Ed's AKC Miniature
Schnauzers
Care and Feeding (continued)
fear biting
If puppies don't know what is expected of them, particularly if
they are beginning to believe that people are supposed to do what dogs tell them
to do, they may react inappropriately to strangers. The puppy is afraid, but
psychologically unable to be completely submissive. They usually show signs of
fear and try to run away from a threatening situation, but when escape is
prevented, they bite. It happens when children insist on petting a frightened
dog, and happens at the veterinarian's office. These puppies need the firm
leadership and reassurance best achieved through obedience training.
Destructive Chewing
It is natural for puppies to chew--that's one of the ways they explore and
learn. Try to keep valuable objects that are chewable safely out of reach and
provide a satisfactory alternative like a Nylabone chew toy. Destructive chewing
is merely a way to work off excitement and relieve frustration, not an insidious
plan to get even with you. Help encourage your puppy to be calm. Be easygoing.
Don't encourage tug of war or play that involves chewing and biting. When
you leave home for the day, don't make it into a big deal for the dog. By
showing lots of emotion of any sort (threats or cheerfulness, it doesn't matter)
you build up emotional stress. This is often vented in destructive chewing. Your
last three or four minutes at home should be spent calmly reading or sitting.
Then get up and leave, ignoring your puppy completely--don't even say goodbye.
Arrive home the same way. Ignore your puppy at first and avoid the area where
things are most likely to have been chewed. If things are a mess when you get
home, don't let puppy know you care. Behave calmly. Clean up later when your
puppy can't watch. Do not build up more stress by scolding--that just makes
things worse. Again, work on teaching simple obedience and building the
teacher-learner relationship. Puppies need a calm, dependable master.
Chew Treats, Bones and Toys
Don't give your puppy anything small enough to swallow that can't be digested,
or things that can be chewed into large indigestible chunks and swallowed.
Chicken bones, rib bones, and pork bones are the most likely to cause trouble.
Old gooey rawhide chews or bones from the butcher that have been around for a
few days get rotten and stinky and cause diarrhea. If you give things like this
(not really a good idea), use good sense. Bones should be too large to swallow
and solid enough that they won't be broken up into smaller chunks. Hooves,
pig's ears, and miscellaneous semi-digestible treats probably aren't a good idea
either, but if you use them be sure they are too large to be swallowed whole, or
small enough to go all the way through.
Instead, we suggest using flavored Nylabone or Nylafloss chew toys. If your
puppy first learns to prefer bones and rawhide, he probably won't think chew
toys are all that great, so use them from the beginning. Nylafloss looks like a
big thick chunk of nylon rope. Puppies like it because they can really sink
their teeth into the rope, and it helps keep the teeth clean.