HELP! Our puppy chews on our kids...

[Bethanevisser]

Hello everyone. We have a 10 week old EM named Axel. We adore him. Our plan is for him to be a social therapy dog for our seven year old autistic son. We also have a five year old girl.

He is doing ok with house breaking and has quit chewing our chairs (for the most part) but are having a hard time with him grabbing the kids clothes with his teeth and occasionally getting skin as well. The kids yell "no" and push him away while trying to give him a toy instead. He will stop if squirted with vinegar (trainers suggestion) but the vinegar isn't't always close enough for the kids to grab it. He is big enough to knock my daughter down. He also tries to chew on them and play rough if the kids sit or lay on the floor. He will do this to me as well but less often.

We have tried telling him no, holding his muzzle (gently) and saying "not a toy" or doing the same while holding the scruff of the neck. The problem is the kids are neither fast enough or strong enough to grab the scruff or hold his muzzle. We need to nip this in the bud before he gets any bigger. My son is getting frustrated and has "spanked" the puppy on the rump. We have told him not to do that but I need to give him instructions that will bring results.

He also chases the kids if they run and will fight for anything he gets in his mouth (shoes, towels, kids toys, etc.). Growling, gripping with teeth and paws and not letting go.

Suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Bethanevisser]

 

[mx5055]

The dog is in control...not you! And, allowing your son to "spank" the dog is extremely dangerous. There should be no unsupervised play between the dog and your children right now giving the problems you are stating. If the dog is knocking you down also you have some serious issues to deal with and sry to say, your trainer doesn't sound real smart. Did you do any research about this breed before you got the dog and brought it into the house? What were your expectations of this dog, and what he would add to your family? Have you ever owned and trained a dog before? I apologize if this sounds harsh, but I am having a hard time believing this post is for real. If it is, then you need to seriously start reading some of the threads on this forum dealing with training your dogs, and your kids. Good Luck

 

[DMikeM]

Only thing I could suggest is to not allow the children to play together unsupervised until you get this corrected. Use a house leash and give him a correction anytime he bits on a child or shows aggression towards thing's he has claimed.

Edit, Cindy types faster than me.

 

[cwayaustx]

Just curious, how old was the pup when you brought him home? He's a cutie..

 

[voidecho]

Did you do any research about this breed before you got the dog and brought it into the house? What were your expectations of this dog, and what he would add to your family? Have you ever owned and trained a dog before? I apologize if this sounds harsh, but I am having a hard time believing this post is for real.

Be nice...

 

[mx5055]

Hello everyone. We have a 10 week old EM named Axel. We adore him.
Our plan is for him to be a social therapy dog for our seven year old autistic son. also have a five year old girl. We
He is doing ok with house breaking and has quit chewing our chairs (for the most part) but are having a hard time with him grabbing the kids clothes with his teeth and occasionally getting skin as well. The kids yell "no" and push him away while trying to give him a toy instead. He will stop if squirted with vinegar (trainers suggestion) but the vinegar isn't't always close enough for the kids to grab it. He is big enough to knock my daughter down. He also tries to chew on them and play rough if the kids sit or lay on the floor. He will do this to me as well but less often.

We have tried telling him no, holding his muzzle (gently) and saying "not a toy" or doing the same while holding the scruff of the neck. The problem is the kids are neither fast enough or strong enough to grab the scruff or hold his muzzle. We need to nip this in the bud before he gets any bigger. My son is getting frustrated and has "spanked" the puppy on the rump. We have told him not to do that but I need to give him instructions that will bring results.

He also chases the kids if they run and will fight for anything he gets in his mouth (shoes, towels, kids toys, etc.). Growling, gripping with teeth and paws and not letting go.

Suggestions are appreciated!

You do realize the pup is 10 weeks old, and how old he will be, plus the special training he will need to be a therapy dog for your son? "Getting skin" is called a bite. Why are your kids in charge of "training" the dog? Why are they implementing "punishment" on the dog by "spanking and squirting"??? Your kids should not have to be "fast enough or strong enough" they are children and it's your job to train your dog and to protect your children. If this dog is such a "terror" at 10 weeks, Lord knows what you're going to have on your hands in another year...especially if you keep allowing and expecting your children to train the dog. I think you either seriously need to think about rehoming this dog while he is young enough or your need a trainer to train YOU....and I don't mean a trainer who deals with issues by using a squirt bottle. This is only my opinion...hopefully others on the forum can help you...I don't think I can, as I just don't see this story ending successfully.

