Time-out ???

Hi there,

Just wondering if you may be able to help with advice / opinions regarding "time-out" for teaching my puppy right from wrong.
Currently my main concern is nipping/mouthing/biting (however you like to describe it)

Roxy is currently 12 weeks old and loves to explore and play with her mouth which I understand is normal puppy behaviour. Problem is....it hurts, and she sometimes gets carried away and forgets her manners.

Ok, i've tried various methods to teach her but the most effective seems to be time-out.
While inside the house if she goes overboard or does'nt listen , i tell her NO and put her in the toilet area for a few minutes (removing the toilet roll, toilet brush and putting the lid down)

What i'm wondering is.....while outside in the back yard if she needs time-out what would you suggest. What I have been doing is coming back inside and leaving her in the yard as a time-out but since she has so much to explore out there and her toys as well it does'nt really serve as much purpose.

We really want to "nip" this problem in the bud as soon as possible

Thanx in advance
Loopy

To be honest the worst thing for a staff of any age is to be ignored by the person that they love. Although time out is also good to use along side ignoring bad behaviour. When mine were little as soon as they used their teeth i used to say a short sharp "AH AH" and turn straight wawy from them and completley ignore them till they were calm then praise. This method probably did work best when they were slightly older though as very young pups can as u say be a bit over the top and just wander away to do something else lol x

Time out is good but the trouble is seperation can cause anxiety even for short periods. Your pup will get the message if you show your not happy offer it a toy and treats work wonders to re-direct bad behaviour she needs you to learn her the rules and nothing plays harder than a stafford ouch puppy

Hi & welcome to the forum!

Time out can be useful, but at that age the best way is probably to do as Carly & Gem say - turn away and totally ignore. They love interraction with humans so she'll very soon realise that biting (mouthing/nipping etc) = no contact & no play.

If she really gets out of hand outside, just bring her in & ignore her there! Leaving her outside on her own won't do her any good as she'll quickly start to explore & forget that she's done wrong. She might even harm herself on something she shouldn't be touching!

Unfortunately staffies play hard, even as young pups, and it can take a little while before they play nicely!

I've tried time-out with Hollie, but to be honest, it doesn't work as effectively as just turning away and ignoring her, on time-out she just finds something else to do (usually having a nap), but ignoring her definately works ...

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate all help / reccomendations.

I will give the ignoring thing another try

Wish me luck

Good luck!!!!

woody has found his own little naughty chair outside when he's sent out for bad behaviour-sits himself on it!! unfortunately i think he likes it on the chair so is naughty on purpose to be sent outside!!

To be honest i really think they grow out of it. Tyson used to be really bad at playing rough and nipping... i could be possibly partly to blame for this. He still mouths me when i get home from work with excitement but he knows how far to go. They soon learn and begin to relise that they hurt you and i think it upsets them more.