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Training Plans Workshop | Angus – Puppy Biting Case | Management Ideas
Puppy mouthing and biting is an extremely common problem. ???? In this edition of our Training Plans Workshop (TPW) we’re going to share a case and start “workshopping” it together from the beginning. Catherine or I will post step-by-step questions to get us dialed in. Then, we’ll take our collective responses and turn them into a finished Training Plan resource we can keep here for everyone to reference and use as needed. Everyone who shares an idea will be listed as a contributor on the finished edited write up. Let’s go! ✍
Read the case below and then answer:
What are the MANAGEMENT IDEAS that could be put in place for this situation?
Reminder: Management is what you do to avoid triggering the problem behavior so that the dog stops practicing it. Management usually includes environmental setup and/or decision making when you are the handler of the dog. Good management lowers the frequency and intensity of the behavior and sets a great stage for training. ????
The Case: Angus is a 4-month-old Australian Cattle Dog pup who was purchased from a pet store at 12 weeks of age.
Summary:
- Angus is very mouthy during any type of play interaction and he isn’t controlling his enthusiasm very well. He doesn’t just bite at the toys, he bites at skin and clothing, too.
- When Angus goes for walks, if he sees another dog he gets very excited. When he is unable to get to that other dog, he turns and begins biting the shoes and pants of whoever is holding the leash. He’s hard to control in these instances.
- If someone tries to pick up Angus while he is running free in the house or yard, he begins grabbing at their skin or clothing.
More Details:
Dad, Brian, works full-time. Mom, Mallory, works part-time and is often busy driving their two kids (age 5 and 10) to activities. They have a family sitter who also supervises the puppy when the parents are not home.
The sitter has has been yelling at Angus for being mouthy with the kids. She grabs him for “time outs” in the crate, but Angus won’t stop. Now, he will turn and snap at someone when they come to grab him. Most of Angus’ daytime is now spent in his crate unless Mallory or Brian can be there. When he is released, Mallory describes him as “a piranha.”
In the evenings, Angus loves running after the children and often grabs their clothing. He has knocked Nathan (the 5-year-old) down a few times and left a red mark on his leg. If anyone tries to grab Angus, he runs away, keeping just out of reach until someone corrals him and puts him back into his crate. He tries to turn and bite at the hands of whomever captures him (usually Brian).
Mallory & Brian are bothered by all this and have decided that the family needs a dog trainer. They have reached out for help and we’re on the case! It’s time to answer the important first question of management…
Again, everyone who shares an idea will be listed as a contributor on the finished edited write up.
What MANAGEMENT IDEAS could be put in place for this case? ✍
Next: To see part 2 of 4, the Training Exercises, click here.
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32 Replies
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I am sorry to hear Angus and his family are having a hard time. I am happy they reached out for help and that we are on this case!
The first few things we can manage that jumped out at me are:
1. for biting when trying to be picked up-stop chasing and picking up Angus
2. on walks- try to go when there are less likely to be other dogs and people, perhaps limiting walks to back yard only (sorry, if I am assuming they have one since no info was provided either way)
3. for Agnus chasing and running after the children- Supervise all interactions and place Angus on leash or behind a safety gate when children are highly active to limit his access to them while giving him something else to do.
I am really looking forward to this collaboration coming together to help!
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I agree with everything Jennifer said. I like to use marrow bones as a distraction. I fill them up with peanut butter or plain Vanilla yogurt and then put them in freezer. The bones should be given before dog starts mouthing. Also check with vet to make sure its ok in case dog is teething I can’t remember how old the dog is. Also don’t let dog roam freely around home. Many problems arise when young dogs run freely throughout the house. Dog should not left alone where the dog can rehearse biting. Ex. Playing with kids without an adult. Make a safe quiet place where dog can decompress. (Good area for marrow bones or Kong)
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I agree with leashing in the home using a gate or pen to prevent chasing and biting the children. I would also add to purchase or use larger or longer toys so there is less chance of him getting hands instead of toy. Consider a harness with a handle on the back to hold and guide him with so you don’t have to grab him and hands are further from his mouth.
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I agree; these are great ideas to get us started. Let’s go another layer deeper for this family. How, specifically, can they get control of Angus and get him to go into his crate, if not picking him up? What should the sitter do when Angus needs a potty break and the parents are not home? How can she safely get Angus out, out to potty and back into his crate without him going after her hands or the kids?
There is a backyard -it’s not huge, but they do have one and it is secure for Angus to be off leash.
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-for getting Angus in his crate, they can try tossing a high value treat or novel toy in there so he could go in on his own. Maybe even save daily meal rations if he’s food motivated enough and just toss a few pieces of kibble in there.
-for potty breaks, possibly leaving a leash on him at all times and letting it drag in the house and yard. When it’s time to go in or out, just pick up the end of the leash and walk him. If he’s a runner and won’t let you get close, hold onto leash for the entire time for potty breaks.
