# Terrorized by my Puppy



## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Franklin (**** Hound Mix) is 3 months old now and I am still constantly being bitten. We had a few good days and I was jinxed into thinking I'd made progress. He bites me when I'm walking, he goes around my legs and bites the back of my legs, he jumps on me and bites my tummy, he bites when I am sitting down... it goes on and on.

I am walking away from him when he bites.

I am telling him "off" and "no bite" - CONSTANTLY.

I am putting him outside or in his room if he can't settle down.

I'm going nuts, to be honest. I can't get from one room to the other without being bitten. The bites are less brutal, but still it would be nice to walk from one place to the next or wear a different pair of jeans (I'm afraid of ruining another pair).

Any suggestions? I'm exhausted.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Unfortunately - the Landshark phase lasts until puppy is done teething, and with some dogs, even longer. By 6 months old, he should be finished getting adult teeth and start settling down a bit. 

When he's nipping you - redirect him to a chew toy, such as a rubber kong. You can even stuff the kong ahead of time and put it in the freezer and when he starts looking antsy and like he might need to really chew something, like your leg, then get the kong out for him and let him go to town. This will provide a reward for chewing an appropriate object WHILE he chews the object. I'd get 2 of them, have them both stuffed, and give him one and put the other in the freezer. When he's done the first one, he may go back to it to chew later and you can reward that behavior by getting the frozen one, giving it to him, stuffing the empty one and placing it in the freezer so you can rotate. 

Keep up saying "No" - don't push him away with your feet or hands, it's engaging and will increase the behavior. Just say 'No' and make yourself as boring as possible while redirecting to a super fun toy or chew.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

BBM speaks the hard truth! I'd add learn to walk s-l-o-w-l-y so as not to be a fun target. Get a few pairs of jeans from Old Navy. They are stupid cheap on sale.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Honestly, the majority of the biting probably won't go away until he's done teething around 6 months. At that point, it can go one of two ways. Some puppies stop almost immediately around that time. Others are mouthy months longer.

Keep marking it with ouch or no bite and walking away. Really end play time and make things super boring. Don't just walk out of the room for 10 seconds and then back in - put him in his crate or leave the room (hopefully so you can see him through a baby gate) and go do something else entirely until he's forgotten about you. 

My adult dog was biting me and terrorizing me until he was almost a year. It wasn't easy, and he went into time out a lot. We got through it. We did get into a bad pattern for a while where I would leave the room and he would stand there happily waiting for me to come back so he could bite me again - he thought it was all part of the game. So make sure you are really ending play and being boring. 

My current puppy pretty much doesn't bite at all and it's not because of anything I've done differently with her.


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

BostonBullMama said:


> Unfortunately - the Landshark phase lasts until puppy is done teething, and with some dogs, even longer. By 6 months old, he should be finished getting adult teeth and start settling down a bit.
> 
> When he's nipping you - redirect him to a chew toy, such as a rubber kong. You can even stuff the kong ahead of time and put it in the freezer and when he starts looking antsy and like he might need to really chew something, like your leg, then get the kong out for him and let him go to town. This will provide a reward for chewing an appropriate object WHILE he chews the object. I'd get 2 of them, have them both stuffed, and give him one and put the other in the freezer. When he's done the first one, he may go back to it to chew later and you can reward that behavior by getting the frozen one, giving it to him, stuffing the empty one and placing it in the freezer so you can rotate.
> 
> Keep up saying "No" - don't push him away with your feet or hands, it's engaging and will increase the behavior. Just say 'No' and make yourself as boring as possible while redirecting to a super fun toy or chew.


Yup, all of this. 3 months is still SUPER young so you have awhile of this to go unfortunately, but you need to stay positive! He's just a baby and wants to play. Honestly, my pup is 13 months old now and just today she had the crazies while we were out at the park and started trying to bite my legs. She got super excited when we came home really late the other night and nipped my husband hard on the bare thigh. It gets better eventually! She only does it once in awhile now.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Most puppies are landsharks until they are done teething....

My puppy did this at 10 weeks old..


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## Galathiel (Apr 11, 2012)

Also, remember the mantra "A Tired Puppy is a Good Puppy". Be sure he gets plenty of exercise (like chasing a ball or a flirt pole .. something that has sprinting and expends a lot of energy). Keep redirecting to a toy (always have one on you if necessary!) and stuff it in his mouth every time he comes for you and then play with the toy and make it fun. It needs to be more interesting than biting YOU.

My German Shepherd is now 2 and automatically grabs a toy when he wants to play. Learned behavior.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

My arms currently look like I stuck them in a meat grinder and my pile of ripped clothes is growing by the day. Yay puppies!

Yesterday was actually particularly bad when Beckett AND Annabel (our large two year old Newf) both got puppy zoomies and I was left trying to wrangle them. I swear, there were more teeth and nails then there should have been, and my coworker this morning said it looked like I was mauled by a bear. Not that far off I guess!

This sort of thing is just part of puppyhood and unfortunately it's not something that gets better quickly. Hang in there, though! Just be as consistent as you can and remember that this too shall (eventually) pass!


