Belgian Malinois puppy problems.
July 28, 2015 11:05 AM Subscribe
Asking for my next door neighbor who just got an 11 week old Malinois puppy who is biting more than an average puppy. There is a reason people call them Malingators. He bites and does not release. Malinois owners what has worked for you to break this problem?
Currently she gives him a hard chew toy to replace what he is biting. Around other dogs he bites their faces so it hard to replace with a chew toy. She places him in a time out witholding attention for a few minutes. And of course she uses a firm no.
Currently she gives him a hard chew toy to replace what he is biting. Around other dogs he bites their faces so it hard to replace with a chew toy. She places him in a time out witholding attention for a few minutes. And of course she uses a firm no.
For inanimate objects, "no chewy no chewy"/offers chewy replacement. The good news is they're really smart. This is also known as the bad news.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2015 [10 favorites]
I agree with llama but I think loud, high pitched yipe.
posted by beccaj at 11:14 AM on July 28, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by beccaj at 11:14 AM on July 28, 2015 [7 favorites]
Puppy bites. You say OUCH loudly, firmly, as an alpha dog, and firmly, deliberately, physically (but no hitting) move the puppy away from you (pick him up, move him, put him down). Then you get up and move away, paying no attention to him.
Puppy learns that biting = firm negative reaction, placed away from alpha, and no further attention.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
Puppy learns that biting = firm negative reaction, placed away from alpha, and no further attention.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
If you have not, any Malinois owner should read the delightful J.R. Ackerley memoir, My Dog Tulip, which is a great book, a great dog book, and a great book about a Malinois.
posted by OmieWise at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by OmieWise at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
BTDT-never a fun time of puppyhood. I agree with the "ow!" in the same tone used when your SO pinches your bum too hard. Please don't use the high pitch voice though. They respond just as well to a normal pitch with warmth, and it has the added benefit of not piercing other people's eardrums.
Source: dog walker/owner of a GSD.
posted by whowearsthepants at 12:11 PM on July 28, 2015
Source: dog walker/owner of a GSD.
posted by whowearsthepants at 12:11 PM on July 28, 2015
Here are a couple of detailed helpful articles. This one includes a good video. This video, using a Malinois to demonstrate, is even better.
posted by bearwife at 12:11 PM on July 28, 2015
posted by bearwife at 12:11 PM on July 28, 2015
I should have read more carefully. Yes to the high pitch if it's "ow!", but no to it any other time. I'll stop now.
posted by whowearsthepants at 12:15 PM on July 28, 2015
posted by whowearsthepants at 12:15 PM on July 28, 2015
Best answer: Also, btw, I'm no real authority other than personal experience but Belgians are willful, high-spirited, smart, type-A dogs. And the thing that keeps them from being unbearable or dangerous to other dogs or people or for that matter, furniture, is a ridiculous amount of socialization.
We've had a dog walker come into our house to take our dog out with a group of dogs (new ones, all the time) three times a week for almost two years. What other dogs will do, grown up dogs of all types, is put the smack down on a puppy who won't let go of their neck.
That's an important socialization thing to happen, because if it doesn't happen, the puppy never learns what's acceptable to other dogs or how to 'act right' in a civilized society. The other benefit of having these people enter our house when we're not home is that our dog is pretty used to the comings and goings of strangers and assumes that when a guy shows up with a pizza, there's no need to frighten him to death, he's probably a totally good guy. Labradors and others recognize this -- Belgians are a bit on the fence because they always have the family in mind. We are her sheep. We didn't realize this for a long time but she'll do things like sleep at the top of the stairs or in front of doors, like a sentry.
Because she's a sweet girl good with humans, she's never fierce when humans stop over, so we assume she's waiting for deer to break into the house. (We live in the country and I've gone all summer with a garden without a fence around it because at around 3 AM when soft hooves press into the grass there's a sudden BARROOOO BARROROOOO BARROOOOO.)
Like I said, I'm a data point of one so others with more experience may contradict, but I do believe that the level of positive interactions with dogs and people that she has had has been very helpful to us. This might also have to do with us being in the country and an introverted crew -- if we weren't actively arranging for these experiences, they might not have happened and she might have wound up more skittish/suspicious. Also, I don't know much about the differences in temperament between different Belgians. My understanding is that Groenendahls are on the more low-key end of the spectrum.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
We've had a dog walker come into our house to take our dog out with a group of dogs (new ones, all the time) three times a week for almost two years. What other dogs will do, grown up dogs of all types, is put the smack down on a puppy who won't let go of their neck.
