[Harleysmom]

The past couple of days Harley has been biting at our feet & hands and won't just sit and be the nice little lap dog. He barks at us and gets into everything. Unrolls the toliet paper roll & such. He runs from us when we try to catch him. I've about had it! All the while he is wagging his tail.....which makes me think he is playing but it is totally unacceptable! Help-any advice?

 

[puppylucy]

Ugh I wish I had some advice... Lucy's a little devildog sometimes too.

 

[littlepeanut]

How old is Harley? Peanut went through a stage like this where I really think he was trying to test us to see how much he could actually get away with. It was really frustrating. Do you have an exercise pen that you could put up in the house? I put Peanut in his pen when no one could pay attention to him during his destructive stage. Just keep on Harley, and say no in a serious voice when you catch him doing something wrong. The biting may be playful for Harley, but no dog no matter how small should think that biting is playing. It could one day become more than just playful biting. Peanut chewed all of our hands up when he was teething, and we would give him a chew toy as an acceptable replacement for our hands. Sorry I don't have any good suggestions. Peanut's was just a phase and now he is back to being the little angel. Good luck!!!

 

[Harleysmom]

thanks for the good advice. I gave him the cold shoulder all morning and now he's acting better. I think he is just bored. We are going out of town this afternoon for several hrs and he will be locked up-oh boy that should help

Start all over again........

 

[Harleysmom]

Harley is 5 1/2 mths.

 

[littlepeanut]

At 51/2 months, I think that was when Peanut started acting up too. It probably is just a phase, but be really careful, because if he learns to get away with something now, it'll probably stick and become an on going problem! These guys are too smart! It's really hard to do, but sometimes ignoring them really helps.

 

[doctorcathy]

the same exact thing happened to us when ellie was little....you know what it turned out to be??


SHE WAS BORED! i totally thought that we were exercising her enough and we stimulated her brain or whatever---but we were totally wrong.

try tiring him out a lot and maybe that will help. you have to get him REALLY REALLY tired. an hour hike works with us. and then train him a little bit to come.

 

[jmm]

I agree that a tired dog is a good dog. Walks, training sessions, and playing ball, tug, or hide and seek are all good games. Just remember with games, especially tug, you initiate and end the game and the dog must "out" the toy when asked.

Also, giving him a bit more guidance in his day will help. Put him on a schedule including some down time in his crate. Do a short obedience session with him every day. If possible, you can feed him a meal piece by piece and even ask him to do things for it. Get him food toys to put his meals in so he has to work for it.

When he does get crazy and is not listening as puppies are apt to do from time to time, call a time out. Get a yummy treat and call him and have him kennel up for the treat. Take a break for you and him. When you let him back out, do some sort of organized entertainment like a walk or a training session so he has a positive outlet for his energy.

 

[k/c mom]

Your situation reminds of what I went through with my first Maltese Rosebud, then Kallie, then Catcher... in other words.... he is acting just like a typical Maltese puppy!

Since Catcher was a puppy more recently I can recall his situation most clearly. I just loved on him even more and made him feel safe. I think they get where they are unsure of things and their surroundings... I thought he was Cujo and where was my sweet puppy. I even looked up info on the Internet about "aggressive dogs". Then whoa... hold on... I remembered that Rosebud and Kallie were the same way, etc. when they were his age. And he wasn't aggressive... he was just a puppy!!

So, I cuddled him more and talked sweet to him and held him more. He responded by being sweeter than ever and I swear I noticed in a few days that he was Cujo no more.

OK... the toilet paper thing.... mine still do that and Kallie is almost 3. The cure is just take it off the roll and put in on the tank where they can't get it. For some reason Malts love paper!

And yep, mine run when I go to pick them up if they think it is time for me to leave or something like that. Please make sure to NEVER EVER scold or do anything negative after you've caught him. Make him associate being "caught" with something good. Even though I am at my wit's end sometimes if one of mine pulls this "trick", I cuddle them when I pick them up. If they associate being caught with something negative, you'll just scare him and he'll keep running. Lots of times, I just start running toward the bedroom and they follow and then I quickly shut the door, but I don't make a big deal out of it... I have finally taught Kallie to sit and wait for me to pick her up... which work about 90% of the time. With Catcher I have to just surprise him and pick him up when he isn't expecting it.

I know the frustration you feel with him biting at your hands and feet, etc. When Catcher would bite my feet, I would just keep walking and ignore it totally. It wasn't fun for him so he soon quit. And since he would bite a lot when we played on the floor, I quit playing on the floor with him for a couple months. I would sit in a chair and throw the ball, etc. Now that he is nine months, he is fine when we play.

I like JMM's idea of the time out but don't be "mean" about it....or make it seem like punishment... just put him in his crate with a toy. I know that sometimes we need a break from our puppies ....

I hope some of this can be useful for you and improve your situation.

 

[MalteseJane]

Geez it's a 5-1/2 month old PUPPY !! Puppies do that. It's up to you to teach them how far they can go. They love to play tricks and think it's funny. They pull the toilet paper, so what ! If it bother's you put the paper somewhere else where they cannot reach it. It's like having a baby. Instead of baby proofing your house, you have to puppy proof your house.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by MalteseJane@Feb 19 2005, 07:18 PM
Geez it's a 5-1/2 month old PUPPY !! Puppies do that. It's up to you to teach them how far they can go. They love to play tricks and think it's funny. They pull the toilet paper, so what ! If it bother's you put the paper somewhere else where they cannot reach it. It's like having a baby. Instead of baby proofing your house, you have to puppy proof your house.
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[/QUOTE]

I know what you mean about them playing tricks and thinking it is funny..... These little ones are very, very, very smart!! It takes all my wits sometimes to outsmart them!!!