Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? hi erics mum, i am a first time dog owner, jasper is just one year old, the biting nipping mouthing really bothered me,....it was none stop i thought i had an aggressive lab, It will stop, just keep doing what you are doing, turn your back on him tell him NO, it stopped with me when he was 4 month old but continued with my son my son is not a young child he is in his 20s, so it was up to him to deal with it i promise it will get better
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? I think time helps enormously with this. Charlie is 4 months and still mouthing but our bond has grown and I know how far to let it go before stopping it and he knows how far he can push me. It now only happens when he's playing (rather than before when it was to anything that moved!) and it is a defined period of time. We have done a lot of training time focussing on 'leave it' and 'off' which we use for anything involving his mouth ie biting, chewing or running off with the delicates hung on my radiator!
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Thanks folks, Eric has just had a mad 10 mins and i swear I saw his face contort into a snarl before lunging forward to chew my hand. Is that even possible at 12 weeks x
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Yes, it's possible - it's what puppies do when playing! They can be surprisingly rough, and growl and snarl as well as bite! I think it was Rachael who explained it this way: Puppies have to learn NOT to bite hard, and they do this through play. When they are with their siblings and their mother, they learn through rough play what the rules are, and when a play bite actually hurts. The point is, they learn this while they have their little milk teeth, which although needle sharp are not very big. By the time the new teeth come in (at around four months), they will have learned NOT to bite anymore (that's the theory at any rate!). So I think it is better to teach them to mouth GENTLY, rather than forbidding them to bite or mouth at all, and to show a puppy that it's fine to bite and chew on toys etc, but not on hands or clothes. The biting and growling is a lot worse than you might expect, as a first time dog owner (or even if you have had dogs before, but not a puppy for several years), but with calm insistence, they do learn, I promise you!
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Thanks everyone. It's good to know Eric isn't unusual with the biting but blimey he doesn't really understand NO! He just doesn't stop, even when I turn my back, walk away or even give him something else to chew on. I understand I have to persevere though and I have three weeks off over Xmas so will spend lots of time with him xx hope you all have a lovely Xmas and best wishes for the new year xx
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Sometimes a NO can be exciting - as if you are joining in with the barking and noise Persevere with the strategy of stopping play and walking away. Do you have a crate or safe room (laundry) you could pop him into for 10 seconds of time out when the excitement and biting is too much? Or a door you can walk through and close for 10 seconds (coming out again when he's quiet)? Be assured, though, that your puppy is totally normal and is just behaving towards you as if you're a wonderful playmate. At the moment he doesn't really know that he has to play differently with humans, compared to how he could play with another dog. So it's up to the humans to teach him through experience what is ok and what's going too far. It's important for you to be consistent. Might it help to draw up a list of the escalating behaviours he does (from mild to full-on World Wrestling Federation) and set a point at which you will withdraw play. Maybe the point at which he bites and applies pressure. Always end play whenever that happens. As he gradually gets the idea, you can make your standards higher, so that eventually you're stopping play when he puts his mouth around a body part, even if he doesn't bite down. It's a process of educating him about the right way to play with people. Does your puppy get to play with other puppies at all? Other puppies are good teachers too
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Hello, Our yellow Lab Maggie is now about 10 weeks old. In training videos I have seen they state to only give a "command," order once, then if not listened to follow though with a"physical correction." So for instance I will tell her "off," when she wants to jump on the couch with us. Many times if I use a stern voice she will obey. Sometimes when she doesn't listen and she is very persistent I will gently push her off. But at times she takes this as a challenge and only persists even more and starts to challenge me with much determination. Is this to be expected at her age? I am doing something wrong? Also in playing with her and throwing balls around it turns into a bite feast and she is no longer interested in her toys only biting and nipping at us. I tried the "ouch" and "bite inhibition" training on her, but it was only short lived and she would get even more excited and bite even more. The only thing that works is to walk away. Is this pretty normal for a pup her age too? Thanks Pat
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Hi Pat, yes that is completely normal at her age, don't worry. Just continue to be firm but kind, and in a few weeks the biting and roughness will be a distant memory... If you really don't want her on the couch you mustn't weaken though! Labradors seem to make it their life's ambition to take over the couch...