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

It is funny but Kris, my Doberman, who most people say are "land sharks" has never ever put her teeth on me. I got her at 11 weeks and she has never been mouthy and it is not anything I have done or not done. She gets excited and leaps around but has never jumped up on me. The worst she has done as a puppy is wanting to put her front feet up on me when I am sitting which took a little while to stop her from doing it. I would just give her a toy and tell her to go play. I also never have rough housed with her though so she does not look at me as a play toy.


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## Wet Beards (Jan 25, 2015)

JohnnyBandit said:


> Most puppies are landsharks until they are done teething....
> 
> My puppy did this at 10 weeks old..


All puppies should come with a pair of leather gloves.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

Wet Beards said:


> All puppies should come with a pair of leather gloves.


Haha. I remember back in high school, our vet had to use these massive Falconer's gloves to handle my cat. I should get some of those...


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Oh gosh. Franklin is doing better. Although as I sit here I have a piece of tissue stuck to a spot on my arm that his razor sharp tooth nicked. He MEANS well and there has been REAL progress. 

He has stopped playing with my shoes while I try to put them on. Granted, I have to wear the same pair because they are the only ones that he is disinterested in.

He has started to stop and look at me before biting... which lets me get out of the way.

He really just bites like a maniac when he is tired... and so that is time to put him on his sleeping porch.

We have learned to become the most boring thing in the world. Trees... it is weird when we are walking up our driveway, but whatever works.

So, progress. Slow, but sure progress.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

goodwolve said:


> He has started to stop and look at me before biting...


That is GREAT and if I were you I would reward that moment of pause with a toy or calmly give him a food reward. If you are not interacting with him, it's fine to walk away. But right now you are teaching your pup what you don't want (the biting), and you should ALSO be teaching him what you do want, which are those moments of calm attention.


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## BostonDan (Dec 29, 2014)

For our family and echoing some of the comments above, convincingly pretending to be hurt every time she bites did wonders. She still "mouthes" us every so often, but does it with the softest touch. I think most dogs have no desire to hurt people, the dog is just looking to play.


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

Canyx said:


> That is GREAT and if I were you I would reward that moment of pause with a toy or calmly give him a food reward. If you are not interacting with him, it's fine to walk away. But right now you are teaching your pup what you don't want (the biting), and you should ALSO be teaching him what you do want, which are those moments of calm attention.


THIS SO MUCH. I heaped praise on Peggy every single time I saw her doing something I wanted her to do as a baby, whether that was lying quietly, chewing a toy, chewing a bone, going to get a toy from her toybox when she wanted to play, etc. So much of it is teaching them what you do want. She's 13 months now and while she does still get mouthy, she is very good at realizing and heading straight to grab a toy and I still praise her and give her a food reward if I have one on hand. So good to hear he's making progress! Puppies are hard.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

Franklin looks like a sweetie. I'll bet that after a few months of terror, you'll be rewarded with a really good dog! Keep up the good work.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

You know, we do forget to praise the good stuff because we are so exhausted by the not good stuff. I'll have to remember!

Also, how do you have treats with you ALL THE TIME? I need a system!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Once you have a marker word or clicker loaded, it doesn't need to have immediate delivery. You can get up and get the treat off the desk or whatever. For a puppy I'd just keep a little jar of self-stable stuff in every room so you don't have to go too far, but once he knows "yes means I get a treat!" it's okay if you have to walk a few steps to grab one.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

As CptJack said, loaded clickers or marker words are great to bridge the gap between marking the exact behavior you want to reinforce and actually getting and delivering the treat. Whenever I'm home or out anywhere with the dogs, I've just gotten into the habit of always having my bait bag and a clicker on me. In fact, I was on such auto-pilot going to work on Monday that I wore my bait bag and clicker to the office!


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

You could also go out and get yourself one of those oh-so-stylish fanny packs and keep it full of treats  LOL


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## roxieyap (Jun 8, 2015)

Glad Franklin is making progress. Dealing with puppy biting is really a challenge and really be exhausting. It takes commitment to really instill in puppies that it is not okay to just bite or nip whenever they feel like it. Exercising a firm hand on things is important and letting them associate your action with the reprimand. And of course, very important, reward them when they exhibit good behavior.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

I've seriously considered the Fanny Pack BostonBullMama!

One more question - when we go on a walk (2-3 times a day) up and down our drive (15 minute walk) he has started getting really protective, bitey, jumpy when we get back and closer to the house. He circles me, jumps on me, tries to bite. It takes an extra 5-7 minutes just to get the last way in the house because he is a jumping biting nut.

What could I do differently to change his direction/actions? I've stood like a tree (easier when my husband is with me), turned around when he jumps but it makes me dizzy to keep turning, brought a spray bottle (not much a detractor), and brought treats that he just acts crazy about and bites and sits and bites and sits.

It has to be something simpler... it's a little scary to have those flailing teeth chomping at you!


