Puppy Training Plan: Redirect Puppy Biting

Redirect puppy biting! In other words, prevent puppy biting people!

It's a fact of life that puppy's bite. Dogs use their mouths to explore the world around them. It is completely unreasonable to think that you can stop a puppy from biting. The goal in early puppy training is not to stop puppy biting but to redirect the puppy from biting YOU to biting something he is "allowed" to bite.

Here are some quick tips to get that puppy's mouth away from you, your skin, your clothes and your guest, and onto something appropiate.

Tip: ALWAYS have one of these items on hand at all times so that you can quickly and easily redirect your puppy's biting.

Tip: If you do NOT have one of these items on hand and your puppy decides to bite you in a manner that is too hard, he loses all attention, playtime, and fun. If he bites you, you and anybody else need to stand up, completely ignore him (no eye contact, no physical contact, no talking, no nothing!) until he settles himself.

• Nylabones! These are rubber bones that come in all shapes and sizes. I love having these WITH ME whenever I am around puppies because when a puppy gets in that "crazy" stage, pulling out a "new" toy (or something he hasn't seen in a day) is the most exciting thing in the world to him. He will gladly take that bone from you and go chew on that. He will forget that he was having a blast eating your finger and he will walk away. 
• Stuffed toys. Yes, your dog will rip them up, leaving stuffing and squeakers all over the house but look what happens after the destruction:
  
  ...totally worth it! (Personally I buy the stuffed toys offered at the Petsmart checkout that are $5 and proceeds go to charity. They are very big, have a squeaker and my dog loves ripping them up!). You can find much cheaper ones all over though. SAFTEY NOTE: always supervise your dog if he tends to rip up toys. You do not want him swallowing stuffing or the squeaker.
• Freeze a wet wash cloth and give it to your pup to suck on. This is the perfect pain reliever for sore puppy gums!
• Take a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, bananas, fruit, or dog food and put it in the freezer for a few hours. The cold helps alleviate the pain of teething while the treats help keep your puppy engaged in the toy. 
• Bitter Apple Spray can be used to keep your dog from chewing on items you wish he wouldn't bite. Such as his leash, furniture, doors, and more.
• Always keep hand sanitizer with you. Put it on your hands before playing with your puppy. It tastes gross to puppies. Nobody likes to bite something that tastes nasty!

How do you keep your puppy from biting your hands?

The Perfect Puppy Set Up

Before you bring your new puppy home, you're going to need to set up the house and his space! Being prepared for your new puppy to arrive is the best way to jump right into your puppy routine. Your puppy is going to need a place to eat, a place to sleep, and a place to play. Here is my ideal puppy set up!

We have a MidWest Double Door wire dog crate. Attached to that is our Midwest Exercise pen. The nice thing about having the crate and the pen is that they attache together. We can close our puppy in the crate, or open the crate door and let him run from the crate to the pen. The pen also has a door that can open up to give our pup freedom to roam the house.

Inside the crate we have old blankets, towels, and sheets that are swapped out whenever cleaning is necessary. We also keep the crate covered with blankets to give our puppy that safe den feeling. In the pen area we keep puppy pads for accidents and plenty of toys for entertainment.

On top of and next to the crate are our "puppy supplies". Everything we need for our puppy. This includes cleaning supplies (lots of them), leashes, toys, treats, poop bags and puppy wipes. It makes thing so much easier having everything you need right there as opposed to running all over the house to find what you're looking for.

When thinking about your puppy set up there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Containment, entertainment, convenience, and safety. It is important to be able to contain your puppy, be it in a crate, exercise pen or small room in your home. Your puppy will need entertainment while he is contained or he will make his own which usually includes chewing things you don't want chewed up. Creating a safe containment area is also very important you want to make sure your puppy will be safe while he is unsupervised. Finally convenience is very important. Raising a puppy is hard enough don't make it harder on yourself by scattering puppy supplies all over the house.


Containment:

1. A dog crate. The very first thing you're puppy is going to need is a crate. This will serve as his "safe place" much like a den. Fill this crate with all the necessary comforts that will allow him to feel right at home. Place the crate in a central location in the house, close to family activity but not so close that the crate is in the middle of everything. Here is some great information on the myriad of crates available on the market. 
2. An exercise pen. An exercise pen is a crate way to allow your puppy some freedom while not giving him free reign of the entire house. In an exercise pen, a puppy can have access to toys, food/water, a puppy pad and still be around the family activity. Exercise pens are also a great way to potty train your puppy. Click here for more information on exercise pens. 

Entertainment:

1. Chew toys. Nylabones, stuffed toys and kongs are all great toys for puppy chewing. Just be sure your puppy can't fit the entire toy all the way in his mouth. 
2. Puzzle toys are great for keeping your puppy entertained while you're away. These toys come in all shapes and sizes and are designed to develop a puppy's sense of smell and challenge him mentally. 

Clean up:

1. Puppy pads are ideal for keeping potty accidents in a contained area. You see in my ideal puppy set up that puppy pads line the floor. My puppy seems to prefer to pee on these as opposed to the hard (cold) floor. 
2. Old sheets and blankets are what I use in the crate. This way when they get soiled they can just go into the wash and it's not a big deal. 
3. Paper towels, cleaning wipes, mop, and bucket. It's easiest to keep all cleaning supplies close and handy. This way when there is an accident, it's easy to clean up and toss. We even have a trash can right outside on our back porch, we can clean up all messes without having to take more than 5 steps in any direction. 
4. If you have a carpeted room, the same set up mentioned above can still work for you. Just get a tarp and put it down on the floor. This will protect your carpets and make clean up a breeze.

