Good News and Bad News...

[Pacino]

Well since I was last on BW Ive had to put my beautiful boy Jake (My lovely white boxer) to sleep. He starting getting seizures a few months ago. After months of medication etc he was still getting them.On Valentines Day Feb 14 he had a major meltdown while my wife and I were at work...(I feel myself getting upset again)...The next morning the vet told us the news and at 17:00 he went to sleep. I brought him home and buried him with his blanket and his ball and one of his favourite biscuits. Jake at 7 weeks was going to the put to sleep because he was white and we saved him. He gave us the years of unconditional love and affection and I wouldnt swap a minute of the time we all had together. Our hearts were and still are broken without him. It has been the worst experience of our life...

Jake's brother Scooby was totally distraught with the loss of his side-kick. The house was too quiet and my wife and I were totally lost without him.

We decided to get Scooby a little playmate so last Wed we went to see a litter and We both nearly cried with the emotion of seeing other boxers again but we picked a little girl and brought her home. She is fawn with a black mask with a little white patch on it. We have named her Ally. She is a little mad but funny nonetheless. She has traits of both her brothers. It is 3 years since we had a puppy and I have a question for ye?.
She likes to bite- Fingers & shoes & slippers & Scooby? Any thoughts on stopping her?
Thanks for listening/Reading

 

[Jan]

Sorry to hear about Jake. :(

Puppies bite. They best approach is to yelp when they bite too hard and refuse to play with them. If necessary leave the room. They will eventually figure out that when they bite too hard you leave. You don't want them to stopping biting all together as they need to learn bite inhibition. You just want them to soften their bites so that it doesn't hurt.

Good luck!

 

[JulieJay]

IM soo sorry to hear about jake :(

But am glad taht you and your wife could find it in your heart to open it up to another puppy.
They are full of pi$$ and vinegar aren't they?

I would agree with Jan, that is what i did with Caine when he was biting. he loves the wrist and feet and bottom of pant legs. I would allow him to mouth me but if he pressed hard i would yelp like a dog and get up and walk away from him. It took quite some time but he gets it now. he doesnt do it all the time and not as hard. he still has alittle bite left in him but he is still a pup and still learning.

Good luck with Ally. what a sweet name.

 

[catdogbird]

So sorry for your loss. Jake was surely blessed that you came along when you did!

Best of luck with Ally. I agree with the advice given. I'm sure she'll outgrow it with consistant reinforcement that biting is not the way to win friends.

 

[taryndanae]

So sorry for your loss. Jake was surely blessed that you came along when you did!

Best of luck with Ally. I agree with the advice given. I'm sure she'll outgrow it with consistant reinforcement that biting is not the way to win friends.

Do a search in this forum, as well as the puppy threads as GMacleod has previously posted a wonderful article about this very topic!

 

[Gruntsmom]

I'm so sorry for your loss of your boy, Jake. What a cutie he was, all those folds and wrinkles!!

Congrats on your new baby girl! I bet Ally has cheered Scooby up, and brought laughter back into your lives. The biting is natural to little puppies, and the advice mentioned is good. We used Jan's technique and it didn't take very long for Grunt to learn that if he bit, no one would play with him or pay any attention to him. Sometimes, diverting his attention with a toy worked. With Scooby, he will teach her his own way. Older dogs are often quite tolerant of puppies, but at some point, the biting will hurt (and of course, it's not very polite) and he'll let her know in no uncertain terms. The shoes and slippers, or anything else you value and don't wanted chewed, should be put out of Ally's reach. Good luck!

 

[auntthelm]

I'm so sorry for your loss of Jake. You saved Jake and in return he gave you 7 years, never enough, of unconditional love. How lucky you both were to have found each other.

Congratulations on Ally. I am glad that Scooby has a new sister.

 

[hanley]

So sorry for your loss of Jake, I know how you feel & it hurts. But congrats on Ally, I know she will keep you on your toes!

 

[evjm472]

I read above where you say that the older dog will let the younger know. Our pup is 9 weeks and the older boxer is 21 months. He's letting the puppy tear him apart! The puppy can be hanging from his cheek and he'll just put up with it. He has all kinds of scabs from the bites. The only way we've been able to stop the puppy is to yell no bite when she's biting, she'll release and walk away. Is there any other alternative?

 

[TysonsMom13]

I'm terribly sorry for your loss of Jake. :o(
It's so sad when their time comes. Stay strong.

As far as Ally - make a loud sound when she gets mouthy. My trainer was VERY strict on NO MOUTHINESS allowed so when Tyson (now 3) got mouthy she would inhale like she was scared (to illustrate the sound) and he would stop and she would reward him. She also said if you are going to "divert his attention to a toy" to do so AFTER re-inforcing that mouthiness with people is not allowed. In other words, make the sound....when she stops and pulls back, reward her.

Also, make sure she has PLENTY of chewy toys. Best thing in a one word - NYLABONE.
Tyson is a chewer but has never touched my furniture or anything becuase we always had Nylabones (2-3 at a time) and other chewy toys for him.

Hope this helps. :o) Good Luck and again...Stay Strong.

Kimberly