I have a huge problem?

Question

I have a puppy, shes 5 months old, and she has a huge problem with chewing and being very agressive, i know shes still a puppy, but so far she has chewed up a corner of our couch and a pair of new shoes i bought, plus shes way agressive with my little sister, she bites people alot and scratch's people alot. how can i fix her problem??

Answer 1

It's really a huge problem but a natural phenomena with pups. Get the puppy a bone or something to chew and nibble at!

Answer 2

Puppies tend to chew until they are about 2 years old. Give them plenty of chew toys. If you spot them chewing something that they should not give them a toy instead. Keep things like shoes put away where she can not get them.
They say that puppies will often chew when they are bored. Try to have plenty of things so that she won't be bored. While you are work, etc. put her in a roomy cage with her toys. This way she will not destroy your home and will not hurt herself by getting into something harmful.
I imagine the biting and scratching is playful behavior? When my dog was a puppy and bit or scratched I would say OUCH! and hold my hand where she hurt me. She would look at me and stop. I did that every time and she stopped. Puppies also have a lot of energy so that could be it too. Try running her by throwing balls for her to catch and taking her for walks.
Train her to sit, stay and walk on a leash. You should be able to find good books in your library.

Answer 3

I have a puppy a bit younger, he is a problem pup too. Petsmart has great training classes, also you can do private training with your dog there. You also get a certificate. All together it is 8 weeks. Try asking a Petsmart that you live near.
Though if the classes are too expensive ($99) you could always do it the Purina way. Whenever you see your dog chew or bite something that he isn't supposed to, have something good to chew with you. Scold him, then give him the good thing. (chew toy, treat, bone, ect.) When he gets that, praise him. This will teach him what and what not to chew.

Answer 4

It would help to know what breed of dog this is, but never, ever smack them or hit them especially with your hand!! Try the reward system - keep some snacks in your pocket when training so when say you're playing & she bites, say NO very firmly, if she doesn't bite again, give the treat. Chewing is natural for puppys, get something for her to chew on, like rawhide, rub with a little peanut butter which often helps them adapt, never use your socks or shoes to play with or they will chew all of them or them green or denta bone kinds of chews, they have been known to plug a dogs intestines & kill ! If you can't be there & keep her off furniture - crate them while you're out - the crate should not be too big & again do the reward training to get them to like the crate make it their dog house & safe space - also good for potty training, but never strike an animal especially with your hands & don't wrestle too much @ this time if she is really aggressive & use a toy to wrestle with, not your hands.

Answer 5

well there are a lot of things you can do but some of them may seem inhumane. If you are familiar with children you know that it takes time to get them to adjust to authority. It takes being mean sometimes to get results. Punishment is a way to train your puppy. Spank it and tell it NO!! and then lock it in a room for a while. I think you can buy a can of spray that contains a nasty taste to the dog which you can then spray on the furniture and things to try to prevent him from chewing everything up. The best probable solution to what you are asking is just to make it and outside dog and when you have the opportunity to work with him and try to train him better then maybe you can get him under control. Good Luck.



P.S. Don't leave brand new shoes and things laying around if you dont want them chewed up.

Answer 6

I have two dogs and they are relatively well behaved. I think you should get a crate for your puppy for the times when you are away. Believe it or not they adapt their crate as a bed and don't mind it. Pretty soon when you leave he will just go in when asked, but it might be a struggle at first. About the aggressiveness and biting; I would get a prong collar and start correcting him as soon as he starts to get into that behavior. If you have ever watched the dog whisperer dogs live in the NOW and they need to be corrected when they are doing the unwanted behavior. I think with a little work your puppy will be a great dog.

Answer 7

Your puppy is definitely teething and could use more exercise. They are very active at this age. I have three dogs and my youngest is fixing to be six months old. My best advise is take them for a walk morning and night. Buy her a Kong, that is the best invention ever made. You can put snacks in it, mine prefer cheese and its like a little doggie babysitter! In fact every time I make a sandwhich they bring me their kongs! too funny... Its chewy rubber and you can put it in the freezer. I would also recommend crate training. If your not home fill the kong with something and put them in a dog crate. Especially if you have company and your dogs are as hyper as mine, crates are a godsend! They know playtime is over if I say 'go to your crate.' Kongs definitely ease the anxiety, having something to occupy them helps. It definitley works for all of my dogs! The best thing for scratching is cutting their nails and when they go to jump up just stick your knee out. It is important that noone allow her to jump up because then they get confused about when its ok. I have Aussies and if they try to jump on you, theres a good chance they might knock you down! Good luck with your new puppy!

Answer 8

You need to correct the problem immediately, or it will only get worse. Dogs that are this destructive and aggressive at such a young age who do not receive proper discipline become more destructive and unpredictable as they get older -- and can end up doing a lot more damage to people and property.

Don't accept this as "puppy behavior". You need to put a stop to it immediately.

The best way to correct destructive or aggressive behavior is to be immediate and consistent.

Dogs have a only a brief window between "action" and "corrections", so you have to act quickly whenever you see behavior you do not like. That is, if your dog chewed up a shoe ten minutes ago, and you're just scolding her now, she doens't understand what you're yelling about. You have to correct the misbehavior as soon as it happens.

If you see your dog starting to chew on the couch, tell her firmly and calmly, "No chewing!", and repeat the command until she obeys it. Do NOT hit or slap at the dog; that only teaches her to be fearful of you. Push her away firmly, or quietly remove her from the room if you have to, and then IGNORE her for several minutes. If the misbehavior continues, correct it with the "no chewing" command, and push the dog away again, and ignore her again for a few minutes... Keep this up until you get the good behavior that you want.

As soon as the dog is compliant, lavish her with praise and affection. ((You have to be consistent with this; if you scold her for chewing one minute and let her chew the next, she won't understand what you want.)) It may take a few days, but eventually the dog will understand that it gets scolded & ignored for being "bad", and gets praise and attention for being good.

The same sort of behavior modification can be used on dogs that bite or scratch. The behavior is unacceptable, so NEVER accept it. When the dog nips, tell it calmly but firmly "No bite!" and put your hand over its muzzle to shut it's mouth. (Mother dogs put their mouths around their puppies' muzzles when the pups nip at them as a way to get them to stop.) Don't hit the dog or squeeze its mouth shut. Just hold the mouth closed for a few seconds and then release it -- and ignore the dog for a few minutes. If it nips again, correct it with the "no bite" command, shut its mouth, and then ignore it... Keep correcting the bad behavior until you get the good behavior you want. (With some pups, you may have to do the same thing several times in a row.) When the dog does what you want, praise it and show it lot of affection.

Using this technique you are not hurting or frightening your dog into submission; you are TEACHING it to modify its behavior to get praise and affection from you. The technique is humane, and the results are more beneficial and long-lasting.

If you try these corrective techniques for several days, and the dog still remains noncompliant and aggressive, the dog may need more focused attention from a dog trainer certified in dealing with dog aggression.

Answer 9

The best thing to do is start a time out discipline with her. When she acts/or does an unwanted behavior, tell her NO and put her in a kennel or somewhere away from others for a few minutes. Be very consistant with this to teach her that the behavior she is exhibiting is unwanted and what the consequences of her behavior are. She will learn very quickly but consistency is the key.

Answer 10

I think your gonna need a little help with this pup like going to puppy training classes otherwise the problem could get worse and worse!
She is only a pup now and it could get out of control nipping could turn into full on biting. Good luck with your pup and with the right training she will probably be a lovely dog