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Feb 2016
5:14pm, 21 Feb 2016
2,496 posts
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Alice the Camel
How did you stop the feet biting D2? Help! Charlie is mouthing/nipping hands which is starting to get quite painful at times. I've read on websites that I'm supposed to yelp like a hurt litter mate, remove my hands from his reach and ignore him. Unfortunately, Charlie hasn't read the same web pages and continues to bite, going for feet if he can't reach hands...
He's also very scared of cars. We've just started going for walks now his vaccinations are done but as soon as we reach the roadside he sits down and trembles and I can't get him to move again. There aren't many cars go past but it's as if he's already associated the road with them. Any suggestions? Perhaps I'm rushing things too much and should just stick to the garden for now?
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Feb 2016
5:22pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,813 posts
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Sharkie
Charlie is very young isn't he? He's probably teething - and puppy nips ARE really painful - little needles. Jess ripped my clothes, my arms, my legs - you name it! Lots of different advice on how to deal with - from squirting with a tiny water pistol, shaking a can of coins at them... but ignoring aka as removing yourself is one of the the best. Also find something he IS allowed to chew and bite on.
You can start teaching 'off' of course! That was what worked with Jess in the end I think. Remember to reward good behaviour -or dog thinks 'sod this for a game of soldiers!' 
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Feb 2016
5:33pm, 21 Feb 2016
13,345 posts
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LazyDaisy
I think our puppy class person said to hold a treat in your closed fist and when the puppy tries to mouth or nip you for it, say No firmly, and when they give up (and your hand is ripped to shreds ;-)) *then* reward them with the treat. Tbh that doesn't sound quite right but I can't remember what we did with Flossie. Distraction is always a good ploy though, I think.
As regards the car business, Alice, Charlie is still very tiny isn't he? Before he was allowed out for walks did you carry him out and about round the village at all? I've always carried our puppies out for a 'walk' as soon as we got them, and before their jabs were complete, so they encountered cars etc in the safety of my arms. I can remember carrying Flossie past the bin lorry, which she found a bit daunting, but once we were properly walking her she was not fazed by the bin men. I would suggest taking him for a 'carry' every day for a short while, to introduce him to the world that way.
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Feb 2016
5:45pm, 21 Feb 2016
2,858 posts
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Mandymoo
I agree with LD - we carried Marvin around the village when he was a puppy, and tried to coincide it with the bus going pass. He felt secure in our arms and is pretty ok with cars, traffic etc now apart from very loud vehicles. He now also stops and waits for vehicles to go by when we are walking or running around the roads and not on the paths.
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Feb 2016
5:50pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,814 posts
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Sharkie
Great advice from LD re carrying.
LD - we had pages and pages on nipping and puppy teeth if I remember rightly. Flossie and Jess were both pretty destructive - Jess prob worse with human flesh - Flossie with the poor kitchen sofa!
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Feb 2016
5:51pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,815 posts
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Sharkie
I've just looked back - it's the very first page of the thread!
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Feb 2016
5:53pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,816 posts
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Sharkie
And on page two - here's me: 'I have tried growling, acking, aaaaa-ing, eeeking, snarling and generally just yelping and screaming with pain. Most noises seem to inflame Jess' desire for violent play. I have read that GSD puppies are commonly known as Land Sharks - which given my nickname I should thoroughly approve of. However I am more a Pathetic Shark out of Vizz.'
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Feb 2016
6:05pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,538 posts
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D2
To solve the biting my feet on the stairs I just stopped moving every time she did it and waited, in the end she got bored and went down on her own, a few repeats of this has seemed to have worked. I think refusing to be party to the mouthing such as taking your hands out of reach is probably the best answer but of course easier said than done. As to the walking fear, I would start getting used to walking somewhere quiet and gradually build up and include carrying for getting used to sights and sounds. Tough isn't it AtC? You will be fine it just takes time.
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Feb 2016
6:33pm, 21 Feb 2016
2,497 posts
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Alice the Camel
Fantastic advice ladies, thank you! I think taking him for a carry is a great idea, and so obvious really - why didn't it occur to me? Definitely a case of training me as much as Charlie at the moment.
Charlie has been wild this last half hour, to the point that I'd convinced myself he'd chewed on something in the garden which had the effect of making him high! He's had a drink and calmed down now...
I'm going to have to have a look at page one now, you have me intrigued!
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Feb 2016
7:12pm, 21 Feb 2016
8,539 posts
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D2
All the dogs I have ever had have a 'mad half hour' in the evening, at one point when I had two young ones they used to play wall of death round the living room furniture.
Bryony has been quiet for about 15 minutes and I was convinced she was ill but she has found a toy to chew now and there is stuffing all over the floor so normality has resumed.
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