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

If you set a predictable walking schedule and route with him he is learning to anticipate 'when the fun is about to end,' so to speak. Try switching up your path. This doesn't mean you need to go someplace entirely new, but make it less predictable than just out and back. Surprise him by suddenly turning around at random points, and reward for focus and calm regardless of which direction you're going in. When he is walking nicely going back toward the house, move away from it. Never walk further from the house if he acts up. Keep on yo-yo-ing and he won't be able to predict what you're about to do, and turning around won't be an indicator of the walk ending. 
You can also bring a super special toy or treat that he only gets on walks. And as you're heading back toward the house start engaging him with those rewards BEFORE he even thinks about acting up.
Lastly, I don't know what your routine is but it might help to have a 5-10 minute wind up/cool down/treat/light training time. Whatever gets him happy! It'll teach him that even though the walk is ending, the fun is going to continue inside the house. You are not bound to do this forever, but for now and for the next few months you will need to teach him how to settle and adapt, before expecting him to be able to do so.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Canyx - that makes sense. I'm such a creature of habit it is hard to remember to change it up. I'll try that and see how it goes. Thank you! (It's nice to know you aren't completely insane that things aren't working quite right and that there are simple solutions!)


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

You are most welcome. Best of luck 



goodwolve said:


> (It's nice to know you aren't completely insane that things aren't working quite right and that there are simple solutions!)


I am right there 90% of the time.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Today has been mostly terrible. It is raining nonstop and he doesn't like to go out in it. Which means lots of pent up puppy craziness. Jumping on me. Biting. Jumping. Biting. Jumping. Biting. It is a never ending cycle of not fun.

He won't settle AT ALL if I am in the room or near him. He must play, push, shove, bite, jump. THIS HAS TO END.

I'm sure it will be better at some point, but today has not been good... and it's only 2:45pm


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Sounds just like Ryker when he was a puppy. He was called "the Terminator" by our puppy class instructor.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Jade how did you deal with it? I find myself putting him on his sleeping porch and letting him be. He usually falls asleep. 

Honestly, I just want a dog that sits by my desk, goes for walks, plays catch... I don't have anything like that and adjusting to what I DO HAVE is proving to be pretty hard.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Lots of repetition with "OW", "Ouch", "Ah ah" and redirection when he got crazy and bitey. It seemed pretty useless at the time (maybe it was), but he eventually started settling down when he was around 8 months old. I put him in short time outs a lot just so I could get a break from him. To be honest he was such a terrible puppy and I didn't enjoy him much until he got older. By the time he was 1 year old he was still very mouthy, but 100X better. Now that he's 2 his mouthiness is almost gone completely. He's a wonderful dog now. Hounds don't reach full maturity until around 2 years old. It's worth it in the end, I promise! You will have the dog that you wanted, it just takes time and patience.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

goodwolve said:


> Jade how did you deal with it? I find myself putting him on his sleeping porch and letting him be. He usually falls asleep.
> 
> Honestly, I just want a dog that sits by my desk, goes for walks, plays catch... I don't have anything like that and adjusting to what I DO HAVE is proving to be pretty hard.


People who know solidly what they want are usually recommended to get an adult dog.
People who know they want to work through the process of getting there, usually get puppies.

Not saying you should do anything but continue working with your pup, just general thoughts. Like jade said, if you work HARD for the first 1-2 years, the rest will come.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

You are probably right. We were spoiled by our corgi mix that we had for 12 years. He was really easy. This is just much harder than I could have ever imagined and I'm probably not doing it very well. I see why there are so many 3 month puppies back in shelters... it is really hard. We just keep trying each day.

The ball and treat worked on the walk back until we got near the door. He then got really growly and jumped on me. He then ran in the house and jumped on our bed. All that excitement and he is back on the porch.

At least it looks like the rain is going to break tomorrow and we will be able to drive out of our house (we live behind a low water bridge). I'll be able to take him on a long walk. That should help. Maybe.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

An update on Franklin the Wonder Dog -

He turns 4 months on Thursday and he is a BIG boy!

His sit, come, down, and off skills are great. He loves to go out in public, play at the dog park, play in his puppy pool and dig in the sand, and he is totally potty trained. He's a great eater and totally food motivated. He has started to do a few kisses instead of chewing on feet (an improvement).

All of that and he STILL can't settle with us in the room. He has to be biting something (us, toy, chew stick) and be right near us, but moving around constantly. No relaxing on his or our part.

AND he STILL bites me constantly. I can't be in the room, leave the house, be outside, go on a walk on our property without him zeroing in on me as the ultimate human chew toy. I've tried standing still, squirting him with a water bottle, spraying myself with bitter apple stuff, stuffing toys in his mouth, kung fu moves to get him off, keeping him on a leash, keeping him off a leash... you name it. I am the rabbit prey he must fuss with. IT IS EXHAUSTING and not very fun.

It also stresses my husband out 100% because sometimes his growling and door protecting to not let me go in the house can be scary.

SO, we are trying to bring in a trainer. It is beyond me and I need all the help I can get.

PLEASE just tell me it gets better.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

My dog didn't start to outgrow the biting until he was around 8 months old. I would be concerned about the growling and door protecting though and would recommend you consult with a trainer on that matter to do an assessment of the behavior.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

jade5280 said:


> My dog didn't start to outgrow the biting until he was around 8 months old. I would be concerned about the growling and door protecting though and would recommend you consult with a trainer on that matter to do an assessment of the behavior.


