Hello,

I just got my first chessie a week ago, and everything I have read is completely true. He seems extremely intelligent, for example he is already sitting and staying on command. But he is also nipping at me and my wife. Every chance he gets he is chewing on us!

How do I break this habit, because my hands look like raw meat.

On a good note, he is already retrieving a small dove dummy from the water to hand. And he already whines to go out!

thanks for any help.

Josh

Also when he is stopped from doing something, like chewing the furniture he sometimes shows his teeth and growls? Is this normal?

Josh

Josh
How old is your new buddy?

You need to assume a strong alpha role with him. I have always used a neck shake, it doesn't hurt them but corrects them more like a Momma dog might. When he shows his teeth and growls make a sharp noise and pick him up by the nap of his neck and lightly shake him, just barely pick his front feet off the ground. He is a baby so don't shake real hard. It usually just breaks his attention and he knows that he has done something negative. Another good position is roll him over on his back and hold him until he quits squirming. It shows control and you are boss. Don't let him chew on you it starts a bad habit. Distraction and reward for positive behaviour. Become the Alpha Dog in your relationship, very important with your Peake.....

More than likely you will get more suggestions some may work better....

Jeff

If puppies are nipping at me I use the neck shake and I will also put my hand in there mouth and grab their lower jaw and in a deep firm voice say "no bite" and let go when they stop struggling.

No that isn't normal for him to growl when being scolded(sp) he is trying to push his luck and see if you will back down. Don't back down and keep yourself in the alpha roll not him.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your help! I held him on his back for about 15 minutes last night, and he finally stopped squirming.

It is all strange to me, because he is so intelligent! He sits on command, and stays for up to 10 steps away from him. He retrieves to hand most of the time. He retrieves to hand when coming out of the water, all of the time. He was easily housebroken. But I don't want to be a chew toy!!

Hopefully, I took a big step forward with him yesterday!

Josh

When puppies bight one another they scream and the offender lets go. They learn this behavior when socializing with their littrer mates. So when my puppy use to bight me I made a noise such as ouch very loud and it seemed to work. I concluded the noise was like their littermates screaming to let go. That's why it's important for the litter to stay intact for a least 8 weeks because of what they learn from each other.

I hope the Dr gets in on this topic

Like JoAnn, I've used the hang onto the lower jaw approach and I've shaken pups (lightly). My girls are tough enough that the squealing isn't an effective correction, but maybe it would have worked with Chip.

If these methods don't work, I have two more to share. If a mouthy pup or pushy young dog wants to put his/her mouth on me I stick my hand down his/her gullet as though I were trying to make them vomit. My experience is that they really dislike this, it isn't violent so you aren't going to hurt the pup, and it gets rid of the behavior very quickly.

My youngest is a sweet but physically very tough bitch. When she was a pup, she didn't mind if I took even marrow bones away from her but she dared to growl at me when I took a sneaker away from her. The shake-and-yell technique didn't work because she growled (though more softly) the next time. I had already consulted with her breeder, when she growled the second time so I had advice "on board". I bit her ear. She never growled at me again over a prize of any sort.

Claire

Everyone here is right on and i do like what Claire does. I prefer to grab the top of their mouth with thumb inside hold firmly, say NO, and make him bow his head down but with eye contact being made. The alpha problem was mentioned here and the training you give must show you are the alph. Remember also that those little teeth of his are a little tender and he wants to chew! May i suggest plenty of rawhide bones. It really will keep their minds out of trouble for a very long time.

Before you screw him up by punishing him unnecessarily, you need to make sure he's not just grinning and talking. Chessies do this, and they do it a lot. If this is what he's doing, it's not aggression but just expressing himself. Watch his body posture when he does this....if his ears are up and he's not in a position of aggressions, then he may be talking, and shouldn't be punished.

When you correct him for chewing on the furniture, have something to trade him with....a toy or a bone in order to also distract him.

Also, Chessies, don't do will with alpha rolls....actually can create aggression that you might not be ready to deal with. Just give him something else to do and praise and reward him for the right behavior, instead of correcting him for the negative behavior that he hasn't perceived yet as something he shouldn't be doing.

