[celt47]

My four month old Labrador puppy has started teething and it’s changed her behavior. When walking her she tries to eat anything she can get her mouth on from stick to leaves to trash. I tug her away from it and if necessary open her mouth to pull it out. I’ve been teaching her the “drop” command, but she’ll only do that on occasion with her toys at home. After tugging her away from something or pulling something out of her mouth she pretty much turns on me, tries to bite at my hands and clothing and dive between my legs. I’ve tried turning my back on her and it works sometimes and she just lies down, however, she doesn’t always do it right away and tugs on my clothing which I can’t let her destroy. I can’t just turn my back on her when she tries to bite my ankles and rips my clothes.

We love our puppy, but this is getting out of control. I know it probably has something to do with her teething because this behavior only started two weeks ago. She’s been doing well with basic skills like sit, lie down, etc. But I don’t know what more to do in this case.

Also when I walk her she likes to walk with her leash in her mouth (She's done it since she was 9 weeks old), which she doesn't really chew on. I tried putting bitter barrier and tabasco sauce on it, but it didn't help (and tabasco sauce worked everywhere else).

 

[Entwine]

Have you tried trading her when on walks instead of just wrestling the object away? The way we taught Misty was to offer her a treat after saying "drop it" and now she immediately drops whatever she has as soon as you call her name. This way you aren't taking something away--you're giving her something MUCH better. Make sure it is a high value treat--i.e.: a treat she just can't resist.

I understand you can't always have a treat, but try to carry a small bag of them around with you in your pocket. If not in your pocket, then place a few bags around the house so they can easily be grabbed.

Because I'm still training with Misty, I always carry a bag of treats on walks. It makes things much easier.

 

[bambee]

You can try crate training your dog to prevent destructive chewing. Give him chew toys as well and use both positive and negative reinforcement. http://franxbudi.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-deal-with-your-dogs-teething.html

 

[niccru]

Entwine, that is an excellent idea. I've been having the same problem with my puppy Abby. She gets distracted with my shoes, pants, leaves, grass, etc and nothing but picking her up and taking her inside can distract her.

Will definitely start taking a bag of treats outside to teach her the "leave it" command.


Thanks,
Nicole