HELPFUL PUPPY TIPS
How to Stop a Puppy from Biting
It is a very natural for young puppies to bite your hands and legs as a playful puppy behavior. It is very common for puppies to nip and 'mouth' you when they are being mischievous. This biting is rarely serious, but if this behavior continues in the future it can lead to many serious injuries. Therefore, it is very important to teach your puppy not to bite too hard and then gradually make them stop biting once and for all. You need to teach them to control their jaws and inhibit themselves from biting you. They should be taught to think before biting, so that in the future they do not indulge in biting.
Puppies learn not to bite too hard when playing with their litter and mother. If the puppy bites his siblings too hard, the other one yelps in pain and stops the
fun. And so the puppy learns not to bite too hard. In case he bites his mother a bit too hard, he is in for a good punishment. Therefore, it is important that you allow the puppy to live with his
mother for some longer time. The mother will teach the puppy in her way and it becomes easier to teach the puppy not do bite later on.
Puppies tend to do it more when they are teething. They want to sink in their teeth in just about anything they find during teething. Many dog owners become worried as the cute, cuddly pet
they bought home turns into a snapping machine. The puppy is not doing this on purpose, it is just a phase in its life. But you need to take some steps on dog training as this can turn into a
serious problem later on. You can try some of the best methods to stop a puppy from biting. If you are wondering how to stop a puppy from biting, the following tips will prove to be useful.
Tips to Stop Puppies from Biting
It is not a fun thing to let your puppy play with your hands and feet. This just gives the poor animal an idea that it is alright to
bite skin. Never allow your puppy to even bite your finger. You should stop a puppy from biting immediately as you do not want him to repeat it. You can try the following tips to stop a
puppy from biting:
1.) As soon as the puppy bites you or gives you a nip, give out a loud yell or say 'OUCH'. Give him a glaring stare and move away from there. Then come back after a minute with a toy. Ask
the puppy to play with the toy. If he bites you again, give out a loud yell and walk away. Puppies are very social and like to play. This sudden stopping of the fun will make them connect the
bite to 'no more fun' and they will try to stop biting. Also, they do not want to hurt you and the yell will reinforce the thought that the bite causes pain.
2.) If your puppy does not stop biting with the above technique, you can use a shake can. Take an empty soda can or Pringle containter, fill it with some
coins and tape the mouth shut. When you puppy bites, give a verbal command and simultaneously shake the can vigorously. You may even drop it next to the puppy and remember NOT to drop it
on the puppy. This will reinforce the verbal command and once he stops praise him.
3.) Redirect behavior to kissing. When your puppy bites, place your finger into the mouth and partially down the throat while you firmly say;
"Don't bite ,..only Kiss!". Then give your puppy a kiss. The puppy does not like the feel of your finger in that position. At first, you will have to repeat this action regularly, but will
see results quickly. Don't worry if your puppy temporarily gags, this is a natural response and you are not hurting your puppy.
If all else fails, remember, that when the puppy plays with others of his kind, he will learn the acceptable etiquette when he meets his own kind. This will help him control his behavior and help him release all his desire to play and bite with other puppies.
* Always give your puppy plenty to chew. Take him for walks and play fetch to take his attention away from biting. Whenever he licks (kisses) you without using his teeth, praise him and give him
treats. You should play with your puppy everyday for 15 to 30 minutes, at least twice a day. This will make him less attention seeking and avoid biting. Make sure all the members of the family
remain consistent with the verbal commands 'no biting'. Never over indulge in rough games like tug-of-war, as it will promote aggressive puppy behavior.
These were some puppy care tips on how to stop a puppy from biting. I hope you find it useful and are successful in stopping your little snapping machines from biting.
Potty Training in the New Home
Your Boggy Creek Bullmastiff puppy is 100% paper trained. We start at 2 1/2 weeks as we know the sooner the better. We want to raise puppies that we would want in our home. We use newspapers. Some people pick them up and only set them down at certain times of the day, but we wouldn't advise that as they are still just babies and need that "safe place" to "go". If they are confused (and they will be at first in their new home), they can't ask where to go,...so make sure their papers are in one spot. They need to know their papers are there until they no longer need them.