Kathy Miller
Sandy Oak Chesapeakes

Josh, First, there are no 'wrong or right' methods to deal with this - everydog reacts differently to all forms of correction so you can use any/all methods to modify the dogs unwanted behavior.
I recommend (for the bitting & growling) a correction that always curbed this behavior. Place your hand flatly on the dogs'
head, palm face down. Quickly slide the hand down over the muzzle and firmly grasp the muzzle to hold mouth closed. Now in a sharp voice yell "no", "No Bite", or whatever you prefer, but ALWAYS use the same voice command - avoids confusion in dog.I also sometimes give a little wrist shake, back & forth, when giving vocal commands. You can also gently push down on the muzzle to angle the nose towards the ground. This method is extremely useful with growling. Remember to always apply your hand from the back-side towards the head. Don't reach straight in towards the nose/head from the front - too many potential problems - eg, dog may want to bite to play, bite non-play, nip or misinterpret your reaching/hand as you wanting to play or some type of new game.
Some dogs are 'mouthers', meaning they gain extreme satisfaction when biting, chewing, or sucking on something. It is extremely important you curb this behavior when the pup/dog is young, otherwise you will have major proplems later on. Esp with the growling/aggressive issues. I generally do not like to put hand or fingers into the dogs mouth for this reason (although this method works for others) because the dog can interpret this action (a hand in mouth) as a new 'play toy',
he's giving me something to chew/suck on, it's a game, etc. Also, by placing your hand into the dog's mouth, there is a proplem in the future - the dog will learn/associate hand in mouth means 'I did something wrong' or'I shouldn't...'. This is OK for now (to correct the problem). However in the future, the dog WILL ALWAYS associate hand in mouth as a negative thing. He/she may resist you putting your hand in or near mouth in the future. Here is the problem - what if sometime your
dog chokes on something or has something stuck in their throat. You might have to reach into the mouth/throat to remove a item, pull something out that's stuck, etc. If the dog associates your intervention as 'I did somethng wrong', he/she may not let you. Also, the dog will be confused. It prior your hand in mouth was associated with biting/growling and this time it is for choking (to remove object), the dog DOES NOT ASSOCIATE this and thinks 'why is he correcting me. I did not bite...'.
You mentioned the dog chews on furniture etc, after being scowlded or corrected for another negative behavior. This may be his/her way of coping/reacting to corrections as a form of security. Especially if the dog DOES NOT chew on things at other times on in general. (ex my SD Chelsea will bite/chew on her paw/leg if is yelled at, confused, corrected, or encounters an unfamiliar situation she cannot comprehend). Your dog might be reacting to corrections with insecurity.
I'd recommend teaching another outlet by letting the dog know chewing items in not acceptable. When he/she chews on some-
thing, gently tug on the collar (pulling sideways, not in towards throat) and "no", "leave it", etc. Eventually this unwanted behavior will diminish and cease. Charlie

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Charles Bortell PhD,

My dream dog has always been a chessie, and I won't give up. That is for sure.

I can just feel myself becoming frustrated, because he seems to punish me. For instance, I corrected him this evening and he immediately had his first accident on the floor. To be honest, I really believe he was trying to tell me that he was in charge. He was actually staring at me while he did it!

Is this all common place, or did i possibly come across an extremely difficut pup?

Please don't get me wrong, I don't think he is a horrible pup. I just wish he was easier to deal with, and i wish he was affectionate on occasion.

