Play biting when tired...(puppy)

[Megan]

Hi all!

My little Brooksy (16 weeks old - male) is moody! Gosh, my hubby loves having two moody loves in his life :) haha..So anyway, when he's tired, he wants to put his mouth on everything, especially our hands! Oh, I just want to rip his teeth out. He is starting to understand that "NO BITE" means "NO BITE"..but he still does it to tick me off. Then, when I scold him or spray him, he sits and barks at me. I swear I have a toddler and I'm going to lose it! hahaha! The weird thing..he's like clock work. After 8:30..he runs laps around the house, barks and starts biting everything in sight. I try to just let him be...is this normal? Will it stop or do I need to put a stop to it? I feel like we are starting to go through a power struggle..and I want to nip it in the bud now! We just started obedience training so I'm hopeful that will help too....any thoughts?

[Leslie and Halas]

There are some other discussions on this. If you go to Discussions and search for biting or nipping, I think you'll find them. Halas did this exact same thing. A lot of the time, I just called it bedtime and made him go to bed. When he was tired and cranky like that, none of the usual methods worked. I resorted to a drop of lemon juice in the mouth, but Halas was quite a bit older than Brooks when I started that. There are lots of good suggestions in the other discussions, so check them out.

Where are you going for obedience training? It's great that you're starting. Sometimes, when the nipping starts, you can just start some obedience training, and that will help refocus his energy.

[Adina P]

Very normal although annoying. MANY pups outgrow it even if you dont "fix it" yourself. But it's best to have plan. I would talk to your trainer...and search past discussions as Leslie said---we have had a LOT of discussions on this---if you need help in how to search hover your mouse over the tab labeled "forum" at the top of any page, then watch the videos in the HOW TO section to help you.

In the meantime know that it IS normal and common and puppy is NOT trying to tick you off. Try to be nonchalant about it all and just YELP like he tore your leg off when he puts teeth on you. YELP "OUCH!!!!!" and remove ALL your attention (eye contact, touch, presence) and leave him completely alone for 30 seconds. Repeat as necessary or just plop him in his crate right away (again NO attention...just put him away) and leave him there for a few minutes to relax.

[Paula]

My 'baby" will be 16 weeks on Monday and does the same thing...at least 1or 2 times a day and at bedtime. I try to put her to bed (crate) before the mood strikes but if she vears off schedule a bit and starts before I have put her to bed I immediately crate her and she ALWAYS goes right to sleep. They ARE just like small children...I swear!

[Megan]

Sorry guys...I should have did my research before I started posting! Thanks for all the advice - its so comforting to know that I'm not alone and that Brooks isn't crazy!! :) Leslie - I had my first session with Ava Kamm - she is with Patient Paws. I work with a couple of folks that have used her and had good results, but we'll see how it goes!! I have another question..do you always put your dog in a kennel to ride in the car? We had our first roadtrip over Tgiving and it didn't go well. He seriously howled the whole way home. Any tips?

[Leslie and Halas]

When he was very young, I kenneled him in the car. At about 5 or 6 months old, I just started putting him in the backseat without his kennel. He's always been a very good traveler, so I don't have much advice for you. Halas just sits in the middle of the backseat and looks around. Sometimes he'll lay down, but usually he just sits quietly (unless he has to woof at a pedestrian). There are posts about harnesses, seat belts, etc., but I don't know if I've seen one on just general behavior in the car. A kennel is a good idea to keep them safe, but harnesses are good, too, and maybe that would let him be closer to you, which would hopefully limit the howling.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I would try and outnip the 830p 'terror' time. Since this happens around 830, I would start around 815p and play tug or play ball (Samantha's 2 favorite things). If that is not possible, when he starts the nipping give him a toy to chew on. I think that he wants your attention and needs to play to get out some energy. When you are done it's potty break and bed time. He should be tired by then.
The scream of "ouch" really does work does work with Samantha. I then turn my back on her and she hates that. Try very hard not to giggle when you hear the whine or the cute Doodle eyes you will get.
Obedience does work. You must, must, must be consistent. The first time you are not, that is remembered!! They are so darn smart!