Quote: kelly schultz

How would I correct him for biting? Time outs in a seperate room maybe??

Say "no" firmly, if it continues he needs to spend time in the crate till he calms down. Since he is tethered with you, use his leash to take him to the crate in a kind and firm way. I always tossed in a treat ahead of her and she went in willingly. Prepare for screaming, whining, etc. I would busy myself and move in and out of the room and then when quiet came (even if a pause) I would toss in a treat and say good girl! But I wouldn't let her out until she was calm and the tantrum had passed.

It's okay!!! it gets better. But, be prepared to do it as long as it takes. I would say that Maggie spent a fair amount of time in the crate between 6 and 9 months of age in the evenings when she went to "where the wild things are".

I'll say it again, never underestimate the power of the crate

Oops! Sorry Steve, you gave great advice and I misspelled your name.

Wouldn't he then associate the crate with a correction all of the time. I know the purpose of the crate is to calm him down, but if he's put there after doing something wrong, won't he think he's being punished every time?

 Quote: Kelly Schultz

Wouldn't he then associate the crate with a correction all of the time. I know the purpose of the crate is to calm him down, but if he's put there after doing something wrong, won't he think he's being punished every time?

But you put him in at other times, he sleeps in it right? And, if you put him in at the first hint of nipping or mouthy behavior, you won't be correcting him anymore for quite some time and he'll be learning how to be calm inside the house. He'll actually learn that it is a refuge and he's not getting corrected (if he were out continuing to bite -- he would be) and he can center himself.

It's not like that -- I never use a crate as the correction.

That is, the "no" or the end of the game (or even a physical correction if needed) are one thing.

The "can't become calm and needs to be crated for now" thing is separate. I don't toss the dog into the crate as a "take that" thing.

For example, Marcia tosses in a treat ahead of the dog. :-)

I work hard to make the crate a special den for a dog new to my house, and never do anything to make it a place of punishment.

I wanted to mention real quick that when you say "quality rather than quantity" on walks for the time being (sounds good), please don't forget his daily need for the exercise that makes him calmer and releases frustrated energy.

Can you give us that daily schedule (crate time, training time, walk time, etc.)? I'm hoping that we can help you work out a way to get the structured exercise and the upbeat short training sessions in every day.




eta
I was typing while Marcia was posting.

I want to say another thing, that puppy biting is a game to them, it is play. If you correct it you engage them (albeit negatively) and they think, "oooh, this is fun. I'll nip again!". So, by crating the dog, you remove them from the game -- the correction is the word "no". The crate is the tool to calm down the dog. You have no opportunity to respond if they are in the crate.

ETA I was typing while Connie was posting!!!

A typical day goes like this:
7:15-7:30ish-out of crate and downstairs on leash
8:00-breakfast
8:30-outside, then for a ride to take daughter to school
9:00-20-30 min. walk
10:00ish-nap, sometimes in crate, sometimes not
12:30-20-30 min walk, then lunch
He is then tethered to me while I work until we go get dd from school at 3:00
From 3:00 on, his schedule varies depending on the day. Some days, dd has activities, some days, I have night classes. He will get another walk at some point either by myself or by husband and daughter. He also will usually get a few minutes to run around our larger yard. We try to get in a few minutes of training or fetch at night or sporadically throughout the day. My schedule has gotten busier, because I am taking a 2 month course at a local college, so I can't devote much more time than this. I am currently also working from home on my computer.
It's usually then up to bed in the crate between 9-10 depending on the night.
I don't think he's getting too much positive release from his walks lately. He's constantly looking over his shoulder and gagging the whole time from pulling so hard!

 Quote: Tammy Moore

Oops! Sorry Steve, you gave great advice and I misspelled your name.

Worse then a misspelling, you called me R A N D Y........Lol.

 Quote: Kelly Schultz

From 3:00 on, his schedule varies depending on the day. Some days, dd has activities, some days, I have night classes. He will get another walk at some point either by myself or by husband and daughter. He also will usually get a few minutes to run around our larger yard. We try to get in a few minutes of training or fetch at night or sporadically throughout the day. My schedule has gotten busier, because I am taking a 2 month course at a local college, so I can't devote much more time than this. I am currently also working from home on my computer.
It's usually then up to bed in the crate between 9-10 depending on the night.

Is it after 3:00 when the excitement begins? I know at my house, the trigger is when my husband gets home. I have a very good, sleepy puppy and the second the door opened (or footsteps on the deck), there was a jumping, whirling fiend!!!

As I said it gradually gets better. Now it's just a whole lot of wiggling and waggling. It took me awhile, but I got smart and leashed her up (if she wasn't already on it) just before he got here.

The second my dd gets home, he's like a totally different dog! He's usually pretty good and relaxed for me during the day (aside of the horrible walking and now hatred of strangers). Once we get dd, he's the "Hound From Hell" - lol!