Josh, Issues of concern here!!!
1st. You said this is your 1st chessie and you just got him. What is his age?? (new pup from breeder, rescue, adoption,etc)
This info is EXTREMELY important!!
2nd. By your statements "My dream dog has always been a chessie", "I just wish he was easier to deal with, and i wish he was affectionate on occasion.", and "I can just feel myself becoming frustrated, because he seems to punish me" to be truthful SCARES ME! You also posted earlier "It is all strange to me, because he is so intelligent! He sits on command, and stays for up to 10 steps away from him. He retrieves to hand most of the time. He retrieves to hand when coming out of the water, all of the time. He was easily housebroken. But I don't want to be a chew toy!!"
I suspect he is a little older than a pup from your statement he's housebroken & just got him. Also your statements
tell me you have/had a preconceived notion of a chessie & what it should be like. This you cannot do - for any dog, any breed!! Everydog will be different. You cannot place any dog (even litter-mates) in the same catagory and think they will all be the same. The statement "I can just feel myself becoming frustrated, because he seems to punish me. For instance, I corrected him this evening and he immediately had his first accident on the floor. To be honest, I really believe he was trying to tell me that he was in charge. He was actually staring at me while he did it!" - He was not telling you 'I,m in charge'. It seems more like "I'm Scared!". He stared at you from fear. Question: You stated you just 'corrected him'. How??
By force? Yell? etc. This will explain more. Basically, the dog seems afraid & fearful. You MUST work around that issue!!
In order to effectively correct all issues in relation to unwanted behavior you must:
1. Completely remove your preconceived notions & ideas of what to expect or what the dog should be.
2. Be prepared to be extremely flexible in training, keeping the dogs needs & concerns first.
3. Get rid of your frustration & anguish attitude before working with the dog. Do not work with the dog when you are upset.
The dog can read this, and thus will become tense and hesitant.
4. In order to 'get affection' from the dog, you must be 'affectionate towards the dog'. If the dog becomess fearful or
afraid, he will not bond to you and thus, not trust you.
5. Enroll in some type of dog class - either basic training or preferrably individual training. Esp if you do not have the
experience working/owning dogs. These classes are designed not only to train dogs but train owners!! - education is key.

Kathy wrote "Before you screw him up by punishing him unnecessarily, you need to make sure he's not just grinning and talking. Chessies do this, and they do it a lot. If this is what he's doing, it's not aggression but just expressing himself. Watch his body posture when he does this....if his ears are up and he's not in a position of aggressions, then he may be talking, and shouldn't be punished." Kathy has a strong valid point!! If you do not know how to read the dog -which may be a strong possibility from your statements- you will cause more problems that do not exist now.

Being honest - no hard feelings. The goal is to be at harmony with the Chessie and for the Chessie's best interest. Charlie

Well to start off with when i corrected him, he was chewing on the coffee table and I placed a squeaky toy next to his mouth. When he bit the toy i praised him. As soon as i praised him, he started biting my hands. I quickly stood up to remove the "fun" from that game and said "No Bite"

At this point, he started chewing on the table again. So I kneeled back down and offered the squeaky toy again. This time when he took it, he took my hand instead. As I pulled my hand out of his mouth, he bite 4 or 5 quick bites. So I held his mouth closed and said "no bite."

When I let go of his mouth he walked about 4 feet away from me and pee'd on the floor. I have never hit the pup, or even yelled at him.

He is 10 weeks old, and I got him from a breeder. He was the runt of the litter, and he is 24 pounds at 10 weeks. I have owned dogs before, 2 labs in the past.

If his growling was just when he was tugging on his leash, or when he was playing with a toy. Then i might think grinning and talking. Here is an example, I had him on the front seat of my truck and he kept climbing on my lap. I blocked him with my forearm so he had an impossible obstacle, and he growled/bit me 3 times quickly. I never let my forearm touch him, so it isn't like he should have been scared of it.

It is very rare that he gives any affection to me. On occasion, he has licked my hand when i take him out of the kennel. I am just trying to bond with him, and to have a happy companion.

I signed him up for basic obediance classes, hopefully that will help!

If you have any further suggestions please feel free to let me know!

I do see some basic mistakes in your handling if i am reading this right. 1: At this age i would not make it common place to allow a dog to take anything from your hand! My old chessie Widgeon would not take a steak out of my hand and would wait until it hit her bowl! Place the chew toy in an acceptable place for the pup to accept. The pup may be so excited it cant help it self at 10 weeks. 2: If you are a hunter i would suggest any ride in a truck is done so NOW in a dog carrier. A puppy has no place in the front seat of a truck! That is not play time and the pup will never want to "kennel" when you take it out. 3: A puppies bladder is only so big and so strong, It is up to you to gauge when that pup needs to go out and you can go out with it. Regulate when the dog eats and drinks. After drinking my pup will go pee within 5 to 20 minutes after drinking water. Go with them and encouage this. They will soon get the idea. Same with food, be smarter than the dogs anatomy. Chessies are different! Most people that have these dogs will not do puppy training "outside trainer" and since you had labs i would not consider sending the pup to a "lab trainer" It also sounds very much like this pup is already afraid of you. You might need to change YOUR methods and ways to suit this pup. This has always been the challenge and when you end up with a great chessie you will understand the pride of ownership with this dog. It will really represent YOU. JMO

