Issues

Here are the problems I'm having with Harley that I need help with (either to know that he's just being a puppy and there's nothing I can do or to find a solution to the problem):

1. nipping at my legs, arms and clothes

2. biting the vertical blinds (usually when he has one of his bursts of energy)

3. chewing on the carpet

I'm walking him 2 times a day. Should I be walking him more than that? He doesn't like going out when it's hot so I try to wait for cool times of day to take him. Once the weather gets cooler during the day I'll be able to take him out for walks in the middle of the day. He has plenty of toys to chew on and his bison bone (which he is chewing on right now). I want to use positive reinforcement and rewards but I'm not sure how to get him to stop doing something he really shouldn't be doing. If he nips at me I yelp and that usually helps, but sometimes he is relentless and I have to give him a time out in his kennel (that's what all the online advice suggests). I try to lure him away from the vertical blinds with something that seems better (like his bison bone). As for the carpet, I've had to use some bitter apple to keep him from eating the carpet. That seems to work and distracts him but he tends to go back and chew again.

None of these issues is intolerable. I just want to stop things before they get to be bad habits. I'm sure we'll learn as we go along in training how to handle things like this but I want to stop the bad habits now, especially the nipping. It really hurts when he does that. I guess I will have to be consistent with yelping to keep him from nipping at me. I can move the vertical blinds so they are opened completely and there's less to play with. Maybe that's a good interim solution. Not much I can do about the carpet though. It's everywhere he goes. ;)

I also wonder if letting him chew on the bison bone is a good thing. Will he just want to chew more if I allow him to chew on it? I read tonight that he'll be teething in about a month and will need even more stuff to chew on. Some suggestions are:

1. chicken broth ice cubes

2. frozen Kongs with treats in them

3. Frozen wet washcloths

Again, I want to do the right thing and not encourage bad behavior so I'll ask about these things before I do them. Man, he's going to town on the bison bone. I wonder if he will stop on his own or if I'll have to continue taking it away from him. I just don't want him to be bored with his other chew toys.