How to Calm a Hyperactive Dog or Hyperactive Puppy
82Ah, the puppy - cute and irresistible as can be, but contains the power of a nuclear explosion.
When I first got my Siberian Husky puppy,she was dashing all over the place like a bullet. It was difficult to keep up with her, much less get her to stop her impersonation of Ricochet Rabbit.
Puppies are curious, excited, and full of vim. The world is their oyster and they will chew, bite, and taste everything they can get their mouth on - even you! Puppies do not have opposable thumbs, so they use their mouths to manipulate and examine all the objects around them.
Mouthing is normal puppy behavior.
It is up to us to redirect our puppy's hyper energy and teach them what is appropriate and not-appropriate to mouth on.
Hyper Puppy Tip 1 - Routine and Structure
One of the best ways to curb puppy's hyper behavior is to set up a strict routine right from the start.
When I got my first puppy, I did not think it was necessary to set up a schedule. Both puppy and I did not have day jobs, so I figured it was unnecessary to constrain our freedoms by setting time-limits and deadlines on everything. However, I quickly realized that I was in error.
Without routine and structure, puppy became stressed, hyper, and unhappy.
Set up a fixed schedule for puppy so that he knows when it is time to eat, time to walk, time to sleep, time to potty, and time to play. When it is time to sleep, I usually put puppy in a crate where he feels safe and protected, similar to a den.
This will limit puppy's hyper behavior to certain times in the day, for example during play time and to a lesser degree during walks. These times will become good outlets for his hyper energy. Dogs are crepuscular which means that they are most active during dawn and dusk so try to set up play times during those most hyper periods.
In this way, puppy knows exactly what is expected of him, which will help lessen his stress. In addition, you will get to enjoy some moments of peace that is free from puppy hyperactivity.
A fixed schedule will also help with potty training and puppy obedience.
As a general rule, the longest time you should keep your puppy in a crate is -
(Age of dog in months + 1) hours
For example, an 8 week old puppy can be put in a crate for a maximum of -
(2 months old + 1) = 3 hours
This is just a general guideline for the maximum crate time. Most puppies need to go outside more frequently than that for exercise and potty training.
Hyper Puppy Tip 2 - Physical and Mental Exercise
Puppies have a lot of hyper energy and are curious about many things. It is important to provide them with positive outlets for their active bodies and inquisitive minds. If they do not have such outlets, they will figure out their own activities. This will likely result in property damage, puppy damage, shouting, tears, and possibly a visit to the furniture store or the vet.
There are a variety of games you can play with your puppy that will help to positively release his hyper energy.
Some fun physical activities -
- Flirt pole.
- Catch.
- Fetch.
- Soccer.
- Hide and seek.
- Dog agility.
- Dog sports.
Some fun mental activities -
- Obedience training.
- Interactive dog toys.
My dogs especially love working on food toys.
Some fun physical and mental activities -
- Daily neighborhood walks.
- Walks in the park.
- Supervised play sessions with other friendly and healthy puppies
Make sure your puppy has had all of his shots before going on walks where he may come in contact with dog poop or pee. In puppy play sessions, make sure all puppies have had their shots.
Hyper Puppy Tip 3 - Patience and Consistency
It is easy to lose patience with a hyper puppy that has a very short attention span. I lost my temper many times with my first puppy and started shouting at him.
However, I soon realized that this only made him more hyper.
Anger, frustration, shouting, banging, and hitting will only inject more energy into an already intense situation. This will cause puppy to get even more agitated and even more hyper.
To calm a puppy's hyper energy, we must stay calm. If you feel yourself getting angry, take a break from puppy and ask someone to stand in for you. If there is no one around, put puppy temporarily in his crate or on a tie-down and take a short break to collect yourself.
Always be consistent with puppy so that he will know what to expect from you. It is important to set up some house rules and stick to it. Do not let your puppy come onto the couch one day and scold him for doing the same thing the next day.
Follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program and make your puppy work for all of his food, toys, and resources.
If you stay calm and consistent, your puppy will learn from you and also become more calm and consistent.
Do you have an inner puppy?
See results without votingFind Your Inner Puppy
Last but not least, remember to have fun with your puppy!
It is good and healthy to occasionally give in to our inner puppy. Part of the joy of having a puppy is so that we can participate in his silly games and share in his passion for living life.
A puppy will make you laugh, cry, sing, howl, and do a gig. Enjoy your puppy.
An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young.
~~[Oscar Wilde]
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Hi shibashake,
We are trying to crate train our 9 week old puppy. But she hates going in her crate and always whines and barks. We want to teach her to love her crate, and get used to it. Do you have any advice?
Thanks so much.
Hello Emily,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!
In terms of biting, my Shiba Sephy was especially mouthy when he was young. I think this may be a common Shiba trait given that they are a more primitive breed.
Some things that helped with Sephy-
1. Bite inhibition training.
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
2. Redirecting the bite, giving an alternative command, and ultimately timeouts.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
3. Follow the NILIF program.
http://shibashake.com/dog/nothing-in-life-is-free-
Hugs to Daisy!
Hi!
We got a shiba inu puppy named Daisy a week ago and right now she is 9 weeks. Sometimes she is very hyper and whenever we try to pet her, she barks and tries to bite. We are concerned about this attitude and would like to know what we can do about it.
Thanks so much and we would love to hear from you!
Hello Alejandra,
Yeah, Pitbulls can be very energetic especially when they are young. I have two Sibes who also have a lot of energy. Some things that helped with my Sibes-
1. A lot of exercise. I take them out for a 1.5-2 hour walk every day. In addition, there are many play sessions, grooming sessions, and obedience training. Here are a couple of articles on how I leash trained my dogs and controlled pulling.
http://shibashake.com/dog/leash-training-your-dog
http://thedoginc.com/dog-pulling-stop-your-dog-fro
2. I make them work for all of their food, through training, grooming, or interactive toys.
3. I put them under behavioral control, i.e., I teach them commands so that I can let them know what the rules are in the house, and what are good behaviors.
Initially, dogs do not know any commands and they do not know their names. We must teach them their name as well as some simple commands so that they know what behaviors are good, and what behaviors are not so good according to people.
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Train-a-P
For energetic dogs we want to help them disperse their energy doing structured, positive activities. Tying them up may make the problem worse because they have nowhere to put their energy and may become frustrated. When they are let go, they have all this pent up and frustrated energy, which may often lead to extreme and dangerous behavior.
I think that getting help from a professional trainer would be the best thing to do at this point.
heyy i have a pitbull mix with mastiff and is very agresive and is supper hyper. we try to walk her but she always pulls on the leash, she also attacks my other 3 little dogs, jumps on every one, barks at other dogs, sometimes attacks the small children, we call her name she dosent listen, that's why we have her tied up in her leash in the back yard so she wont bark,fight,and jump on people.but sometimes in the night my dad let's her loose. she is sooo hyper i've tryed almost everything but dosent work please i need help!! :D thank you verry much!
Hello Paul,
In terms of excitement with other dogs, my Shiba was also like that. He is a lot better now. What has helped with him, is to create as many "neutral experiences" as possible. I.e., whenever we see other dogs, we just ignore them, and keep walking at a measured pace. I make sure to create enough space, and that helps him stay calm. Here is more on what I did-
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
In terms of neutering, my Shiba was neutered early on, so it will not address all dog-to-dog reactivity issues. From what I understand, it can help with certain types of aggression, for example competing with other male dogs over mating rights and sometimes over dominance.
Hi,
I have a staff x lab which he was mis-treated before I took him, I have had him for around 3 years now. He usto be scared of everything when I first got him. He is well behaved and I have trained him very well too. He is just abit hyper sometimes. When I take him out if he sees a dog Or cat then he just wants to play. He doesn't like old dogs. He is better with females rather than male dogs. He also doesn't like if you pick someone up, I think this is a protective thing. I was thinking of getting him the snip but I'm really not to sure, any advise would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Hello Amber,
Dogs often dislike nail trimming because they are in a vulnerable position, and the pressure sensation on their nails may feel strange and scary. They key to nail trimming is to go slowly, and always make it positive and rewarding.
I currently use a nail grinder on my Shiba Inu rather than a nail clipper. With a grinder, I can slowly grind down small portions of the nail at a time, and not have to worry about accidentally hitting the quick of the nail.
