Japanese Spitz (behaviour problems)

I got a three and half month japanese spitz boy. He's very naughty most of the time. He keeps feeling hungry, keeps wanting attention, doesn't EVER feel like sitting in his cage and when we give him a soft toy for him to bite on he doesn't stop biting ME! Does anyone have a solution for this because he has gotten wild since 1 month. I got him when he was 2 and half month old. Please help me.

I'm no expert here but it sounds like you need to go to classes to learn him how to behave with you and other dogs. Other people on here will have more info but he needs socialising so he knows what is and isn't acceptable. Also you learn to enjoy him and have fun with him.

Thanks but thats just the biting, and hes only got 2 injections so he cannot socialise with other dogs YET! and he keeps eating and runs to the kitchen he doesn't like to sleep or stay in his cage when theres food being made! HELP!!

He sounds like a perfectly normal puppy to me.

Is this your first dog?

Hi Kanishka,

The Japanese breeds are notoriously stubborn so you'll have to put in some training and persevere without faltering.

When he bites it's probably just normal puppy "play" to him, although with those little "needle" teeth it can really hurt. When he does it, let out a short, sharp shriek. Not so loud that it hurts his ears but loud enough to make him jump. This will distract him and he'll stop. Fold your arms and turn away from him. If he was still with his litter mates and he nipped them a little too hard, they'd yelp and stop playing with him for a short time. He'll learn very quickly that if he wants to play, he can't nip you. He'll also learn just how much pressure to put on when he is playing - after all, dogs use their mouths for everything!

With a breed like a Japaneses Spitz you have a very big dog in a very little body. You need to get him enrolled in a training class. Even though he hasn't had his last lot of jabs yet you can still take him so long as you carry him. Don't put him on the ground o rnear the other dogs until he's had about a week or more after his last lot of jabs so he's fully protected. This will get him used to going out and about, seeing new things, smelling new scents, meeting new people and ultimately, new dogs.
Whilst there, you can see how the training is done and you can start to practice at home. This wil give you a good grounding to work upon when he is able to got o classes properly.

You say he keeps eating. No doubt he would have people believe that you starve him and he's constantly hungry. He isn't, but at 3 months old I'd suggest he still has 4 small meals a day. He'll only keep eatign if you keep feeding him, but bear in mind he's a growing puppy so will need the energy he gets from him food properly spread out throughout the day.

You also say he doens't like to stay in his cage if htere's food being prepared. from a personal point of view, I wouldn't confine my dogs to a crate just because I was preparing food. However, I woudl shut the kitchen door so he can't get in or put up a stair/door gate across the doorway. This way he can see you so he knows he hasn't been left and you can get on with food preparation withouth him gettign in the way or being trodden on.
I woudl only ever use his cratefor him to sleep in or if you have to go out for anything and can't take him with you; alhtough you'll need to build slowly on the amount of time hespends alone. His crate should be his "safe place" where he can go to sleep, rest, relax, etc. Somewhere that he's happy to be. You shouldn't have to force him to go into his crate.

Youalso say he's very naughty. He's just a normal young pup as far as I can tell but you must persevere with the training. His "naughtiness" means that he's displaying behaviour you don't want him to display but until you've shown him what is and is not acceptable, he won't improve.

Good luck. Any piccies?

Laura xx

Laura,
OMGGG. thanks alott!!

BUTTTT...

I agree that they are stubborn! But I live in HK (Hong Kong) and there are very few classes here which cost around $2300 for 4 sessions. Which is pretty expensive so aren't there any home therapy or anything that i can do with my pup??

He bit me and i tried locking him in his room but he would normally just go to sleep or would keeeeeeep barking and i'd have to take him out forcefully! Hes tooo cute to resist you see. But when he would attempt to bite me i would put him in the cage or ignore him, he would then bite me or just would hate/ignore me throughout the entire day! He uses his mouth for a bit to many things..

He's a very wild dog in a small body indeed. But i do carry him but i read all over the internet that i can make him wear his leash and let him walk which i did so is that alright for him?? When you speak of classes am i going to be involved in those classes or is it just him learning by himself?

Yes he eats ALOT! But i feed him 2 times a day 12:00pm and then 8:00 pm and yet hes hungry so you said that i should feed him four times a day: do u mind if u could tell me the timings i should feed him and the amount?? I agree hes a growing puppy but i do feed him Bacon (dog) and i don't only feed him only typical dog food. I sometimes mix vegetables and curd is that alright? I'm worried.

Trust me when i leave him home with my nana then he just doesn't stay! He would keep on barking so I decided to just get him used to the cage so that whenever i put him in the cage he wouldn't make a big fuss. Got any tips mate?

He hates his cage, he would only sleep in it if i throw him in there or else he isn't the kind of dog who would go willingly i have to normally trick him into it or even have to pick him up.

But he is very naughty! He growls and barks at me for no reason is that being playful?? Im just keen to now.

And i even sometimes take him for a walk at like Ten in the night is that alright? But it's a safe area with no doggies but is open...

Thanks I'll need the luck. Any piccies??

Vicki- Yes he is my first dog! and it hasn't been a very pleasant experience so far.

Hi

You say he is 14 weeks, therefore he needs to be on three meals a day. I would certainly give him a meal first thing in the morning upon waking as 16 hours (8pm-12am) between meals is an awful long time for the little guy. Small breeds ideally should be fed little and often as pups, so this might explain why he is so hungry.

Not sure what you mean by you feed him bacon? I wouldn't feed bacon as it is salty meat and therefore not ideal for dogs. I would just feed his dry puppy food for his meals and feed appropriate treats here and there. Then, when he is a bit older start giving him a wider variety of foods if you desire.

