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Old May 4th, 2001, 04:16 PM
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Question:

Our 4 month old shepherd/greyhound female puppy is starting to bite us when we try to pet her, she will try to chew on our wrists as we pet her or our kid's ankles. We give her lots of chew toys, but lately she gets all excited and is trying to bite us.

Is this just teething or something else. She is usually very calm. Is this just her way of being happy to see us?

Answer:


Christine,

What an interesting combination -- Shepherd/Greyhound. Your puppy sounds delighted to see you and is showing you so by her behaviour.

First of all your puppy is growing in leaps and bounds and requires an awful lot of exercise. Hands, ankles and feet make for interesting targets when a puppy is restless, so you might want to try playing "fetch" with your puppy with a ball or toy several times a day to get rid of a lot of the pent up energy. This way no hands are involved.

It is only natural to want to pet your puppy but in this case, it would be better to wait until it's calm. For instance, when a puppy wakes up, it's quiet so that's the time to pet it. As soon as it starts to wiggle, stop petting it. Playing with the puppy for short periods of time is best because you can't play with it all day long and it needs to know that. Your crate is a safe haven so after petting and playing (without hands involved) this is where it should go. Try throwing a toy or a treat into the crate and quickly close the door and say, "Good Doggie" and walk away. Yelping, whining, barking, etc., should be ignored.

Please don't get discouraged as you may have to repeat all of the above mentioned many times. Remember to always be consistent and persistent when training your puppy.

Good luck,

© Nancy Kitching 2000

Nancy Kitching
Dog Trainer Member of CAPPT, CKC, OKC (Ottawa Kennel Club),
and Bytown Obedience Club in Ottawa.
156 Fairhaven
Hudson, Quebec J0P 1H0
Tel: 450-458-3165
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