any advise on how i can get something fro his mouth that he shouldnt have.he wont open his jaw and growls, i say no angrily but it doesnt work, he thinks its a game.he is only 8wks, he also howls most off night so dont get much sleep.we are sooo tired.

Try offering him something of a higher value...........a nice treat or a toy perhaps, and make it fun I say!

Look at it from his point of view, your trying to take his stuff and angrily too.  What's in it for him?

I agree with jolene if you offer another toy wave it, sqeak it make them want it say drop and quick give them the toy and highly praise make a game of it rather than just doing it when they have something you dont want them to have eventually using the word drop should be enough.

R~

Im guessing that in the past.. when you've see the pup with something he shouldnt have... you immediately run after him and take it out of his mouth 'NO'.. 'BAD BOY'... and take it away

... do not tell him off, instead treat it like a retrieve... (they are retrievers so will get the gyst)..

teach him to fetch. This is the first thing i do with my pups, before sit or anything else. That means that if any of my puppies get hold or soemthing... i say 'fetch' and they bring it to me in exchange for lots of treats and fuss...

so when you have mastered the fetch (and it takes persistance), tell him to bring the toy to you, and exchange it for a reward.

... Also, enroll in a puppy class.... you cant expect a young puppy to understand what no means... all he sees it as is attention for him. Lets face it, if he wasnt chewing up your favourate pair of shoes he wouldn't have all of this attention on him. This puppy is bored, and needs lots of reward based training to channel his energy.

As for the sleep thing... put him in a crate and go to ped with some earplugs in. In a few weeks he'll stop, its just what puppies do when they first go to a new home.

At 8 weeks your pup is primed to steal. This is what they do to enagage you in play, get your attention or help themselves to things they perceive to be of value.

First rule: don't leave things lying around that your pup can damage by chewing. At this tender age pups have no concept of what is or is not allowed, it is your responsibility to ensure he doesn't have access to things you don't want him to have or that to harm him.

Second: you are at risk of turning possession into an issue that he knows will press your buttons. If he grabs something, unless it's your best shoes or poison, you are best to walk away and ignore it. He will soon lose interest because you are not engaging. Distract him with something he likes (nice toy) and once he is focussed on that casually retrieve the other item.

Three: as others here suggest teach the leave command by using swaps. A lower value item should always be repalced by something of higher value. This way he learns that swapping is fun, you get good stuff and your owners approval- wins all round.

Four: enrol in a good puppy class and go as soon as you can , given need for jabs etc.. In the interim do, if you haven't already got it, read Gwen Bailey's "The Perfect Puppy".

Good luck

thanks ive tried the swap and the treat he will be a right fatty, i foster twins so they leave toys around and he thinks great fun to play with them and twins dont understand.my breeder had told me to say no angrily but that didnt go down well on my message,i will take him to classes when he finished jabs this week.he does hurt when try to get them off he drew blood on me husband oops.he was trying to grab babies nappy when she was getting changed.apart from that he is gorgeous.thanks again

Sounds like a typical labrador puppy to me they can be quite horrific as they have just come from the litter  where they scrag and play with each other,he is just a baby and needs to learn.
I have found  if they grab something you dont want them to have hold his mouth gentle put your fingers  from the side and gently press on the inside (roof) of his mouth he will then open his mouth fully  and release the item then lots of praise.
He is just a baby from his mum and brothers and sisters he has to be led by you.
A crate is a good idea  at night maybe cover it with a blanket and  he will have to cry and just let him  he will eventually learn that bed time he is on his own and peace will  resume.

Again,

Given you have young children I would advise a puppy pen and baby gates. Keep pup in the kitchen for now-if you have the room- and ensure kiddies keep their toys in another room. Use the puppy pen as you would with toddlers, a place where he can be safe and secure and out from under your feet and the those of the kiddies. You can give him toys and things to do in his pen but do take him out for regular, structured play sessions of about 10 mins. Read the book I suggested and you will have access to good, basic guidelines.

The biting during play (getting things off you is play to him) is normal pup behaviour, but those needle sharp puppy teeth can hurt. He needs to learn bite inhibition, again all in the book, or search online for a link called "the bite stops here" (actually you'll find it if you search this site).

