Biting Puppies: Help For New Puppy Parents

Thank you! This is not my first dog but definitely my first puppy! Sophie is also at her worst right in the morning (and trying to burn her energy off only makes it worse) and also very bad during 7 pm zoomies. Praying in 5 more weeks she gets better like everyone says. We start puppy classes tomorrow so hopefully that gives me some tools and sanity as well. But thank you for the encouragement! Hope your pup settles down soon too.

 

Jut curious...I might try this, but how do you get him to the crate with the houseline? I'd have to literally drag Sophie I think. Even on the leash she's a mad woman trying to jump up and bite.

 

Our bad time is normally evening. Everything was different this morning and possibly the heat played a part. I hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let us know how Sophie gets on

 

Sorry I didn't see this before or I would have said I

 

Sorry I have only seen this so to answer . I can step on the houseline to keep him still and then I use it like a lead to guide him to the crate. It's just easier to not have to try to hook up a lead to a wriggling puppy.

 

Hi I know this is an older post which I have just seen and I feel I can relate to the experience you described. I hope things got better for you. My 12 weeks old crocodile is exactly the same. I'm particularly worried about the way he reacts if I correct him growls and nips. Just need to know it will all work out in the end

 

Did this ever resolve for you? My puppy is a terrible biter and I feel like giving up as well

 

I also used my pup's crate a fair amount. Biting and zoomies? I used the ball that holds kibble for him to nose around to drain some of his energy. I also played easy fetch or used another puzzle toy. If all my strategies did not work and I was emotionally exhausted, I put him in his crate for a few minutes and made some tea and didn't guilt trip myself. Most of the time he fell asleep. So, I guess I used the crate for both a "time out" and to sleep. Pups do need to sleep a lot. I always gave him kibble and praise as he went in. Now at 7 months he sleeps most of his day out of the crate, but seems to enjoy going in. Also, as a pup he was not affectionate (just biting!), but that is changing also-- he leans against me, brings me his ball, rolls over on my feet for attention.

 

My puppy is now almost 12 weeks snd she is getting slightly better. For example, I couldn’t sit on my couch without her mailing my pants, ankles and feet. After 2-3 weeks of redirection, and teaching “leave it” and using it when she went over my legs, she’s much better now. She only does it when she’s super hyper like in the morning and during night time zoomies. She still bites me when I try to pick her up in the yard snd other times but it’s getting better. It’s hard to notice improvements because 1) they are subtle snd change day by day snd 2)I found when she does bite me, my tendency is to be upset and forget that she’s progressed. Be patient. My Sophie isn’t quite there yet but I’m hopeful it will pass soon. Until then, I live with a cute shark and it’s rough. Try not to show frustration, fear or anger. I’ve noticed it makes it worse for me. I’ve tried to “act” calm and it helps a bit to stop her.

 

I’m just wondering at what age your pup started to just relax in the room with you? Sophie is 12 weeks and she relaxes and sleeps in her playpen but when she’s out all she does is want to play or bite. I can’t get her to just relax in her bed and self-occupy when outside of her pen and loose in the living room with me.

 

At about 5 months our pup started to relax more in the house. He is up at 5:30 AM (sigh), but I have told myself because it is summer that this is really a gift, so I am up. I take him swimming, easy hiking, or for a long neighborhood walk and an easy fetch to drain him. He loves to swim. I think I drain him pretty well in the morning. Then after exercise I hand feed him his kibble. After about 2 hours of being awake and active he is tired again, and lays down in the same room while I am reading or doing other work. When he was a puppy he needed a crate for this, but now he is fine staying out. He then stays pretty mellow napping/chewing/following me around the house for most of the day. I have an old dog food bag full of toys- an old shoe, a Teva, dog toys, a Kong, etc that I pull out. Sometimes I stop and give him + attention when he is mellow, but sometimes I just let him be and do my own work. It's pretty hot where we live so this probably helps dampen his energy level. In the late afternoon he starts to ramp up again- he is fed, I walk/play with him. Sometimes he is able to stay out while we eat dinner, sometimes he needs the crate. And then in the evening he stays out if he can keep it together, otherwise, I put him in in the crate for short segments. He is far from perfect, but he is definitely changing-he can chill outside the crate, he no longer bites, and he loves the attention he is given.