Agreed. The jumping up and biting on walks is really common and something they grow out of. My favorite technique for dealing with it was to step on his leash so he couldn't jump and reach me, and then act really boring until he got tired of it. Once he was calm we could walk on. 

The growling and door protecting behavior is not normal puppy stuff though. I would get a trainer in to help.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

I have a call out to a trainer... so hopefully someone will want to come out here. We live about an hour from any midsize city and finding trainers has proven difficult. I agree... it is a step up from normal puppy behavior. He doesn't EVER want the fun to stop and I am the fun.


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## notgaga (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm so sorry you're going through this! It must be a common thing in hounds because mine was an absolute demon for a number of months, as well as one of my friends' freeing walker. I did not like my puppy at all for a while.

Now she's 1.5 years old and SO MUCH BETTER. She still gets the zoomies and bites me then but 95% of the time she is pretty levelheaded and very sweet. She also pretty much only attacked me when young (and still today).

I spent some time with my best friend's 10 week old heeler mix yesterday and he was a dream compared to Laika. Then again he isn't my dog so I don't have to put up with him all the time, haha. But he redirected to toys amazingly well, which I know could change as he ages, of course. 

Good luck with the trainer.


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## CobbersMom (Jul 30, 2013)

My now-2.5-yr-old aussie terrier, Cobber, was a biting horror when I first got him in May 2013. He bit me constantly and never settled. I had had dogs before, including puppies, but never one like he was -- I really didn't like him much at all. The only two things that saved me (and him, ultimately) were doggy daycare, where he could get rid of some of that energy doing other things than constantly biting and jumping on me, and me becoming the most boring, slow moving human EVER. Oh, and a flirt pole - that helped, too, especially on the weekend when the daycare was closed and I was climbing the walls to get away from his teeth  It did finally end after his adult teeth came in. And once he turned a year old, he started to settle. Now, except for occasional evening zoomies in the yard, he's very laid back and lovable. You'll get there, but I agree it's very hard in the first 6 months (and those days seem to last way more than 24 hours).


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

I have to say knowing I'm not making this all up in my head helps. People don't believe me that it is just crazy over here. Mostly because in PUBLIC he is an ANGEL. Anyway, trainer is coming on Monday. My hope is that he actually acts his horrible self so I don't waste her/our time. 

BTW: Today is terrible. We are both in time out. Sigh.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Keep us updated!


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## Gumbo (Jun 7, 2015)

We're going through the same with our Jack Russell pup. He'll turn 14 weeks old tomorrow and he's a biting machine. We've tried hard to make sure we have bones / toys handy when he plays on the floor and most times we're ok. Does draw blood occasionally but he is enthusiastic. We've had to try and protect much of our kitchen cabinets as he loves to chew on anything woody. We've had luck with smearing Vics Vapo Rub on the cabinets but now the kitchen smells pretty weird.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Essentially the time with a trainer was an expensive waste of time - except for four things: 
I am not crazy - he is a tough puppy.
I learned some new ways to play with him - he LIKES training - clicker training (which I hadn't tried and know nothing about).
The thing he wants MOST is time with us, BUT HE BITES all of the time so that goes out the window. A conundrum for a puppy.
It is likely not to get better soon.

So, this has me thinking am I cut out for this. Is this puppy too much for me to handle. Should I keep at it or should I find him a home with people who have lots of dogs that he can just run free and happy with. Do I want to learn clicker training?

The biting... in the back of my mind I think that it will end - in time - but in the mean time managing him his painful (literally) and extremely hard.

Damn. I thought hiring a trainer would make it better.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I would highly recommend a puppy obedience class over having a private trainer come over. You will learn how to work with him, and the weekly homework will give you something to focus on at home. He's probably bored and not mentally stimulated enough and if he really likes training then he needs more of that. Training a puppy is not a one time thing where a trainer comes over and then everything is fixed. It is a daily task that is on going for at least the first year.

Second, if he really wants to be with you, use that to your advantage! If you are very consistent with removing either yourself or him when he gets bitey, and he really wants to be near you, that will start to be very effective. Yes it will take time, but that's puppies for you.

Clicker training isn't anything special, it's just basic positive reinforcement training. You don't even need a clicker, you can say "yes". But honestly, if you are not willing to learn how to train your dog, then I don't think a dog is for you. All dogs need training, even the easy puppies need a lot of training. If you give him away, the new owners will have to train him, they won't just let him run free with other dogs (or if they do, they will probably end up giving him up to because he will still be hard to live with).

I'm curious, what did you expect the trainer to do or say to make things better?


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Don't give up! Clicker training is pretty simple like elrohwen said. I will also 2nd what she said about finding a puppy class. 

What did the trainer say about him growling in doorways?

The biting will come to an end, I promise. You could try using Tea tree oil and putting it on your hands. It smells strong, but it helped to stop the biting with Ryker.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Classes would be great, but I live 2 hours from any classes. So unfortunately, that makes them harder to come by then hiring a trainer. Hence the trainer!

