Is my dog going through the terrible twos?

He’s still a puppy and has to be trained not to do those things. The nipping at you means that he wants more of your attention. Pretty much every dog goes through this.

should I give him more attention or should he learn that he can’t always have my attention?

Another great way to burn off some of that puppy energy is Doggy Day Care. (Supervised Playtime with other dogs.) I have some clients who drop their dogs off for the day and they come home pooped! No pun intended. :-)

He is a doggie teenager. Has anything changed in your life? Work hours? Other?

Work on reinforcing positive behavior as much as possible. If he is food centric, you can use treats. If not, explore the clicker system.

Establish yourself as the pack leader. You go through doors first. You walk ahead of him. You eat first before feeding him.

Stop the nipping right away. One good way is to fake it is hurting you. When he does it, say “Owww, oww,” and ham it up. He will stop, puzzled, because he does not mean to hurt you. Praise him for stopping. If he makes a move to chomp on your hand again, say No!.

Use a low voice, as close to a growl as you can for correction. Use a high, happy voice for praise.

Not to worry, he wants to please you. He may, at that age, need more exercise. Do you have an off-leash park nearby where he could romp with some other dogs? They will wear him out better than you can.

(Make sure he responds to voice commands as has recall and watch him constantly if you go to a dog park.)

Good luck.

@adina i looked into it but right now $23 a day is a little pricey for me unfortunately. I was considering doing it maybe 2–3 times a month though

@marina well my work hours suck i work 10 hours a day but come home on my hour lunch and take care of him and luckily my roommate spends about an hour to two with him since he gets home before me so really he is only alone about 7–8 hours a day which I feel bad about but…its the best I can do. When I bring him to the park I leave him off leash and he follows me or stays close by and runs if I run.

I do pretend whimper or cry when he bites me and he will stop and then give these violent kisses lol but the only time he is happy is if i let him kiss me and to be honest my lips are a little chapped and i feel a little creepy sometimes but if it keeps him chill for a few minutes I deal with it lol

I will just have to keep working with him and maybe try to do doggie daycare once a week, do you think this will help throughout the week or just that day?

Don’t yell at your dog. It’s stupid.
A firm voice is just as effective, you want your dog to respect your authority not fear you.

There are sprays you can use to put on your hands and on the bed that will make it unappealing to lick, bite or scratch the area. But be patient, he’s a baby.

And don’t whimper and cry, it’s the wrong message. Don’t ever do that. Tell him no, remove him, and don’t continue to pet him. Don’t pet him again for ten minutes at least. Whimpering, crying, and then continuing to pet him is all wrong.

@johnny0313x “but the only time he is happy is if i let him kiss me and to be honest my lips are a little chapped and i feel a little creepy sometimes but if it keeps him chill for a few minutes I deal with it lol”

Bad sign. Doggie is running the show. That is not a good behavior to encourage.

Try some of those training classes at Pet Smart or Petco. It will help you move into a control position, and it will give him something else to do.

Don’t encourage him licking your face either, you might think it’s cute but your guests are going to be disgusted when he plants a wet one on them. I adore dogs, but I hate the ones that lick my face or my mouth. I tend to judge their owners on that one if the dog makes a habit of it.

@asmonet – agreed i dont like when other dogs kiss me but i guess since he is my dog i find it less disgusting? Or maybe a desperate attempt at some peace and quiet.

I don’t ever yell at him I’ll say no in a raised voice more firm then mean.

@Marina I was gonna look into them but didnt want to waste money, so far i’ve had him for 4 months now and he has costed me close to $1200 because of vet bills and the fee at the apt to have him, his special food blah blah blah so I need to cut back when possible or atleast spend the money the wisest way possible ha.

He is a good dog he doesnt act like this all day….he only gets like this when I bring him in my room and im on the computer at night. It’s like he gets mad at me for being on the computer. Funny thing is I just bought a brand new one and I never really get to use it ha

He wants your attention and is trying to get it any way he can.

One thing you could when he nips you is turn your back to him and ignore him. That will let him know that he is getting the opposite of what he wants from you when he does that and he will stop.

In return, when he does something you like to get your attention reward him with your attention, telling him what a good dog he is and rubbing whatever he likes to have rubbed. We convinced the Katrina pit bull we took in to give us a play bow instead of a nip when he wants attention, and we taught him to jump up on us only when we give him the signal, which is to thump one’s chest with both hands. That way he can still jump up but knows there is a time to do it and times to stay down.

