Why does my puppy play with his toys on my feet?
Dogs are pack animals. You are part of their family. As pups they stay close to the older members of the family who keep them safe ,teach, and feed them. They put toys, chewies etc on your feet because they feel safe and want to be close to you.
My 5 week old puppy is biting her own leg and arms, is this normal? How can I stop her?
Your right .... a pup should not leave its mother before the age of 8 weeks It was nice of you to take her however if not knowledgeable to care for her you could be doing more harm than good. At 5 weeks old she isn't fully weaned from her mother and can not eat dry kibble She needs to be fed several times throughout the day, which means that you either come home several times a day from work, find someone who can care for her during the day or surrender her so that she can be properly cared for. She needs companionship as she should still be with her mother and litter mates, she should not be left home alone. She should be eating dry kibble which is being soaked in supplemental puppy formula Of course she is not house trained, she is a baby, geesh she just started walking at 3 weeks old. When you come home of course she is excited, acting hyper and nipping! She is a puppy, a puppy to young to be left alone. A puppy who should be with her litter mates and mother, for socialization, play and to learn some puppy manners. All puppies bite, nip and mouth Have you taken the pup to the vet yet .... should be taken at least 2 days after bringing the pup into your home for a wellness exam .. vaccinations can not begin until the pup is 8 weeks old but definately needs to be examined --------------------------------------... You need to find her a home or surrender her to a shelter, humane society, ASPCA or rescue organization as a pup that young should not be alone all day and needs to be taken care of particularly since you working, I would also turn in the so called breeder for allowing pups to leave her home before they are old enough .. It is illegal to allow a pup that young to be homed and can result in severe fines and imprisonment
Why did my dog chew her puppies' ears off when they were born?
As a breeder, I can tell you exactly how this happens and it is the reason that I am present and interactive with every single litter I’ve ever produced.When the puppies are born they are attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord . Usually the pup is born, mom chews off the cord, and between 5 - 15 minutes later the placenta is delivered. I’ve had a few situations in which, had I not been there, the pup would have bled to death as mom will sever the cord too close to the body of the pup. She is acting on instinct at this point and has no intention of harming her pup but feels COMPELLED to chew that cord.In some situations the pup is born and mom may be busy with litter mates that preceeded that pup. The cord is still attached to the puppy which is attached to the placenta , which is still inside the mom. THESE are the situations which require close monitoring because it’s normal for the mom to eat the placenta, (which is packed full of nutrients). I’ve had a couple of situations in which mom is eating the placenta and moves up the cord to the pup. Twice I had to wrap my hands around the pup to stop the mom from eating the pup. One girl actually had a tooth through my fingers into the pup. I yelled “NO” and IMMEDIATELY, she got this stricken look in her eyes and spit out everything that was in her mouth. You have to remember that newborn pups are wet, basically inactive , silent little things attached to the placenta. They smell like placenta, and truthfully, until they are cleaned up and dried off, look like placenta. Mom is being absolutely flooded with hormones and instinctively wants to tidy up all indicators of birthing puppies because in the wild, there are predators that would certainly take advantage of unattended neonate pups.Because, in all the years I’ve been breeding, I’ve never missed a delivery, I’ve never lost puppies to whelping confusion by the mom, but there have been a few times when it would have happened had I not been there. This doesn’t mean the mom is aggressive or inexperienced or a bad mom. It’s happened to experienced girls and NONE of my dogs would ever harm either her pup or anybody else’s, some will actually “baby sit” litters not belonging to them. It’s simply a matter of instincts and hormones creating problems instead of solving them.
Is it normal for my puppy to growl when playing with chew toys?