Under what circumstances do you want him in his cage? overnight when you sleep? have you tried putting the cage next to your bed? some pups/dogs are happy to sleep on their own, others do much better with company.

Hi,

I agree. You could put his crate next to your bed for night times and bring it back downstairs for the daytime. Alternatively, you could always keep the crate downstairs and sleep on the sofa at night until he gets used to it.

For training classes, obviously you would ahve to learn with him. Mostly, they are conducted in such a way (well over here they are anyway) that the trainer will train the owners how to train their own dogs. There's no point in handing your dog over to someone else for them to train it as you will want it to respond to your commands. Can his breeder not offer you any advice?

If you cannot afford training classes, then why did you get a dog? Particularly a japanese breed?

At the end ofthe day, dog training is all about repetition, patience and perseverance. Don't punish your pup or shout at him if he does somethign wrong or doesn't do as he is told. This will get you nowhere. Just ignore him, as you would if he was mouthing a lot or if he had an accident on the floor. You must make sure though that you praise very highly any activity that shows he understands you and does as he is told. This way he'll learn which behaviours are acceptable and which are not.

For the time being I would only feed him proper puppy food. And for training or good behaviour, buy some proper dog treats. Not sweets or human food. This won;t do him any good at all. What do you mean by bacon? I wouldn't give a 3 month old pup something that had so much salt in it, unless what you call bacon is different to what we think it is.

I'd recommend feeding him at least 3 times a day, maybe 8am, 1pm and 6pm with treats inbetween for good behaviour. Or if you choose to feed him smaller meals 4 times a days I'd do it at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm.

It's OK to practice walking on a lead with him but not out in public or where other dogs may go. There are deadly diseases that dogs can leave behind that can be so easily picked up by a young pup.
You can practice on a lead at home aroudn the house or in the garden. He certainly shouldn't be out and about on the floor outside. You say other dogs aren't about when he's out but it doesn't mean they haven't already been there.

For training classes in HK, can you not go along and watch some first to make sure it's the right place to be for you and your dog? You can get a lot of tips and info just by watching what otehrs are doing. Other than that, I can't suggest anything else. basic obedience is a must for all dogs, particularly those who have a stubborn streak where you have to think "outside the box" a little bit to get them to perform.

As your pup gets older he can get involved in more things but initially, I don';t think you ahve any choice unless you have friends or family nearby who can help you.

As for the growling, unless you upload a very clear video, it would be difficult to say whether your pup is being aggressive or playing. I doubt very much that it's aggression or even dominance (I hate that word!) but without seeing the dog and noting when he's growling, I couldn't say for sure. Sorry.

Laura xx

Hes only a very young pup and what he is doing is perfectly normal. All puppies play bite, it is their way of growing up and learning, plus they are teething. You can buy puppy teething rings same as you buy baby teething rings. When he goes to nip you put a toy in his mouth instead, keep toys handy around the house for this purpose.

If he has not had his full innoculations you should not be taking him out at all, it is much too risky and definitely not mixing with other dogs. I would never ever let a puppy mix with other dogs even if being carried until he is fully protected with innoculations.

I agree he should be on 3 meals a day, that is why he is so hungry. Say you get up at 8.00am give him his breakfast, then again a feed at around 12.30 - 1.00pm and his last main feed around 4.00 - 5.00pm. However come supper time he will probably be hungry again, I always gave our puppies a babies rusk soaked in either a mix of milk and water or water to keep their tummies comfy during the night or you could break it up and try giving it to him dry.

How often are you caging him - puppies like to be out and about to follow you around, you have taken on the role of his parent/leader so he will want to be with you. Try feeding him in his crate and giving treats in it so that he associates it with something nice, dont however lock him in it when feeding.

Heyy guys sorry for the late replies!

Labradork- I feed him special dog bacon not human bacon. I do feed him 3 times a day but 8:00, 1:00, and 8:30 so i'll change it to 6:00 then. I keep him in the cage when hes naughty and when he falls asleep outside and i put him in the cage and he then falls asleep. I do put him overnight and he sleeps next to me in my room. He's gotten quite agressive recently too!!

Laura- I don't keep him in the lounge i keep him in the room with me cause he barks at night cause he gets quite scared. I guess i will have to enroll him and i into dog classes then. I bought him from a shop and you know how the shops are it's not like they let him socialise properly and plus they don't even understand english!! ARGHH.

I would really appreciate it if you learn to talk to me properly, i just want to do some home therapy i don't have much time in hand since i have to go to uni and have a job at the same darn time!! I just went to a dog shop saw a couple of dogs and picked out the cutest dog i didn't really do much research.

But when i shout at him he actually gets ashamed and hides. :O Which i think is good and he never repeats his mistakes again. But i sometimes lock him in his cage when he acts naughty. I bought him a teething ring...guess what he did with it? HE ATE IT UP.

It's not any human bacon it's special dog bacon.
I think that feeding 4 times a day will not be good for him because he may vomit again.

I have taken him out a couple of times already, cause hes had his third jab already. I think it's cruel to tie him in the house with a leash i don't want to do that, thanks. Then when do you recommend me to take him out?

He doesn't growl like very often he does growl but he does occasionally and i don't know what makes him even do that. And yesterday i cut his nails at the shop and hes been crying alot for some darn reason. And today morning when i put him for a shower he wouldn't swimm he'd just jump out. You know why?

Velvetboxers- Imma gonna do what you said. Cause i replied to the others and they said the same things so same for you mateyyy. (: