Help with teaching a young pup puppy manners? Biting, car rides, etc

Hello All!

I've got an 8 week old Weimaraner, Pitbull, German Shepard, Lab mix pup. He's the cutest little guy. I've had him since he was 5 weeks old (too young, I know, but the person I got him from was sending them off and I had to take him because they wanted the pups gone since their landlord didn't know they had them.) He's growing wonderfully and I'm working on training and puppy manners with him since he didn't spend enough time with his litter mates to learn. He knows his name and responds to it, I'm working with him with walking on a leash in the back yard which he hates lol, car rides, getting him socialized with people and other animals. He does pretty well with my sisters pups which are 7 and 8 months and much larger than him. Her pups are rather gentle with him. The car and biting are the problem. He hates the car. It seems to scare him. And I work with him daily on the biting issue but nothing seems to work. I've tried the yelp, I stop play and ignore him, leave the room, give him a puppy "time out," replace what he's biting on with one of his toys but he keeps on. Even when I stop play and ignore him he just goes to biting my ankles and feet. I take him out of time out when he seems to calm down and he goes right back at it. Anyone have any tips on helping him get used to the car and the biting? This is my first time having a pup this young and I want to address the issue and correct it now rather than let it go and have bigger issues down the line. Thanks all!

Hello Mrs. Rath & welcome to Dogsey.

I'm no expert but can tell you what's helped for me.

Biting: try and be consistent with your reaction. If you leave the room for a minute every time he does it I think it may dawn on him that it's no fun. This does take time and persistence but I found it to be the only thing that worked in the end.
He's very young and lots of different methods may be confusing for him.

I was lucky with the car because my Poppy loves it. What I'd be inclined to do is put him in the car (not alone) without even going anywhere for very short spells so he gets to realize that nothing bad happens. Build on this to short journeys and if possible see if you can take your sisters pups along to keep him company a time or two.

Hi MrsRath! Welcome!

I got my first dog ever, a fuzzy yellow mutt, at the tender age of 6 weeks and he had already been separated from his mother-- I am his second owner. Bite inhibition was a serious problem. My hands and arms were like hamburger and it seemed that chewing on me was all he wanted to do, ever. I tried the yelping, the time-outs, the cold shoulder, all that-- nothing worked, but this did, and I'm afraid it really, really hurts, but it did work, at least for me... I taught him that the game Was Not Fun. He'd come up and take my hand to chew on it, and I'd just close my hand around his lower jaw. Not squeezing, just holding, so he couldn't chew and couldn't get away, and I'd pretty much ignore him all the while, for about 15-20 seconds. Of course those needle sharp puppy teeth ripped into me, but he got the message pretty quick: chewing me means Opposite Of Fun.

I would let him lick lovely gooey treats off my hands, though, so he'd know I didn't object to his mouth, just the biting thing. And he had plenty of chew toys and chew treats to keep his mouth busy.

As for the car: I'm pretty lucky; mine have generally been okay with it. But yeah, look at it from a little puppy's perspective: it looks weird, it smells weird, you're cooped up in it and it moves. It's best to take things very slow and with lots of positive reinforcement. Take him out to the car, don't get in it, but play a game near it. Then play in it with the doors open. Then play with the doors shut. Then with the engine on. Then you can go around the block. Lots of treats and praise, maybe a special toy that lives in the car, that he only gets to play with when he's in there? Make it as positive as possible-- but of course some will always find the motion unsettling. I always did want to find out what the Mahlemut is for 'he who barfs in cars'. Good luck!

Which part of the car ride does he hate?

How does he enter the car? Do you lift him? Does he struggle? If so could you use a ramp or a plank of wood covered with well secured non slip material and simply teach him to enter and exit the car using the treats.

What position is he in in the car? Is he on a harness? In a crate or loose ? How does he show his hatred of the car?

Hi MrsRath. Welcome to Dogsey!

Congratulations on the new pup! It sounds like you are on the right track to raising a well behaved dog.

You came for help at just the right time. Between 8-12 weeks puppies go through development period called the critical or sensitive period. This is the MOST IMPORTANT time to socialize and habituate pups to people, dogs, animals, places, experiences, etc. that they might encounter in the future. During this time a puppy will be more open to new things then ever. What they experience in this period will influence them for the rest of their life. In fact, a dog learns more in this 4 week time frame then in their entire life.

Rules of Socialization and Training

1. Make everything a fun, pleasant experience

2. Teach your dog what you DO want(don't keep telling your dogs how bad they are instead tell them when they are good)

3. Be consistent and patient

For the car I agree with Strangechilde. Create positive associations and take it step by step.

For the biting I would try and get to the root of the problem. Yes biting and nipping is a totally natural behavior, but it has to be dealt with before those sharp adult teeth come in. I would keep doing what your doing, and in the mean time look into what might be another problem. Is your puppy getting enough exercise and mental stimulation? Does he get the chance to play with other pups? I would also contact a trainer and maybe sign up for a puppy class.

Take a peek at this website. It has everything you could possible want to know about raising a puppy to adult. www.dogstardaily.com/

Hoped this helped and good luck!