Safety: 

1. Be sure you puppy proof your puppy set up. Cover or avoid all electrical sockets, remove cables and wires, make sure your puppy won't be too warm or too cold in your selected location. 

So that's it, our entire puppy set up. Be sure you set up your puppy in a manner that is right for you and your family. Smaller dogs may enjoy a smaller crate. Rambunctious dogs will need a sturdy exercise pen. Stay tuned for more information on puppy set ups, reviews on the best equipment and more! 

What does your puppy set up look like? Post a comment below to help other puppy parents get some great ideas!

Puppy Training Plan: No Jumping

Teach your dog that jumping is not an acceptable behavior. 

Training Puppy: Roxy, a very enthusiastic toy fox terrier who constantly jumps on guests and at the door. Her owner is an older lady who is having a hard time handling Roxy's constant jumping and crazy energy.

Trigger(s): Guests – Always be aware of what triggers Roxy to begin her jumping routine. Always be ready. If you know you are going to encounter a trigger, have your treats on hand to quickly correct any misbehavior.

Training techniques: Below is a list of techniques used to train dogs not to jump. They are not in any specific order. I suggest implementing all of these techniques right away. These techniques need to become your new "house rules" just as making the bed or doing the dishes is something you always do, so is enforcing your dog’s behavior.

• As YOU enter the home from an outing, completely ignore Roxy. Make your homecoming, not a big deal. Come home, go about your business. Once Roxy is settled, then you may greet and praise her and go about your usual routine. If Roxy becomes hyper, begin ignoring her again until she calms down. It is now your job to encourage the calm and collected Roxy and ignore the crazy jumping Roxy. Ignoring may seem cruel, but you’ve got to stick to it. Even something as little as eye contact can be considered a reward in the eyes of your dog.
• Exercise! Exercise is a great way to deter bad behavior of any kind because the dog is simply too tired to perform these behaviors. About an hour or so before guests arrive, grab the tennis ball and let Roxy wear herself out with a game of fetch. Another each way to wear a pup out is using a laser pointer. Dogs love chasing the laser around the yard. 
• Put a jar of dog treats outside on your front stoop. Ask all visitors to grab a handful of treats before they even knock on the front door. As visitors enter, encourage them to throw the treats on the ground whenever Roxy isn’t jumping. This will serve a few purposes: It will keep Roxy on the ground for whatever amount of time it takes for her to eat the treats, and it will also give your guests a chance to maneuver around without being jumped on. 
• I also recommend giving travel-sized peanut butter (pictured) for your guests. This little snack is great because as a guest enters the house, they can kneel down, and let Roxy eat out of the peanut butter. Because it take a little time to eat this snack guests can pet Roxy while she is eating and has all four paws on the floor. Be sure to give her plenty of praise while she has all four paws on the floor.

  

  Use Peanut Butter or Yogurt snacks
  to keep your dog focused on the food
  and not the trigger.

• Instruct guests to stay calm. Having children running in circles, or people screaming throughout the house is only going to encourage Roxy to also act crazy. Towards the beginning of training it is better that we set up a calm relaxed environment for her. 

These techniques require a lot of patience and some time. It is going to take Roxy a little bit of time to figure out the reward (treats, praise) vs. the "punishment" (being ignored). Make these a FIRM house rules and you will see results. If guests cannot stick to the rules, then Roxy needs to be put away in another room until that guest has left.

Stay tuned for a follow up post on Roxy's progress!

5 Ways to Calm Your Puppy to Sleep

The first weeks away from his litter mates can be a big ordeal for your puppy. Anxiety is bound to occur. Anxious puppies are those who can't sleep, whine all the time, bite everything in sight, dig at the ground, and all and all reek havoc around the house. Here are some tricks to calming an anxious puppy right to sleep.

1. Make a den. Be sure your puppy has a crate that can act as a den. No matter the type, every crate needs to feel like your puppy's safe place. Cover the crate with a blanket to keep it dark inside. Add lots of easily washable bedding for your pup to burrow into and dig around in.
2. Add a friend. No, not another puppy! Find a stuffed animal that is as large as if not larger than your pup. Think of it like a teddy bear for your child. This will become your puppy's new littermate. Your puppy will cuddle up to, chew or suck on, and sleep on top of his new friend. Take his new friend with him to the vet, groomer, and on other trips. 
3. Add warmth. Puppies are used to sleeping next to both their mom and littermates. Going from that to being all alone is a big adjustment. Add warmth by putting some hot water in a few water bottles and placing them around your puppy in the crate. You can also buy heating pads made specifically for dog crates! Here is what they look like.
4. Add music or background noise. Sometimes it can actually be too quite for a puppy to be able to relax. Drown out noises that may be startling to your puppy by turning on the television, radio or just adding white noise. Check out Through a Dog's Ear videos on Youtube! 
5. Exercise. A tired puppy is a sleepy puppy. Exercise your puppy right before bed time and he will fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer. 

How do you get your puppy to fall asleep? Add to the conversation, comment below!