Here is a great article on nail trimming technique-
I have a 1 year old an she doesn't allow me to even cut her nails and she's exercised everyday and everything I even play with her and I can't even cut her nails
Hello Kim,
1. Crate training
In terms of crate training, I try to make the experience very positive and start with very short crate durations. Once puppy is comfortable, I very slowly lengthen the crate time.
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Dog-Anxie
2. Timeouts
Timeouts are a bit different from crate training. In crate training we want to train our dog to like the crate, so that he is comfortable going in on his own, and is relaxed staying in there for a certain period of time.
With timeouts, we *put* a dog in a low stimulus area. In this way, we take away the dog's freedom, as a way to discourage certain bad behaviors.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
3. Playing
Yeah, my Sibe puppy Lara is the same way. When she gets excited, she will run around a lot, and she also loves to jump. She is not trying to hurt me, she just has a lot of excited energy to dissipate. :D
When playing, I usually have many play rules and also many play breaks. For example, when I play the flirt pole with Lara, I first get her to do a sit and wait. If she does this, then I start playing the game.
At no point is she allowed to bite me or jump on me. If she does this, I no-mark her (Ack-ack), stop play for a short time, and ignore her.
I also have many play breaks in between, where we stop briefly and do obedience commands. In this way, she gets to calm down, and learns to refocus her attention on me.
Puppies have high energy, short attention spans, and very little self control. Therefore, I try to set Lara up for success, by controlling the excitement level of the game, and making play breaks rewarding with treats and calm affection.
Hello! We brought home a 6 month purebred yellow labrador 5 days ago and he is very hyper! He came with a crate and we got him to eventually go in by himself at night and during the day. Now he doesn't want to have anything to do with the crate. We have classes throughout the day so its impossible to watch him 24/7. We'd like him to have a 2 hour crate timeout once in the late morning and once in the evening. How can we get him to like his crate?
Also, he got very hyper with me this morning. He was running around with his Frisbee and was doing victory laps with it in his mouth. Whenever I tried to take it from me he ran away. Eventually the last time I tried to take it he jumped up and gave me a good whack on the forehead with his nose/mouth. Luckily his mouth wasn't open. I scolded him and went inside for 10 minutes. What should I do in that situation if it arises again? Thanks!
Grain free, high protein kibble works really well for my dogs. I am currently feeding them Innova EVO.
Other highly recommended brands include Blue Wilderness, Orijen, and Wellness CORE.
i was told by my vet that it can be the food that makes a dog hyper, my staffy had surgery this morning and the vet couldnt put her collor on or clean her wound cos she was too hyperactive when she woke up, they told me not to get "wagg" or "bakers" food :) i get john wellbeloved kibble now :)
Thanks so much...I'm going to go review the links you provided now!!
Hello Wornout,
What seems to work well with my Sibe puppy is to keep a drag lead on her (only with a flat collar and not a training collar). This allows me to more easily control her and stop her from starting any chasing games.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
I also make sure that puppy does not bother my adult dogs when they have had enough and just want to rest. If puppy is being a pest, I no-mark the behavior (Ack-ack), then I body block her away from the other dogs. Then I engage her in doing something else. If she does not listen and keeps on trying to pester them, then she goes to timeout.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
Here are some of my experiences with introducing a new puppy to my other dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a
Good luck!
Hello...I have a 16 week old yorkie/maltese and she is out of control. She is constantly tearing around the house whenever she is not teathered in the house---I have never had to do this with a pup before. I do crate train her. We hae a golden mix who is so docile, she does not put the pup in her place. The pup attacks the cat, and the dog. She bites the big dogs feet and ankles. Seems like I never see my big dog because she is alwasy hiding from the pup. If it is just me one on one with the pup I can get her to sit and down, but throw another person (have 2 kids) for another animal and everything goes out the window. I love her but she is really starting to lose her shine :( any suggestions.
