My dog is a four month lab shelter mix and very mouthy. He has caused us to bleed several times. We have to be very careful and keep our four kids mostly separate. But, we were still stunned by that news. The trainer felt pup could not settle from being over-excited/zoomie and that something may be wrong. When over-excited he does seem to almost attack and it is upsetting. This generally happens once at morning and a night. Afternoons are quieter, but pup always bites if we reach for collar or would try to disengage him from something. His impulse is always to chase the kids and attack their feet. We still thought this was normal? On the extreme side of normal, but normal. Any advice? We are doing the right things-we can't freeze because of bite intensity, but we leave the room, end the game, ask for a sit. Treats save us from a lot of bites.
I would have said this is pretty normal... unless I also have some hard decisions to make. We have a 14 week old who also has a couple bitey outbursts a day. We redirect which works really well but have to keep giving attention to the new object to hold his interest, when he’s over tired and won’t calm down he can get a bit clingy on with his bites we’ve found separating ourselves for 30 seconds ( if he whines then 30 seconds from his last whine) and let him back in the room... sometimes it works first time, sometimes we need 3/4 times but he gets it in the end and it breaks his crazy episode. We’ve done this since we got him 6 weeks ago and he definitely settles better and quicker now than at first and often comes back in the room for a sleepy cuddle ( like I say it’s often when he’s over tired and needs reminding to calm down) We always get a refocus with ‘sit’ but that rarely calms him it just pauses him for a few seconds whilst we plan an escape route! other than that plenty of play time and, if you can, off lead training throughout the day to make sure he’s getting enough exercise and not just frustrated and full of energy. I can imagine it’s hard with the kids, maybe separate them if you know he’s about to start a zoomie and you adults stick it out with the puppy so that you can give him the right level of attention. I know it’s tough but they soon grow out if it! Im no trainer so only advising what worked for us but I’m surprised your trainer said that too because he definitely sounds like a normal four month old to me!
Hi there, it's always worrying when a professional person casts doubt on your puppy's temperament. However, most dog trainers are not experienced behaviourists, and as dog training is unregulated, some dog trainers are not up to date or knowledgeable at all. So, it's very important if you are concerned, that you get an opinion from a qualified behaviourist rather than a dog trainer. The chances are your puppy is just at the more excitable end of normal. But of course, no-one can say for sure without assessing the dog. Have a look at this thread Biting Puppies. It may put your mind at rest that your puppy's behavior is normal and it will give you ideas for managing your puppy through this phase. If you suspect that your puppy is not behaving normally then it would be a good idea to have a chat with your veterinarian and to ask them to recommend a canine behaviorist to assess your dog. Let us know what you decide and good luck