When does he get his exercise? Would it be possible to exercise him just before you go on the computer so he will want to lie exhausted at your feet? Or possibly save a special chew treat for that time only, so he knows what to look forward to?

I have to agree with Marina. Being a good parent, human or doggie, is about saying no and setting limits. As cute as he is, he’s a dog, and doesn’t deserve to run the show any more than a child would.

@Darwin, here is got our day usually goes…8AM I wake up…well he wakes me up(thank god) by laying on my face ha then I take him out and come back upstairs and give him a little bit of food then go shower, then get dressed and he is usually sleeping again then I try to take him out once more and then go to work at 9AM. I come home at 1PM or 2PM and take him out again and eat lunch with him ha then I usually tell him to be good and I go back to work. (then my roommate gets home at 6ish and usually spends time with him and sometimes feeds him) Then I get home at 8:30PM and if he wasnt fed I feed him again and take him to the park for an hour or so, Then I do some stuff around the house and sit down at the computer for a little and usually play with him until about 1AM then head to bed and do it all over again the next day. Weekends I usually spend the whole day with him unless I occasionally go out and if I just go to a store for a short period of time, I bring him for the ride. I don’t think he has it to bad and my work schedule is only temporary for now hopefully soon ill be back to 9–5.

I think he thinks you all are peers.

@johnny0313x

Remember this question when many flutherers suggested that you enroll in a training school at petco or similar?

I reiterate that advice, but if you can’t afford that (and who can afford anything, these days?) I suggest you get a book on training a dog. It’s not something that’s just going to magically happen without real effort on your part. You need to educate yourself, and then put into practice a cohesive strategy to train him, not little tidbits from people off of the internet. While it’s all good advice, it’s (a) not enough and (b) sometimes conflicting. I’m sorry I can’t recommend a good dog-training book, but I’m sure many others can if you’re interested.

If you have one cohesive strategy, you may be able to avoid many bad doggie behaviors before they happen, instead of always being one step behind, having to re-act to his actions.

From what i learned in school. Play with his feet, mouth and everything a lot so he gets use to u touching it and know ur not trying to hurt him. He just like that cause hes puppy. And wants all ur attention. Just try to find ways to let him let out his energy.

Train yourself, and your dog will learn good things from you.

Go to the library and check out some Cesar Millan videos. It’s free, and he’s fantastic. Your dog is doing what you let him do, and your actions are training him about what works. They’re right; you’re letting him lead the pack, and he hasn’t earned that position — but then neither have you. Take command. Be the Alpha dog, and start now.

As regards his kissing you: He likes the food molecules around your mouth. But @asmonet is right: You should not let the 20-lb. puppy do anything you don’t want the 120-lb. dog to do. People do judge owners by their dogs’ behavior.

Hi…have you tried the Kong toys for dogs—- I fill it up with little treats and a small squirt of the Kong Paste and it keeps him occupied—it’s really so cute to watch—- it tires him out when he’s finally done (for awhile anyway) —- good luck—-

Free seminars at Petco

Sorceren gives excellent advice. If you have invested that much money in your dog, you can invest some of your time to get the great dog you deserve and he wants to be.

@Marina – thanks thats great about the free seminar then I can see if it’s something worth paying for.

@Donna5503 – Yeah I have one of those for him and it does keep him busy for awhile! In fact that toy is the only thing that keeps my sanity haha

@la chica – Yes I do remember that topic unfortunately since then he has a series of medical issue that came before training classes and my limited time schedule makes doing all these things near impossible, but I am going to try and get him enrolled in something because I feel I need more then just a book or tv show to help me out with this.

Thanks to everyone though for great help and suggestions, it is really appreciated!

Well letting him have 397734 toys is definetly not helping the matter.

He has learned that he is the alpha dog, or he thinks he is the alpha dog. To get him under control now, since you didn’t start early enough, is going to be a battle. A dog fight. (Just like kids, doncha know!) Get him under control and keep him under control! Show him who’s boss! Be stern and unyielding in this training. And good luck! Some dogs think the compounding complexity is just a game and the more you challenge him, the more unruly and difficult he will become. Don’t hit him with your hand. Use a rolled up newspaper and swat him HARD when he doesn’t do what you want. It’s not the hurt of the swat that will impact his training, it is the SOUND of the swat, because the swat won’t really hurt him. GET HIS ATTENTION! And keep it!