constantly biting at the whole family, including the children. No matter what we do he will not stop. WE say no,we put him in another room alone,we give him chew toys,etc. My kids are afraid to even play with him. He jumps on the kids and knocks them to the ground as soon as they come into the room. What are we doing wrong?
2006-09-12 04:23:32 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
He's a puppy. A lot of them go through a "nipping" stage. Have you ever seen dogs (especially puppies) play together? It always seems like one tries to engage the other by nipping at ears, tail, legs, etc. to get them to play.
That's what you puppy is doing. He'll grow out of it, but for the meantime you need to let him know he can't nip. Squirt him with a water bottle when he does and say "no". Give him some chew toys. He still may be teething. Get a toy that you can put in the freezer and that might help.
My puppy is 8 months old, and is just getting through that stage. He used to put my toes in his mouth and bite down just enough so that I would feel it. He was teething, just like a baby.
Also, make sure you play with him and walk him. Exercise will wear him out so that he doesn't nip when he's at home.
Good Luck!!! LK
2006-09-12 05:04:57 · answer #1 · answered by Laura 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a 4 year old newfoundland and we were surprised when we got him at how rowdy he was! They are very, VERY rambunctious until they're about a year old. They will also try and be the alpha male, so you must show them who is boss!! Don't let them jump on the kids. It's a dominance thing. He will settle down a bit when you get him neutered.
However, you MUST nip the biting in the bud now because it will be a much different story when the dog is 150 pounds and is jumping on people and biting. If you haven't already, get the binaca breath spray and spray his nose with a short spray each time he bites, then say, "NO!" Our breeder recommened this and it worked really well. We also used the leash idea the other poster gave. It was great at showing him who was boss. I recommend you go to Pet Smart and get a kind of lead called a Gentle Leader. It is fantastic. Keep his gentle leader on and attach a leash to it and give it a sharp tug when he bites or disobeys.
If this doesn't help, you need to see a behavior specialist or take him to obedience classes right away. A dog that size that is unmanageable will be a huge liability to your family.
Also, if he is biting so much now, don't walk him without a muzzle. Sounds cruel, but it's better than him breaking loose (my Newfie has doen that on occasion, they are just SO STRONG) and biting someone.
They're awesome dogs, I couldn't love my Henry more, but they take a lot of work. GOod luck!
2006-09-12 11:41:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you say "No!" Make it the law! Put him on a leash and keep him on that leash in the house. When he does something you don't want him to do, Say a stern and demanding "No!" and give a quick yank of the leash. Just once! Do the jerk and say the word at the exact same time! He will learn the word No is not negotiable.
Do this until the jerk is no longer needed. But don't expect him to learn with after just one time. You may have to keep him on the leash for a couple days. Make sure every adult in the house is on the same page. This will teach your dog to resond to your "No" without the jerk and you will have a dog that will be a treasure to own and you will be the envy of all your friends.
2006-09-12 11:35:22 · answer #3 · answered by north79004487 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two words: OBEDIENCE TRAINING
A Newf is a very large dog that needs strict discipline when there are children in the house. They are a working dog by nature and need something to occupy their minds.
He may just be playing and not realize how big he is, but this can lead to frustration and true aggression if he is just punished for it and not given an outlet for his energy.
Get him trained, and make certain the entire family is involved in the training to assure everyone is on the same page with him.
2006-09-12 11:31:40 · answer #4 · answered by searchpup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My trainer recommends only allowing it to chew on nylabones or this other toy available at petsmart that is a rubber thing you stick bones in and they chew it in an effort to get the bones out...not caring to chew anything else, because there isn't a prize involved. PetsMart offers training classes, which i will be enrolling my puppy in...they are 8 week (once weekly) sessions, that cost $109...I looked in on a session, and whatever they were doing was working as far as training them to listen to commands. I'd give it a whirl if i were you...
2006-09-12 12:05:37 · answer #5 · answered by Honey Bear 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your dog may be perceiving your negative reaction as positive attention. You may have to just ignore the dog completely and leave the room when it acts like that. Then when he sits and calms down, praise him like crazy.
All dogs at this age are mouthy, because of teeth coming in. But puppy needs to know that teeth on people is never okay. It may be too late to develop bite inhibition at this point, but you can try yelping really loud whenever he puts his teeth on you, like his littermates would do. This teaches him how much pressure is too much. Scream even if he isn't hurting you, because you don't want him gnawing on your kids.
2006-09-12 11:48:56 · answer #6 · answered by drumrchick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
TRAINING
Your dog is a baby at six months, yes a big baby but still just a young dog and he needs to be in training classes. You need to teach dogs that theplay biting in not good behavior and that you are not going to tolerate it.
This is a large dog and should never be around small children unsupervised.
Get into some training classes and start working with this dog. If not you are going to have more problems comming soon.
2006-09-12 11:35:51 · answer #7 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You have what will become a very big dog, so control from the start is very important.
No doubt there are obedience clubs in your aria, get your dog enrolled in some classes.
But there are reasons that Newfies are called "Gentle Giants" so this is a bit confusing. My kids have had several Newfies and I have never seen one want to bite anything,,,,,,, now slobber,,,,,,,, yikes
2006-09-12 11:45:39 · answer #8 · answered by tom l 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact the breeder. Once a newf won the westminster crap came out of the woodwork to breed them and make a buck in the back yard.
It is a large dog. If the breeder will not or can not help you contact big dog rescue for advice.
2006-09-12 11:52:20 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Training - He needs basic obedience quickly or you are going to have a serious problem.
Sounds like he has taken the role as alpha
Watch Cesar Milan the dog whisperer on the History channel
2006-09-12 11:30:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