Biting and I am a little SCARED

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Ginger, who is 5 months has started to bite.  Whenever I try and pet her, she tries to nip at me.  If a say her name, she barks at me and goes into the play bow.  Next she starts zooming around.  If I am sitting on the sofa, she jumps on me and tries to bite me.  If I stand up, she still tries to nip at me.

 

If I ignore her, she continues to bark at me, with different octaves. She jumps on us and tries to bite us, with purpose.  She jumped on my son, 11 today and ripped his sweatshirt.  She also nipped at his hand it hurt him.  She did not break the skin, but it hurt just the same.

 

This sounds wierd, but she gets a "different face" which kinda scares me.

 

She is teething, but has ample chew toys and it's not teething, but actual biting.  Ginger recently started going to Doggie Day Care for 7 hours on Thursdays.  I wonder if this has anything to do with this new behavior.

 

She is walked and played with...She eats well and sleeps in her crate at night.

 

I don't know what to do, or how to handle this challanging behavior.  I am feeling very frustrated. I have to admit, I am a little envious when I read all the posts about all the doods and how nice they all seem. 

 

Any advice is welcome.

Pam

[Jennifer and Jack]

Oh I don't know, it sounds like since you are saying they  are doing the play bow that they are just trying to play but don't know the limits, or forgot them or something.

 

When Jack would play bite us, we would stick our thumb in his mouth and push down on his jaw and yelp no bite. Dogs get the zoomies, Jack used to jump up on people's night gowns and bite them. I can see it in his eyes at two that he still wants to do it.

 

I am sure someone with better experience will chime in.. Just wanted to let you know, you are not alone. My little Jaws stopped at about 8 months with the occasional attack of the night gown

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Trust me, Pam, when I tell you my doods are not perfect :) I think this sounds like normal puppy energy and play. I would not be scared. I would redirect with a toy. She probably likes the reactions she is getting from all of you. I say put her in the crate for a time out with a chew toy until she calms down. Is she still active on Thursdays after daycare? Fudge went through this stage and you are right, it does hurt. Sometimes, when my patience got the better of me, off to her crate she went until both of us had calmed down. It will pass. Try and stay calm and in control. Good luck!!

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

Pam - you are not alone.  Our puppy is 3.5months and had my 9yo daughter in tears today with the nipping.   We also have a 2yo doodle and I recall at 6 months, hiring an in-home trainer because my 2 children and husband were tired of getting nipped in the butt (literally....the dog would follow behind them and constantly nip at them...MANY shirts have small holes near the hips/butt area).    The trainer gave us some advice but truly, I think Boomer would have outgrown it and we didn't need to hire that in-home trainer.    Now, I fear our 3.5mo puppy will go through that same phase....he does it some now and my daughter will run from him (naturally, he'll then get worked up and chase her)....I tell her to stand still and fold her arms but she just wants to run from him and tell me that she "hates him and I want to get rid of him"....but I know this will pass (just as it did with my 2yo doodle) but its hard, especially with children.    My children both love the 2yo doodle now and lay on him and FINALLY enjoy him...but they didn't enjoy him as a puppy - just as they aren't enjoying the 3.5mo puppy yet either.   

 

Thats not very encouraging, is it?  I can just say it will get better.  Sounds like he is trying to play with you and/or get your attention.   

 

Best wishes!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Join the crowd.... my Sasha was very "nippy" as a puppy, I think she just was saying "hey play with me NOW".  Oliver who is 8 1/2 months old was never a nippy dog - so far.  Believe me.... I have the ripped clothes too !!!  When Sasha would get in her "nippy" mood i would stop what we were doing and go behind closed doors and wait 5 minutes - i would do this every time, she finally got the hint that when she got nippy i would walk away - that worked for us.  I really don't think you have too much to worry about, you just have to let Ginger know in your own way that what she is doing is not acceptable.  They are very smart dogs and she will figure it out real quick...... good luck.

[jessica (Rufus)]

i am going through the same thing my son is 8 and he nips me and him but not my husband people say it will end but its wears me  down  my puppy is 11 months  :(

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Puppies of this age require a tremendous amount of exercise to get their puppy energy out.  A walk or two and a little playing with the kids isn't going to take care of it.  They really need some time in a fenced in yard where they can just run and run to get it all out.  Our trainer likened the Zoomies to an overtired toddler ..... what do you do with an overtired toddler, you put them down for a nap or to bed for the night depending on the time of day.  If you can afford it I would add some additional daycare days.  The good news is that the puppy teeth will be coming out in the next month and it won't hurt so badly!  Hang in there, we have all been there.

