Hello all;
This is my first message and I haven't figured out how to make it look cute yet - but I need help !!!
A couple of weeks ago we adopted a 5 month old newfie (actually, he has some shepard in him too.) Tucker is the sweetest puppy I've ever seen and we are all in love. (I have 2 daughters, ages 12 and 6.)
Now the problem... Tucker won't stop biting and jumping up on me. He never jumps on anyone else, and rarely nips at others... but he is really starting to hurt me. This doesn't seem to be agression - just rough play but I actually have bruises! During a visit to the vet today she also mentioned that his habit of barking back at people issuing commands could also be a problem as he grows older - since it could signal dominance.
I understand that I need to enroll him in training asap, but I don't think I can wait for it to start.
Have any of you lived through this problem? How have you solved it? I've tried a stern "no bite", replacing my arm (or leg etc) with a chewy, holding his mouth closed while saying "no bite" and bopping him with a pillow. None of this has helped - it seems to have made it worse, since I think he thinks I'm playing. I was thinking of putting some pennies in a can, but he is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, and I don't want the noise of the correction to increase his anxiety.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
This is my first message and I haven't figured out how to make it look cute yet - but I need help !!!
A couple of weeks ago we adopted a 5 month old newfie (actually, he has some shepard in him too.) Tucker is the sweetest puppy I've ever seen and we are all in love. (I have 2 daughters, ages 12 and 6.)
Now the problem... Tucker won't stop biting and jumping up on me. He never jumps on anyone else, and rarely nips at others... but he is really starting to hurt me. This doesn't seem to be agression - just rough play but I actually have bruises! During a visit to the vet today she also mentioned that his habit of barking back at people issuing commands could also be a problem as he grows older - since it could signal dominance.
I understand that I need to enroll him in training asap, but I don't think I can wait for it to start.
Have any of you lived through this problem? How have you solved it? I've tried a stern "no bite", replacing my arm (or leg etc) with a chewy, holding his mouth closed while saying "no bite" and bopping him with a pillow. None of this has helped - it seems to have made it worse, since I think he thinks I'm playing. I was thinking of putting some pennies in a can, but he is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, and I don't want the noise of the correction to increase his anxiety.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.