Help me! Too Much Biting

[Sandra]

Hi There,

I've now had my 8.5 week old F1B goldendoodle for 9 days and although she keeps us up at night and cries when we leave the room, we expected all of this. What I didn't expect was the biting and nipping. It started 2 days after we got her and I feel like it's getting progressively worse. I don't think her biting or nipping is ever mean, more playful and especially when she is excited or has been outside. She is always going for our toes, ankles, hands, everything.

I'm a first time dog owner and so is my husband so I'm looking out for some suggestions, we tried everything suggested online (everything that isn't physical, we aren't supportive of grabbing her muzzle or smacking her nose).

I'm reaching out for some help, support and encouragement! Did your doodle bit and nip when they were a puppy? How long did it last? Did anything help?

I know socializing her with other dogs would help but she won't be fully vaccinated for another few weeks but I can't wait that long. We have a trainer coming to our place on Thursday, because it's bothering me so much but that's 3 days away!

Help me nip the nipping in the butt! I don't want to live in constant fear of my 10 pound fur ball!

Thank you so much!

Sandra momma to Lily

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Luckily this is only a stage and it will pass. Fudge was like a shark. I used bully sticks for distraction and when she was at her worst, I put her in her crate for a time out ( so I didn't kill her....LOL). Lots of times the naughtier she was, I found she was really just tired and the time out gave us a chance to all calm down. Vern did his biting on Fudge and we were thankful. Try your best to stay calm, distract with a toy, and when all else fails, time out. It is one of the reason puppies are so cute. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Oh, how I feel your pain! Winnie was a HORRIBLE nipper! I'm a pretty tolerant and patient person, but I remember being driven to tears out of pure frustration on more than one occasion. And, I actually contemplated given her back to the breeder. Winnie nipped at everything that moved- hands, arms, feet, legs, and any any clothing that covered those body parts! :-) Whenever I got home from work I changed into my "puppy pants" which were thick corduroy that were literally riddled with large holes. My hands and arms were covered with bite marks for months. 

Everyone has given good advice. One thing that really helped us was making sure that all movements toward her- whether reaching to pet or play with her, putting on her leash, etc. AND movements away from her were super slow. No fast movements as that only got her more riled up. I read somewhere to pretend that you are literally reaching through molasses. That and utilizing timeouts really helped. But, by far the best thing we did was get Winnie into doggy daycare after she had completed her shots. She quickly learned that she could use her mouth to play with dogs, but not with us. 

Hang in there- it DOES get better! If I remember correctly, Winnie has almost completely stopped biting at around 5 months. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, I have had the same experience but it does get better.  Make sure she has several things she likes to chew and throw one to her whenever she seems like she wants to play and nip.  I also raise my arms and say loudly "Ouch" which they soon realize is something you do not like.

[Sharon & Monty]

my idea, take him for a walk. my puppy used to turn into some else.  walking him, tossing a ball, gave him other options. make him move.

[Sharon & Monty]

We would also holler OWW when Monty bit too hard.  jerk our arm away and act as thou the world had ended.  LOL

[Adina P]

Our ten year old doodle, Rosco, was a monster nipper...JAWS as a pup.  He genuinely scared me.  And he was big too.  With him it lasted nearly his first year.  But that's not a typical case.  However, he turned into a dream doodle after the age of 1.  And he got registered as a therapy dog before the age of 2.  So there's hope!  Training, daily concerted, systematized training is what I credit our success too.  That and when Rosco was age 7 months I got married and my husband's dogs moved in and helped him burn off some energy.