That's an important socialization thing to happen, because if it doesn't happen, the puppy never learns what's acceptable to other dogs or how to 'act right' in a civilized society. The other benefit of having these people enter our house when we're not home is that our dog is pretty used to the comings and goings of strangers and assumes that when a guy shows up with a pizza, there's no need to frighten him to death, he's probably a totally good guy. Labradors and others recognize this -- Belgians are a bit on the fence because they always have the family in mind. We are her sheep. We didn't realize this for a long time but she'll do things like sleep at the top of the stairs or in front of doors, like a sentry.
Because she's a sweet girl good with humans, she's never fierce when humans stop over, so we assume she's waiting for deer to break into the house. (We live in the country and I've gone all summer with a garden without a fence around it because at around 3 AM when soft hooves press into the grass there's a sudden BARROOOO BARROROOOO BARROOOOO.)
Like I said, I'm a data point of one so others with more experience may contradict, but I do believe that the level of positive interactions with dogs and people that she has had has been very helpful to us. This might also have to do with us being in the country and an introverted crew -- if we weren't actively arranging for these experiences, they might not have happened and she might have wound up more skittish/suspicious. Also, I don't know much about the differences in temperament between different Belgians. My understanding is that Groenendahls are on the more low-key end of the spectrum.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
All of the 'ow!' advice is good. Also, your neighbor should work on a 'leave it!' command so the dog learns to release his bites too. Leave it has the plus of being a command with a positive outcome, so the puppy can get cookies/play/pets for leaving the (dog, person, thing) he's biting and going over to his owner instead.
It's also handy if he winds up being a scavenger (leave it is my most used command as my dog would eat all of the bread people leave out for the birds if he had his way).
posted by snaw at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2015
It's also handy if he winds up being a scavenger (leave it is my most used command as my dog would eat all of the bread people leave out for the birds if he had his way).
posted by snaw at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2015
We adopted a malinois puppy when she was 14 weeks. Absolutely what worked was high pitched yelping and a refusal to play immediately after the bite.
This is how dogs learn the bite tolerance of different things. The malingator needs to learn that humans are fragile fragile fragile beings that cannot be bit under any circumstances.
Praising for licking also helps too.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 1:43 PM on July 28, 2015
This is how dogs learn the bite tolerance of different things. The malingator needs to learn that humans are fragile fragile fragile beings that cannot be bit under any circumstances.
Praising for licking also helps too.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 1:43 PM on July 28, 2015
We have an Akita but they're similar in that they are smart and strong willed. The yelping thing totally works, what you're going for is a puppy yelp which, in puppy language is the universal signal for "you're playing too rough". You should see this same dynamic play out when he plays with other puppies. If the puppy he has his jaws on yelps, you should see him immediately, almost as if by reflex, release the other pup. Wait until the other pup is ready again, then go back at it.
If he doesn't let go when you or another puppy yelps like that, there might be deeper issues for which you'll want to consult a behaviorist (I really doubt it will be an issue). Otherwise he might not be playing too roughly with the other puppies. It's a good idea to separate them periodically while they're at play (pull them apart, give them a treat, try to make them sit, give them an "okay" and let them back it) so they get better at controlling themselves but the other dog isn't yelping, they might be doing okay.
Socialization is really key. Lot's of different people, dogs, and things (a lot of people short-change the things) but with people and dogs it's a good idea to train an easy to manage routine into it for later when you don't want him to go up and greet every single person and every single dog that you see while out on a walk (ask me how I know!). So tossing in a few instances of sitting calmly while a dog walks by is a good idea along with practicing greeting dogs in similar circumstances and not jumping straight into play-time.
posted by VTX at 3:32 PM on July 29, 2015
If he doesn't let go when you or another puppy yelps like that, there might be deeper issues for which you'll want to consult a behaviorist (I really doubt it will be an issue). Otherwise he might not be playing too roughly with the other puppies. It's a good idea to separate them periodically while they're at play (pull them apart, give them a treat, try to make them sit, give them an "okay" and let them back it) so they get better at controlling themselves but the other dog isn't yelping, they might be doing okay.
Socialization is really key. Lot's of different people, dogs, and things (a lot of people short-change the things) but with people and dogs it's a good idea to train an easy to manage routine into it for later when you don't want him to go up and greet every single person and every single dog that you see while out on a walk (ask me how I know!). So tossing in a few instances of sitting calmly while a dog walks by is a good idea along with practicing greeting dogs in similar circumstances and not jumping straight into play-time.
posted by VTX at 3:32 PM on July 29, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:08 AM on July 28, 2015 [3 favorites]