[evader]

Kali is about 10 weeks old now and has been with us for about 2 weeks now. She's a great puppy, pretty much house trained now, goes in her crate with no problems whenever we want her to (supper time, rest time, etc.) and sleeps through the night in her crate every night.

The only issue we are having right now is her biting. I don't mean growling and chomping down on you...but more nipping than anything. We tried the "yelping" thing and that worked a little bit but doesn't seem to be doing the trick anymore.

The real problem is, she is doing it mostly to the kids (6 & 3 years old). The kids are never with her unattended and I try to make sure they don't get her too excited but they are kids and she is a puppy and everyone tends to get excited pretty quickly.

The other day my 6yr old son and I were playing with her...throwing her toys for her, etc. When my son picked the toy up to throw it, she jumped to get the toy but got the inside of his leg instead. Didn't break the skin but it was enough to leave a purple tooth mark. Know, I know she was going for the toy and not trying to bit him but at the same time...6 inches higher and we could have had a real problem.

She tends to nip at the kids fingers when they try to pet her...she doesn't do that to me anymore...usually just the kids. So, this morning, while my son and I were sitting on the floor with her I was telling him to put his hand down for her to smell and lick before trying to pet her. Then, out of no where she lunged at his face and got him in the eye...luckily I think it was her nose that got him and not her tooth.

Any suggestions as to how we can get control of this...and quickly?
I don't want to have to tell the kids they can't play with Kali but at the same time things could have been a lot worse on both occasions and I'm not willing to take a chance that we won't be so lucky next time.

Thanks

 

[kendal]

puppsy do tend to see children as litter mate and they play with their mouth.

with Echo i just held her lowar jaw if she put her mouth round my hand but this didnt work with Delta. if your doing the yelp it cant just be a little noice it has to startle the pup, scream if you have to, just make it a lowd noice that will scare her. like with us if you touch something hot and you get burned you are more reluctant to go back, so if you make her biting you unplesent for her then she will be less likely to do it again.
dont feel bad about giving her into trouble like this, if you see dogs together like mum with pups do the think if the pup nips her leg she will just let them, no she will give a lout angry bark and may do a likght snap at the pup, not to hurt it but to let it kow shes not happy.


i would star teaching leave, and teaching the pup they she doesnt get the toy if she jumps up.

another thing you could do if you wanted is put a short light lead on her so if you think she migh jump you can correct her with a tug on the lead. also watch he and the kids, see if you can pin point the thing the kids do that makes her exited or want to jump.

hope some of that helps.

 

[merry]

Dexter was a terror with the nipping but he has grown out of it now. You have to be very consistent with the NO BITE and then give her some she should chew on instead. It takes awhile and I know it can drive you nuts. I was beginning to think maybe he was just going to bite people forever but it is a puppy thing. He even did it after his baby teeth fell out but much less often. Now if he nips by accident I help and he looks sad and licks me or sniffs where he bite. He then runs and gets his toy like, "Oh I forgot, sorry". She'll get better, I promise.

 

[wilfiboy]

just seen your post ... appreciate that all pups are different but Mabel does nt bite as much as Wilf did but like you said my kids were smaller. My son was 8 and he ended up not really liking Wilf while he was little .. I think kids are just quicker,squealier ( if thats a word) and more excitable so much more fun for a playful pup. Like you i was getting worried with Wilf thinking he was going to be dominant and that we d have trouble as he got older but as other posts have said he grew out of it . I think as well kids have a tendancy to pull the toy, treat back so the dog thinks it has to grab. We just did whats already been suggested , squealed and made sure hands were replaced with toys and taught leave ..... Good luck I m sure it will get better x x

 

[James Q]

Hi, Brontie is nipping really hard lately and going for our feet and trouser legs. It seems to happen all of a sudden, like after her walk or in the evening when maybe she is getting too tired. How best should we handle this? We try to distract her quickly or leave the room, but sometimes she's very quick and if we try to move away, it seems to excite her even more and boy, can she nip. I know it's just puppy stuff, but how best to handle it? Thanks. Kate

 

[barrelman]

We had the very same problem. We yelped or just made any noise to shock him if he did it. This did seem to stop it. Another method we used was to clap once loudly right in front of his face. Just another way to shock him. Occasionally if he was being persistent I would pick him up immediately after he nipped and put him quickly in another room away from everyone without looking at him or saying anything. After a minute I would let him back in the room with us and give him lots of praise as long as there was no more biting. I believe Stanley new that if he nipped he would be taken away from the fun for a short while.
It may be no consolation now but I'm sure it WILL stop as they grow out of it

 

[caradunne]

Izzy bit my hands and arms, drawing blood, relentlessly to the point that I would get very depressed and wonder if buying her was a mistake. We tried yelping, removal, standing with our backs turned, arms crossed and ignoring. The vet said 'puppies bite' and suggested chews, bones etc. Eventually she grew out of it and never bites us now. I can't remember at what age it stopped, probably 5 months ish.

 

[stevenz96]

We are having the same issues with Bailey. He is now almost 12 weeks old and loves the attach our feet and pants. He also just loves to bite our hands, arms and even our faces. My wife and I fortunately don't have any small children at home, but she is getting very frustrated. It is good to hear that this is a typical puppy issue for many puppies, so hopefully, Bailey will soon outgrow this. We have tried yelping, "DON'T BITE", leaving him alone, and nothing has worked consistently. He is a VERY active little boy. Interestingly, he seems to listen to me better than my wife. She tends to pick him up more and want to cuddle with him, and I believe he "reads" this as puppy play. Overall, he is a good puppy, and I am confidant (and hopeful) that this will get better soon.

