Puppy Nipping

[Tara]

So we have had Seymour for almost 2 weeks now.  He will be 10 weeks old tomorrow.  He has adjusted well and housebreaking is going better than expected.  The one area where we are having a lot of problems is him nipping at my children.

I swear he thinks they are puppies but he is constantly going after my 3 year old son.  He jumps on him, bites his clothes and nips at him.  We have tried a firm "No", tried distracting him with other toys, the breeder said to grab him by the scruff and say "NO!"...we have have tried that and nothing works.  Whenever my son is around Seymour runs after him. 

We know nipping is normal, but if anyone knows a way to lessen it, I would appreciate the advice.  He has tons of chew toys, ropes, dental sticks, treats, etc.  For some reason he just loves going after my son. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Check out this discussion from a few days ago....  http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/help-me-too-much-biting

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I never trained using "no" or yelling.  We used a forceful "ouch" or "eh eh" and if puppy did not stop, we quickly redirected him to chase a ball by throwing a ball just a few feet initially and the movement generally will attract their attention.  If he still goes after your son, gently pick him up and give him a short time out in crate (5 minutes, or until he quiets down).  ust keep repeating. Puppies really do want to please their owners, and this stage is difficult because they are used to playing with their siblings in this manor.  Try not to yell, as this just makes them more excited.  Good luck - you will get through this stage. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

"Be A Tree" ... Teach your son not to run when the puppy is around.  If the puppy is nipping he should stop and "Be A Tree".  Arms crossed in front of him.  That way there is nothing to entice the puppy to chase and nip ... no fun.  There are times during the day where nothing works and you just need to put the puppy in his crate for a little time out and a nap.  Puppies are like toddlers in that they get over stimulated and over tired.  Nap time!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with this advice....puppies love to play and nipping to them is part of play.  Children seem to emit an energy that makes puppies think they're just like them.  We went through this with puppies and grandkids, and pretty much followed this advice.  If the kids were running around and playing the puppy was crated.

[Leslie J]

I had 4 year old twins when Cocoa was a puppy. I didn't let her run loose with them during this stage. I kept her tethered (to me or a piece of furniture), in an enclosed area, or in her crate. I also never left her alone with the kids. If she behaved they played with her and pet her- if she was too nippy they could move away from her.

I also taught my kids not to run and jump around her. I told them that if they act like puppies she'll treat them like puppies!!!

[Richard Crowe]

Unfortunately, although doodles are wonderful dogs, this is the reason that Doodle Rescue, Inc. has age rules for families wanting to adopt a doodle.

Young kids and toddlers tend to aggravate this type of nipping behavior in dogs (especially in puppies) by their fast and erratic movements.  

The "be a tree" advice is a good thing to teach a child... It's something young kids can understand and can even enjoy playing at...

I also think that a young puppy should not have freedom of the house unsupervised anymore than you would let your toddler have the freedom of the local mall!

[Casey]

We taught our son to "be a tree" after yelling a loud "Ouch!" when the pup would nip.   It worked, particularly when our son would turn his back to the dog. Stanley seemed to catch on pretty quickly that the playing stopped and he couldn't even make eye contact with his favorite playmate.  

We also found it helpful to have our son participate in training Stanley, including the serving of food. It was helpful to teach our pup to wait until someone said "Ok" after pouring the food in the dish.  Once our son became the one responsible for giving Stanley the "Ok" to eat, things changed pretty quickly.  

If your kids are getting down on the floor, the poor puppy doesn't know what to do other than treat them like another pup.  Have your kids avoid this kind of spirited play for a while.  Once the pup catches on about the nipping, they can return to playing a little more vigorously. 

That's what worked for us.