I feel terrible, I think I got our puppy from a puppy mill!

I feel awful!

I found a sweet puppy I thought would be registered and drove hours away and paid a decent amount for him. I thought it odd that we met at a store and the lady wasn't clear about registering him but I figured she was misunderstanding me ( I wasn't thinking) and I had already driven so far and he was so cute... so I got our puppy. It was really bad timing as far as thinking things through, and I thought it would help our family since my husband had recently almost passed from a bad accident. He was in recovery and really wanted a dog. This is what I was thinking about. I didn't do my homework. After seeing the puppy's aggression and fear issues, we starting researching more. The area has 2 big puppy mills and I'm pretty sure the lady I met is a broker for one of them. I called the area Humane Society but I am at a loss. He is aggressive and I feel so guilty. Not sure what to do. I feel so silly. Now I feel it's hindering his recovery and it's my fault, I keep getting bit and he bit my mom today. I don't know if it's play biting or what but I'm just at a loss. I feel so bad.

 

Hello and welcome!

As far the puppy mill thing goes, it does sound pretty likely. You are not alone in getting sucked in by getting a cute puppy on impulse. This is why there are so many puppies - unfortunately - who get sold this way. But the deed is done. They have your money and that means the problem goes on. What you can do is get educated, which you are already trying to because you are here. You can share you story with other people so that they understand what a puppy mill or puppy broker is and don't make the same impulse decision, and in that way you are an important part of the solution. Onward and upward - feeling guilty isn't going to help you or your puppy.

Where you got him aside, if you stick around on the forum and read through current and older threads, you'll see that even the most lovingly and responsibly bred puppy is and ENORMOUS challenge. When the moderaters come on, they will most likely share links on articles about puppy biting and puppy blues, both of which are very normal and very common. I came here to know more about Labs (I've had lots of dogs but never a Lab) and was introduced to a new term here: "Crocopup"! Plus people talking about having to wear long sleeves and wellies and still walking around with bruises. Again, this is all perfectly normal Lab puppy behaviour, but what a surprise to me who's never had a Lab puppy! And yes, these tiny terrors do turn into normal, active and friendly dogs that Labs are so well known for. So there is hope.

On the other hand, having a puppy is a huge amount of work and a major life change. It sounds like you are trying to do this at a really difficult time in your life anyway with your husband's recovery. You've taken on a lot and it seems normal that now that reality has set in, you'd be frantic. The right solution may be the hardest one: to find a new home for your puppy. That would be very tough emotionally but may end up being what is best for you and your puppy. If that's the road you go down, be honest with yourself about what will happen to him if you leave him at the pound/shelter/humane society. If you are in the US, that could prove fatal, so please be careful to work with a reputable rescue group who does home checks and careful placements. Having worked in rescue before, I can tell you that puppies are usually easy to re-home before six months old. I'm not saying this is what you should do, only that is an option. Sometimes it helps to know that there is option even if you don't take it.

Could you describe a bit more about his aggression and fear issues? What age is he? It may be normal stuff for his age and others here can re-assure you with "it gets better" stories and offer further advice on how to cope.

And even if he really does have these issues, let me re-assure you with my own "it gets better" story. My dog Brogan was a rescue but I got him as a tiny puppy. Whether from too early neutering (he was neutered when I got him) or poor breeding (he was rescued from a dog fighting ring) he had (1) fear of nearly everything (2) on leash dog aggression and (3) major panic attacks at loud noises. When he was young, I really thought "What have I done? This is never going to work out!" A lot of tears were shed. A lot of training classes were attended. A lot of time as spent pounding my head against the wall. But that snarly puppy eventually, with a lot of work (and a dollop of luck) became my absolute best friend, completed two years training, passed a very rigorous (4 day/12 hour long) assistance dog test and was the most wonderful boy I could have ever asked for. It is truly amazing what time and lot of positive training can do.

I hope this helps a little and that you continue to come back to the Forum. There are really knowledgeable and kind people on here and I continue to learn something new from them every day!

 

I just saw your other thread about the behavioural issues you've been having, so a lot of what I said was just superfluous to the replies you've already gotten. Apologies for the re-tread!