 

[Curottofran]

Oh my god !!! You could be talking about my dog!!!! We have had him nearly 3 weeks now and hi is 13 weeks old. He behaves in the same way that your puppy does.
We have noticed a huge difference by ignoring him a little bit, letting him come to us more and as soon as he nips he is out of the room for a time out. Let him back in then if he does it again he is out again. They cotton on very quickly. When he comes in and is calm he immediately gets a treat.
When he is getting giddy get the kids to stop playing with him, try and keep it calm. I find he forgets the rules quite quickly when he is giddy.
If it's the nipping you are really concerned with I would put him out of the room as soon as he does it and reward him with treats and praise when he is calm
Hope this helps x

 

[James Q]

Thanks so much for that, reassuring to know we're not the only ones. Last night, we put Brontie (13 weeks now) out of the room and she seemed so surprised to be removed from the fun that she stopped straight away. We'll continue with that. My son (James) is better with her than the rest of us put together! She's definitely 'his' dog as he is most consistent with showing her he is not having any of this nipping business, lol.

 

[Dylansmum]

As they get older, they become very keen to please and desperate not to upset you. I never had a biting problem with Dylan except for a little with my daughter, but that was her fault as she used to deliberately wind him up! But on the rare occasion if he plays a little rough and hurts me by accident, if I yell out and tell him off he immediately becomes really crestfallen and snuggles up to make amends. It really upsets him to have hurt me. They do become very sensitive.

 

[Tressa]

lol - I spent the first few months of Teddy's life with him hanging around my kneecap or my butt. It hurt, but he has largely grown out of it now since he lost his first teeth - just hangs from my dressing gown as I come down the stairs these days - its an improvement

 

[parapluie]

Rufus is about 3.5 months. He doesn't really bite, bite... though I'm not sure if he would if we didn't correct him right away. He is generally pretty good but when he gets in his little fits of way too much energy he can try to bite my pants or shoelaces or other such things. He gets really mad when I try to push him away and sometimes tries to bark in my face. He calms down in a little bit but I definitely don't want to encourage him to do it because he's small now but that isn't going to be ok when he's an adult. So consistency is the key.
Hopefully he will completely grow out of it as he gets older.

 

[npa268]

This is my first post. My dog is just turning one. He is always nipping, but sometimes it is when he wants to go out or is hungry. Other times, I don't know other than he may want attention. It is just me and him in the house. I have tried yelping, bitter apple, walking away, putting him in a crate. He seems to be getting a little better but does it ever end? Any suggestions?

 

[Tressa]

Hello and welcome

Teddy is the same age as yours, and like most other puppies, was a ferocious biter with his first teeth. He has got better since his 'big' teeth came in, and now only nips my granddaughter if he is over-excited (with her squealing and jumping around). If it is only you in the house I am sure thre are training methods that can be used, but I will leave that question for people with more experience than me. Just saw your post and wanted to say that he is still at a very trainable age and I am certain that the biting can be trained out of him (has to be, really). There will be someone along soon with great training suggestions - this is the place to get help and support so don't worry.

 

[weez74]

I'm also not very experienced, but I went to a puppy party last night and there was a trainer there who advised one of the mums (oh, you know what I mean!) about biting. It was basically to ignore it. Every time they bite, stand up and walk away. Then give them a positive cue (sit or down or something they know how to do) and treat them when they do that, so it's not all negative and they can focus on doing something good. I think the problem is that when we are negative, we're not particularly understandable because it's all vocal. When we ask them to do something positive, it's easier for them to understand.


Also, you have make really sure that you do it EVERY TIME she bites - consistency is the key. The trainer said that if the message doesn't get through, separate him - not in the crate, but in another room. This goes back to when they were in the wild - anti-social behaviour results in them being forced out of the pack for a bit. So, you're supposed to do this for a few minutes until they have calmed down and then let them back in and give them somethign positive to do that they can be treated for.

I'm sure people with more experience can tell you if all of this actually works or not!

 

[Salfordnurse]

My Poppy is going through the nipping stage, tried the yelping, but not much use, will keep on trying and do it a bit louder, maybe doing my best micheal jackson impression.
See seems to nip your fingers then work it to the back of her mouth to the gums, so wondering if its a bit of teething?

Simon

 

[flounder]

Lolly is 10 weeks old and can have nippy moments - especially around my 8 year old son. We tried the yelping thing but that just seemed to excite her. Standing still and ignoring her seems to work better. We also try to use calm slow hands while stroking her (she would often try to nip our hands when we were excitedly stroking her) I have also been having frequent 'puppy play dates' with similar aged puppies (luckily for me I have two friends with young puppies) so that she can get the appropriate response from another dog when she nips them. This also wears her out nicely!

 

[Jukee Doodles]

Hi Flounder I see you've already seen a relevant thread and advice on puppy biting. http://ilovemycockapoo.com/showthread.php?t=1469 Let us know how you get on.

Julia

 

[Suzieque]

Having the same problem with Henry (9wks 4 days) really helpful reading all your advice for me, ...thanks....they sure have sharp teeth!!!!!!!! my mantra for now is.....it WILL get better?