So... what did I think... well, I thought she would give me specific ways to handle the fact that every single moment I am with my dog he is biting me. We are not talking sometimes. We are talking EVERY SINGLE MOMENT I AM WITH HIM. Teeth on mom. Everywhere. All times.

She did. Get up and walk away. Which is what we are doing... still teeth on mom as I am walking away.

I KNOW dogs need training and I was ALL for that. I read every possible thing (not clicker training because it seemed extra) but all the things! Never in my life did I think I would have a puppy that could NEVER SETTLE down with another person in the room, bite constantly, and basically need to be with me 24/7 (although, that is impossible because he bites all of the time.)

We walk, we play, we go to the dog park, we train (he knows sit, come, down, and shake) - everyday. So, I am doing all the things.

But - and let's be clear here - none of it is fun because at any given moment his teeth land on/in my flesh. It is painful and a little scary.

So, we will keep doing what we are doing, but I am not loving any of it. Shame me all you want about not doing, knowing, giving enough, but it is ruining my relationships, my time is centered completely on the dog, and I feel battered and bruised most days.

Do I wish he had a different family. Yes. Because maybe they have some better skills then I have.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I am not going to shame you, because I've been there and it sucks.

However, if you do rehome him don't think someone with better skills is going to stop it. They're not. He's going to do this for however long he's going to do it, no matter where he is. All you can do is redirect and get up and leave and put a barrier between you and him to end his access to you. Crate him, go over a gate, close the door, whatever. That's all anyone can do that will work and it isn't going to sink in until it sinks in. Impulse training will help, learning type training will help (learning ANYTHING), but there's no special skill set that you don't have and someone else does, that will make this stop faster.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks. I'm not yet giving up. I just feel defeated every single day. 

You get a puppy because you WANT to train him. You WANT to feel some special bond. You WANT to love them.

When that doesn't happen... because nothing you do seems to work... it just hurts.

We will keep training, learning new tricks, doing the things and I'm sure you are all right - that the biting will end. But right now it's awful.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

My post wasn't attempting to shame you for anything, just put puppy training into perspective. Yes, it's a lot of work. And some puppies are bitey monsters. I had a bitey monster who bit me until he was over a year old. I know how it can be. And it does pass, I promise. Things get better.

The puppy blues is also a thing. Lots of people feel completely overwhelmed and unhappy when they get a puppy, even when they have an easy puppy. You are not alone in that and having a biting heathen puppy makes it harder.

Your post just made it sound like you weren't interested in learning how to train your pup, and that maybe sending him somewhere to just run free would be better which wouldn't be any better for him than living with you. As CptJack said, nobody with better training skills would be able to stop this any faster than you will by ignoring him when he bites. Maybe you didn't mean that, but there was no way for me to know what you're doing with him and how much you are putting into it. I do think your expectations for him are probably unrealistic, based on his personality and temperament. That doesn't mean that you have to enjoy being bitten all the time, but that sometimes you have to put him in his crate with a toy and just go do something else, something for you. And he will grow up at some point. They all do. And then you can't imagine what you would do without them.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

It sounds like you are doing everything right. No family that you could give him to would have better skills than what you are doing now. I was in the same position as you were with Ryker. I couldn't pet him without him biting me. And sometimes it was scary to have a 30lb puppy launching itself at me and latching onto my arm. There were times where I would be stuck in the yard screaming for SO to help me because Ryker was 'mauling' me and I couldn't get him off. IT SUCKS, but that's just how some puppies are. It's up to you if you want to stick it out. I can tell you that if you do then it will be worth it.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

You know, seriously. My dog is 14 months old. She's not bitey, but she's got some issues that are making me kind of miserable and leaving me feeling like a failure right now. My next youngest dog will be 3 in November. ...I've liked him for about 6 months and have actual scars from raising him. The OTHER puppy I've recently raised was comparatively a dream but was home at 4 weeks old and I was so exhausted that it still took several months for me to bond with her.

People have visions of what owning a puppy or dog is going to be like, but the reality is it's just hard as heck and there's no short-cut through it. You bleed, you cry, you lose sleep, you drown in pee and poop and you spend a copious amount of cash on the monsters. Then somewhere around, oh, 2 or 3 years old you end up with your expectations and dreams and the reality matching up somewhere in the middle and things are okay again. It gets better before that, but it takes some time to build a relationship with ANY living thing, and puppies while cute are not particularly likable.


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

I know where you are coming from - I have a 10 week old Aussie pup and he's a PITA when it comes to biting, but we have been using a combination of clicker training, constant-fanny-pack-wearing with treats inside of it, redirecting, and yelping and leaving the room (bf is actually a LOT better at that than I am) and I'm already seeing improvements! It took a while, and it's not all the time - you should see a picture of my arm!! It looks like I had a fight with a thorn bush and lost - badly. But it really does get better and the bond that you guys will have later on will make everything worth it. Puppyhood only lasts for about 2 years or so at the most, and you may eventually find you miss that biting-bugger of a land-shark when he's 5 years old and too tired to play. Enjoy the good with the bad, but keep it up because you are doing super well.


