Our cockapoo puppy, Rosie, just turned 5 months this past week. One problem we've been having consistently is her desire to bite us during play (usually on the hands, arms, or torso). It isn't accidental biting (i.e. accidentally grabbing us when lunging for a toy)--she targets our appendages intentionally, with a focused look in her eye. She's not usually breaking the skin, and it doesn't seem malicious, yet we can't seem to get her to understand that people don't like being bitten.
She is our first puppy and our first cockapoo, so we're not sure what is normal and what is excessive. We've tried everything we can think of including swapping for a toy (she targets us instead), yelping like a fellow puppy (she only gets more excited), time outs, shaker can, spray bottle (turns out, she loves water, and started goading us to get sprayed), and hot sauce (she loves Sriracha, apparently).
So far, she mostly exhibits this behavior only with us, and it's worst when she's especially wound up or excited. I've read various places that for cockapoos, this isn't unheard of, especially during the teething phase, but I'm starting to wonder if we need to bring in a trainer to help us better understand how to communicate this to her. She's been such a swift learner with everything else--potty training, commands, etc.
Any insight? Advice?
She is our first puppy and our first cockapoo, so we're not sure what is normal and what is excessive. We've tried everything we can think of including swapping for a toy (she targets us instead), yelping like a fellow puppy (she only gets more excited), time outs, shaker can, spray bottle (turns out, she loves water, and started goading us to get sprayed), and hot sauce (she loves Sriracha, apparently).
So far, she mostly exhibits this behavior only with us, and it's worst when she's especially wound up or excited. I've read various places that for cockapoos, this isn't unheard of, especially during the teething phase, but I'm starting to wonder if we need to bring in a trainer to help us better understand how to communicate this to her. She's been such a swift learner with everything else--potty training, commands, etc.
Any insight? Advice?