PA GOBBLER

okay i got my english pointer pup a few days ago. and he is 7 weeks old. i think he is small for his age cause i ran into a girl w/ a 7 week old setter and it was double the size of my pup. well he does some weird things. like when he eats he like crys when he is eating, is that normal? also i know puppies chew and play bite but he seems to take it to a whole new level. he will grawl and bite me and not like wagging his tail and playing ,to me it seems like its not really play..is that normal?? i have a toy rope and a tennis ball and i have a pig ear for him to play and chew but he would rather bite me.. though he does love the pig ear.. so im wondering if something is wrong w/ him or am i just being a new parent and am just thinking that.. thank you if you can help

Mite

I wouldn't worry bout it too much. The setter could have been a bench setter which usually run around 55+ pounds but are the size of an irsh setter or grey hound. Your pup could also have been the smaller one of the litter perhaps that's why he's whining when he eats.

Doesyour puppy have dominante personality? Turn him on his back and see what he does. Does he fight or submit? This will tell you how easy his training will be and will answer some of your questions. Another thing, socialize him and if he growls at people and kids then you may want to take him to a dog behaviorist (sp?).

Bruce H

I would get him into the vet about the crying; never heard of anything like that before. That would rule out a physical problem. If you're feeding a hard food, you may also try soaking it in water to soften it a bit.

As far as the biting and growling, you need to nip that in the bud right away. He has to realize he's low man on the totem pole, including strangers. Any time he growls or snaps at you, just take hold of the loose skin at the back of his neck and give it a shake (BUT NOT TOO HARD, youdon't want to injure him) and say NO in a loud voice. That's the way we see ourfemales discipline their puppies when they get a little too rough. If that doesn't help then then do as Mite has suggested with a dog behaviorist.

Bruce

PA GOBBLER

thanks guys so much.. i did water down the food today and it seemed to work, he didnt cry as much, but i do know he had a really big brother that took control of the litter.
okay when i put him on his back its about 50/50 half of the time he fights it and the other half he just lays there and looks at me or turns his head. today i tried a few things people told me to try, i tried the pull the hair on his neck(not hard) but he knew i meant business. and he would stop for a sec. then right back to it and id do it again and same thing over and over.. i triedwhen he did it to turn my back on him and no luck.. w/ all that said i know he is a puppy and they play and i want him to play, but he will grawl and grab a hold of my skin and start shaking his head and bite and not wagging his tail or anything. when he plays and does it w/ a toy its wagging, but it only lasts a min. or so then he dont want the toy he wants me.. and im scared if he keeps this up it may turn into a problem later on .. now on some good notes, he is great w/ potty training he lets me know when he wants out.. he also is full of energry, we took a walk on a mountian road today he really has his nose to ground while walking. he even learned fetch a little today.. he knows his name and starting to understand "here". again thank you so much. im new to this andreally want whats best for the dog, i read somewhere if the dog isent trained right its the owners fault. i want him to learn and be a great dog.

Mite

Your problem sounds interesting. It sounds like he is biting just so he can play tug-of-war. Something you don't want to do.

A modification. Turn your puppy on it's back. Don't say anything. Place your hand between it's front legs and hold the dog steady. You are not playing. That is a very vunerable position for the dog and won't like it much if it isdominant. A dominant dog will fight tooth and nail, growl and try to bite. A playful dog will think it is still a game. If it doesn't growl and fight but just want to be released then it is non-dominant. It is just distracted and wants to do something else. A dominant dog will need a harder hand in training in the future, firmer voice and more patience.

I would suggest you get the DVD I mentioned in your other post. It does a good job on conditioning your puppy using a light hand. It talks about crate training, using the table, chain gang, etc. Most of the stuff books will leave out.

Remember, never give in until the dog/puppy complies with whatever your teaching.

PA GOBBLER

Mite- thank you so much.... okay maybe some of my problem is that i and everyone who has been around him the last few days has been playing tug-of-war.. ill put a stop to that right away.. im going to stick w/ fetch. i will get that dvd im going to check in at lion country supply and see if they have it. fact i think the breeder told me to get a dvd from him. again thank you and im sorry if i ask stupid questions, im just new to this and want to do the best i can at it..

WriterBob

never,ever let your dog bite you even when he is playing. I do one of two things. I either close the dog's mouth and say no bite, or I give him a quick slap upward on the bottom of his chin( not hard). Repeating this will reinforce this everytime he does this.
Forget the tug of war game, it can come to no good.
This is a doiminance thing as well and he must know you are doiminant and the leader of the pack so to speak.
Any unwanted touch on his part without you iniating it should be discouraged. You set the rules and stick by them. You are the dominant dog to him.

jashoffa

I wanted to clarify why you don't want to play touge of war with your dog. This may cause him to become hard mouthed when retrieving birds. also you don't want to play this game when trying to get a retrieved bird from your dog in the field.

SWOSUMike

I would venture to say that my dog was as bad about this as a pup as anybody pup ever was, and I'm not kidding. But now he is one of the most gentle-natured dogs I've been around. Also obedient. I did like bruce suggested with the neck tug. By the way you said you pulled on the hair on his neck - don't do that. Get hold of the actual floppy skin. Give a gentle but firm shake and growl at him like mentioned already (don't let anybody hear you growling at him, they will think your odd, but then again, some guys will tell you to bite the dog back). Do this every single time. My dog would come back ready to kill something two or three or more times in a row before finally getting the message from me. I believe they do this because they just left the litter and did this all the time with their littermates. You just have to establish that you are not a littermate. Gentle but firm correction on an extremely consistent basis for a week or two is all it takes to fix aggression if the dog is a normal dog. Do this when the pup is aggressive. When it just is biting or play-mouthing, correct it by simply sticking your thumb in the dogs mouth and gently holding down it's tongue to the bottom of its mouth and say "no." Most dogs hate this. If it doesn't work, keep a spray bottle full of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar in every room you ever have the pup in. Also carry one in the yard and on walks. When the pup bites or gets rough, mist him in the nose (not the eyes!). He will hate this to and immediately refrain from what he's doing. He will get the picture soon. Just be consistent and have fun with the pup and he will probably be a real winner. I've got anothernew puppy around my kennels, she's 3 months old and still doesn't have it all down. Also, on the "come" command, get ready...you may think your pup has it down, but if it is like many pups it will go through a phase around 5-9 months where it won't come for anything. Then you will need to work on some reinforcement. Good luck and enjoy the pup...and let it be a pup, too. But I would check on the crying while eating thing. That is plain sad to hear.

Mite

Have he stopped whining while eating yet? I figured he'd stop whining if you feed him consistantly and he realizes that he doesn't have to compete for food anymore.