# 4 Month Old Pug Puppy Problems - Help!



## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

*4 Month Old Pug Problems -Christmas Tree issues too*

Hi, I have had Lilly, the pug, since October and training her has not been going to well.

She bites a lot no matter how much I try correcting her, which brings even more problems. She attacks me whenever I tell her no or get on to her about anything. She isn't mean in general and loves people and attention. She just has an extremely high amount of never ending energy and cannot control her biting. 

For example, she loves digging in the couch for some reason and if I tell her no she barks, howls, and attacks. She obviously thinks she is alpha over me even though when I first got her I tried the tips and tricks to make her realize I was the master.

She is close to 4 months, so her sharp little teeth don't feel too good. She has many chew toys and I give her treats that she chews on for hours, but that still doesn't help. She often goes for my face when I tell her no. I have many scratches and cuts on my hands from her.

How can I fix this? If I ignore her, she attacks. If I stop playing with her and turn away from her when she bites me when we play, she doesn't stop biting my legs. 

She is developing more and more problems everyday. I am home with her all day and have began to keep her in the kitchen because she just won't calm down and stop biting.

Help?


Also: How do I keep her away from the Christmas tree? Any advice there?

And is there anyone that can give me some advice on what to do about her grabbing a hold of my pants when I am walking? She tried to play and yanks on my clothes, I don't want her to continue this at all.


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## Jmc1985 (Nov 27, 2012)

How much exercise is she getting? It sounds like she has an excess of energy that needs to be burned off. When my dogs were this age and chewing on stuff they shouldn't be, I'd take it away and replace it with something they could have. I haven't had these types of issues with any of my dogs though so hopefully someone with more knowledge on it will chime in!


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

I am still working on getting her leash broken. She is very stubborn with it, even with treat reinforcement. But once she learns, I plan on taking her for walks everyday at the park nearby. As of right now though, I try to play and play with her to wear her out. I make her chase a toy until she can't keep up anymore. I do this multiple times, but she still has so much biting energy. I give her treats and use positive reinforcement when she is behaving acceptably. She just thinks she is top dog. No matter what I try. I also have a problem with keeping her away from the ferrets. Since she doesn't listen to being told no, I can't allow her to be out when I let them out because she attacks them. My male ferret has even bitten her before, but she still wants to play too rough. It is disheartening and I don't know what to do with her.


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

She's just a young, bratty puppy, her attention span is short. She does not think she's top dog.

Look into NILIF training. 

When she's being bite-y with you, ignore her. When she's behaving inappropriately, ignore her. Dogs do what works. Show her that such behavior will not produce the desired effect--in this case, attention most likely.

Also, she is a dog. A predator animal. You should not expect her to be buddies with the ferrets. Even if she was, I still would NEVER leave them even remotely unsupervised.


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

Ignore her when she is bitey? I have tried, but she continues to bite and it becomes rather difficult to continue ignoring her when her sharp teeth her tearing at my flesh. If she is in my lap and bites, I put her down and ignore her. She then attacks and bites my feet.

I'm not trying to be rude at all, but just because she is a predator doesn't mean she can't be friends with the ferrets. Ferrets are predators as well, but my female ferret likes the pug. She will even play back and lay beside her when she is calm. I've seen animal predators become friends before. Lilly just wants to play all the time and she doesn't realize she plays too rough with the ferrets. And I never leave them unsupervised.


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

Well yeah, it can and does happen. But you can't expect your dog to be the exception.


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

Also, if ignoring the biting isn't working, there's nothing wrong with letting out a loud squeal, or "OUCH!" or something to that effect.

How old was she when she left the litter? Sometimes, puppies taken too early did not receive the right socialization to teach bite inhibition.


