Long post, sorry but am worried about this.... My pup is just 7 months and still mouthy. Relatively easy to manage in the home as we follow the no teeth on skin advice and stop the game whenever it happens. To be fair it's usually mouthing with little pressure then, or play nipping with the front teeth, either of these I can cope with and it's improving so I can see that Tansy will grow out of this. The big problem comes when we're out on a walk. Some days all is well and I have a lovely responsive dog, other days she becomes a mad thing and suddenly turns on me, leaping and biting hard. I wear lots of clothes and a thick fleece jacket but my arms are sore, bruised and have bled. This is much much harder than the mouthing I get indoors and it's also hard to admit because I'm worried I've been getting our training wrong in some way. For the last couple of weeks all walks have been on a lead, with a long lead when I would previously let her off - I'm so worried she'll jump and bite someone else. I understand that it's normal puppy behaviour to 'lose the plot' and leap about but I am unhappy about the fierce biting, it hurts and actually is a bit frightening. How do I instill a better bite inhibition? Please all give me the benefit of your collective wisdom! I'm usually a laid back person but this has got me rattled and I'd like to know how best to handle it. Thank you
I have been through all this with Ripple, who even now at two and half, very, very occasionally (usually at agility) becomes so excited that he jumps up and rips at my sleeves. At 7 months he was absolutely horrendous and I was often in tears at his behaviour, and at the point of returning him to the breeders. I think there will be lots of advice given on here that will help you. I did eventually discover the best way to deal with it was to withdraw all interaction and stand completely still with no eye contact, however, I am well aware that this is often very difficult to do when you are out. Not only do you find yourself standing still but under assault from a mad thing on the end of the lead, you can often be the focus of anyone in the vicinity who probably thinks your puppy is some dangerous dog. I also found that distraction with a treat (I used squeezy cheese) was sometimes the best thing to do when out in public - to prevent this being seen as a reward for this behaviour I combined the distraction of cheese with a simple command such as a sit. If I was at a training class or anywhere near my car when this happened I would put him back in the car to calm down, and then return to what we were doing when he had stopped. I don't know whether any of this will be of help for you but I really empathise with what you are going through, I had a terrible time with Ripple and it made it really difficult for me to develop a good bond with him. But we are getting there now and I'm sure you will find a way through this, especially with the help of this forum .
Thank you so much SteffiS for your reply, she does look like a dangerous dog sometimes (but she's really a sensitive sweetie) and I get the idea of withdrawing attention but it does seem a bit passive especially when other dog walkers are around (and judging!) I might have to get some squeezy cheese though
Hi @Blackbird , I've been through the same with Cassie, when she was older, about 13 months, I kept a log on here to help me deal with it, you might like to read it, it's in the Training Log Forum, under "Cassie's stop training me log", in the end I did very similar to @SteffiS . It might also be worth looking at her food and seeing what's in it in the way of additives etc that might make such behaviour worse. I've recently started a new training class with the behaviourist who was so helpful at the time. She is great because she just normalises the behaviour -- it's just a young lab getting over excited etc, this how to deal with it --- such a relief!
As all of her walks are on lead, she might not have anywhere to release her energy. Could you hire a field (there are lots in the UK, not sure whereabouts you are). That way she could have a good run and hopefully you could relax as no one else would be around. Just a thought.
thanks all for taking the time to respond, and for pointing me towards the training logs, what a wonderful and interesting resource they are! I am however still concerned about my pup's bite inhibition, is it acceptable for her to forget herself and bite me hard when we're outside and she's having a loopy spell, her bite inhibition at other times is good now. Is it really a case that she'll grow out of it? Sorry to still be asking questions!
Not a silly question at all, I had the very same worry. I posted on here about it and @bbrown replied that she had learnt bite inhibition because if she hadn't I'd be in A&E, because if you think about what their teeth can do -- munch through bones etc.
It’s normal and nothing to be worried about that she has loopy spells that involve leaping, grabbing and biting. She will grow out of it as she gets older and is more able to control herself. It does not mean that you’ve got a dog with a biting problem - not at all. She’ll end up as a perfectly gentle, sensible, trustworthy adult. Promise! Having said that...Although it’s normal behaviour that doesn’t mean you need to endure it and although she’ll grow out of it that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to speed that up. When she’s in her full on brain explosion bitey mode, ignoring it and making it safe for your self are both good things to do. Putting your foot on the lead or looping it around behind a tree or post so she can’t get to you are a couple of things you can do. Other things that are good include having a brief training session before or towards the beginning of a walk to use up a bit of mental energy. Also, teach her the skills to calm down after having had her energy levels up...the way we do this at Flyball is to play the ‘Here game’. This is basically a modified game of tug where you keep hold of a tug toy but move it around in wide sweeping motions so the dog chases it and can occasionally grab it for a tug. Make it energetic and exciting but keep it really short at first, a few seconds. After a few seconds end the game by bringing the toy up to your chest with crossed arms and stand up straight. Wait till your dog is calm and sitting or lying quietly and then initiate the game again. The game only starts again when the dog is calm. Gradually you increase the game time and the expected calm time. This helps to teach dogs to bring themselves down again after a high or a burst of energy. Standing up straight with folded arms becomes the cue for ‘quiet and calm’. As with every new exercise start teaching this in a quiet, familiar environment when your dog is able to focus.
Yes, she'll grow out of it - but using the techniques recommended on the forum should help you deal with it in the most effective way.
Fab, thanks all, feel much reassured now And I like the comment about A&E! And the 'here game' sounds really beneficial, we'll give that a go.
It’s 100% normal and yes, she’ll grow out of it. Of course, for your skin’s sake and for her to learn, you need to manage it and work out when it happens to help minimise it. Mollie is 13 months old and at Guide Dogs training school doing really well. She was the bitiest pup I’ve ever had - I’ve had seven including my own dog Tatze. I am convinced Labs are worse than any other breed for this. My Keir (GR/Flatcoat) is five months old now and has never once put his teeth near us!
Forget the other dog walkers, forget about what they are "judging". It is just you and your wonderful dog out there. You are a team. You support each other. You are learning how to do all that. It is sort of like when you fall in love. What other people?
Thank you again for all the responses and the support, I especially like the comment about being a team with my dog! She is still a baby and trying so hard to learn my funny ways We're going to get some 121 gundog training as well, to keep her smart brain busy and hopefully reduce some frustration
