Biting puppies - Page 1

Hi all, I have posted an add selling my puppies but I still have 4 males left. They are 8 weeks old and bite and chase everything. My kids can't move without them grabbing on a pant leg or shirt sleeve. My question is how do you break this behavior without hurting their drive. They are not afraid of anything and I don't want to use a newspaper or anything that will affect them if a sport person or police department use them. Just need some thoughts from experienced trainers because I am very green to puppies.

Don't even think about it!! Teach your kids to walk with a puppy hanging off them or be there to redirect the little sharks attentions to something else!! You don't want to use a newspaper unless you intend to read it or smack yourself in the head with it!! What was the purpose of this breeding?? A big part of how a puppy is raised depends on its adult station in life.. Puppies should be full of it, and if they are all together, they will incite each other.... If their mother is still tolerant of them, she may help some. If your kids are really young, I'd be every careful about unsupervised sessions... They need sessions every day where they get to explore new places and things and sometimes even one at a time, will help to stimulate and socialize them and give them something to do besides be a pirhana!!

you can't/shouldn't. if you break this desirable behavior you will hurt the drive and ruin the puppy. If it bothers you,separate them some but this is a good thing the chasing and biting. IMO

My kids are 9 and 6. They play with the pups daily. They will bring one or two in and play with them. All the pups I have sold have went to working homes as that was what my intent was. I am keeping one male and having him trained. I am a coalminer and work 6 days a week and usually 12 to 14 hours a day so I don't have a lot of free time. I love the breed and tried to produce some awesome puppies and I believe I have achieved that but I will leave the breeding to more experieced people as raising a litter of working puppies can be very hard and demanding.

Keep the kids in a kennel until the puppies are gone. ;-) Get some hard rubber chew toys. Have enough handy that any time a puppy starts chewing on a kid the chew toy can be subsituted. Don't breed again until you do some research and learn more about what to expect, and how to raise puppies. This is perfectly normal behavior for puppies and should not be squashed.

I may not be the best puppy man around but I have handled and been involved with working dogs for years. I just don't think it is wise to let puppies be the dominant pack member. Most people I have talked with tell me to keep the pups below the kids ranking in the pack,that is my question. They say this leads to a puppy becoming dominant. How do you show the pups that they rank lower and should not bite there dominate pack members. I don't plan on breeding again as I stated but I did not post this messeage to be insulted. I love and have been involved for years with high drive working dogs so I know what to expect I just need a little help with pups

I would not even want a pup if they didn't act this way. Wear old clothes around them. You should expect to have bloody ankles too! Training should be already started having them chase a sock on a rope etc....

I agree desertRanger. I wouldn't own one either. I just don't want the pup I am keeping to grow into a dominate dog and think he rules my kids. But on the other hand I don't want to break his drive either. I have a ball, a ball on a string, chew toys, and old sacks I use to play with them. All the pups are sitting on command for some food right now and even though my question sounded like it, the pups are actually very sweet at times. I just was wondering what other people thought about this behavior and if it leads to a dpminate dog?

jjude, you have received excellent advice, I'll bet you don't follow it. DKiah, you understand the working pup and what it needs.

jjude.. your children will always be equal to (less often) or lower than (more often) a puppy in the pack.. children are just not mature enough to be a leader and be consistent enough in their behaviors and a puppy can tell that right away. And there is no way, IMO or experience, to make it otherwise.. it has to be the adult humans job to supervise the workings within the pack.. you can intervene but once you are gone, all bets are off and kids will be kids. Puppy behavior is why we love them so much.. one minute they are sleeping and angelic and the next minute.. all hell has broken loose and there is usually blood and screaming!! Been raising litters for many more years than I care to admit and you are right, it is hugely demanding and time consuming.. my training of my own young competition female slides as does the housework and all my other chores, when we have a litter. You may want to contact your local search and rescue group, police dept.. there may be some interest in them taking a look at them.. probably not a lot of money involved.... but I got a decent tax writeoff when I donated my pick male to a SAR person who had just lost her dog in a tragic accident.. Good luck.... you and your family now have official "puppy clothes" !!!