.

For example, if he is chewing something he shouldn't have, give him something else that will attract his attention then remove whatever he was chewing.

If he urinates in the house, clean it up and ignore him while you do it. Don't tell him off. When he urinates where you want him to, praise him and make a fuss of him.

I have several dogs and I never use 'no'.

I teach words like 'leave' and 'off' to get my dogs to drop whatever they have in their mouth and to keep off furniture. 'Leave' also works to keep them away from anything harmful - this includes other dogs if I don't want mine to go near them.

I use 'out' to get them to go outside and I have words to get them to urinate or defacate.

They know all the basic commands like 'sit', 'down' and 'come' and they understand common phrases like 'do you want a biscuit?'

They probably don't know NO because it is such a negative overused word that conveys no real meaning. If one of my dogs was pulling on the lead and I said 'no' - what does that convey? What I really mean is 'walk next to me on a slack lead'. If I want my dog to do that I have to teach him how to do it and then give it a meaningful command - 'heel', 'close' etc..

If you constantly nag and scold your dog you will just be upsetting him - he will start to feel intimidated and threatened by you - hence the growling. He is growling because he is afraid of you and probably has no idea why he is being told off.

TEACH HIM! Be patient, be consistent, be fair, be firm.

He has only been on the planet 3 months and he doesn't speak your language - what do you expect from him?

You were still soiling your nappy and dribbling at 3 months - who was constantly shouting 'no' at you?

Answer 7

when your puppy starts tell it NO in a firm voice and move away from him and ignore him for a while until he calms down and stops.
This will teach him that you are in charge and what he just did was no acceptable.
(a dog should never i mean never be hit with your hand or any thing else as it can make him afraid of you of the person who did it. and may result in fear aggression.)

Answer 8

Puppies need training and if he won´t listen tap his nose with your hand or newpaper this should help! It has always worked with mine! Also buy a ball, teach him that this is his by playing and rolling it away from him so his interest is focused. You should find that soon the ball and not you will be his centre of attention! Hope this helps

Answer 9

The reason that dog whisperer guy is so successful is because he uses the methods I have used for years. Remember that although dogs make wonderful companions, they are still dogs, and they think like dogs. Treat them the way an alpha dog would. The best way to discipline a young dog is to flick them (don't hit or use a newspaper) on their nose, then grab them and make them lie on their back. It's showing them you are the dominant "dog" in his pack. If it gets excessive, either seek professional obedience training or get rid of the dog.

Answer 10

Spray 'Bitter Apple' on your hands and he will stop. You can find it at pet stores. Also thump him on the nose and give him a firm command of NO!
You also need to buy him either a chew rope or a rawhide bone.

Answer 11

Buy him a little toy to play with. Puppies like to gnawl so he need an alternative to you.