Am I Being A Bad Mommy??

[Coco Puff]

Well since I've gotten Coco I don't think we've played with him enough. We have 3 younger children in the house. Coco gets quite nippy so he stays in his crate most of the day unless he whines to go potty or eat. Sometimes I tie him outside if its not too hot so that he can run around a little. I try to take him out of his crate and play with him in the house but then he starts to bite so I put him back into his crate with his toys. I don't fuss at him when he bites, but I do make eye contact with him and say "no" sternly when he bites me, dad or the kids.

I just don't want to be hindering him in any kind of way. His crate is located in the room (Den) where we are most active so he is around us all day long accept from between the bedtime hours of 11pm to 5:30am Monday thru Friday. On the weekends we are usually up later and sleep in to about 9am.

I bought two baby gates yesterday so that I could put him in the kitchen with his toys. Thats the only room thats not carpeted....just in case he has an accident. So now I will be introducing playtime in that room so that when he does starts to nip I can just ignore him by leaving him in there alone instead of placing him in the crate.

If anyone has anymore suggestions, please let me know. I want to be a good mommy to my baby.

 

[Dixie's Chick]

I am not sure how old coco is but he needs to be socialized. he needs to learn not to nip. Here is the key, when you get down on the floor and play with him, you assume the roll of puppy. you become a mate. When he starts to nip, stand up. He will try to nip at your pants, legs whatever, ignore him.
Also he needs play time with his family. You and dad need to take him out to play,how about when the kids are napping? I know I have kids too, that is when you do the laundry, get dinner made, and all the other things, but your pup is a new baby and needs the same kind of attention, the ohter stuff will have to slide.

You are not being a bad mommy, we do what we have to do to get through the day, just know your pup is a pup for a much shorter time than the kids are todlers. Put the time in now and you will have a dog that will be the kids best friend.

Also may I suggest a doggie day care? training classes? other pups to play with.

There is a phrase, a tired dog is a good dog, and exhausted dog is a great dog...

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

How old is Coco and what is his breed? Where did you get him from?

Whenever he nips, pull back your hand and yell, "OW!" as if he really has hurt you. Then go back to playing with him. If he nips again, say "NO!" and put him in time out - a puppy proof room or exercise pen.

To housetrain him, you need to take him out every hour to make sure he's empty. When he does his business outside, praise him and give him treats. If you catch him messing in the house, say "NO!" and bring him outside to finish. Always praise him when he goes potty outside. To prevent him from pottying inside, tether him to you or keep him in an exercise pen close to you. If you have to leave for a moment, bring him outside to go potty first and then put him in his crate.

How much playtime and exercise does he get every day? Playtime is very important for puppies. Try to play with him for at least five minutes every hour. Let him run around the yard and play if you can.

If he chews on inappropriate things, such as the couch, say "NO!" and give him a acceptable chew toy. Soon he should learn what he can and can't chew on.

 

[skyhigh]

What gaddy said. Plus...

Let Coco play in the house a bit. Roam and explore. Take him out to wee wees then let him explore. Thats greta with the kitchen. Let him sleap in there. Bring his crate in there at night and take off the door. So he can go in and out to sleap and play. Interact with him. Take him out to meet other dogs and people. You need to socialize him. How old is he? Are you going to puppy school? If he's had all his shots bring him to all different kinds of places to socialize. Thats the key while their young. The more the better.

 

[Coco Puff]

Coco is 12 weeks today. He hasn't had his rabies shot yet so I can't take him out for walks in the neighborhood yet. We just had our 1st kindergarten class last Tuesday. I've had him since he was 6 weeks & he has only had maybe 5 mistakes in the house which I've never solded him for....my mistake of course. He is actually pretty good at going outside. I got him from a kennel in North Carolina. Oh he is a American Cocker.

I have a in-house daycare so I couldn't take him out as much to play during the daytime due to his nipping. But thats why I bought the gates for the kitchen. He is in there now with the floor full of toys having a ball. I'm gonna put his crate in there just in case he gets tired....should I just buy another one? Or is just moving it back & forth ok?

I have tried the "ouch" method...but "ouch" always get lost in translation..."no" always seems to come out 1st...lol. When he nips at me (those little teeth hurt) I now say "Coco, watch" (something we learned in training); he looks up at me & sits everytime. I tell him "no biting" and give him a toy to bite on. When he takes the toys I say "good boy" & rub his back. Is this ok? I will try to remember "ouch" instead of "no".

Did I answer all the questions? I tried...LOL

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

The ouch method just lets the dog know that when he bites he's really hurting you. He doesn't mean to hurt you, he's just playing. You can say "NO!" if you like. Just let him get a second chance to play nice. If he doesn't play nice, he gets a five minute timeout.

Moving the crate back and forth should be fine, just as long as it's not too much trouble for you. I know moving my crates is pretty hard, just because they're so darn big and the wire one is heavy.

Once he has all his shots, it would be a good idea to enroll him in puppy classes. This way he's getting socialized and he's learning his basic commands.

 

[yoko]

this is what i found out about the ouch method with yoshi.
don't just say ouch. say it in a high pitched whine voice and act like it tore off your arm or something. and imediately stop playing and walk over to a couch or something and stop playing. if you see a puppy get hurt from to hard of playing it'll make a high whinning sound and stop playing so that's what your doing. also you quit giving her any attention at all. it worked on yoshi. when she thought she hurt me and i quit playing she quit nipping. now she doesn't do it any more

 

[Coco Puff]

The ouch method just lets the dog know that when he bites he's really hurting you. He doesn't mean to hurt you, he's just playing. You can say "NO!" if you like. Just let him get a second chance to play nice. If he doesn't play nice, he gets a five minute timeout.

Moving the crate back and forth should be fine, just as long as it's not too much trouble for you. I know moving my crates is pretty hard, just because they're so darn big and the wire one is heavy.

Once he has all his shots, it would be a good idea to enroll him in puppy classes. This way he's getting socialized and he's learning his basic commands.

I moved his crate in the kitchen. He is at the groomers now so I will put him back in there when he gets home & play with him some more. He is already in Puppy kindergarten class at Petsmart. Its just once a week though. I will continue to work with the ouch method.

this is what i found out about the ouch method with yoshi.
don't just say ouch. say it in a high pitched whine voice and act like it tore off your arm or something. and imediately stop playing and walk over to a couch or something and stop playing. if you see a puppy get hurt from to hard of playing it'll make a high whinning sound and stop playing so that's what your doing. also you quit giving her any attention at all. it worked on yoshi. when she thought she hurt me and i quit playing she quit nipping. now she doesn't do it any more

I'm going to try it again....like a wounded puppy I hope he gets the picture. I would really like for my kids to play with him more.