I have a very hyper yorkies hes 3 month but god hes way to much but now am walking him daily and its working thanks for your idea there good
Just a tip I would like to share with Great Dane owners, if you want you dog to live longer, than in actual fact, do not take them on long tiresome walks. Great Dane's despite their size should actually have shorter walks. This is because of the size of the heart relative to their body size. ( It is small compared with their body ) Therefore, long energetic walks, cause the heart to be under an enormous amount of pressure putting them at risk of heart attacks etc. A close family friend was given this advise, and followed it and the dog lived for an amazing 14 years when the normal expectancy for these dogs is about 9 years old.
Believe this or not, its up to you but experience and knowledge tells me this is a valuable fact to have :)
Hello JCBGirl120,
My Sibes like to dig as well. Some things that helped with them-
1. I have a non-landscaped area in my backyard where they are allowed to dig.
2. Alternate activities such as long walks, play with people and other dogs, etc., also helps to drain their energy. This makes them less likely to engage in digging.
3. I also trained them not to dig on the landscaped area in the backyard. Whenever they dig in the grass area, I non-mark them (e.g. No or Ack-ack) and get them to do something else. If they keep doing it, they lose their backyard privileges and have to come back into the house. In this way they learn that if they dig on grass=don't get to be in the backyard.
today i noticed Roxy digging big holes every where. how can i train her not to dig, she also has chewed through 2 collars in 2 days i dont even know how she gets them where she can chew it off.
Hello Ellez,
I like your tornado description. I got a new Sibe puppy early last year, and she really reminded me what a big handful a Siberian puppy can be! :)
http://shibashake.com/dog/a-new-puppy-first-10-day
Some things that helped with my Sibe puppy Lara-
1. Frozen Kongs. These were a life saver. Since puppies need to eat a lot, Lara spent a lot of her time working on her food toys. Frozen Kongs are great, especially in the beginning because she would take a long while to finish them, and then after that she is calm and ready to take a nap.
http://shibashake.com/dog/best-dog-toys
2. Very fixed schedule. A set routine helps me plan my day and helps puppy understand what is expected of her. I plan everything out and after a bit, puppy learns when it is sleep time and when it is play time.
3. Drag lead. I put a drag lead on puppy so that she is easier to catch and control. Only use a flat collar and not a training collar.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
4. In terms of crate training, I went very slowly with Lara. When I was too busy to supervise, I put her on a tie-down in the kitchen. It is safe in the kitchen, there is nothing she can chew on, but she still gets to be with me and walk around a bit. At night, I left her crate door open and just tethered her to her crate (only with a flat collar).
5. In terms of the other dogs, I make sure to stop Lara from pestering them when they are tired and just want to rest. In the beginning, I had to supervise very closely during play time, but now they understand the rules, so it takes less supervision. Here are some of my experiences in introducing a new puppy to my existing dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a
Here are some exercise and activity ideas-
My husband and i have recently brought home a 5 month Siberian Husky pup, she is very hyper and doesnt listen at all. She bites and jumps and drives our other dog (1 year old Pitbull) crazy. im home alone with the dogs all day while my husband is at work and im finding that im getting very frazzled due to having to keep the puppy from annoying my other dog to badly. When i put her in her kennel its like shes a tornado trying to tear it apart and get out. Can you please give me some advise on calming her down when shes in her kennel and to wear her little butt out.
Hello Aussie,
Congratulations on your new puppy!
This is generally what I do when my puppy bites me-
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/hub/Train-a-Puppy-O
Here are more of my experiences on puppy biting-
i meant to say, she doesn't mind, since she just goes and chew on something
Hi, i have a 13 week old australian shepherd who bites.
if she does that, i ignore her but she doesn't,though,
if a go upstairs she will start to whine. Also she chews
on everthing, but her toys. Any advice? thanks!
Hello Babs,
There could be a variety of reasons for the behavior you describe. Has anything changed recently? Have there been visitors? Other dogs visiting? Is the dog eating and drinking regularly? Is there any diarrhea?
Another thing I have noticed recently is that many of the earth critters around my house have started moving toward the house to get closer to the heat. As a result, my dogs started to dig around the house, so I had to specifically train them not to.