 

Thank you! Appreciate your response. I'm hoping I only have another month or two of the overwhelming stuff to deal with. Sophie had worms and also contracted a parasite from puppy class (which I stopped going to for a while) so he's had a lot of tummy issues. Now that's resolving with meds so I'm able to give her bones/rawhides/chews and at least for 30 minutes in the evening she lays in her bed and chews quietly, so that's an improvement over last week and a glimmer of hope that she can self occupy in a calm manner. Thanks again!

 

It was overwhelming for me too- now not so much. While I try to be conscious of my pup's joints, at 7 months he has a big motor and loves to exercise, so it is a balancing act. I do take him to puppy behavior class 2 mornings a week where he works on, among other things, just chilling while other dogs take their turn at center stage. I do take him easy off leash hiking in the mountains/foothills every week. Deer, birds, lots of smells- lots to learn. And swimming seems really great- all I do is stand there (as the sun rises) and chuck the ball in the water and off he goes. If we aren't in the mountains or foothills our neighborhood walks are pretty good. Hang in there with your pup's digestive problems too.. it is a lot for them to learn at once- and for us too.

 

I wanted to provide an update on Sophie. Today’s she’s 14 weeks. I’m not sure if it’s the leadership I’m now showing after meeting with the behaviorist or if it’s her age, but things have improved greatly. The day I called the behaviorist, I thought Sophie was an aggressive puppy. She literally was lunging at me and biting me so hard she was drawing blood. I couldn’t even interact with her without being bitten.

Since then, she’s a different dog. She’s still a spazzy puppy with lots of puppy energy, and she still bites but it’s 80% better and she hasn’t drawn blood yet. I can actually pet her without being bit, she’s a little more affectionate, and I can redirect her when she bites and that’s something that’s never worked before. It’s still difficult...I’m still exhausted because she continues to have digestive issues so we are up all night with multiple trips outside, but I feel like she’s maturing and I’m providing the right guidance. Also the zoomies are more manageable - it’s now about letting her safely get the energy out and not a complete fear hour that she’ll bit me nonstop like it used to be! So hang in there! We are proof it will get better slowly over time!

 

Very encouraging to hear that you and Sophie are doing so much better! Gives me hope. After changing our routine to have more structure, had a few fairly good days with Buster - biting was less frequent and I was able to stop it quite quickly. Then today we are back to the old constant, intense biting. Not sure why, but found it quite upsetting after feeling so positive in the last few days. Start training classes next week, looking forward to it and hoping it will help.

 

I’m in the same boat. She was good for almost 2 weeks snd started to regress. It’s still not as much as before, but because she’s bigger, the bits are harder. She’s really working her molars on bones so I’m thinking she might be starting to get her adult teeth and that might be making her more crazy.

each day I just wake up and tell myself I will get through the day and take it day by day. She starts doggie daycare in 2 weeks and I’m really hoping that will help drain her energy. It really made a difference with my boyfriends lab puppy when he first got him. The dog trainer/behaviorist is coming back next Friday for a couple hours to continue working with us. So fingers are crossed!
Hang in there, I’m sure we will both have great dogs in another couple of months if we can get past this aweful stage!

 

Yes, exactly - my biggest concern is that the bigger he grows, the harder it will be to handle. That's great that you'll have doggie daycare. I hadn't planned on that but may have to consider it - finding it harder and harder to manage him so that I can work uninterrupted. Stay strong!

 

Doggy daycare isn’t cheap but I’m hoping it will help reduce her biting or at least teach softer biting, and for that I’m willing going to add that short term expense for a month or two.
Let me know how your classes are going. I want to enroll Sophie but she’s just do spaztic, pulls and jumps on leash and doesn’t listen to me, that I fear we don’t even be able to focus in class.