New puppy help

[aliceinlove]

Hi new here!
I recently adopted an English mastiff puppy 13 weeks old.She is great with kids, dogs, new people. The only problem is she seems a little any when you approach her and when you go to pet her from above. Sometimes when we pet her or play she gets rough and bites hard. When you tell her no! she bites harder, growls, lunges.And it scares me! She never does this to our two year old, she's gentle with him.

She is responding to training very well. In just four days she can sit,stay,lay and a few other things. I've had big breeds all my life but I'm new to the mastiff breed. Will she always be so rough and headstrong? Does this mean she will be a mean adult? I'm just starting to get nervous because I have two small children. Was I wrong to get a mastiff being new to the breed? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Wyo- Dogue de Bordeaux]

In a high pitch voice say ouch. It shocks them enough that they stop and try to figure out what that was. Since she is picking up on other things really fast, she should have it down in no time. We have taught ours to leave it or nice (depending on the situation). They are stubborn and hard headed and will be their entire life. Just make sure you are constant on commands.


Wyoming Dogue De Bordeaux

 

[NeSaxena]

It's possible that she's just getting used to the new environment - hence the pull back to being petted from above. Be patient with her

For the biting, she might even respond better to redirection. If she starts biting, simply remove your hand and replace it with a toy. When she starts chewing on that, praise her like she just saved your life!

Mastiffs are adorable - you made the right decision. Don't worry too much, she's still a puppy. With proper training and guidance, she'll be the gentlest giant you've ever seen! I agree on the bullheaded part, though. Sometimes I have to "out-stubborn" Boone to get him to do something.

 

[mx5055]

I got my pup when she was 13 weeks old from a rescue, and she was afraid of almost everything. I never approached her from above her head in the beginning (now it's ok)....I always let her see my hands coming, and I gave her plenty of time to get use to her new surroundings, only working on things that would build her confidence in herself and her new home. Almost any time she got "headstong" about something I would just redirect to another activity. She has come a long ways, and is a very different pup today. This is just what worked for us

 

[ruthcatrin]

ALOT of dogs don't like having a hand approach from above for petting. Train yourself, and your kid, to reach in to pet the side of the head not the top.

And puppy biting and nipping is normal.

When she nips say "OW!" is a loud high pitched voice, AND GET UP AND WALK AWAY. Even if you only move a few feet, don't just sit there after she nips. If she follows you and nips more leave the room entirely.

If she's doing it exclusevly when she plays she may be getting overly wound up. Watch her for signs that she's getting to that state, and re-direct to something more calming.

 

[Robtouw]

Even at 11 months I do not allow people to reach for my boy's head, it is considered an aggressive move and makes dogs defensive. I ask all visitors or strangers who approach him wait for him to sit, offer a hand and let Cruiser decide if they can pet. At 13 weeks she is just beginning to show a little personality and courage and does not have litter mates around to correct her so you've got to do it. The way you work on your approach depends on how long you've had her, if for a short while than I suggest take time to sit within reach and let her come to you, after she does give her praise, let her smell and climb on you, then lift and carry her a bit to get her used to you handling her. Make it fun and positive, it is possible that her breeder was not as friendly with the pups and she has been scared by someone. While she eats, rub her back, belly and massage her ears, let her know you expect to touch her when you want. Most mastiffs are gentle in nature.

With the biting, redirection does help, yelping and holding your hands up and walking away does as well. With Cruiser, he would get a little too excited and we had to hold on to him and put him in a sit position with my hand on his chest and make him sit and calm down. But with your girl being scared of your approach I don't recommend this until you establish trust.

Also, make taking things out of her mouth a routine. Do it for no reason, take away a toy, chew or other item and hold it for a while or put it away. We usuallly just take the item and put it on a table or on the counter and give it back in a few minutes. The reason for doing it is total safety. If she gets hold of something that could hurt or poision her you can reach in and take it out of her mouth without fear. I do this with all of my boys.

 

[Gypsy Moon's mama]

aliceinlove. My girl was very mouthy, stubborn, and also talked back, faught back, nipped and aligator rolled and acted like a bonified land shark!...lol... when I had "acted like a tree" and employed alot of the other techniques as well. She started that behavior from about day 1...50 days old...she was a rescued baby...My advise is that with consistency and patience...and a whole lot of "time outs"...your pup will build confidence and get over her "Silence of the Lambs" phase...I have found that by being calm and not reacting Gypsy seems less argumentative. Obedience puppy classes are awesome for redirecting some energy and keeping them in a learning state of mind. It will be okay...all the mouthing and rude behavior seems to go along with teething and growing up.

 

[aliceinlove]

Thanks for all the advice. It really puts me at ease to know other puppy mastiff were the same way.

This morning my son(two years old) wanted up in my bed. Elle sleeps at the end of my bed. She crawled up and laid her head on him. It was really sweet.

 

[DennasMom]

Sweet! I agree with all the above recommendations, too. High-pitched "yipes" definitely worked better than "NO!" around here (although Denna knows "NO" now, too). These mastiffs are independent, strong-willed pups... a "no" might sound like a challenge (something to test again), where a "yipe" like a fellow puppy will put her more in 'family/pack' mode and bring out her protective/guardian instincts.

 

[jenypri]

Try kneeling down and coming at her striaght ahead instead of over and above. It is a very intimidating stance to come from above. Start petting her chest and then move to her head.
I agree with the high pitch squeal, it works very well. I have 7 week old puppies that we are using this method on and they rarely bite.

 

[musicdeb]

Welcome aboard~ A lot of great advice here. I'd like to add, patience and training are key.

 

[aliceinlove]

She is great! She was just playing and wasn't meaning to be aggressive. She has become a great addition to our family. She is over 40 pounds now at 14 weeks. Is this normal or about right for the age?

 

[mx5055]

Good to hear she is doing better and all are happy