[L.M.]

My doodle, Seamus, who will be 2 in May, was VERY mouthy and nipped constantly until he was about a year old.  If he got wound up for any reason, he would nip.  We tried time outs with him......we would remove him from the room we were in and put him in a free standing pen until he calmed down......this sort of worked but was kind of a pain to always follow through with.  We then began to always keep him on a leash or training collar (choke collar but no prongs).  I know some people refuse to use these, but we were desperate.  Anytime he nipped...or misbehaved at all....we tugged the collar and put him into a sit.  This was the method that worked best and quickest for us.  This, combined with him simply calming down and growing up worked very well and now we have a well-behaved (well...usually pretty behaved lol but non-biting) doodle.  

This behavior, by the way, is completely normal.  I know it's easier said than done, but try to stay calm.....I often got super frustrated with Seamus and it only made things worse because he sensed my crazed energy which only increased his.  She will calm down and will learn as she grows up.    

[Adina P]

Rosco was similar to Seamus. There were points I was really afraid of him.  We just stepped up training and got very strict with obedience expectations and that's what seemed to do it for us.  I highly recommend you and Ginger join a beginning obedience class (or higher if you've already been through that) and keep at it through several levels of obedience.

[Smita, Ollie and Juno]

Sounds a lot like Ollie. He is 6 months old and has been very mouthy. A little time out calms him right down. Don't let her puppy energy scare you. Ollie gets that look too. We call it his "crazy doodle" look where we know he starts making these huffy sounds and nipping everything and everybody in sight :-). They are probably testing our limits. Being calm and assertive will prevent any mishaps and hopefully they will outgrow it soon.

[Pat and Traveler]

Pam, I remember when Trav went through a horrid stage of biting at me and barking defiantly if I tried to correct him.  If I turned away from him he would jump up and try to nip at my hands or arms.  It wasn't a stage that lasted very long--I think about a month--but it seemed like forever.  I was worried that I had a dog that would be borderline vicious.  What seemed to work best was removing him from me--if he was outside I went inside and closed the door.  If he was inside, I went to a different room.  And yelping loudly if he touched me when he was nipping or jumping.  It was a stage, and it did pass.  It sure worried me while it was going on, though.  This was around the same time he started grabbing things he knew he wasn't supposed to have--the remote, a credit card, shoes, whatever--and running with them.  Pretty much had to chase sometimes as I didn't want what he had to get destroyed, and he loved that.  Yuk time.  Good luck with Ginger.  I think if you just hang in there and do whatever you can, this stage will pass.  

[Martha & Cooper]

Pam, I am sorry you have one of the mouthy puppies!  I do too!  Cooper has been this way since day one.   He has gone through stages.   He was really bad about it when he was teething.  Then again at about 8 months.  Now, he does it when he is bored and wants to play, at 15 months.   He gets the zoomies and it looks like he is going to attack me, but I know he is just playing and if all else fails, I just grab him and tether him to the door for a time out.   He has learned just how far he can go with me and lays there staring at me with those sad puppy dog eyes after he is in time out, but I won't tolerate him baring his teeth at me or any human, even if it is play. I have seen him and other dogs interact this way at daycare, so I am wondering if he thinks he will get me to play this way.  The good news is, just as everyone else is saying, these episodes are getting less and less.

[shelly]

Pam - DON"T FRET!  Tori was just like this and I DO know EXACTLY what you mean by 'the face'... it's really scary... Tori actually bit me and DREW BLOOD!  I wanted to open the door and let her out and and didn't care (at the moment) where she went... but somehow sanity set in and I just locked her in her crate and screamed at her (real mature, I know).  Try to tuck your hands in and turn your back when she does this.  I know.. Tori lunged up and tore many articles of clothing too... leave the room and don't look back... if you could barricade her in as you leave that would help.  Don not give her any attention - positive or negative... just a firm LOUD NO!

What also helped me was tethering her to me at all times.  Making her sit and wait for EVERYTHING... food, water... play and out.  don't let her leave or enter the house for potty until YOU have gone in or out.  When people told me this, I was like yeah - ok. - won't work with THIS monster.. but it WORKED!  she has to know YOU are boss.  Good luck!  Step up the training and you will soon be giving advice to someone else who comes along with the SAME 'problem' as all of us!