 

[mx5055]

Be nice...

If you didn't care for that one, the next one will upset you more. I seriously doubt this is real....and, if it is, I see little hope for success. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I did state that it was only my own opinion and that I couldn't help, and that maybe others could. I will stop posting on this thread

 

[cwayaustx]

He's a pup, pups are mouthy. Keep him on a leash and have your children ignore him for a while until you get this taken care of. It's not going to be easy but if it were easy everyone would have a perfect dog.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

He is just being a puppy. I would put him on a leash so that you are able to stop him prior to doing this and also keep him from being around the children unsupervised. It takes awhile for the to understand that "No means No" and they can be persistent but if you stay consistent, you will work through it. The children shouldn't be allowed to correct him, IMO. As far as the chasing and other stuff, it just takes time, patience and work on your part to teach him right from wrong as he is just doing what is natural for him at this point. Also, I would encourage you not to have the puppy running free when the kids are sitting on the floor. Little people on the floor is very exciting to a new puppy that doesn't know any better yet and he will start to treat them like littermates if he is allowed to. Puppies can be very trying, for sure but if you put the effort in now you will get back so much more int he end. Good luck to you and he is an adorable pup!

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I think you are being entirely too harsh. If you don't think it is real, then you shouldn't comment but in the event that it is and this is a new owner seeking advice to help them with their puppy, then they should be given that. When I first came to this forum, I learned an awful lot about the breed and received amazing advice BUT I certainly wouldn't have if the people on this forum would have spoken to me like that.

You do realize the pup is 10 weeks old, and how old he will be, plus the special training he will need to be a therapy dog for your son? "Getting skin" is called a bite. Why are your kids in charge of "training" the dog? Why are they implementing "punishment" on the dog by "spanking and squirting"??? Your kids should not have to be "fast enough or strong enough" they are children and it's your job to train your dog and to protect your children. If this dog is such a "terror" at 10 weeks, Lord knows what you're going to have on your hands in another year...especially if you keep allowing and expecting your children to train the dog. I think you either seriously need to think about rehoming this dog while he is young enough or your need a trainer to train YOU....and I don't mean a trainer who deals with issues by using a squirt bottle. This is only my opinion...hopefully others on the forum can help you...I don't think I can, as I just don't see this story ending successfully.

 

[CeeCee]

Does your puppy have an opportunity for puppy play? If you haven't already you may want to get him into puppy kindergarden or if you have friends with puppies, set up some play dates or when he's ready, doggie day care. Given your goals for you puppy, I would think you want him to be be SUPER socialized.

I completely agree on not letting your children and puppy be together unsupervised, but just a thought on letting your kids "push him away." Your puppy may see this as play and just keep coming back for more "play" ...getting more and more excited and only creating more of exactly what you don't want.

 

[AKBull]

We need to be a little more accomidating to people who come on and seem to be looking for advice. Give them the benefit of doubt at least.

 

[Wyo- Dogue de Bordeaux]

When the puppy bites, who ever he is biting on have them say a loud high pitched "ouch". This will let the dog know that it hurts. When puppies play they do this to each other, so it's more like a yelp. Also please make sure he has all if his shots before taking him outside of his yard/house or playing with other dogs. Some people don't keep up on vaccinations and the puppy could get extremely ill. If you need more hero please feel free to pm me or ask on here


Wyoming Dogue De Bordeaux

 

[Bethanevisser]

Wow. I am sorry that I looked for help here. We have done a lot of research on the breed. We brought him home at 7 weeks at the advice of our trainer, veterinarian and the breeder. They all said starting training right away INCLUDING the children was more important than staying with litter mates for another week. I questioned it based on what I read online but went with what the professionals suggested.