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## notgaga (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time! Puppies can be jerks. 

Mine is, like I've probably said, 1.5 years old. I'm currently sporting three rather colorful bruises on my right thigh because she decided to run teeth first into me during a zoomies event. In a public park. On a leash while I twirled around trying not to be wrapped into it. I have a bruise under my chin because she basically did the same, only to my face.

I think you have a real window of opportunity with training, since he really likes it. Training is more than sit, down, and come. Essentially you can train whatever crazy (and safe) thing you can think of. Most recent things I've taught her - to lay down in a drawer that previously made her flip out, spin around in crazeballs circles when she's zoomie, bark with an indoor voice, back up. 

With Laika, I can tell when I've got her attention because I can see a change (focus) in her face and can see the gears turning. And it stops her from being a monster for a while.


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

If it's any consolation I believe everyone gets the "puppy blues" at some point.
I had a very easy puppy, really. I got her at 3 months, never bit me, she slept through the majority of the night, had a handful of accidents in the house at most, and was ridiculously lazy at all times. My problems were that she whined CONSTANTLY any time she was awake she'd pace and whine, she was programmed to waking up at 4am every morning no matter what, and she REFUSED to play with me. I was over tired from getting up early and she whined every other awake moment and I couldn't even enjoy her because she wouldn't be adorable and play with me. I got puppy blues. She was nothing that I wanted. I was over tired, I honestly thought I'd never bond with her. I cared for her, but I found it hard to connect with her.

Now I miss her if she's gone for a day and I got news she could potentially have a fatal illness and it really puts it all into perspective for you.

She's definitely not everything I wanted in a dog and I've come to accept that and I try to work on what I can work on. Puppyhood is hard for everyone in different ways, at some point you're going to get fed up and struggle. I agree with the advice from the other members I've seen. After you've had an exciting day of training, playing, and going to the dog park, there is NOTHING wrong with putting him in an x-pen in your living room with some toys so he can entertain himself. If you've met all his needs and he's been fed and he's interacted with you, there's nothing wrong with letting him learn to play by himself. Of course you just want to cuddle with a puppy because he's adorable, but I think the less opportunity you give him to gnaw on you, and the more sanity hours you give yourself, the better you'll be able to handle the bite inhibition training.

Good luck, it DOES get better!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Sorry, I just read this ...

1. At ~4 mos, your pup is probably teething, losing puppy teeth and gaining adult teeth, so his gums are probably sore. He needs a frozen Kong and a hard rubber bone to chew on. Freezing a damp washcloth to chew on may help, also ... but don't leave him unmonitored with the washcloth, which he might swallow.
2. Bite Inhibition is a method for managing and training nipping. Search the Forum and then search Google for the details.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

For some puppies, walking away in of itself becomes a game. With Lincoln even, walking away just made him bite more, and he is what I would consider a "biddable hard" dog. With a tough puppy like this that likely wont work. If it was me, I would give him a firm, loud booming "NO!", turn my back and cross my arms. Likely, the puppy will come around and play bow and / or bark, that is an apology, accept it and interact with him, he will bite again, and if it hurts, rinse and repeat.

This is not a quick fix, this will take a LONG time to correct, so patience is a virtue LOL.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

OwnedbyACDs said:


> For some puppies, walking away in of itself becomes a game. With Lincoln even, walking away just made him bite more, and he is what I would consider a "biddable hard" dog. With a tough puppy like this that likely wont work. If it was me, I would give him a firm, loud booming "NO!", turn my back and cross my arms. Likely, the puppy will come around and play bow and / or bark, that is an apology, accept it and interact with him, he will bite again, and if it hurts, rinse and repeat.
> 
> This is not a quick fix, this will take a LONG time to correct, so patience is a virtue LOL.


Watson took both of those techniques as an invitation to continue biting, and bite harder. Once I turned my back and he jumped up and grabbed my bra strap through my shirt. Another time he grabbed my pants near my butt and put a hole in them.

The trick to make leaving not part of the game is to wait until the dog either becomes bored, or moves on to doing something else. If he is standing there staring at you wanting to play, he's probably going to bite again as soon as you come back in. Then the game becomes "I bite mom, she runs away, I wait for her and bite her again!" Their state of mind needs to change from play to something else before you can go back in.


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Sterling does pretty well with redirection - if he's just gnawing on me and not biting very hard I'll put a toy I DO want him to chew in front of his mouth and get him to chew on that, and (usually) when I yelp from a hard bite he'll run off and play with a toy instead. I am somewhat struggling with finding the right time to 'leave the room' with him though, but all in all he's still doing pretty well with redirecting.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

The last three days has brought a new kind of hell... charging, growling and jumping on me. 

I think we are in a cycle of not good.

I don't like to hang out with him because he hurts me.

He gets lonely.

When I do bring him in he is all riled up with crazy and then he jumps, runs & plays hard - I'm just the object of that play. His nips aren't hard, but they are scary and scratch the skin. The jumping and growling is just added chaos.

Then I get frustrated and take him to his spot.

Then the cycle goes on and on.