Yes. It is perfectly OK for dogs to growl when they are playing with toys.The best toys for your puppy should include chew toys, tug-of-war toys (that help them clean their mouths and floss), squeaky toys, toys that help them solve problems, toys that keep them company and fend off loneliness, etc.This post on the safest dog toys talks about that exact sound that your puppy may make when you play with them with toys like tug-of-war ropes and such.In the case of growling, it is great if once you play tug-of-war with your pup you growl back playfully. Laugh as much as you want :-) I do it ALL the time.Don’t discount that… It’s a part of your dog’s nature to growl, and they will love it if you connect with them on that level as you gently pull on the tug of war toy, or any stuffed plush toy, etc. Just be gentle and kind and throw it back out for them to fetch and bring it back for more fun.Just make sure to buy non-toxic toys. Check the post for ideas on toys that don’t have vinyl, BPA, toxic material, or soft plastic.
How do I stop my dog from chewing on her ears?
Like others have said, it sounds like a stress/anxiety/boredom thing. Dogs manifest these feelings in a lot of ways, but excessive licking or nibbling on themselves is one of the most common. Discouraging it will only make your dog exhibit another self soothing behavior. I'd suggest exercise, moving the crate to a quieter place or putting a towel over the top/sides or feeding her from a treat dispensing toy. The treat dispensing toy makes them use their mind a little more and takes the antsy edge off when you aren't able to exercise them. If the dog is generally a little frightful or timid (like a lot of little dogs) you will see a dramatic difference if you train her to do something and praise her for learning it since it builds confidence.
Why does my dog chew all her toys?
That’s normal for a dog. Especially for a younger dog. Like some of the others have said, look for durable toys. One of my favorites is made by Kong.Let her chew her toys. Would you rather she chewed your furniture? I have had dogs chew on wooden chair and table legs, wooden coffee table and more. I have also had a dog that chewed a 4 foot tree we had recently planted down to a 2 foot stick. Fortunately the tree grew back although somewhat stunted.
At what age do puppies stop biting?
I teach my clients to aim for bite inhibition by the time the puppy is 5-6 months of age, about the same time they are getting their adult teeth. What I mean by bite inhibition is the learned inhibition of bite force that develops over a period of weeks to months. At some time in the dog's life he is likely to bite under stress, and this is why it is essential to teach this skill to puppies.Sharp puppy teeth serve a purpose in causing pain to the person or other animal the puppy bites which provides feedback to the puppy to help him learn to inhibit his bite.While it's true that puppies learn some degree of bite inhibition from their dam and litter mates, this training must continue with the human owner. The way I teach bite inhibition is to instruct puppy owners to withdraw attention when the puppy bites too hard. This removes reinforcement which in effect "punishes" the puppy for hard biting. Effective punishment, by definition, inhibits the behavior that is punished.No need to yelp. Yelping to imitate litter mates may actually stimulate some puppies and is not recommended by veterinary behavior experts. You may also substitute an acceptable chew toy for biting on human skin. Additionally, I teach Tug as a way to help develop bite control. Done correctly it teaches the puppy impulse control and a skill that can be used as a stress reliever and reinforcement in training.
Why is my cat chewing their declawed paws?
She should go back to the vet, she might have an infection or is upset buy the terrible pain caused by the surgery and healing site (she pretty much had the ends of her toes amputated, it wont heal fast or feel good), they might have to give her medicine or a special collar so she doesn't chew, if it becomes an obsessive habit that could be really bad. Declaws can have long term effects, physical and mental because claws are an integral part of a cats life. (Imagine it would be something like amputating all your fingers) Be prepared she may have catbox issues as well becase digging in the litter wont feel good. I adopted a declawed cat and even healed he has issues.
I have a Great Dane and she chews her legs what do i do HELP!!?
What does the vet say it is? Maybe find another vet and get another opinion. If it appears dermal then maybe going to a dermatologist would be a good idea. It might be neurological also as neurological damage can cause tingling sensations that dogs chew at and nothing helps. I recall decades ago we had a dog that had suffered from a high fever from distemper as a puppy and it cause neurological damage and she was chewing her feet off, essentially. We tried everything but to no avail and finally had to have her euthanized - doesn't sound like yours is that bad but I am just saying it could be some sort of neuro damage -- I think actually finding the cause is your best bet. She can't live in an elizabethan collar and obviously nothing you have tried has worked - you have tried different foods to make sure it isn't a food based allergy, right?