[deuce's mommy]

Ok, I have read a lot about this but still a little unsure. How do you make your dog see you as "alpha"? He is really good except for his puppy biting. Does that mean he doesn't respect me and will give me problems later? What should I do about the biting to make sure he knows I am in charge? And how do I know if he sees me as the alpha? I know a lot of questions, but want to catch it before he gets too old. He is already turning into a little beast. I can barely lift him anymore. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Please don't leave me daddy.

 

[theflyingpig]

puppy biting

I am having that problem right now. The way I am handling the biting part is to stick a toy into his mouth when he bites you. My pup is slowly starting to learn that he is only to bite the toy and not me. Once he learns you are not a toy, he will start to understand. As for the Alpha thing, have you tried to lock eyes with him, like a staring contest, If the pup looks away first, youhave dominace over him

 

[cannon]

If his biting is during play time and gets too rough, yell OUCH when he does it and immediatly end the play session. Do this a few times and he will learn appropriate bite pressure.

When I first got Mo I kept him on the leash for almost a week....in the house...everywhere. I was doing it for potty training, but it help show him that he was not in control of things.

 

[bella_blue]

I'm definitely not a dog behavior expert, but I think people read way too much into this dominance thing. He's biting you because he's a puppy, and that's what puppies do; they put everything in their mouth to explore their world (kind of like human babies!) He simply hasn't learned yet what things are not acceptable to put in his mouth, and he hasn't learned how hard he has to bite before he hurts someone. When he bites you, let out a shriek like he's killing you so he knows he's hurting you, and then offer him something else to play with.

Because he's a puppy, you don't really have to worry about dominance problems right now. Just set firm rules for him, practice obedience, and make him do a trick before you feed him, play with him, pet him, put on his leash, let him outside, etc. (also called the Nothing in Life Is Free program) This makes it very clear to him that you control all of the resources in his life and are his leader. You can be the "alpha" without doing silly things like having staring contests with him or flipping him on his back to "show him who's boss."

 

[Bogie]

^^ +1 ^^

 

[halo]

staring contests

I always look my pups in the eyes when I talk to then , But to just stare down a pup can be iffy I have seen people do this to pups
and they think its a game and lung for the face and bite it (Not Good) . My pups are out of that stage now (Thank God LOL)
But I would just be persistant at yelling ouch or a yelp or a firm NO when they bite to let them know it hurts they usually let go right away at least they should. And then give a toy that they can bit on. This is just what worked for me but it wasn't over night puppies chew and bite their teeth are like little needles. They have to learn how to play and have control over there bite. There just being puppies right now

 

[deuce's mommy]

Thanks for the advice. That is pretty much what I am doing right now, it just gets a little frustrating sometimes. Usually when he bites me its because I am not paying him attention. If he is out and I walk anywhere he will attack my ankles and hold on to my pant leg for dear life. The yelling thing doesn't really phase him though. The spray bottle works, but its hard to carry one around 24/7. Anyway, I will keep workin with him and I'm sure things will start getting better.

 

[halo]

spray bottle

they work good to I found a small one to carry and I bought afew keep them full and put them around I forgot about that one.
It does take time but it will stop. I use to wonder to cause they are so persistant but it will pass

 

[ares]

there are some ways to show your dog you're "alpha"
the first and easiest one is to get thru the doors first.
never ever let him go thru doors before u. Practice sit and stay..
alpha dog gets to eat first. so first u eat and then feed him.
stare at him. whoever loses eye contact first is not the alpha... if u stare at him, he should know to look the other direction.
when walking, if on a leash, never let him walk in front of u. U should be heading. (i made this mistake and let him walk in front of me, now he turns around to see if his "pack" is safe)
make him lay down turn him in a way his belly would face u, make him stay like that, puppies hate it and it should be the last thing to do to prove you're alpha...

sorry for bad english

 

[Chynasmom]

Make sure you're a reliable "alpha" and the rest w

Are you a confident, calm leader?

Are your rules consistent and clear (to the puppy)?

Do you bear in mind that human language has no inherent meaning to your puppy (that is - "good puppy" and "OMG, you little sh*thead", if spoken in the same tone of voice, are identical to him), so that each word or phrase he learns is a major achievement?

Do you recognize and reward correct behaviors, or only respond to (and punish) incorrect ones?

Do you give him a good reason to behave well (that is - if he does something right, does he get something good, be it treats, dinner, play, loving attention, etc)?

If you correct inappropriate behavior, does your correction relate (in the puppy's brain) to the bad behavior; and is it an appropriate level of response (that is - if he's 16 weeks old and mouthing, do you fly off the handle as though he was 2 years old and bit you in the a$$)?

All this being said, I do not ascribe to the opinion that dogs in households are constantly on the lookout for ways to move "up the ladder" and challenge my leadership. The "alpha" studies most often cited focused on behavior within wild wolfpacks and are years out of date; it's a mighty big stretch to assume they apply to cross-species interactions between domestic dogs and humans. My experience, limited though it may be, has shown me that dogs whose owners are dominant without being domineering, lead through calm, consistent, positive methods, and restrict "corrections" for limited situations when they are essential and immediately applicable, end up with the best-trained (and happiest) dogs. YMMV.