I don't allow my son to spank the puppy. It happened one time and my son was disciplined for it. He is an autistic child and occasionally lashes out. Our son now retreats to his bedroom when he gets frustrated rather than hit the dog. We were told he needed a large, strong, calm dog. the EM fit that description and our lifestyle perfectly. We had been allowing the puppy and kids in the same room unsupervised for a few moments (when I run to the bathroom or start a load of laundry). I will stop doing that. I also hadn't tried keeping him on a leash in the house. I started that immediately after reading it as a suggestion.

The kids are not the primary trainer of the dog nor are they responsible for the majority of discipline. However, we were told that they need to be able to tell him no and have him respect them NOW because he will be bigger than them soon.

I expected puppy behavior and based on what I have read, I expected a lot of chewing on things... Not people. I have had dogs all of my life. I understand mouthing which is what this is primarily and I think whoever said he was treating the kids like litter mates is correct. My RESEARCH has told me that EMs are soft hearted but stubborn. It stated that many disciplines are inappropriate for the breed and may harm the bonding taking place between the dog and family.

I am looking for help finding the happy medium. Effective discipline that won't harm our bond with the puppy.

He is a great dog. He is doing well with basic commands. This is our only real problem and I came here looking for honest suggestions from people who know the breed and their tender hearts.

I am trying to do what is best for both our family and the puppy. We went to the breeders every week, we met both parents of our puppy, we researched the best food for him, we signed up for training right away and found a trainer that could take us from puppyhood to therapy dog. We have puppy proofed the house and relocated the cats food and litterbox to a place the dog can not get to. We are not idiots.

This is simply our first time with this breed and again we were looking for acceptable disciplines that wouldn't harm our bond with the dog. I thought the best place to go was a forum of experts on the breed.

I am sorry to have joined the group.

Those of you who were incredibly harsh, have you ever had a child in your life that was disabled? Have you ever loved someone with all your heart and not had a way to help them? If you were told something may help soothe that person, would you not look for the best option and go with it? Do you have a heart or even compassion?

We chose the English Mastiff because of the breeds characteristics. We don't want the energy level of a lab, golden or GSD. Many other breeds don't typically have the calm demeanor of the EM or are not typically good therapy pets or good around strangers. My understanding is that a properly socialized EM will be friendly with everyone who doesn't pose a threat.

A sincere thank you to all of those who offered sincere help. The kids just got home from school and having him on a leash is going well.

 

[thelady_v2010]

I think you came to the right place, please don't leave.

 

[cwayaustx]

I think an EM will be perfect for what you want. I don't agree with the breeder or trainer and think another couple of weeks would have helped bite inhibition but that's only my opinion and whats done is done. Sounds like you are doing the right thing, keep him on leash with corrections being an "ahah", mastiff's dont do well with spankings. Stick around, there are lots of good people here willing to help answer the questions that ALL OF US HAD with our first mastiff. He will end up being your son's best friend in no time, just keep up with the training. Welcome to the board..

 

[voidecho]

Definitely stick around. I sent you a PM earlier with my suggestions. Since you're new to the site, you may not notice the notification in the top right hand of the screen.

My boy liked to play bite (mouth) everyone when he was younger (still does to an extent) so I feel your pain.

 

[cwayaustx]

One thing I didn't see mentioned that I have seen work is to turn your back and ignore him when he starts biting, pushing him away only makes him think you are playing. After your back is turned and he continues to bite or chase then seperate him in another room with a child gate, i wouldnt recommend the crate for this, you want the crate associated with a good thing.

 

[mx5055]

Wow. I am sorry that I looked for help here.

Those of you who were incredibly harsh, have you ever had a child in your life that was disabled? Have you ever loved someone with all your heart and not had a way to help them? If you were told something may help soothe that person, would you not look for the best option and go with it? Do you have a heart or even compassion?

A sincere thank you to all of those who offered sincere help. The kids just got home from school and having him on a leash is going well.

I believe I was the only one who responded harshly, and the answers to your questions are yes, yes, yes, and yes. I responded based on what you stated and how you stated it. I also said it was only my opinion, and that there were others here that could probably help you. Don't condemn this forum based on what I said. This forum is full of very intelligent and knowledgeable people (far more than me) that know very much about these giant breeds. I said I wouldn't post again on this thread, but I just wanted to clarify that I was the one that responded harshly, not the rest of the forum. I do wish you good luck.