Our pup Bruce will be 12 weeks old in two days, he’s due to get his next vaccinations then also. In our family we have my mum and dad and then my nan who also looks after him so there are 4 of us. He always behaves very mischievous just for me, he can be a handful for my nan and Mum but not as bad, when he is with my dad he never misbehaves and listens to all of his commands. It does make us laugh how much he obeys him. The only thing we can think of is the three of us regularly play and give him treats and teach him tricks etc. Whereas my dad doesn’t do that he Just watches him in a morning and a night for a couple hours. When I say Bruce misbehaves, when he’s excited with just me he jumps on me, jumps on the chair and he bites and barks, it’s resulted in me shouting at him and tapping him on the nose sometimes but it doesn’t stop him. I’ve left him alone in a room a couple of times but he just cries until I come back and then continues his behaviour, he doesn’t do this with other members of the family though. I’ve spent the most time with him it’s not asif he doesn’t like me, I think he just loves my attention but I don’t know how to control him. Any help?
Hi @bruce18, I don't think it's that unusual for dogs to be different with different family members. There is only me and my 13 year old son at home and when my pup was little she was very much cheekier with my son and also gave full vent to the normal puppy behaviours with him; it wasn't unusual to see him with her hanging off a sleeve or trouser leg! We used to put her in the kitchen behind the baby gate when it all got too much for her and us and this was mostly in the evenings. She did bark sometimes but we would only release her when she was quiet so she didn't associate the release with her barking. That didn't mean she had to be silent for a period of time; it could have been just a moment's silence in between barks/whining. We also both carried chew toys with us so when she was nipping we would give her a chew toy instead of our arms/hands/fingers. Shouting will probably just excite your pup because it's a loud noise, or frighten him, but it's unlikely to stop him; same with a tap on the nose; it will frighten him or possibly hurt him and may encourage more of the behaviour you're trying to stop. 12 weeks is a crazy age and really, you just have to go through it! I remember finding it all very stressful at that age, as did my son, we were getting nipped and jumped on to within an inch of our lives. By 16 weeks it began to calm down. Time out worked for us and often, their craziness can be a sign that they're over tired/stimulated and need a sleep. And by the way, he will definitely be enjoying your attention if you're spending time, teaching tricks and giving treats. For a pup, what's not to like? And teaching him tricks and little brain games in short sessions will also tire his little brain out and hopefully help to calm him down. I used to play "find it" with my pup; hiding tiny morsels of treats around the room and telling her "find it!" Her little nose would be going into overdrive. I still play it now and she's 22 months and loves it. Good luck and enjoy your pup.
That's lovely advice from Plum's Mum . Puppies are often a bit more difficult for younger people to control, and that's usually because they are such fun to be around that the puppy gets a bit over excited Check out these two threads for some more tips! And keep teaching those tricks - it's a great way to bond with your puppy https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/biting-puppies-help-for-new-puppy-parents.24782/ https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/over-excited-puppies.24656/
I just rescued a lab mix 1 month ago he is 4 months and I’m going thru the same problem there are 6 of us in the home and at night when I go to sit and watch tv with him he starts to attack me he growls and tries to eat my arms i have bruises and cuts all over my arms I walk him when I get out of work to try to eat up his energy but he keeps attacking he doesn’t to my husband but me and my 12 year old he does it too he does have a neurological disorder but I have had dogs all my life and never went thru this is this Normal help!!!
Hi and welcome. You say rescued? and he is still very young. It will get easier and just keep doing what you are doing being consistent. Maybe you could try a sit and down with a treat as they may encourage better behaviour in the evenings. Move onto brain games which will tire him out
Our 5 month old has "bitey" spells, normally once in the morning an once at night (15 mins worth). Quite annoying but it's a phase they all go through apparently!.
Yes, ours does this and it seems to have had a resurgence with teething. So when he does it I try to have a chewable toy for him every time he tries to go for a nibble. Luckily he only gives us very gentle nibbles.