Tomorrow I will try something new and take him for a free run in the morning - time with mom - and see if that crazy scary biting, jumping and growling goes away.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

I've tried walk away, turn around... but he just circles me and keeps jumping and biting. It IS a game to him. I honestly don't think he means me harm. He just wants to play.

I tried the bumping him off with my knee with my arms crossed and he thinks that is an invitation to jump some more. PLAY!!

Today I tried holding him - just forcing him to be held and not bite. I'm not sure if it did any good, but I got a work out wrestling a 30 pound dog.

I'm going to try MORE time with me - which I am hoping works. ALL he really wants is time with me. He's just so gosh darn scary!

THANK YOU EVERYONE for even listing and for chiming in. My friends think I'm crazy - that it can't be that bad. My husband is just exasperated because the dog doesn't do any of this with him - just me. He hates it for me and for us. I look at all those training videos and those dogs are angels compared to my hell hound... I just shake my head.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

He reminds me of Thud and I don't know exactly what to tell you but I sympathize. Thud was an angel with my husband and kids long before he got his crap together with me. I think the bottom line was he really loved me a whole heck of a lot and I was very 'high value' for him. These days he's good with me and... mostly seems unaware that anyone else in our house exists as anything worthwhile at all. Kind of strange, to be honest. I mean he likes them well enough but he's about as enthusiastic about them as he is a stranger on the street - which isn't very. Polite interest, good manners, but 'meh'. 

I think more exercise and more time with you is a good idea, though. Instead of trying it for a day, though, I'd give it a good week before you make a call on whether it's helping or not.


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

CptJack said:


> He reminds me of Thud and I don't know exactly what to tell you but I sympathize. Thud was an angel with my husband and kids long before he got his crap together with me. I think the bottom line was he really loved me a whole heck of a lot and I was very 'high value' for him. These days he's good with me and... mostly seems unaware that anyone else in our house exists as anything worthwhile at all. Kind of strange, to be honest. I mean he likes them well enough but he's about as enthusiastic about them as he is a stranger on the street - which isn't very. Polite interest, good manners, but 'meh'.
> 
> I think more exercise and more time with you is a good idea, though. Instead of trying it for a day, though, I'd give it a good week before you make a call on whether it's helping or not.


I think CptJack has probably hit the nail on the head - YOU are the most high value thing to him and he just has a super hard time controlling how excited he is because you're so awesome. Him spending more time alone is absolutely not the answer - I understand not wanting to be around him because of how he is, but he unfortunately won't learn that way. When you say free run, do you mean going to a dog park or somewhere else he can be off leash? If that hasn't been part of your routine yet I think it's a great idea. I'm not up to date on this thread but how is he with toys? Does he ignore them to go after you? With Peggy, the only way I survived her puppy hood was taking her to run and play off leash 2-3x a day. I didn't over-exercise but she certainly got enough. Also, with Peggy's favourite people - my best friend and my brother's best friend, namely, she STILL bites. She only does it with them and I always tell them it's cause she loooooves seeing them.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

OH! OH OH! If you haven't done any training work with things like leave it and wait, that will also help you. It won't help you immediately, but it will help you because it will help him learn to control himself. Meanwhile to get through the period of him being a nutball with you, wear socks, shoes, long sleeves and long pants. The less it hurts, the better you'll be able to stand being around him. Definitely do some general training work, though, any kind. Toys if he'll play with them, and also try really really hard to catch him being good and reasonably calm, if only for a moment or two and give him a little tiny reward to let him know you like that.

You'll get there, and it will be okay, but yeah. Sympathy.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Also I link this a lot, but. 

http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/335290-puppy-i-never-wanted.html

Read that.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Also treats like bully sticks that they can gnaw on for a while to give you a break and stuffed kongs with peanut butter.

I wouldn't recommend force holding him, you could create an aversion to being handled if you do this.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Do you leave the room entirely when he is like that? You mention turned your back on him but not actually leaving. If he can still jump and bite with your back turned he's probably still getting a reaction out of you (hard not to react when a dog is jumping up and biting the back of your legs!) so she's still getting reinforced.

I know how hard it is. My first dog was like this as a puppy and I struggled with it until he was well over a year. It does get better. They start to settle down and you end up with certain trigger times of the day instead of biting every moment of the day, and then they grow up and gain control of themselves.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Wow. CptnJack - I read your story about Thud. You are obviously saint like! I'm not so much.

Yes to jeans and shoes all the time!

We go to the dog park, but there are soccer fields that we can go to that he can run free without being on leash. Just run and run. He can do that here (we have 13 acres), but I think the novelty of being somewhere new would be interesting to him. Plus I can run on one side of the fence and he on the other.

Yes - I'm like the PRIZE in the box to him. Play with me! Play with me! His bites are LESS hurtful, but the tone is still really scary. And he nicks my skin over and over.

I TRY to leave the room, but walking away from him is really scary. He runs hard and jumps. I have been successful at jumping over a baby gate (which he can totally jump over, but doesn't) and he knows the fun is over when I do that. What is hard is when I'm trying to get to the compost, car, garden and he is outside and there is no place for me to go. It's a nightmare. I have to figure out a solution to that.