One other helpful hint with peeing, puppy pads work pretty good. My pup @ 14 weeks went pee in the kitchen, encourage them to go on the pad. Then move the pad at the base of the slider or door. Once they get that, move the pad outside. They will get the idea. They will then find their own comfortable place to pee outside.

Great advice. One thing I would like to note is that it's very important to begin with a pup to train to succeed, and make sure to give lots of praise for the right behavior. Right now you are correcting for the negative behavior, which in actuality, you are allowing by giving the puppy way too much freedom at 10 weeks of age. Everytime you have to correct him is upsetting to him, which is also why he's not bonding with you or happy about doing everything.

You need to turn your mind set around so that you are making everything positive for your pup. Put him in a crate with "SAFE" toys when you can't watch him. When you can take the time with him, keep him attached to you or restricted to a spefic area where he can't get into trouble, i.e. away from furniture and the likes you don't want him to chew. Praise him every time he does something right, and make sure to help him with the correct behaviors. Carry treats with you so you can reward him some of the time with a treat and the other times with your voice. DON'T bark commands at him as he doesn't understand them yet. Teach him the commands you want by telling him in a normal tone of voice -- one time for any command -- then help him accomplish it and give him lots of praise. By keeping him leashed to you when you have the time to spend with him, you are not only controlling all of his behavior, but you will also be bonding with him.

You have to be fair to a chesapeake. They are not like a lab or Golden. If you are fair the cheapeake will give you everything. Abvoe all, don't forget this is a puppy....he's like a computer with no programs. It's up to you to program him so that everything works correctly.

The classes should help, but in the meantime, you don't want to inadvertently train negative behaviors, which is what is sounds like is happening.

Keep us posted.

Kathy Miller
Sandy Oak Chesapeakes

Good Morning to all,

Today has been a fantastic day! I spent an hour and a half with him last night playing with his toys! There was no training involved, and he loved it! This morning when I got him out of his kennel, he gave me "kisses"!

We went to petsmart and played with other pups, and i bought about 20 new toys. All of which he picked out by himself. He has been a loving and affectionate pup all day! I think that the problem i was having was because he caught on to so much so fast, I was starting to forget he was still a baby. I can completely see the error of my ways, and it really wasn't his fault.

As for riding in the truck, he is going to be a hunting companion. He loves water retrieving and he gets about 5 retrieves a day on the lake. He also retrieves live pigeons for me, almost on a daily basis.

He loves the training when i keep it as a game! Which is completely natural for him, and I made the mistake of turning it into a non-game atmosphere.

I am very appreciative for every bit of advice everyone has given to me. You have no idea how frustrated I was starting to get with him. When in all reality, I was probably ruining him.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart, and thank you from gauge as well!

Josh

Josh, this is great news! And, thank you for listening to us.

Please keep us posted. And just remember that he's just a baby.

Kathy

Josh, Glad to hear!! Remember he's still a 'baby'. Now is the time to enjoy that. They grow up so quickly that you will wish for 'those puppy day' again when he's older. For now, just enjoy each other - plus by play now, train later attitude,
he will bond more than you will imagine. (I personally would wait until 3 months old to start training for hunting but since I do not hunt, get imput as to when others started training their chessies to hunt on this site).
Noticed your avatar (picture of Guage) was cut-off. How about a picture of the baby boy!! Anxious to see him. We are all "proud parents" here and 'braging' about his good looks is expected! Best of All. Charlie

OK! Woooohooooo He seems to have bonded with me! He actually whined when i went outside! My wife said that he went to the door and started crying! When I came back in, he gave me a bunch of kisses!

Maybe he is finally realzing that he is in a loving home!

Josh