 

Emily_BabbelHund has given you some wonderful advice and information - I can't add to it but I can tell you I did my research and bought a pedigree (with papers) from a registered breeder and my puppy has Entropion (a bottom eyelid which turns in rubbing the cornea [corrective surgery has just been performed]), Distichiasis (eyelashes in places eyelashes shouldn't be - again could damage the cornea - corrective surgery will be done soon), and perhaps Cryptorchidism (he's past 5 months and my vet can't find his testes anywhere - he believes they may be behind his kidneys so de-sexing will be a major and invasive operation).

My point is, unfortunately, there are no guarantees - you may be lucky and your pup may be healthy and wonderful (despite the Crocopup stage they all appear to go through to some extent or the other).

 

I would just add, try to put all thoughts of where your puppy has come from out of your mind, and concentrate on where you are going with him. Dogs don't live in the past. We have our 3rd rescue dog, and all training etc is done without knowing what the dog has been through before. I did see your other thread and would suggest, as others did, take a few steps back with your training - that's perfectly normal at your pup's age. Good luck, you will get through this stage x

 

Bless you and him xx

But now you need to look forward

Even the best reared puppies are biters! It's a normal puppy phase and not aggression at all.

Use this forum and site and you will have a lovely dog - he may have had a bad start which was cruel to his Mum, but that's not your fault - these horrible people play on others' not knowing the truth of it


...

 

Oh yes, I really agree with this! I wasted a lot of time with Brogan's aggression problems at this beginning because I thought it was due to what he was bred to do. There was a lot of "Well, I really have to be tough and be the leader" thinking, even when that's not my natural personality. Ugh. I never used negative training techniques, but I did hang on to "it's his nature because of where he came from" and "if I was just a strong leader this will disappear" for WAY too long. Not saying this is what you are doing at all, just that I had a similar idea that I had to adapt his training based on where he came from. We still made it to where we needed to go with our training, but the idea that his issues were somehow genetic made the process so much longer than it needed to be.

What really helped both Brogan and me was giving him a job every single day. Your little guy is just a baby, so maybe his job is sitting briefly before eating, or giving you good eye contact for a second, but a daily job really focuses smart/active dogs and makes them happy. If only I was so happy going to work every day.

 

This must be such a difficult time for you, with your husband in recovery from a serious accident and a demanding puppy. I'm sure if you could turn the clock back you would make a different decisions - but you shouldn't spend time feeling guilty. Even if you had bought the puppy from a well-respected breeder he would almost certainly still bite - it's what puppies do, and Labs seem worse than some other breeds for this.
However, they do grow out of it and if you can manage somehow to cope through the next month things should start to improve. Try to always carry a toy in your pocket to shove in the puppy's mouth when he gets bitey and wear old jeans to protect your legs! Try to devise a routine of toilet trips, play and chew times and perhaps use a pen or stair gates across doorways so that your pup can't get to your husband while he is still vulnerable. Another thing that helped with Molly was me holding her on my lap (after she had had a good run a round) and also holding a rice bone for her to chew. She got so she expected me to always hold her chew-toys for her! Old cardboard boxes were a life-saver for us too - large ones that she could crawl inside and tear to pieces - though do supervise so your pup doesn't swallow it. You could also try stuffed kongs a couple of times a day while your pup is separate from you to give him something to do while you have a break.
I hope you can come through this and that your husband continues to recover.

 

I am so sorry about that. For future, Researching on breeders information is very important and possibly getting a recommendation from people, friends or even in a forum like this. I hope that you can figure out the problems with the help of a trainer.

 

Thank you all for your kind words and great advice! You all are right, it's time to look forward. Max has had some really cute moments today. He holds such promise. He did well in his training for today. I still get very afraid of his nipping and crockoteeth thing but one day at a time I suppose.
I do need to think of a job to give him, I can imagine he wants that direction. He liked to learn but just not about not biting. I spend about an hour with him on really focused positive training a day (like Sophia Yin style). I am working on our walk which is not far but trying to teach him confidence by not letting him get in front so we spend a lot of time in the driveway. He has learned the leave it command but when he is in crockomouth mode he doesn't care if I throw bacon at him, he wants me to fight back.
I think a fence would do wonders. He has more busyness than 10 toddlers and it's confusing to know where the play/attention seeking line is.
I'll read the rest later, but truly thank you!!!