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## Jmc1985 (Nov 27, 2012)

Try not to be too discouraged. Your pup is still young and puppies are hard work! Just remember the more work you put into them when they're younger, the more it'll pay off later. Do you have access to a safe, fenced in area to let her blow off steam? Sometimes in the offseason the fenced off ball area is a good choice. Some friends and I take our dogs there for puppy play dates and just make sure we're respectful and clean up after them. If this isn't an option something you can try is using a long wooden spoon with cheese whiz or peanut butter spread on it. Keep it in front of her face as you walk and she'll be focusing on licking everything off and not pulling. Slowly you can use this less and less. Leash manners are hard and take time. Also in regards to the other behavior have you tried focusing on the positive? I was told by a trainer to stop focusing on the negative because the dog doesn't really know good from bad yet at this age and all they're seeing is "look I'm doing something and its getting attention so I'm going to continue doing it!". When she's doing something positive (offers a sit, is playing gently, whatever positive behavior it is that you see) even if it wasn't something you asked or actively tried to train her to do praise her, make a big deal out of it and treat if you'd like. If she's offered a sit or down, give a name to it ("sit, good dog!" Or "sit, YES!") and then treat and praise. Also have you looked into puppy classes in your area? Often these are a great resource for owners with a young dog.


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

I have even tried that several times. For some reason the loud "ouch" reaction encourages her even more. And she was probably about 9 weeks old when we got her. The owner said she was the most rowdy out of the bunch. But I wanted a female and there was only 2 females in the litter. My mother went with me because she also wanted another pug to breed with their male, so she picked out the other female.


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

But, the pug pups had fleas and not getting the right nutrition. The owner was obviously not taking the best care of them, so their problems could have easily been from the lack of care and attention. Could have caused some of these more aggressive problems. I don't know though.

And the only time she can get out and run is when I visit my mom. She has a large yard and she also has Lilly's sister. They play and play and this does help her a lot. She is actually a lot less bitey. I know she needs to run off this energy, but I live in an apartment in the city, so it is a bit hard without her being leash broken.


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

^^^

Then it definitely sounds like she's biting because she's bored and has a lot of pent up energy. We don't have an enclosed yard either, so it's a matter of coming up with creative ways of draining energy. What tone of voice are you using in response to the nips?

Remember, a mental workout can be just as tiring as physical exertion. Maybe set aside some time to work on training cues and commands. Make it a fun, positive experience. It gives her a chance to think and problem solve.

We love hide-and-seek and go-find-it. Your pup might be too young for "find it", as it takes some more advanced cues, but hide and seek is a fun way to get her moving, thinking, and bonding with you.


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

She is so relentless and full of energy, it really is hard to wear her out. But how does the Hide-and-go-seek thing work? I mean, how do you go about setting it up and doing it? 

And any ideas on how to keep her away from the Christmas tree? I cannot seem to figure that one out. She won't listen and she doesn't really know better, but she is tearing up the bottom branches and the tree skirt.


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## Jmc1985 (Nov 27, 2012)

I would use an x-pen around the tree. We just put ours up tonight and I don't trust ours with it either and am just going to remove the temptation with not having them be able to get to it.


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## Pug_love (Nov 30, 2012)

Ooh, I have thought about that, but it really is a bother. I wish she would listen when I tell her no.


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## blenderpie (Oct 5, 2012)

The problem is that "no" has no context. It could mean get away from the tree, don't pick up the sock, don't nibble me, and endless other possibilities. It's much easier to teach her what you do want her to do, like being calm around the tree, and rewarding her for not biting. 

My puppy got used to wearing and he even heels after 4 days of using one. Since your puppy is older, she can probably pick it up more quickly.

But, you aldi have to set your dog up for success. So you should put a gate up in front of the tree, etc because those sorts of behaviors are fun, so of course she wants to do then because you haven't taught her that listening to you is a better choice.


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## Pippa's Mom (Nov 17, 2012)

Your Pug Nugget could be mine, EXACTLY. My babygirl does the exact things, and with her "no" is funny, she thinks it's a game, the same with other commands even when things like my hand, clothing, etc. is replaced with a toy. One trick she learned was to grab the toy, look like she's playing with it, then dump it off and come back with more gusto. She will tug your SKIN. 

Honestly, and a lot of people won't agree with this but the only thing that has worked thus far with our girl is a quick shot of water to the foot or chest accompanied by a firm "no". It might not work for you, what might work for you is persistence but in our circumstance it's the only thing that seems to get her to let up. I have literally taken her over a gate attached to my pants. 

I wanted to add that we also live in an apartment in the city with no balcony and no yard on a busy street, second level apartment. It's HARD but it will be worth it in the end, just keep going! As for the tree, we are putting our tree in our living room which Pippa isn't allowed in so it's not an issue here but for biting the branches you might try Bitter Apple, it works brilliantly for us, Pippa hates it. 

Good luck and feel free to PM me, our Puglets are so close in age!


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