Thanks for sharing Kaia's pictures. She is super cute. :D
In terms of the biting, I teach my dogs that they have to be calm and sit before they get anything. If they are jumping and not listening, I non-mark them (Ack-ack) and withdraw my attention (fold up my arms, and turn away). Once they calm down and follow commands, they get rewarded. Following the NILIF program (Nothing in Life is Free) also helps. Here are some of my experiences with my Sibe puppies-
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Train-a-P
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
Bite inhibition training is also very useful-
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
In terms of recall training (coming when called) Sibes usually have high prey drive. This makes them unreliable when it comes to recall. I still train my two girls to come when called, but when they see a deer or squirrel, their prey drive takes over and they are off.
Here is a good article from the Siberian Husky Club of America-
http://www.shca.org/shcahp2a.htm
"There is one final characteristic of the Siberian Husky which we must point out -- their desire to RUN. ...
Because of this, we strongly urge that no Siberian Husky ever be allowed unrestrained freedom. Instead, for his own protection, he should be confined or under control at all times."
Hi has anyone got any advice I have an 11 month old mongrel who this last couple of months has taken to frantically running around the house sniffing everywhere. Also after being housetrained she has regressed, now having a few accidents.She is obedient and happy. Can you help
OH MY GOD! My puppy, Kaia looks exactly like yours!! :) Wow! Thank you for sharing. This will help a lot. I also have some questions! My puppy Kaia, (5 months) tends to GO CRAZY around food. She will stop listening, and jump and bite your hand to get the treat. I also have this same problem when we go outside. She is a crazy runner, and she will run away and not come out unless I have food. How can I stop this? How can I get her to come? She won't listen to me outside! This is her: http://pictureswithurlsforsharing.blogspot.com/201
Hello Alexis,
It could be a physical health issue. I have noticed that when my dogs are not feeling well, they act out of character and are usually more irritable.
*ADD*
I missed a few more things that may be of help -
1. I give each of my dogs a frozen Kong during bedtime. This gives them something calm to work on before they fall asleep. I think it helps them settle down.
2. I crate my dogs during bed-time. I do wake up early though to let the 8 month old out to potty.
Hello Mary,
What has worked with my dogs for the jumping is to teach them that
- They get attention when they are not jumping, but
- When they jump, they get ignored.
When my Sibe puppy jumps, I first give her an alternate command, e.g. Sit. If she does that, she gets rewarded with affection. But if she starts jumping again, I repeat with the command.
If she ignores the command and keeps jumping, I non-mark her (No or Ack-ack), fold up my arms, and turn away from her.
If she escalates and tries to bite clothing etc, I calmly say timeout and put her in a timeout area.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
Before sleep time I give puppy some quiet time to settle down. During this time I am working on my computer and not paying any attention to her. After a bit of roaming, she usually settles down on her own.
Here are some activities that I do with her during the day to drain some of her Sibe energy -
http://shibashake.com/dog/hyperactive-dogs-how-to-
I also follow the NILIF program (Nothing in Life is Free) which really helps with getting puppy to follow house rules. This just means that puppy has to work for everything that she gets, including food, affection, play, freedom, etc.
Good luck!
Hello my cavalier king charles who is 12 is constantly bitting, scratching, and barking. She never used to do this.
I have a 4yr old mixed bread golden... she is none stop play all day long unless we take toys away, but then she just jumps on us and never stops until we turn all lights out and pretend like we are sleeping.... she LOVES to play all the time, what can we do at night to get her to just calm down, we walk her we play with her out side with toys for atleast 30 minutes a night but she doesnt know how to stop. Help!!!
Hello Ashley,
What works with my dogs is to give them attention when they are calm but as soon as they start to get overly excited, I non-mark (No or Ack-ack), fold up my hands, turn away, and ignore them.
As soon as they calm down, I mark that behavior and give them calm affection. In the beginning I had to repeat this quite a lot, but after a bit, puppy will learn that calm = attention; excitement = get ignored.
In terms of dog activities, here are a bunch of ideas-
http://shibashake.com/dog/hyperactive-dogs-how-to-
Several other things that helped with my puppies-
1. Bite inhibition training. This teaches puppy to have a soft mouth. Therefore, even when puppy gets excited and starts biting, it won't cause any harm.