 

Thank you so much for that very thoughtful reply! He is 4.5 months old, not fixed yet, he sometimes just jumps up and bites hard out of no where. He seems bored within seconds. I stay home to take care of my husband and him so I play/train/take him out constantly through out the day. He has a basic schedule and I only vear from it for dr appointments. I also feel very stuck as I don't do anything out of the home really because I feel bad leaving him. He's crated at night and fed 3 meals of taste of the wild a day. I train him for about an hr a day in increments. We don't have a fence. I know it wouldn't fix everything but I bet it would help some. He doesn't like long walks and has confidence issues outside so we walk in the front of the house and down the court every day. He's potty trained and sounds like the perfect puppy maybe but I can't explain his seeming need for aggressive playing that I simply can't handle. I spray Bitter End on myself and my hands and it's like honey to him in that moment. I dunno. He now is tethered in the house with a leash to help when he gets bitey. We have a large play pen in the living room, 10x4 ft with his toys. We keep a rotation of 4 frozen Kongs on hand. He does drive with me to drive my husband to and from work. I think he's just so bored. We have a few interactive toys...

 

It sounds like you are doing a good many of the right things. I found this forum about a week ago... I was in tears about my babies and was sure I was doing everything wrong. I have learned so much on this forum and biggest benefit for me was knowing that I am not alone. Good luck with your husbands recovery and with Max!

 

PS, I spoke to the dog warden in that county and gave them the information and name of the "broker" that sold me Max. So, at least I did something. Onward

 

Thank you! It's great to know we are not alone!

 

The biting can be shocking. But you need to get it out of your head that it's aggressive. It's really not, it's the way they play. Like human babies discover the world by putting things in their mouths - and biting, too! - so do puppies. And puppies don't have the benefit of hands to pick things up, either. They just need to learn what is acceptable pressure and what isn't. This will come partly with training, and partly with age. Luna is now 16 weeks and very rarely bites down hard anymore. And even when she did - and, yes, drew blood regularly, and it did hurt (you'll see on one of my videos as I mouth "OUCH!" as she clamps down ) - as one of our other members said, "it's a puppy, not a sabre-toothed tiger". They don't actually inflict any real damage, just a few cuts and bruises. Which, when you see what they can do to a chicken or rabbit bone is actually pretty gentle.
I'm not saying it's not unpleasant, because it is. And it can be frustrating, and tedious. But your puppy isn't going to chew off your arm

 

Haha, ok thank you snowbunny.

 

Thank you, this was a very supportive reply and it helps to think maybe this next month or so it will get better. We prolly will get a fence of sorts soon, a good one. Maybe then he can get some energy out. It's starting to be a bit warmer out. Spring time is coming!

 

You should try to sort this out. It can feel very isolating and doesn't do either of you any favours. Try and build up time away from home, and away from the puppy, in small increments, so that you can get out for some sanity and he learns to be alone for a short time. Sooner rather than later is better, otherwise you may be making a rod for your own back, with a puppy that has never learnt to be alone. Good luck

 

Snowbunny,
I see your point. I agree but have no idea what an appropriate time apart is? It makes it a lil more challenging that we live a lil far from town. Do you have suggestions as far as how long would be ok for him? I leave him in his crate when I am gone. Thanks!

 

Well, I'd start off by popping outside in the garden (yard) without him for a few minutes. Grab a book and sit in your car, maybe. Literally a couple of minutes, that's all. And build up slowly, five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty-five... not always getting longer. Mix it up. And, when you get back, don't make a fuss of him or let him out immediately. Put the kettle on and make a cuppa first. Always wait until he's calm before letting him out.
I had my hair done a couple of weeks ago. The place was a two minute walk away, but I drove so that I could get back home if I needed to. I watched Luna on a camera I have set up. She slept and ate her kongs the whole time. But, she's a pretty confident puppy. My boy, Shadow, was a clingy puppy and hated being left, so it took a lot longer to build that time up.