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Post by hammer4 on Jun 4, 2008 23:31:41 GMT -5
Our 9 week old pitbull puppy loves to chew, we purshased 3 differnt chew toys for him. Durring a game of tug, or when I pull the toy past him, he has a tendency to lunge at my hand ot fingers instead of his toys. I don't recall any of our other puppys in the past doing this.
A little background..we got Chance a week ago from the animal shelter, he was really negected, ribs and hip bones clearly showing, eyes were semi cloudy, kennel cough, dirty. He was owner surrendered, not a stray. Other than this wanting to "attack" my hands and fingers, he's a good pup.
Any thoughts on this..?
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Post by maryellen on Jun 5, 2008 7:16:12 GMT -5
sounds like a typical puppy to me, he is just a baby, and hasnt learned yet what is ok to chew on and what isnt.. which is where you come in. praise for him chewing proper toys, and keep toys handy to redirect him to chew them instead of your hand. all puppies learn bite inhibition , so he needs some help to learn what is proper and what isnt...
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Post by RealPitBull on Jun 5, 2008 7:24:21 GMT -5
I would a) Stop the game IMMEDIATELY when teeth touch human skin (walk away)
b) make sure you use a toy that's big enough so he has plenty of toy to grab and won't mistakenly grab a finger or hand.
Nipping/mouthing is often a big problem with Pit Bull pups esp. if they have been weaned/taken away from littermates too early (which I'm betting this pup was....)
Work on this exercise as well: sit on the floor with your pup. Pup a treat in your closed fist and present the closed fist to your pup (make sure he can't get a taste of the treat but can smell it!) Let him sniff, paw, and nibble, but do NOT do ANYthing. As soon as the pup backs away from your hand and gives you a look like, "What gives?!" say YES! in a happy/upbeat voice, and give him the food. Repeat often. This teaches self control and to not maul hands.
Another exercise you can do is sit with your pup and present your hand - if the pup doesn't nibble and either ignores the hand, licks it, or otherwise acts appropriately, say YES! and offer a tiny food reward from a bowl of treats you'll have stashed to the side. You can also substitute treats for a toy you can throw or offer the pup. If when you offer your hand the pup nibbles, say EASY! and take your hand away. Wait a good 10 - 20 seconds, and offer your hand again. This exercise teaches that HANDS are not to play with, behaving around hands gets you good stuff, and nibbling means FUN ENDS.
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Post by tracilg on Jun 5, 2008 8:39:38 GMT -5
Mary - those are great ideas! I was going to post about Babe's hand nibbling today, but now I don't have to. I'm going to try those techniques.
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Post by AmyJo27 on Jun 5, 2008 10:58:27 GMT -5
Yea Boomer used to do that when he was little, I tought him "careful" and now, when ever he hears that he knows to back off, Now he plays tugowar with out me having to worry about getting hurt!!! Just teach him his boundaries! Marys advice is great!
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Post by hammer4 on Jun 5, 2008 18:44:29 GMT -5
Thank you..I'll start on the exercise today.. ;D
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