My golden girl Rosalie was absolutely the sweetest puppy imaginable and so laid back. However now she is six months old and I feel she is a completely different puppy. One problem after another seem to be piling on and I'm at a loss at what to do to fix this.

One of her recent problems is that she's been mouthy like crazy. Regardless of what we're doing she tries to put our hands in her mouth she was never like this when she was younger but now she does this all the time. When she does it to me I hold her mouth closed and say no bite in a firm voice, this seem to be helping slightly for me but she continues the bite the rest of my family. She is especially mouthy with my five year old nephew and my 10 and 6 year old brothers. I'm not really sure how to handle this situation besides saying no in a firm voice but she just doesn't seem to get it.

She was also never really a chewer as a puppy but now she's destroying everything especially socks and toys. I try my best to keep these out of her reach but I'm only seventeen and it's difficult to get my whole family to cooperate and help they just get mad at her. When she has something in her mouth she knows she's not supposed to she runs away from me.

I admit it is difficult for me not to get mad at her myself, sometimes I just get so frustrated. I try to stay calm but I have yelled at her and feel awful about it. I have also hit her rear not hard at all just to get her attention when she's going after my nephew this seems like the only way to get her to stop for a second but I hate doing it and need advice on how to handle this properly she's always been shy and I don't want her to be afraid of me because I love her so much.

It's most likely a combination of her teething and entering the dreaded teenage phase. What be heard works, is upping the training. Repetitions of old material especially. Has she been to obedience classes?

I'd let your family know that "hey. Either keep it up or risk getting it destroyed. The choice is yours." Also, i would keep my eyes on her at all times since she's seeking items out.

Perhaps the excitement of playing with your brothers and nephew is making her overexcited and extra mouthy. If that is the case, then I would restrict her access to them during play time and only let her socialize with them during calm or quiet time.

Hope this helps!

P.s. chew toys are a life saver in this stage. especially the Kong products.


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

__________________

When Rose took stuff and hid under the bed I simply started laughing out loud and said to her I guess I will just have peanut-butter (she already knows what peanut butter is) all by myself and ran towards the kitchen. She quickly came after me and traded what she had in her mouth.

Biting - I never inhibited the biting motion since it is a dog thing. I only taught her to do it easy. So instead of yelling no, I just said ouch, be easy! Never pull your hand as they think it is an even more interesting game.

Without family cooperation IMHO you will not be able to correct her. It will be your full time job to redirect her from everything laying around.

When the playing is over I normally tell her "that's enough", I repeat it louder and the third time I roll a newspaper (that motion does the trick with her) I never hit her with it but did hit my opposite palm a couple times when she did not seem to find her turn off button.

Also they don't sleep as much anymore and they have more energy. Are you taking her out for walks and exercise? A wise man once said: A tired puppy is a good puppy

Yep, she's a teen! All of this will pass with age and maturity but as the others have said, it's time to be firm with her. Give her lots of gentle attention when she is being good and time out when she gets overexcited and forgets how sharp her teeth are. Despite being very smart she'll look like a dog who can't learn anything for a while so its time to put towels out of reach, keep closet doors closed, and invest in some bitter stuff as well as chew toys.

The loving and gentle puppy that you once knew will return someday as a loving and gentle maturing dog.

__________________

I second this! My younger son and I are constantly doing this. I pull my hands away quickly and put them up to my chest. Then the dog thinks the hands game goes on up higher. Then I have to deal with correcting mouthing and jumping. Arg. Meanwhile, my older son is some sort of dog whisperer. He just stands there with his hands in his pocket, dum-de-dum, and the dog sits as his feet. We see a lot of advice here about "stand still and the dog will stop". Well, there's standing still like a statue (does not work) and standing still like you don't care (seems to work).

__________________

I remember when Cassie was in this stage. Very mouthy, to the point where it concerned me. And, she wouldn't listen to a thing I'd say. Very frustrating!! It's hard to accept, but patience is key. It will get better. She will learn...................... eventually. Sometimes it just takes a LOT of repetition.

I'm wondering if she's teething, and that's why she wants to chew so much. Going after socks may mean that she wants some soft plush toys to chew on? Dogs do like a variety of chew toys. (Keep in mind when you get chew toys for her - certain chewing products are only for puppy teeth, and others are only for adult teeth.) There are also special teething toys available. You take them, and put them in the freezer overnight. Then, she can chew on the cold and it feels good.

Also... dogs only know "right now"... so discipline or scolding a dog after the fact does nothing. You have to catch them in the act. The best way to get them to stop bad behavior though is through positive reinforcement when they do the opposite. So, when you catch her chewing on a sock, a firm "No!" followed by quickly replacing it with a proper chew toy and a "Good girl!" Or, when they stop being mouthy, some praise as well. It'll take a bit, but they eventually realize they'll get the praise and love when they behave.

__________________

My little princess, Cassie

Thank you everyone for your advice. Up to this point I have been doing all the basic training myself but I am planning to either enroll her in an obedience class or hire a trainer so come to my home so that she can work with all of us and see the full situation in the near future.

I think she could certainly use more exercise at this point lately it's been snowing here like crazy which she absolutely loves so I usually let her run around for about 45 mins when I get the chance. Otherwise I have been unable to take her for long walks as the sidewalks are either covered in ice or salted and I don't want to hurt her paws. As soon as the weather gets better we'll be able to go for longer walks more regularly.

When she gets mouthy with me most of the time I'll just turn away until she settles down then I turn back around and tell her to sit and only pet her if she remains sitting and doesn't go for my hands. Now I just need to get the kids not to jerk their hands away, which is tough.

I definitely need to invest in more toys, all the ones I buy she seems to destroy so quickly especially the plush ones that's why I don't get those anymore. I swear she has scissor teeth because she breaks it apart in minutes and she chews it apart in straight lines. Kings are definitely on my list if things to buy this week.

Again thank you everyone for your advice it is very much appreciated!

One thing my breeder suggested was that when the puppy gets mouthy, to make either a yelping sound or the game show buzzer noise. The first is to make the puppy realize that they are hurting you, and they should stop. The second noise is just a noise that they associate with "no."

__________________

My little princess, Cassie