This seems to have been covered ad nauseum, but my situation seems a little different and have not come across a consensus.
I have had my lab a month now, he is 12 weeks. For the most part, he is an intelligent, well meaning dog. Very independent dog that likes to play too. The problem is his biting. I have read all the articles on bite inhibition, and he does not bite hard anymore. Occasionally though he will just flip a switch and go nutty. Growling, barking, snapping I would expect from a puppy when he wants to play. And that all seems playful when he does it. The problem is you cannot just "walk away" or "turn your back" and stop him from biting, jumping, lundging, etc.
NO!! only seems to fire him up. Touch just accelerates things. Stand still and you are dead in the water because now he has an easy target to bite. I was told and read online many places to lay him on his side until he calms down. That is good if you want a 12 week lab puppy showing you his teeth and looking crazed! If he has something in his mouth you dont want him to have, expect to see a snarl and teeth. Want him to move outside and he doesnt want to go? Put your hands on his sides and try to guide him outside and prepare to get snapped at. The only thing that seems to work is crating him in a time out for 5-10 minutes. But good luck getting him in there without a biting/snapping frenzy.
We are starting puppy kindergarten this coming Monday. He is well socialized and is not afraid, well, of anything! He seems to listen to me more than my wife. She is willing to discipline in any way we need to, but nothing seems to work. He gets plenty of "pack walks" in the morning and evening. We do short training sessions throughout the day, clicker and treats and he does well. Teaching him tricks and obedience is not an issue. I dont think giving him treats when he is in that frame of mind is right...seems like it would just reinforce that behavior.
A bit of background info , because I think it may be related to my problem. He got into some algae water and has had loose stool for a week. Has been on an antibiotic and there has been no loss of appetite or ability/want to drink water. So other than the loose stool, he is doing fine there. I wonder if he just really feels worse than he lets on and that is why he is so foul sometimes, or is this a case of lab puppy syndrome? What do you do when he goes psycho and yelping and walking away just fuels his fire??
Thanks
I have had my lab a month now, he is 12 weeks. For the most part, he is an intelligent, well meaning dog. Very independent dog that likes to play too. The problem is his biting. I have read all the articles on bite inhibition, and he does not bite hard anymore. Occasionally though he will just flip a switch and go nutty. Growling, barking, snapping I would expect from a puppy when he wants to play. And that all seems playful when he does it. The problem is you cannot just "walk away" or "turn your back" and stop him from biting, jumping, lundging, etc.
NO!! only seems to fire him up. Touch just accelerates things. Stand still and you are dead in the water because now he has an easy target to bite. I was told and read online many places to lay him on his side until he calms down. That is good if you want a 12 week lab puppy showing you his teeth and looking crazed! If he has something in his mouth you dont want him to have, expect to see a snarl and teeth. Want him to move outside and he doesnt want to go? Put your hands on his sides and try to guide him outside and prepare to get snapped at. The only thing that seems to work is crating him in a time out for 5-10 minutes. But good luck getting him in there without a biting/snapping frenzy.
We are starting puppy kindergarten this coming Monday. He is well socialized and is not afraid, well, of anything! He seems to listen to me more than my wife. She is willing to discipline in any way we need to, but nothing seems to work. He gets plenty of "pack walks" in the morning and evening. We do short training sessions throughout the day, clicker and treats and he does well. Teaching him tricks and obedience is not an issue. I dont think giving him treats when he is in that frame of mind is right...seems like it would just reinforce that behavior.
A bit of background info , because I think it may be related to my problem. He got into some algae water and has had loose stool for a week. Has been on an antibiotic and there has been no loss of appetite or ability/want to drink water. So other than the loose stool, he is doing fine there. I wonder if he just really feels worse than he lets on and that is why he is so foul sometimes, or is this a case of lab puppy syndrome? What do you do when he goes psycho and yelping and walking away just fuels his fire??
Thanks