# Sweet but stubborn puppy



## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

My Newfie puppy is unlike any other puppy I've ever brought home. Of course, he's a lot bigger than the average puppy, but there are other differences as well. He's very sweet, and not too rough most of the time. He's also stubborn and loves to bite. I have gates in place to keep him in one place at a time to make managing the environment easier. However, if I'm walking into another room, he REALLY wants to come with me. This is normal for Newfoundlands as far as I've read and heard. What's strange is that he'll basically push his head through as far as he can, blocking the gate, and won't back up. Most puppies, after a gentle nudge, will back up so you can close a door or gate. Ozzy won't. He doesn't growl or do anything aggressive, but he'll stand there without giving an inch until I either let him through or pick him up to gently place him back where he should be. I noticed that his father, mother, and other Newfies at the breeder's ranch do exactly the same thing. They will back up if you make it evident you're not letting them through, but they don't give ground easily. Just like my Ozzy, the Newfies from the ranch are very friendly to everyone, and are gentle. But none of them have the biting fixation my Ozzy does.

He doesn't bite hard; he just bites a lot. If I sit down to pet him, he gets very excited and starts biting my hands, wrists, whatever. The only 'off limit' zone to him seems to be my face, for which I am very grateful. Sometimes if I give him a teething ring, this occupies his need to gnaw, and I can pet him without worrying about it. Like I said, it isn't a painful thing, but it's an annoying thing, and I'd like to steer him away from this. He's only 9 weeks and 2 days old, so I'm not looking to institute much in the way of discipline. The only 'discipline' he receives now is a time-out in his play area if he gets too lippy with one of my other dogs, trying to entice them to play, or a gentle nudge and an 'uh-uh' if he keeps biting when I'm trying to pet him. I should add that this isn't in the least bit aggressive. He's happy, tail gently wagging back and forth, and climbs into my lap for attention. I just want to dissuade this behavior without causing Ozzy undue stress.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

For the gates, if you cant step over them, use food to 'back' him up so you can put the gate back in place. I use an xpen if I need to contain Kilt, otherwise she's loose and I watch her like crazy. Works well for us.

The other dogs should tell him off when he gets a bit older. Kilt at the moment is a brat, but I'm sure around the six month mark her cute factor will wear thin and Storee will tell her off. Ticket already has set some rules with her and she listens to him very well.

When you play with him, give him a stuffy and pet/reward him like crazy. The second he drops the toy, stop. Give him the toy again and start again. Soon he'll get the idea you can only pet him if he's got his toy in his mouth and want to hold it more.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I've noticed that a lot of giant breeds tend to do the "passive resistance" thing. I guess when you're that big, just sitting/standing there is all you need to do, LOL.

Puppy nipping/mouthing is very normal. Of course, when the puppy is that big it's more of a concern. Have you checked out "the bite stops here" sticky?


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

The only prob with the bite stops here is that it won't work on some breeds, mine would get excited if you "yelped" at them lol, so I use "enough!" & remove myself.


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

Willowy said:


> I've noticed that a lot of giant breeds tend to do the "passive resistance" thing. I guess when you're that big, just sitting/standing there is all you need to do, LOL.
> 
> Puppy nipping/mouthing is very normal. Of course, when the puppy is that big it's more of a concern. Have you checked out "the bite stops here" sticky?


You're right about that 'passive resistance' thing. Man. Ozzy's dad is somewhere between 180-200 lbs - pretty big even for a Newfie. Also, Ozzy was the largest puppy in the litter, so I'm guessing I'll have a mammoth dog when he's fully grown. Both Ozzy's parents tend to do the statue routine when they want through a door and you're trying to close it, and to stop them you have to plant your weight pretty well. They won't intentionally push a person over, but when a dog weighs over 150 lbs, has 4 legs and a much lower center of gravity than a human, it isn't easy to stop them. I have read the sticky, but to be honest I only perused it (this was prior to my puppy coming home). I'll go back and read it thoroughly.

Bordermom, thanks for the advice. The dogs actually tell him off now, which is why I get a little concerned. I don't believe they seem him as a regular puppy, perhaps due to his size. They all play well together, but when one of the adult dogs wants to lay down and Ozzy wants to play, my pup can get a bit obnoxious about it. He offers a play bow and starts barking and growling, jumping side to side into more play bows. It's pretty cute, though loud, and I stop it if Ozzy doesn't listen to a verbal cue. While cute for a few seconds, it gets old really quickly, and the adult dogs don't seem to like it much, either. Other than these times, Ozzy barely makes a peep. I'm wondering about training Ozzy to keep a toy in his mouth. It would fix the problem of biting, but seems like it would set up a long-term behavior of always carrying a toy. What are your thoughts?


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I find that "The Bite Stops Here" works for many people and puppies. But, as with any advice, you can tweak or adapt it to make it work better for your pup. So, if yelping causes the pup to be even more excited and nip more, try saying ouch in a deep, loud voice, or even say "ah ah".


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Lots of good advice..but my question to you is why would it be a problem if he develops a "carry a toy" behaviour? Carrying a toy is a great skill to have, helps with loose leash walking, gives a dog something to do rather than jump on people etc etc. He's a working dog puppy, built to carry/tow something in his mouth. I was just curious as to your worry about it.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

I don't see a problem with carrying a toy. However, I do recommend teaching Bite Inhibition, b/c that helps a dog to learn to control the hardness of his biting under all situations, even emergencies...


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

Probably the 'carry a toy' thing isn't a problem. Actually, one of the other dogs at the breeder's ranch does this, and it's pretty cute. Bite inhibition training has gone really well. At first I tried replacing the item being chewed (me) with a high-value chew toy, but had minimal success. It turns out that I'm the highest-value item around. However, I've also found that Newfoundlands respond quickly to direction, and a gentle "ah-ah" and a finger in front of his nose did the trick pretty well.


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