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Can she jump on the couch at 10 weeks ? My Gsp tried and failed many times at that age. You can teach a command for off the couch by first teaching a command for on the couch but only rewarding the command for getting off.
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Thanks for the advice its always good to get some input. This article, (Help: my labrador puppy is aggressive) also helped me realize its all normal. Yes Maggie can get on the couch easily, and she does understand "Off," although she can be very persistent. Happy New Year!
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Cooper at 9 months now has become an avid chewer and chews himself to sleep with the artificial bones tat i provide otherwise im done and barks when said NO to something or when we refuse to play or jus wen he feels bored or wen wanting to be let in and wen i say barks i really mean it cause its annoying and i don knw wat to do pls help me how can make him be occupied and feel less bored
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Do you do any training with him? Do you take him out for walks off lead? Clicker training is good and dogs love doing it. You can find out about it by Googling "Clicker Training".
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? yes im doing training wid him i have not let him off lead till now bcoz here the streets are dangerous surrounded with street dogs and vehicles and people don like a dog walking off lead bcoz they don want to take the risk of getting bitten my other worry is tat wat if he runs away and neva comes back bcoz its a new experience for him..
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? hi, all i'm new to this site, but happened across it when googling some puppy issues.... and it was a big relief to see this thread! i have had a lab before, but he was older when i got him (around 4 months), which apparently is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, puppy-behavior-wise, from a two-month-old!! i have a brand-new black lab (have had him a couple of weeks) named orion... and mercy. he's a sweetheart, but the play-biting has to stop - he grabs hold of our sleeve, hand, sock, whatever, and locks his jaws and growls terrifically and tries to pull whatever it is he has in his mouth off. his tail is going the whole time, so i know it isn't aggressive behavior, but i don't want to come down on him with the wrath of zeus for playing... how can i gently redirect him and make this stop? up till now, we have been doing the firm "NO" or sharp "yip" and then redirecting his attention to his proper chew toys or small gnawing bone. should we just keep doing this? i don't want his puppyhood to be full of NO, NO, NO, NO, because i do want to enjoy his sweet cuddly self, but at the same time i know if he doesn't learn proper behavior NOW, it'll be a lot harder as he ages (esp during "adolescence"!). help! lol - paula
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Hi there, you are doing the right thing! Just stay calm and firm, I guarantee you this will stop in a few weeks! Although those weeks may seem quite long at the time… Be sure to praise him while he is being good and quiet, and not to inadvertently 'reward' his biting by continuing to play with him if he starts nipping.
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? [quote author=Karen link=topic=1722.msg45583#msg45583 date=1389274257] Hi there, you are doing the right thing! Just stay calm and firm, I guarantee you this will stop in a few weeks! Although those weeks may seem quite long at the time… Be sure to praise him while he is being good and quiet, and not to inadvertently 'reward' his biting by continuing to play with him if he starts nipping. [/quote] thank you! i feel better now... i just didn't want to go too far one way or the other. i'll keep doing what i am doing, and stopping play when he gets too rough... now if only i could get my husband to do the same (he's all typical male and "LET'S WRESTLE WITH THE PUPPY" which i am helping him see is NOT wise )..... i like your idea of rewarding him when he is good and plays nicely ! i will try that as well.
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Welcome As well as stopping play and yelping or saying no, you could stand up, turn your back and ignore him for a few seconds. This worked really well for me My hubby also continued to play rough with Harley and as she has got older (5 months) she knows she can come to me for gentle play / love and cuddles and to my hubby and daughter for rougher play. She learnt this really quickly. Good luck and let us know how you get on
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Thanks! I will. Right now, it's a bit tricky because when he is just with me and/or hubby, he does much better - but soon as the kids are around, he goes bonkers!!! They don't even have to DO anything - he just responds to their energy, I think. Gracious me. LOL
Re: Puppy problems - will things EVER improve??? Hi everyone, just an update in Eric. He's grown so much and looks less and less like a puppy each day. His play biting is getting better, only slightly but still a small improvement. My concern now is the jumping up on everything. I have been firm and say NO along with turning my back but he just jumps against my back! I'm sure again it's just perserverence but he's getting that big that his paws now rest table / work top height. Lastly he is still wetting in the house but mainly when we don't watch for the signs (he isn't really a whiner) Hope you are all ok, will try and be on more x
