NEW PUPPY - Page 1

Hi my name is Camille and this is my husbands sign in so if my question is stupid don't blame him. lol   Anyway we have had Schutzhund Dogs for many years but never brought them up from a puppy.  My puppy is now 14 weeks old and is driving me crazy.  He is teething on my legs and it hurts like hell.  The problem is my trainer tells me not to tell him no to biting on me or anything else in the house.  Trainer claims this will quash his bite drive.  This makes no sense to me as my leg is not a bite sleeve.  Trainer said to just be ready at all times to give him a chew bone.  I have tried that but he still likes my ankles and legs.  Can I please help me as to how you feel about this.  The puppy does spend most of his time is a crate but once out look out.  Thank You !

why is the pup crated most of the time?

your trainer should have explained how to discipline him properly using distraction with a toy and a vocal correction NO

you don't allow your pup to bite you ever!!! you are alpha.....

you don't want to over disapline a young pup but on the other hand you don't want him to get out of hand...

give him plenty of play time ragging etc. and correct the biting using a vocal command and time out if necessary 

he sounds bored.

if it were me this is what i would do. when you first bring him out of the crate exercise him with a toy - something he can focus on other than your legs   run him around until he starts slowing down. when he's hanging around between stints in the crate i would recommend keeping a rag tied to a rope on you and when he bites you distract him with the rag toy and say something like "here bite this"; the rope allows you to drag it around to get his attention.  you can also hang rags on ropes from the ceiling so when he's bored you can swing the rag and he can chase it, you can use a bungee cord instead of a rope to make it even more interesting because it will bounce more when he lets go, which will most likely hold his interest longer.  

we keep an old milk crate full of toys and teach the dogs to look there when they're bored, so i would recommend setting up a stash of toys for him and when he bites your ankle you can say something like 'follow me' or 'hey looks what's over here' and run over to the toy box and tell him "here are your toys; you can chew on these" and toss them up in the air, squeek them ... anything to get him interested in 'what's in the crate' (laundry basket whatever's convenient to use).  another great 'tool' is a kong filled with something like cream cheese and peanut butter; when frozen it can keep a pup busy for sometime - keeping his focus off your ankles

- hth

I wouldn't say no to him if he bites you, unless that biting is obviously aggressive. Give him more play/tug time so that he's worn out and will rather be resting than biting on you. Or when he bites you, just grab a toy, and distract him. My female loves to play with me, and will mouth my arm or leg in her teeth, but is gentle. I allow her to do this because she still knows I'm boss, and this is strictly play to her. I highly advise against punishing your pup for biting you unless he shows that he is attempting to overthrow you as alpha. Just keep him distracted and tired and he'll stop chewing you up. :)

Emily.