Chewing/biting

[LeeAnn Mink]

So we know doodles are mouthy and that puppies of any breed chew everything but feel we need to nip this in the bud before she gets any bigger. Having small kids around she's liable to hurt one once she's a nipping 5 month old 50 lb pup. Also, our almost 8 year old dog still after 3 weeks wants to make her a snack. I feel like a constant mediator. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can handle at least her going after the kids and our less than fun Vida dog? I thought after 3 weeks they'd at least be used to each other but not the case. My biggest concern though is the kids. She has the tendency to let out some serious growls, show teeth and bite with force. This worries me as it seems to be more than just a playful puppy. Anything would be helpful!!! Thanks in advance guys!

[BG and Gavin]

Keep her on a leash in the house so you can interupt bad behaviour.  Better yet, keep her tethered to you as you move about your activities.  Put her in her crate when you cannot keep an eye on her.  The less chance she has to practice bad behaviour the better.  Put a toy or something in the dogs mouth before letting the kids pet her or keep petting time to when she is lying down, relaxed or nearly asleep.  If she bites, get the kids to yell ouch really loud, which should back her off.  Do not let them play rough with her.  Practice the "off" command.  Take a treat in front of her nose and when she goes to take it say "off" when she stops, praise her, say "ok" and give her the treat.  After some practice she will turn her head to you when you say it.  Keep practicing with her toys and then eventually offer her your hand when she is bitey. When she goes to bite you hand say "off."  This command will also help you later on when she steals socks and what no ;)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LeeAnn, part of the problem may be that you brought your puppy home when she was only 6 weeks and 1 day old, if the information on your page is correct. That's really too young. Puppies who leave the litter that early do not develop normal bite inhibition, and they also don't learn to interact (play) appropriately with other dogs, which could extend to small children as well.

The advice I have heard from dog behaviorists is that with this situation, the best thing you can do is get a really good trainer/behaviorist to advise you. I don't mean to scare you, but I was involved in the DRC rehoming of a goldendoodle with this same situation, and he could not be in a home with children. The vet who first saw him advised the owner to get him into puppy training but the owner did not follow this advice and had to rehome him at 15 months old when he was a very large dog who bit children and other dogs. He did not have an aggrssive nature, he had just not learned the things that puppies learn between 6-8 weeks of age, primarily how not to injure anyone with his mouth.

Your older dog is reacting to this and is trying to do what her mother and litter mates would have done if she'd been kept with them long enough.

For your puppy's sake as well as your family's, I think you really should get her professional training, and preferably one-on-one rather than classes. It really is imperative that this be turned around now, while she's still a managable size.

[LeeAnn Mink]

Thank you BruceGirl for the useful advice. I will be sure to use it!

Karen&Jack_ in our defense we were unaware that were "rules" stating that they had to be 8 weeks old. The "breeder" said she was ready then so we took her home. No fault of our own. I get defensive in that matter as if we knowingly took a baby fro her mom and siblings too early. This is definitely something the breeder should have handled better.

Unfortunately we can't afford one on one intensive training. Vet bills yes, grooming yes, good food, yes but that would push us over our budgetary limit. I'm going to try a few suggested tips first before we take the route. Nonetheless, we appreciate your input.

[Adina P]

I don't think Karen meant it accusingly as much as informatively. To let you know that her young age at homecoming could have contributed to her behavior because of missing out on 2 critical weeks in social development around other dogs. I think most everyone who ends up with a puppy this young did so out of ignorance about buying puppies, not out of knowing intent.  There are actually a number of states that prohibit the sale of pups before 8 weeks of age.  Breeders who sell a pup early are either ridiculously ignorant about what they are doing (which is sad because they of all people should know this) or greedy and don't care.  But anyway, what is done is done.  Not all pups taken early have problems and not all pups with problems have them because of the age they left their littermates. 

I second the importance of training, but I don't think you have to find a one-to-one trainer.  If you find a GOOD trainer, 2-3 classes (puppy to advanced) should suffice.

In the meantime, keep a leash on that puppy and always supervise.  Stop it with the leash, firmly but gently.  Let it know when it does wrong, praise it when it does right.  Crate the pup when it's out of control to give it a chance to cool off.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Adina, you are correct that nothing in my post was meant to be accusatory.

Here's an excellent article which has some really good tips for owners that may help:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php

[Jennifer]

Hi Leeann, we are in a similar boat. Our Finn is 9wks old today. We've had him home now for 12 days. He is by far the mouthiest puppy I've ever had. We also have 2 small children (ages 4 and 7) that he see's as giant chew toys. :-) I'm noticing patterns of when he tends to be mouthier (early morning, early evening and late evening). I've been giving him bully sticks when he is really chewy which has helped quite a bit. Other than that we continue to do the NO BITE, and redirect him to a toy (which seems pointless right now because he bites the toy once and is immediately back to biting us but I'm confident with continued patience and repetition he will get better).

I do keep him on a leash near me for the most part (which someone else suggested). He only gets free roam when we can watch his every move. :-) I also purchased some Bitter spray for furniture and other items I've caught him chewing on (the refrigerator). :-) :-)

I have my kids feed Finn out of their hands. I also remove treats from his mouth and pet him, put my hand near his food while he's eating etc... so far he has shown no aggression during any of this.

If you truly believe your puppy is showing aggression I would suggest consulting with the breeder you purchased her from as well as your local vet for ideas, tips on correcting the behavior now. Like you said, you want to nip this in the bud now.

For what it's worth though, you are not alone... we are in puppy bliss over here as well. :-) :-)

[Adina P]

Can you describe the behavior of your older dog who 'wants to have her for a snack'?  What exactly does she do?

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

LeeAnn, you have received some great advice already.

I think the "off" command that BruceGirl mentioned is an important key, now and for the future. For Cosmo, the command is "No," but it serves the same purpose. (We use "off" for getting off the furniture.)

Please check out the link Karen posted, because it is a great guide to training bite inhibition. The authors point out that learning bite inhibition continues until the puppy is 4 to 6 months old--so it's not too late to get a handle on it now!

Also, Jennifer's advice on the "no bite" command is excellent. For Cosmo, we used "no teeth," but, again, it served the same purpose.

One additional thing we did, which has turned out to be very useful, is to teach Cosmo the "kisses" command. We spread softened butter on our fingers and offered them to Cosmo, telling him "kisses!" When he licked the butter off, we would praise him. Eventually, he learned that the appropriate thing to do with human flesh is to lick it, not nip it. When he is around small children, I remind him, "kisses!" and he licks their fingers.

In the meantime, handle her gently as much as you can, playing with her ears, her toes, etc., so she gets used to being handled. Hand-feed her and remove toys and treats from her, then give them back. This will help you determine whether you are dealing with a puppy who just hasn't learned manners yet or one who truly has some aggression issues.

And, the most important thing to get her to learn is that, when she misbehaves, the fun stops--no playing, no holding, no talking, no eye contact.

Good luck with this little cutie!