-another idea is to ditch the crate and do a play pen set up instead. That way you can easily walk him in and out of it since it’s no roof.
– if he’s chewing on leash while it’s on in the crate/play pen, you can use a slip lead/clip leash combo (the easy release version where clip leash is attached to slip ring) when taking him out of the pen (hand isn’t as close to collar/body). Bring stopper down so it stays on and then easy release when placing him back in play pen.
-you could also try playing tug with him or dropping a treat/kibble pile so he’s distracted while you leash him up.
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Yes, @kayla one of your ideas is just what popped into my mind. This pup seems to have read the Cattle Dog handbook and working with his natural urges might well be the right way to go. Teaching Tug by the Rules and maybe a cue related to those dropped kibbles (Find It or Seek) to ask him to drop his head could well be useful in beginning to resolve the issues.
Purchased from a pet store at 14 weeks, spending much of his day crated…this little dude is behind the eight ball – I’m so glad that his people have asked for help!
I’ve been seeing many more of these arousal/biting issues in more young adult herding and retriever-type dogs recently. I’m guessing it is socialization related and not a localized issue. Have others seen anything similar over the last couple of years?
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I love all of your ideas @Kayla ! I think this pup is starting to make a negative association with his crate. Getting him into a playpen that has lots of toys and enrichment is a good idea.
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I’m not sure I would use the crate for a while until training begins to teach Angus to start loving his crate. It is clear that he is in the crate too long in the day, understandable that he is a piranha because of his frustration. An exercise pen or gated off area, as mentioned before, with some room for him would be a better option, not sure of his house training status though. If he had a lot of chew toys, puzzle toys and food dispensing toys, is it possible he might not bite as much? If he is not grabbed and picked up, that would also decrease the biting. If there is a fenced yard, is it possible that he would willingly go out on his own for potty breaks instead of having to leash him up, decreasing the handling and biting (when the children are not physically present). He has been practicing biting this last month it sounds like regularly, so I think that decreasing any opportunity for biting is important.
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@jan you are making great points about the frustration level this pup is likely experiencing. Thank you for that. And your suggestions of using more exercise/freedom and puzzle toys are a great start toward helping this pup get what he needs; thank you.
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To keep the sitter safe and manage the biting. the family could consider use of a basket muzzle, something he can still breathe and take treats through easily. I can’t recall how long the sitter is there but we would want to make sure he is able to stay hydrated however. Have the sitter let him out in the fenced back yard so she doesn’t have to handle him.
They could also try using a crate with 2 doors, so they can reach in the other door to lure him in or try guiding him in with a leash. They will need to be careful to watch for signs he is overly stressed so they do not create negative associations with themselves or the crate.
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Such great ideas! Mouthy puppies are a lot to deal with! I also like giving the puppy to do something with his mouth. For example a special toy only for the puppy to have to go outside. So babysitter can give this toy or stuffy while she leashes and takes out to potty. I also use this for walking into the house with a puppy. That toy is only for those occasions and just keeps their mouth focused on the toy or stuffy and not our skin. I also use this for dogs that bark a lot coming into the home.
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Love this management tip, @pawsup How do you help the puppy keep it in his mouth? What do they do if he drops it?
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The two I work with are goldens. So they love the stuffys and love prancing around with it. So I am lucky for that!! Depending on the pup, I would make it playful again if they dropped it- making the toy come alive and hopefully they would go for it again. Also it is very important this toy is hidden and the dog only gets to play with it at that time. I think that really helps and makes it’s special.
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YESSSSS – this is awesome; I love it! @pawsup Perfect clarification.
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I have had great success at recommending to new puppy parents to use a calming voice when dealing with a rambunctious dog. Yelling, frantic movement and loud noises from the family may add to the puppy’s excitement and bring on more biting. Acting calmly, reducing sudden movements (like waving arms and shaking hands) and speaking softly can be a useful first step in gaining control.
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Good advice, @cath – the energy and movement we bring definitely contributes a lot!
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You have to understand his genetic disposition to start: he is by nature a herding animal. The primary control, in his mind, is to nip on any part that is available on the cattle to “encourage” the animal to go to where is supposed to go. Unfortunately, it’s deep in his genetic makeup.
The owner/trainer needs to find something of higher value to distract from this nipping/aggressive behavior. With my Labs, something to retrieve with a food reward when the task is accomplished. My Rotties were a whole different beast. They always had to something to carry, they all loved to carry small auto tires. Carrying something is in their genetic disposition. Using this disposition, along with rewards (they all loved to run, we soon had them to keep them distracted from almost any unwanted behaviors. Now they love pulling me along on my bicycle and to pull my cart in a brace of two with me in the cart.
In short, distract, reward, and love him, warts and all. Good luck and get him into a training class with a professional trainer.