 

[bella_blue]

make him lay down turn him in a way his belly would face u, make him stay like that, puppies hate it and it should be the last thing to do to prove you're alpha...

Alpha rolls are outdated and terrible ways of "proving you're alpha." A good leader doesn't need to prove anything. Alpha rolling your dog is a good way to A.) lose his trust, and B.) get bitten (in older, stronger dogs). Controlling your dog's resources (food, toys, play time, access to the outdoors, etc.) is absolutely the best way to be his leader. A true alpha never forces his (or her) pack into submission by alpha rolling.

 

[SidFinster]

Far as I can tell, half of being an alpha is acting like an alpha. Body posture and confidence have a lot to do with it. For starters, give commands in a calm tone of voice that suggests that you expect obedience.

Some other things I do is I restrict my dog from furniture (alphas reserve the best places for themselves) and I make Redhead lie down while I and my guests eat. Only after we have eaten does Redhead have the chance to earn some food by doing a few tricks (alphas eat first and take the best for themselves).

Also look up Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) and use it.

 

[deuce's mommy]

Ok, yeah, the spray bottle thing doesn't work now either. It used to startle him to stop biting. Now he has figured out a new way to go about it. Last night he kept biting me. He bit and held onto my pant leg, so I sprayed him with the water. It made him stop biting, but he decided to go after the bottle. He wanted it so bad. I gave in and just let him have it so he would chill. Bad idea. I told my husband, its fine, let him play with it, he won't break it. Yeah right, what was I thinking. Needless to say, we ended up with a huge water puddle in the middle of the carpet within minutes. The bottle had just been filled up. Totally my fault, but I am so weak. He starts training again next Wed. We started 2 months ago but we didn't finish b/c we moved.

 

[halo]

First mistake

You can't give in thats only telling him he can win. I know it's hard but you don't want to do that.

 

[SidFinster]

You are going to have to learn to be merciless with Deuce and he is going to have to learn to respect you. This does not mean cruelty, this does not mean to beat him, but you cannot give in or Deuce will take over. And if he does manage to take over, it is dangerous for him and others.

 

[Crackavasion]

He's biting you because he's a puppy, and that's what puppies do; they put everything in their mouth to explore their world

All puppies bite. If they're still doing it at 6months and its not gentle, that when you should start to worry about it. For now just correct the dog by replacing your arm with a toy or if they bite too hard grab the snout, hold it closed, and stare them in the eye untill the calm down and submit.

 

[nanniesrock]

I'm definitely not a dog behavior expert, but I think people read way too much into this dominance thing. He's biting you because he's a puppy, and that's what puppies do; they put everything in their mouth to explore their world (kind of like human babies!) He simply hasn't learned yet what things are not acceptable to put in his mouth, and he hasn't learned how hard he has to bite before he hurts someone. When he bites you, let out a shriek like he's killing you so he knows he's hurting you, and then offer him something else to play with.

Because he's a puppy, you don't really have to worry about dominance problems right now. Just set firm rules for him, practice obedience, and make him do a trick before you feed him, play with him, pet him, put on his leash, let him outside, etc. (also called the Nothing in Life Is Free program) This makes it very clear to him that you control all of the resources in his life and are his leader. You can be the "alpha" without doing silly things like having staring contests with him or flipping him on his back to "show him who's boss."

I totally agree with this. This is explained in detail in a book called "Mother Knows Best" by Carol Lea Benjamin. It's a great read.

 

[jleonar]

make him lay down turn him in a way his belly would face u, make him stay like that, puppies hate it and it should be the last thing to do to prove you're alpha...

Alpha rolls are outdated and terrible ways of "proving you're alpha." A good leader doesn't need to prove anything. Alpha rolling your dog is a good way to A.) lose his trust, and B.) get bitten (in older, stronger dogs). Controlling your dog's resources (food, toys, play time, access to the outdoors, etc.) is absolutely the best way to be his leader. A true alpha never forces his (or her) pack into submission by alpha rolling.

Why is it then that dogs naturally do the roll when they are submissive. I would never attempt an alpha roll with an older dog or a dog that I have not worked with but I definately made my puppy get on her side to show submissiveness when she did the wrong thing.

The alpha roll is also not the only thing you need to be doing. You should be a leader is every way with your dog especially during walks.

 

[bella_blue]

Why is it then that dogs naturally do the roll when they are submissive. I would never attempt an alpha roll with an older dog or a dog that I have not worked with but I definately made my puppy get on her side to show submissiveness when she did the wrong thing.

The alpha roll is also not the only thing you need to be doing. You should be a leader is every way with your dog especially during walks.

Dogs naturally roll without having to be pushed by the alphas. A strong leader exudes confidence and doesn't need to force his/her pack members into submission. Forcing your puppy into an alpha roll is confusing and scary for her. I would never risk ruining my relationship with my dog (by confusing her, scaring her, making myself look emotionally unstable) by forcing her into submission using a potentially dangerous technique that might not even get the message across.

 

[bella_blue]

I totally agree with this. This is explained in detail in a book called "Mother Knows Best" by Carol Lea Benjamin. It's a great read.

I'll have to check that one out! Thanks for the suggestion.