# New puppy owner questions



## Heatherlynn77 (Mar 3, 2011)

Hi everyone, I have a few questions being a new maltese mommy 

1) Teddy seems to growl and nip at us sometimes. Most times its when he is playing and you need to pick him up because of the other dog or just move him away from something that might harm him, when you try and pick him up he will growl and try and bite your hand. How can I train him not to do this?

2) He also doesn't seem to like car rides, he just cries and whines the whole time. I have tried a blanket and cuddle with him, having him look out the window, let him in the back seat....nothing seems to work. 

3) How do you wear them out before bed? It takes me at least an hour sometimes 2 hours for Teddy to wine down before he will lay down with me and then go to sleep, once he is asleep I move him to his kennel. 

Thanks everyone,
Heather


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Heather,
There are many people on this forum MUCH more knowledgable than I am about training. I've only owned a maltese for about 3 months, but have owned many other dogs in my lifetime. I did find an incredible DVD called _*Crate Games*_ by Susan Garrett. It is phenomenal the self-control and other skills that can be taught using these games. The dogs learn to LOVE the crate, so that could be helpful in calming Teddy down at night. He would learn to go right in the crate and be comfortable enough to go to sleep there, so you wouldn't have to move him. If he learns to LOVE the crate, that feeling would be transferred over to a portable crate for car trips. Although my Gracie already loves her crate and chooses to go in there on her own (many times choosing that over getting on the bed with me) I am going to start training her with Crate Games for the other benefits. Here's a link: Clean Run: Crate Games for Self-Control & Motivation DVD

Good luck. Hopefully someone else can give you advice on the nipping and growling.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

My Emily was a growler too,when she was a pup. Sasha would get scared to ride in a car. They grew out of it w/ time,handeling and treats... Emily still will let out a little growl once in a while when disturbed or picked up...
Bitsy used to growl and nip when disturbed,she's almost 11 years old though,so I try to make sure she isn't caught unawares. She's an older girl so they can get a little touchy.

I'd try puppy obedience classes, it helped Emily w/ her growling and Sasha w/ her riding in cars issues.. The socialization, and the bonding of a class will help these insecurity issues.

If it gets real bad consult a behaviourist.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. Teach your dog to do what you want. If he has something, call him for a reward. Teach him to trade for rewards. Ask him to sit or down and then redirect him. Giving your dog guidance for what you DO want is much more effective than just telling him he's wrong - and you seeing his frustration. I would also focus on handling and gentling your puppy. Handling & Gentling | Dog Star Daily
2. For your dog's safety, he should ride in a secured crate or with a seatbelt harness that is CRASH TESTED. Loose puppies go through windshields. Taking him to the parked car and feeding him and going through the routine of taking him in and out of the car will help him adjust. Taking lots of short rides will also help. Safety first though! 
3. LOVE Crate Games! 
A good walk with time to sniff outside is a great way to get your dog physically and mentally tired. Feeding dinner in a food toy or for a training session. A good hard game of tug and fetch. Also scheduling your pup so he does not nap close to bedtime will help.


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## Heatherlynn77 (Mar 3, 2011)

Thank you all for your suggestions and websites...I will be taking a look at them and reading as much as I can.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

how old is Teddy? how long have you had him? Sounds like your work cut out for you!!!

I also leave the training questions to the 'experts' but just wanted to wish you luck!


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

Hi Teddy and Heather ...
puppys nip as they think of you as a litter mate at first , just say No !!!and place him in his bed next time he does something you do not like i.e bite your hand.
car travel needs to be worked at ,most dogs will get use to the car ,work on small trips at first then gradually incress the time spent in your car..
Puppys like to play after a feed ,so try giving Teddy his evening meal a little earlier ,he will still want to play ,but will be tired a little earlier and ready for bed ..:innocent:


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## Heatherlynn77 (Mar 3, 2011)

bellaratamaltese - Teddy is 11 weeks, and we have had him for 2 weeks this coming Saturday. 

jodublin - I would be placing him in there al the time lol...he seems to like to bite your hands all the time. But how do I stop the growling/nipping when he doesn't want to be picked up? I do feed him about 5:30 -6:00pm, then he plays for awhile and then takes a nap around 7:00-7:30 sleeps until 8 or so, and then won't settle down for bed till around 10 or 10:30.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Heatherlynn77 said:


> bellaratamaltese - Teddy is 11 weeks, and we have had him for 2 weeks this coming Saturday.
> 
> jodublin - I would be placing him in there al the time lol...he seems to like to bite your hands all the time. But how do I stop the growling/nipping when he doesn't want to be picked up? I do feed him about 5:30 -6:00pm, then he plays for awhile and then takes a nap around 7:00-7:30 sleeps until 8 or so, and then won't settle down for bed till around 10 or 10:30.