Don't worry about him getting fat at this stage. You need to use some treats to train him.

Is this your first puppy? It sounds as though it might be. A good puppy class is vital. Look at the APDT website and for trainer/classes in your area.

> ive tried the swap and the treat he will be a right fatty

If he is food motivated, a piece of kibble from his daily food ration may well be enticing enough for a swap, it worked wonders with my pup :) Also, treats don't have to be large, something that grabs the pups attention and about the size of a large peanut will do.
Or if pup is very toy motivated than a swap for a more enticing toy will work instead of treats. It all depends on your pups motivation. But at this stage training is far more important than worry about the effect of training treats on his weight.

>my breeder had told me to say no angrily but that didnt go down well on my message

The reason is that being angry will teach pup the wrong thing, it can make pup play harder (this will be especially bad when pup is at the 'teenage' stage), or it can errode trust which can lead to pup feeling the need to guard it's food/toys/bed etc. from you.

Reward based training will get the best from your pup, attending a good puppy class, as suggested by freelancer, will help you with this.

I've found 'the bite stops here' for you :)

thanks ive read the piece on biting must stop its really reassuring we have tried the swap today and he has not been to bad,we have a crate for him but he doesnt like door been shut he really howls.he is fine with door open.he has jab on friday so ill ask vet about puppy classes.i was brought up with labs but my dad did all training .ive had a cocker spaniel pup before but he didnt mouth well not as hard as dougal lol.will let you all know how he is doin

thanks again, i went on biting must stop very reassuring now i know i havent got an aggresive dog.we have been doin swap with him today and he has been good,he just gets excited but does hurt.we got crate but he doesnt like door shut he howls really loud and at night with babies not good even though they dont wake ur still like trying to keep him quiet i sat with him on first couple nights till he went to sleep then sneaked upstairs but after three nights and match sticks in day gave up and kept his door open at night. i was brought up with labs but cant remember the training my dad did all that.they were all used as gun dogs in highlands of scotland where we lived.i have had cocker spaniel pup but dont remember his mouthing.we are to soft.  

> we have tried the swap today and he has not been to bad,

what are you using for the treat? i'd suggest things you can make tiny so soft stuff- a bit of cheese or i find really cheap polony slicing sausage is really good. if stinks (a good thing from pups POV) and can cut up really wee. then you don't have to worry about them getting chubby. a suggestion might be get something like that and slice it up and put in a sandwich bag with some of his kibble. the kibble will end up smelling of the really good treat and work well to.

hth

Hi again,

I wouldn't advise shutting him in his crate at night. What you need to do is buy or beg a puppy pen. This creates a small fenced off area (like a toddler's playpen). You put his crate, with the door always open, at one end of the pen and this is where he sleeps at night. It's his little area where he has some freedom, just enough, but not too much.

You can feed him in his play pen and, if you like, make a small toilet area by putting newspaper down, away from his crate. He is very young still and so will need to toilet at night. If you keep a bit of paper that he wees or poohs on and put that on top of the fresh newspaper, in the same place as before, he will learn to always go there while he is developing control over his bladder etc.. In the meantime you begin toilet training by taking him out at very regular intervals, after every feed, any play sessions and you wait for the result and reward with praise the minute he goes. Don't chastise him for accidents indoors, just quietly clean up with some washing powder and a wipe of surgical spirit to remove odours. If he goes in the same place in his pen at night then you are doing well.

If you catch him in the act of toileting indoors anywhere he shouldn't a sharp aah should stop him midstream, pick him up and take him outside, if he resumes widdling praise and reward. The Aah is not to chastise him but to halt/distract him from the act of widdling.

Try to establish a very clear bedtime ritual and a matter of fact attitude around bedtimes for the pup. A quick game, out for widdles and into crate, with door open in pen, perhaps leave radio on softly and a little treat. Then leave room and ignore howls. After a few nights he really should settle. Just try not to get into long drawn out goodnights because that is likely to make him feel more insecure. Has he got a large furry dog toy he can snuggle up to (yes he might destroy it but that will relax him too)? You could also try some Dog Appeasing Pheremone spray or plug in diffuser- this can might help pup to settle. I found vet bed good because it is furry and comforting.

