Raising a Well Behaved Puppy

Tilly

WHY DOES MY PUPPY BITE AT MY HANDS WHEN WE ARE PLAYING? Puppies naturally use their mouths for social interactions, including play, but this can be dangerous because even a playful bite may lead to injury. When correcting your puppy, do not hit him or yell. This may just make him frightened of you. Tell him "no" in a firm voice and offer him an appropriate object to chew such as rawhide or a chew toy. Exercise in the form of walks or games like "fetch" can also lower his desire to bite.

WHY DOES MY PUPPY CHEW ITEMS AROUND OUR HOUSE AND HOW CAN I STOP THIS? Puppies learn a lot about their environment by sniffing, tasting, and chewing on objects. Your puppy may also be teething or may simply be bored. To minimize this problem, provide acceptable toys or rawhide bones for your puppy to chew. When you see your puppy chewing on an unacceptable object, interrupt him with a loud, sharp "no" or a water squirt, then redirect the chewing behavior to the new objects. Also, remove all harmful items such as electrical cords until your puppy is over his chewing stage. When you cannot supervise the puppy, confine him to a safe area.

WHY DOES MY PUPPY JUMP UP ON PEOPLE WHEN HE MEETS THEM? Dogs are social animals and often jump up on people to be eye to eye when greeting them. Although you may consider it cute when your dog is a puppy, this behavior can become annoying as he gets bigger. Be careful not to reinforce the behavior. Whether the interaction is positive or negative, your puppy still achieves his goal of getting your attention. Train your puppy to behave appropriately, by teaching him to sit during greetings. When he sits reward him with praise. Use a leash to correct jumping behavior with a gentle pull downward.

WHY DOES MY DOG BARK? Dogs bark for many different reasons (greeting, play, attention, boredom, defense, and alarm) and use different tones of barks in different situations. They communicate and warn other animals away from their territory by barking. They also bark at sounds that we cannot hear. Keeping your dog well exercised and stimulated will cure the most common cause of incessant barking which is boredom. If your dog already has a habit of barking, a good way to stop it is to try using a loud noise such as a can filled with coins or keys to startle him each time he starts to bark. At the same time say "No!" in a firm tone. The secret to success is to keep this up until he learns it is inappropriate behavior. This will take effort on your part, but you will be well rewarded.

WHY DOES MY PUPPY DIG IN MY YARD? Try to ascertain your puppy's motivation to dig. Generally providing the puppy with plenty of exercise and attention will decrease digging caused by boredom and inactivity. If he is lying in the holes he has dug, this may mean he is trying to control his body temperature. Make sure he has a comfortable location on both hot and cold days. If he is digging for prey, your dog should be moved to another area.

WHY DOES MY PUPPY EAT GRASS? Almost all dogs eat some plant material, but it's important to make sure your puppy isn't eating anything poisonous. When dogs have an upset stomach, they may eat grass to induce vomiting and help relieve their discomfort. Grass eating may also be a holdover of a natural method to control intestinal parasites. If this is the case, use modern deworming treatments as they are more effective.