Part of the problem may be that he was taken from his littermates too soon and missed out on some very important manners lessons like bite inhibition. Here in the US, reputable breeders keep their puppies until 12 weeks and while they aren't usually with mom by that time, she is still invaluable in teaching them manners. They learn bite inhibition from mom and siblings and part of the problem of selling them too young is what you are facing right now. You are going to have to 'teach' him bite inhibition.

I know some people give a high pitched 'yelp' when their puppy bites down. He shouldn't be growling or biting you because he doesn't want to be picked up and you need to get that under control. Do you have small children at home? If so, you definitely need to get that under control!! 

You might have a long road ahead of you and I wish you all the best!


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## Heatherlynn77 (Mar 3, 2011)

We have done the high pitched yelp, and that does seem to be working, he does still "mouth" but he does it lightly now and then I say "kisses" and he will lick me! So he is getting there. 

And no I don't have small kids, I have a 12 year old daughter, and a 16 year old german exchange student. So don't have to worry about that.


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

Heather things will sort them selfs in time ,teddy is young so there is hope ..
i love your photo ..i also own a 6 month old maltese called teddy ..hugs from jo and the fluffs .


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

I'm no expert either... I actually just got my Crate Games DVD in the mail last night (on my birthday too!). (jmm recommended it to someone else in another thread and it sounded great so I had to order it.)

I don't like dogs biting anyone's hands, however playful or gentle it might seem--someone else might interpret your pup's "gentle" or playful mouthing on their child's hand as a bite, etc. So every time Tiffy got excited during play as a pup and nipped my fingers or her teeth even accidentally touched my hand, I said "ow!" like I was hurt (even when it didn't hurt) and pulled my hand back and would stop playing with her and walk away or turn away. If she tried more nipping--again "ow!" and she'd be put in her crate for a few minutes to calm down. I saw Tiff's breeder playing bitey hand games with her the day I picked her up, yet she caught on really fast at home with me and I never had trouble with that again. 

(I think that right after every nip I also held her muzzle shut with my thumb and forefinger--like a mommy dog would do to her pup with her mouth, looked in her eyes and said "no bite", but I don't think that's necessary. If he's doing it during playtime with you and enjoying himself and suddenly the second he nips, the playtime/interaction ceases, that will probably get the message across to not nip you better than anything else.)

She's still verrrrry affectionate and loves to give kisses. I think I taught her "kiss" before "sit" as a puppy because it came so naturally. lol. She's just very careful whenever hands are near her mouth--whether to take something out of her mouth, give her a pill at the back of her mouth, etc.

The growling thing I didn't have to deal with and it makes your situation a bit trickier because if he growls and you let go or let him be, he could quickly learn that his growling controls you. If he doesn't growl every single time you pick him up, maybe you could keep a really tasty treat on hand (like little bits of chicken) and when you pick him up and he's good, you could give him a tasty treat immediately and praise... and if he growls while playing with you, you could stop playing and ignore him completely. 

If it seems to be a control thing (outside of play) like he's anticipating that you're picking him up to put him in his crate or pen and he doesn't want to go so he growls at you, then I wouldn't let him get away with it and would pick him up anyway. I would also make sure that I pick him up randomly for other neutral or positive reasons too aside from going to his pen/crate and would make sure that his crate/pen is a happy spot for him to go. Maybe someone else will have some better advice... that's just what I think I would try first.

This is not something to just wait out and hope he outgrows imo... It's best to figure it all out now before it becomes a nasty habit. Hope that helps too!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I teach bite inhibition to my puppies. 

Dogs who lean bite prohibition - which means your dog is never to put its mouth on anyone, actually end up more likely to give a damaging bite than those who learn how hard is too hard to bite down. I recommend my puppy clients first teach the dog an acceptable bite pressure. Then if they want they can stop allowing mouthing. Or if they don't mind I teach them to only allow play mouthing when invited. 

So my dogs will play bitey hand if invited. They are not allowed to initiate such a game, so we would never have the issue of someone mistaking it for a real bite.


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

Why would that be though? If they're taught it hurts even when they gently touch your hand with their teeth, won't they feel like they can get the message across with a much gentler bite (should they ever decide to bite for some reason)? I would think they'd be much less likely to use a bite in the first place as well and would lean more on growling/snarling. They would learn bite pressure levels during play with other dogs and they would learn with a human that little to no bite pressure garners a reaction. I guess I need more convincing...


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