Some people prefer to start the pup off upstairs at night and gradually move them down over time. It's up to you. It is likely to be more work in my view and toileting has to be taken into consideration too but whichever you choose do have a clear regime and steps in mind.

Just to let you know you are not on your own with your pup. Ours is a Lab who is 9 weeks old and he howls the place down when left alone. What i find does help and makes it easier at night is to really tire him out so that he is very dozy to asleep before you head to bed. Ours gets shut in the hallway and then we have our own bedroom doors shut, don't hear him then. I don't react to the whining. I ignore it completely.
If you leave the pup with a warm hot water bottle, a chew treat and prehaps a ticking clock in the room where he sleeps this may aid the seperation.

hi thought id let u know dougal has not been himself today,he has slept most day, but late this afternoon i sat on floor with him and noticed he was breathing fast so i phoned the vet. he checked him over and decided to do ecg it showed his heart was beating to fast, he has had a beta blocker to slow it down, if he gets worst throught out night he has to go to our vet hospital to be seen by cardiologist and then heart specialist, we are devastated he is our baby.we are hoping he will improve over night would do anything to have him back to his old self we have only had him a week tomorrow.we are back in vets in morning if nothing goes wrong through night.he ir really good through day with his toilieting he always goes to door had couple mistakes but not a problem, he does do on floor through night but lastnight he used paper.we have laminate so its easy clean.thank you for all ur advise it has been helpful and reassuring will let u know how he is doing fingers crossed

hi just to let u know dougal is well again his heart rate has gone from 375 beats a min to normal 120.he is a happy pup again running wild.he had his last jab today so haPPY walking next week yippeee.we going to puppy party at vets on 29th january,there is a dog behaviourist there for advise. 

I have all these problems with my new golden retriever too! What is polony slicing sausage and where do I get it? Someone suggested hot dog - I presume this is without the bread and tomatoe sauce! Should i buy a tin of hot dog sausages - would this be similar to polony sausage?

polony sausage is a cold meat type sausage thing, it comes in a sausage and you slice it up into little bits. i get the tesco value stuff, its stinky and boyo loves it. (if you pm me with your local tesco i can try and find out if they have it and where)

hotdog sausages are good to, you can buy jars of brockwurst etc. garlic sausage is good to.

basically anything stinky.

If you are going to use something like hot dog sausages or polony remember you must only use teeny tiny pieces.  Many can be very high in fat and salt.

I thought garlic was bad for dogs as it affects their sense of smell. I can find some sausage from Tescos - I am near Poole, Dorset. Thanks

If you are going to use something like hot dog sausages or polony remember you must only use teeny tiny pieces.  Many can be very high in fat and salt.
What do you use?

> What do you use?

I don't use anything generally just praise but my breed, Cocker Spaniels, are pretty bidable so praise is a good score for them.  I sometimes have sample bags of different foods to the one the dog is usually getting and these seem to make healthy but interesting tip bits.

You could try dried liver.  Put some slices of liver on a baking sheet and leave to cook overnight on the lowest setting your oven has.  It will come out hard, and you can then break it into small pieces.  Dogs are usually pretty keen on liver!  And it's quite cheap too.

>but interesting tip bits.

Thanks

>Dogs are usually pretty keen on liver!  And it's quite cheap too.

That sounds a good idea thanks - will try.

>> Dogs are usually pretty keen on liver!  And it's quite cheap too.
> That sounds a good idea thanks - will try.

Again, teeny tiny bits as too much will upset a small puppies stomach and could lead to too much vitamin A.  Your puppy will be just as chuffed with a minute quantity.

nope, its good. keeps fleas off them :)

well in the poole extra, yarrow road its in aisle 25, left side, module 12, shelf c

in the poole branksome store its aisle 3, left side, module 18 shelf a

hope this helps :)

edited to add: and as isabel says, not to much! you can put stinky stuff like that or liver in a sandwich bag with bits of kibble etc to get them smelly to so they are also more appealing but are healthier

Your puppy will be just as chuffed with a minute quantity.
I will remember that - was making as small as possible anyway.

sounds very organised - do you work in a Tesco or do you get this info online - interested shopper!!

lol i work at one of the head offices