T
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This is wisdom, @mac – and please share photos of your rotties carrying tires over in our Just for Fun channel. I need to see this! ????
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I am sorry all of this is happening!
Concerning the children, I would encourage them to play with Angus through his toys (fetch etc) to keep waving little hands out of his face. Being so reactive, I would leash him at all times with a front clip harness while free in the house and keep play sessions short. Then tether his leash to a chair and give him a yummy stuffed Kong to be keep him occupied while he calms down. I would definitely have an adult present to monitor play and step on the leash if necessary. We have to remember he is a herding breed!
Hopefully the sitter may use a treated Kong to entice Angus in the pen or crate when she sees he needs a rest. I believe the front clip harness would be useful for her to walk him for more control.
Because Angus is highly reactive with other dogs, I would try walking him outside in the yard around the house for 15-20 minutes until he is ready to leash walk on the street. Just keep circling the house and changing direction every so often to make the walk interesting. We don’t want him to practice lunging and excitement behaviors when seeing another dog. I do this with my reactive dog – it gets them outside walking and sniffing without the worry of another dog approaching!
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@jcongdon love the management ideas like tethering and helping them set up for success. Hold on to those training suggestions for when we get to that section of the TPW – we’re gonna need to include them, there! Love it!
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Sorry about jumping ahead and thank you for the reminder @catherine! I’ll rein myself in some. There can be a smooth transition from Management to Training. I think that a treat scatter is could be one example.
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I have four dogs so they get fed in their crates. I suggest doing the same for the puppy even if there isn’t another dog in the family. All you have to do is open the crate door and say crate while you’re putting the bowl of dog food in and the dog will most likely go in there. Eventually all you’ll have to do is say crate and he’ll go in. Two of my dogs will even go in the crate just because I put my shoes on so I don’t even say crate anymore. For the biting at the moment I can only think of redirection with a toy or you throw a small treat away from you. Another option may be body blocking or turning around and walking away from the puppy and when he stops the bad behavior start petting him or playing with him again.
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@CBradley There’s nothing a herding dog loves more than a person walking away… all the biting works so well in that case! haha. Grabby little beasties, they are. I love the idea of teaching crate for food and we can combine that with the packed kongs others have mentioned, as well. Nicely done.
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I don’t see anything positive about this dog and what the dog likes. It just seems like a lot of biting and out of control behavior. What is end game and type of activity the family enjoys like hiking, water sports. These dogs may LOVE agility and can set up a mini course in their yard. It seems education about body language is very well needed. There are a lot of good videos to help kids understand like STOP THE 77. Grabbing at the dog and allowing him to run after the children is unacceptable. It seems he needs calming with kongs, treats and or puzzle toys, lick mats. But don’t know what treats he finds motivating to help the dog calm down. I would always have the husband/wife present with the children. Time out is difficult if your grabbing the dog and putting him into the crate. Perhaps, changing the set up the room and space the dog is can help. Luring him into a room like a bathroom and closing the door for a brief period and waiting for calm behavior. Perhaps, they can corner off a portion of a room or space where the crate is located and keep the crate door open and allow him to enter and exit – tossing treats. Since this dog does not seem to like anyone to come too close, running after children and high energy from children and the energy of the dog makes the situation worse. Perhaps, resorting to any impulse control games, tossing treats and basic obedience skills including distractions. Developing the basic sit- stay, distance, durations and oh boy the distractions is paramount. Yeah it seems to be back to basics. Also teaching the family how to PLAY with the dog – fetch. Does he like squeaky toys, balls or wiggly toys or long tug toys to enable distance safely. Again, no mention of any high value treats and/or activity that the dog enjoys. Lots of suggestions. Need more information.
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It seems the concentration of the family is to tell the dog what not to do rather than what to do. This is why basic obedience and redirecting with praise and reoriented the family and dog state of mind!
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Hang on @denny – we’ll get to training, soon. This first section of the TPW is management only. Getting them to be able to meet the dog’s needs and prevent the unwanted behavior… but your observations are spot on!
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Can the family keep a journal of what time the evening zoomies occur at, and then take him for an outdoor walk at that time, followed by his dinner served in a snuffle-mat? This will help to give him some energy outlets at that ‘special’ time of the day.
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Great suggestion with the snuffle mat, @sandy – can you please describe the journal and how you would instruct the family? What’s the benefit and what do they need to record?
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Did we rule out anything medical? Also, don’t take dog for walks right now and instruct kids not to pick up dog. Maybe some scent games which don’t involve physically touching the dog
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OOh, @bmacwatt can you describe a scent game or two? How do we teach that?
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You all filled the comments with excellent management ideas. ???????????? Now, this is the last call for the first segment of our plan. If you want to add any more management tips, get them in! Tomorrow I’ll be posting to start the section on training exercises. ????
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