We are working on leave it. It isn't going GREAT, but he is starting to get it. Especially with shoes (his favorite thing). I have a few leave it exercises that he is doing with his favorite cookies... it's a work in progress.

Stay? Not so much. He gets so riled up that he loses sit, stay, down... he just is crazy. When he is nuts like this no amount of me saying SIT works. That is when I am beyond frustrated. Yelling... he hates it. He runs around like a crazy mutt. Have to figure out how to reel in MY OWN temper when he is nuts.

Thank you for the encouragement - He is just a baby (4 months) so I assume that it does actually get better, but the day to day is a nightmare. It feels like I am abused by my puppy and that is crazy making. I'm considering doggy day care twice a week. Just for my own sanity. It's not that expensive and he could be with other dogs and I could get more work done. My husband wants to put an e-collar on him so he doesn't bite - we read about how it is used for hunting dogs (which he is) but the idea seems a little drastic.

We are keeping on over here! More bandaids are on the list! Who knew that I would get a dog that LOVED ME SO MUCH IT HURT!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Something else you can try is to keep him on a leash, just let him drag it. When he starts jumping and going crazy just quietly step on the leash and ignore him until he stops flailing. Keep it loose enough that he can change positions and move around but tight enough that he can't get to you. This way you can ignore him without him being able to self-reinforce by biting you as you leave the room. This *really* helped clarify things for my shark puppy.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Obedience training. Find a school that has puppy play. They'll cover biting and your dog will also learn a lot of inhibition from the other puppies.


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## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

goodwolve said:


> Wow. CptnJack - I read your story about Thud. You are obviously saint like! I'm not so much.
> 
> Yes to jeans and shoes all the time!
> 
> ...


Have you tried tethering him? Sometimes that can work better because it gives you a LOT of opportunities to leave (walk just outside of the tether length) as soon as he bites, ask for an alternate behavior, come back into the area, reward, and ignore. Rinse and repeat. This way it's easy to leave without it being fun (set up the tether so he's on the edge of the area and you don't have to cross his path to leave) and you can easily get in 15-30 reps of coming into his space and rewarding the correct behavior.

This is what I end up doing with really mouthy dogs at work and it works well because again- you leaving becomes super not fun because all you have to do is step outside his tether range, so no wrestling to get him off of you, and you have so many opportunities to reward the correct behavior that they pick up quickly.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I think Rescued idea is a good one to try. It does not hurt for any dog to learn to be tied up and it does give you the opportunity of getting outside his reach and rewarding him when he behaves when you return.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

Today is National Dog Day and I wrote a little piece about this and thanked you all for being here. I really couldn't do any of this without all of your encouragement and words of wisdom. Thank you. http://jacquelinewolven.com/celebrating-national-dog-day-with-franklin/


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Awe that was so nice to read. I'm glad that he's growing on you. He's so handsome too!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

goodwolve said:


> Today is National Dog Day and I wrote a little piece about this and thanked you all for being here. I really couldn't do any of this without all of your encouragement and words of wisdom. Thank you. http://jacquelinewolven.com/celebrating-national-dog-day-with-franklin/


That was awesome!! Really great post. And I love the pictures of him. He's turning into a very handsome boy


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Thanks so much for the mention!! I really enjoyed reading that article - you are a very good writer!

Glad to see he's growing on you and that you two seem to be getting along better! Don't be shy - ask us anything else you need help with!


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Rescued said:


> Have you tried tethering him? Sometimes that can work better because it gives you a LOT of opportunities to leave (walk just outside of the tether length) as soon as he bites, ask for an alternate behavior, come back into the area, reward, and ignore. Rinse and repeat. This way it's easy to leave without it being fun (set up the tether so he's on the edge of the area and you don't have to cross his path to leave) and you can easily get in 15-30 reps of coming into his space and rewarding the correct behavior.
> 
> This is what I end up doing with really mouthy dogs at work and it works well because again- you leaving becomes super not fun because all you have to do is step outside his tether range, so no wrestling to get him off of you, and you have so many opportunities to reward the correct behavior that they pick up quickly.


Heck yes, tethering (either to me or a sturdy piece of furniture) saved my sanity with many a puppy lmao. So much so that I now teach all of mine to tether.


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## goodwolve (Jun 17, 2015)

I think tethering him outside would be great. How do you do that? I've seen things at the pet store, but not sure what to get. His behavior by the house is abysmal and nipping that would be excellent!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

goodwolve said:


> I think tethering him outside would be great. How do you do that? I've seen things at the pet store, but not sure what to get. His behavior by the house is abysmal and nipping that would be excellent!


We got the standard type you can find at the pet store - a stake thing that goes in the ground with a 20ft tether. Usually I just tether him to my chair or a picnic table, since I'm supervising and he's not a huge dog.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> We got the standard type you can find at the pet store - a stake thing that goes in the ground with a 20ft tether. Usually I just tether him to my chair or a picnic table, since I'm supervising and he's not a huge dog.


Oh, yes I forgot to mention that tethering should never be done unattended.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Do you have 2 trees that you can run a trolley from? That worked out really well for us when we didn't have a fence.


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