We start house training at 3 weeks, (as it takes no time to paper train at all). We use baby gates to make a path and call..."puppy, puppy, puppy, puppy, puppy !" At first we would led them to the back (through the house...very cute) and now when we open their kennel, they make a bee-line to the back door and out. We still keep papers on the back porch while they are in the screened enclosure playing. The newspapers are in the corner and out of the way, and they know where they are and if needed, will use them without redirection.
You will have to train your puppy as to where it needs to go both in your home and in the backyard. For your house training, you have to take your baby (carry him) to the door it is to use and open it. At first, your puppy may made need a little encouragement to even step out. ALWAYS GO WAY OVER THE TOP in praise (using their name, good puppy, etc.) when reinforcing any training. Do this to the point of being absurd and they will learn quickly.
If you don't want them to relieve themselves all over your yard,...carry them to where they are to relieve themselves and set them down. They may try to trot back to the door, but just calmly repeat the trip to the chosen location. You baby may just sit there at first (a test of wills)...but be consistent and they will learn the new routine VERY quickly. A temporary piece of newspaper at the location (X marks the spot) will also encourage them if need be.
Your puppy is bright, loves praise and is trained. The transition process should take no time at all. Remember,..you have a baby, and when excited while playing in the house, your baby may have accidents, but only because their little brain is overloaded. Little girls can not hold it as long as little boys. 2-3 hours for females is a long time for a puppy. Males can hold it for the better part of the day at this age. We've discovered it equates to one hour for each month of age.
We don't crate train our puppies. When you are gone, they will need to be in their "house". All we have to say to our adults is "Go in your house"...and they go in and lay down. When they were little, we put in absorbent puppy pads (they will rip up newspapers if left alone in their crate). The crate should be large enough for a sleep/play/foodie and potty area even though on your return, you may find your puppy as turned it into one big multi-purpose area.
Select an over-sized crate witha a plastic pan in the bottom. We use a 54" XXL size, which will hold two of our females, or our Male. A 48" is large enough for most adult mastiffs and if you purchase a small one now, you will be buying a larger one in less then a year.
Use these tips and you will be amazed with your baby and yourself. Remember, consistency with the entire family is the key to your success!
How to Stop Digging in Your Yard
We know that digging can make a real mess out of your yard, and once the habit is started, it can be hard to stop. Digging for some dogs is an activity that keeps them balanced.
Digging is a form of exercise and distraction, and, for a dog, it can be simply a matter of being bored and having nothing else to do. It’s especially common for Mastiffs to be diggers; when it’s part of their nature, they’ll often drain some of that extra energy by doing something that they are instinctually familiar with.
Human parents will bring their child to the playground and let them play in the sandbox, because digging is part of our nature as well. Today, we don’t use that ability often, but deep in our genes, we still crave it. So we have a specific place we allow kids to dig. That can be one option for you – to make a specific place in your yard where your dogs are allowed to do their digging.
If that is still not acceptable to you, you need to find a way to drain the energy they release by digging. Exercise is always the best way to drain any dog’s pent-up energy. Running with your dog, swimming with your dog, hiking with your dog – there are so many options.
Ask yourself, "Am challenging my dog enough physically so that they don’t feel the need to dig, bark, jump, or chew? Are they exercising, and for how long? If it isn’t long enough, then I would recommend intensifying that exercise. If you don’t have enough time, that’s when I would recommend putting backpacks on them, which can help by turning 30 minutes of actual exercise into an hour.
Now if exercise still fails,...try the old trick and it works for us. Collect the feces in the yard. Fill the hole with as much as you can collect. cover with a thin layer of soil. Your dog will avoid that location immediately. You will have to repeat this for any future holes, and if you are persistent, the digging will stop.