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
2. NILIF program (Nothing in Life is Free). NILIF just says that puppy has to do something for me first before he gets anything in return including food, toys, affection, going into the backyard, etc. This teaches puppy that the best way to get what puppy wants is to first do what we want.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
oh, I should probably add that I only just recieved him... He's had at least two other owners that I know of, and I got him from a co-worker, who has a young son and couldn't handle the hyperness.
When I ignore his craziness, I find he calms down, but any time i initiate interaction again, he starts right back up.
Hi there! I have a Lab/Pitbull puppy... He's 1, and VERY excitable. I find I can't do anything with him, because it overly excites him. I can't pet Him, try to trim his nails, or even just sit quietly on the floor... he gets EXTREMELY excited over any attention. I've tried warring him out by tossing a ball with him, and taking him for walks before hand, but nothing helps. Any ideas?
Hello Kat,
One possibility is dog daycare. When my Siberian Husky, Shania, was young we took her to dog daycare 2-3 times per week. She was always totally pooped after a day there.
We made sure to find a daycare with the following properties -
1. Small but frequent playgroups. Groups are well supervised and dogs are picked based on by size and energy level.
2. Uses reward dog training techniques. The worst that they do is timeouts. No alpha-rolls or even leash corrections.
3. Place is well ventilated during hot summer months and not too cold during winter.
4. Floors are covered with soft rubber so that the dogs don't have to play and walk on concrete.
5. They must make sure that all dogs are up to date on vaccinations.
I do want to mention though that Shania did pick up some puppy warts at the daycare. I made sure Shania had the Kennel Cough vaccine.
Because they are mixing with a large population of dogs, they are more likely to catch something. Also Shania is a medium sized dog so definitely check this option with your vet.
As for the peeing, one thing that helped with my new Sibe puppy is that I would put a lead on her before letting her out of her crate. Then I would quickly take her outside using the lead. Since she can't stop, she can't pee until we are outside.
I also make sure to reward her really well for peeing outside, and then I would play a really fun game with her.
If she pees inside, I non-mark her, interrupt her, and take her outside. If she continues to pee outside, she gets rewarded with treats and a fun game.
Very quickly she learned that going outside gets her lots of good stuff. Now she goes to the backyard door when she needs to go.
Here is a bit more on our potty training experiences -
Hi Shiba,
We have a 5 month old Saluki x Greyhound (he seems to be very high energy) We were told by our trainer that he should only be walked for about 20 - 40 mins per day whilst he is still growing, in case it damages his bones?!
Like another one of the comments regarding the Aussie Cattle dog - He just doesn't get tired! He has been crate trained from 10 weeks and seems fine with holding his bladder overnight, but during the day he will whine for ages then when we let him out (only when he is quiet) he'll come out and start to pee before we get him outside?! This is usually only about 2 hours after his last pee.
I have a feeling he knows that if he whines, we will let him out and take him outside (which is where he would live if he could!)
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
KaT
Hello Leigh,
Here are some of my experiences with puppy biting -
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/How-to-st
As for humping, I really dislike that, so it is a timeout offense for my dogs. Here are some other things that may help -
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-training-tips-and-
Good luck and Congratulations on your new puppy!
Hi I just adopted a 3 month puppy desexed. He won't calm and he keeps biting and even tho he is desexed he keeps trying to do the deed. I have taught him to sit and can do that but only for 2 seconds then his mind goes else where I would like some help on him thanks
Hello Tessa,
In terms of puppy biting, the two things that were most helpful with my own dogs are -
1. Bite inhibition training.
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
2. Timeouts.
When my puppy bites, I non-mark her (No or Ack-ack) to let her know that this is an undesirable behavior. Then I redirect her onto a toy. If she redirects onto the toy, then I mark the behavior (Yes) and reward her with treats and affection.
If she keeps biting me, I withdraw my attention, fold up my arms and turn away from her.
If she escalates her behavior and keeps biting me or my clothes, I say timeout and calmly remove her to a timeout area.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-stop-you
"i am also having problems getting him clean,"
Is he having skin issues? or is it just a little puppy poop and pee? For the latter, I usually just wipe my puppy with dog wipes. When they grow older, they get pretty good at grooming themselves clean.
hi i have a half collie half staff 12wk old pup, he keeps attacking my hands feet ect he is biting so hard i bleed. i am also having problems getting him clean, i have tryed so many things nothink is working?
