Puppy!

[Hitomi]

Hi, just introducing myself. I'm Hitomi and I live in beautiful (and rainy) Portland, OR. I have a 10 week old cockapoo that I got two weeks ago. His name is Isaak (my son insists that's his name and my husband and I gave up the fight). He's buff colored and just adorable.
We're currently suffering through the horrible puppy biting phase. Any tips or suggestions or dealing with that would be appreciated!!!!

[Reilly621]

When my puppy bites, I gently close his mouth and say, "no bites." When he first started I read to say-- OUCH!--and show dismay, just as his mom would do. Finally, when he insists on biting or chewing, I give him one of his chew toys. Also, if he is "out of control with excitement," I make sure he is calmed down before trying to teach him--see dog whisperer for calming down techniques. Good luck. I have found googling any kind of puppy training needs has worked out well--lots of sites with excellent info. :)

[Dave]

Hey Hitomi! Welcome to the site :). We went through the puppy biting phase with Benny too. We also used the "no bite" method. Now, at three years old, when Benny starts to bite (usually in play) when we say no bite, he stops biting and starts licking.

Benny really didn't chew up the house, but I've heard this can happen. We found he loved chewing on hard rubber toys as a puppy. As well as hard nylabones.

Hope this helps. :)

[Hitomi]

Thanks for the tips- it's gotten a lot better over the past 3 weeks. When you say the hard nylabones do you mean the kind they can eat or the kind that are just for gnawing?

[Reilly621]

Reilly loves the Kongs--he will play with his for a long time. It is good for chewing as well as keeping his interest. Put a little treat inside and watch the fun. He has a small one and now a bigger one for teething pups. :)

[Dave]

Thanks for the tips- it's gotten a lot better over the past 3 weeks. When you say the hard nylabones do you mean the kind they can eat or the kind that are just for gnawing?
Well they're for gnawing, but they get worn down over time. So I guess it's a little of both.

Reilly loves the Kongs--he will play with his for a long time. It is good for chewing as well as keeping his interest. Put a little treat inside and watch the fun. He has a small one and now a bigger one for teething pups. :)
Kongs are good too. As you imply, they're a good distraction. We get the ones with cracks and crevices and fill them in with peanut butter. Benny goes crazy with them.