Hello Bee,
When dogs jump, our natural reaction is to push them back. However, when we do this, the dog thinks that we are playing with him and continues to jump and bite more.
What my dog jumps, I non-mark him (Ack-Ack), turn away from him, and fold up by arms (this prevents biting on hands).
If my dog continues to jump and starts biting at me to get my attention then I say Time-out and take him to a timeout area. The timeout area I use is usually the laundry room because it is dark, boring, and there is nothing in there that my dog can chew on or destroy.
Here is more on my experiences with dog jumping-
i have a german shepherd/pit bull and he is very hyper. he likes to jump on everyone and bite. i cant even sit in a chair without him coming and jump on me. what do i do?
Hello Cassidy,
I love the look of Great Danes! They look so adorable while lying on the couch with their legs all over the place.
However, I am not sure how much help I can be here since I have never owned such a big dog before. Given her size, some techniques are not going to work as well on her.
I think following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program may help. I follow this with all of my dogs. It just means that they have to do something for me first before I give them anything in return including opening doors and giving affection.
I also make my dogs work for all of their food, through obedience exercises, Find-It games, handling exercises, and interactive food toys.
Getting the help of a professional trainer, I think, can also be helpful. Specifically you want to find someone who knows how to deal with large breeds as well as the stubbornness of Boxers.
Sorry I could not be of more help. Let us know how it goes.
i have a great dane/boxer, she has enough energy to make the world spin the other way. when she was a baby i got her potty trained, to sit and shake but after that she stopped learning. iv spent over 4 hours trying to tire her out with running and the dog park but when she gets home she still jumps off the fence and dismantles our tree. advise would be greatly appreciated. when i tell her no she thinks were playing, if i stan there calmly she will jump up and push me over (she is now bigger then me) shes almost a year old and shes getting so big that im getting worried with her not having any manners.
Yeah Australian Cattle Dogs are a pretty intense breed and really need to have a job. Border Collies and Australian Shepherds are similar in that respect.
From talking to the owners of these dogs, it seems that doing off-leash joint activities can really help.
If there are sheep herding training centers nearby, likely the dog would take to that easily. You probably want to wait until the dog has had all of his shots. This site has some good information on dogs and herding -
http://www.herdingontheweb.com
Doing dog sports or dog agility can also be good alternatives.
As for the jumping and biting, here are some things that helped with my dogs -
I have a hyperactive australian cattle dog, he is six weeks. He jumps, bites, scratches, and things I cant quite wrap my head around. Hes the cutest thing in the world but I'm at my wits end and this close to giving him away. I've tried everything.
P.s. A 2 hr walk doesn't tire him one bit.
Very informative article. Our new Kuvasz puppy is 13 weeks old and gets hyper with my daughter and younger kids. I think I have enough information from here to rectify the situation :-). Thanks for great advice.
I have a hyper puppy as well. Good article.
Hello Shibashake. I found this page while researching info on how to deal with my 4 month old boxer puppy who is very mischievous. If he doesnt get a nice long walk he is crazy at night and never wants to sleep. You give some good tips that I will be sure to try. Gorgeous husky pup btw. :)
great tips hope they work!!!!
Thanks for the great advice Abby. I think you are absolutely right about the daily walks. My Sibe loves her walks and never wants to come home. If she could, she would want to stay out the entire day. :D
Big hugs to your dog. She is a lucky girl!
My dog is very hyper. she bites,jumps on people, and scratches. A good way to calm puppies is to get them plenty of exercise. Take them on long walks and run them.make sure the walk is at least 10-20 minutes long. Make sure they have something to keep their mind on. Like food, or a special treat. and try training your puppy to sit and stay.hope you and your puppy have a good life together.love, Abby
shibashake Hub Author 35 hours ago
Hello Amy,
Congratulations on your new puppy!
With crate training I start slowly and only keep puppy in there for very short periods of time. Initially, I don't even close the crate door.
As puppy learns to associate the crate with positive events, and learns to be more comfortable and relaxed inside it, then I slowly increase their crate time.
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Dog-Anxie