"When puppies chase, puppies bite"

[Bridget and Lupin]

Things I've learned in the 3 days since we brought Lupin home:

"When puppies chase, puppies bite". This is what I find myself saying 25,000 times a day to my kiddo.  He looooves running and shrieking to incite Lupin to chase him.  I think we all know how that ends.

Bitter Yuk tastes terrible.  To me.

We were getting more sleep with a 3 yr old in bed with us than we thought we were. 

Cleaning up puppy whizz while said puppy is hanging off my pants cuff is suboptimal.

I should have read the chapters on how to teach puppies not to bite more closely.

And I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything wrong. 

No doubt there's more but I'm too tired......

[Star and Goldie]

Hang in there! It does get easier! The good news is that it's not too late to work on the biting/nipping/mouthing fiasco. There are some really helpful discussions in this group on them and some links to several of them on the main page (or more recent ones using the search function). I'd definitely go catch up on a few chapters there- lots of helpful advice.

The first couple of weeks are very trying- especially when you have a toddler involved. Trying to teach a nearly 3 year old that her toys are not puppy toys and she must keep them off the floor was like talking to a wall for me... until Goldie chewed the leg off of a precious Lalaloopsy- then it really started to sink in for my daughter! For a while I had to have special puppy time and then special daughter time. They had to have their separate times because they were feeling like they weren't getting enough attention. EXHAUSTING! After a few weeks though it calmed down... A LITTLE ;)

[Bridget and Lupin]

Glad to hear it calmed down a little in such a short (haha) period of time.  Sorry to hear about Lalaloopsy's leg....!  ;-)

[jen]

Its really hard I know. Our Walter is 10 weeks and has the same issues with my girls who are calm, sweet 7 & 9. All the "rules" have really taken the joy out of having a puppy. . Ive raised several dogs from puppies, including poodles and  the impossible Afghan hound in the 80's. WOW, and I thought they were challenging... I understand the puppy biting and by default it gets better but they are a little nutty.  Ive talked to 6 on here in the past week alone. Our main issue is that he has temperament issues, growling and even snapping(mostly at me when I attempt to remove him from something hes not supposed to be doing) Its not environmental nor has he been traumatized. Yes, he came from a reputable breeder and I have invested so much time energy and emotions to this "perfect best of both worlds dog" . We've had two behavioral specialists /trainers that have been doing this over 30 yrs to our home and its probably not the right dog for us. He cannot just play gently with my girls, his teeth are sharp and he love to lunge and hang off their clothing. He is so sweet at night when hes tired ;)  My girls have ripped jeans, shirts, bloody lip and hands all from  10 week puppy play. Yes, we crate train, have a spray bottle, do time out, have a kong toy,have quiet time,  exercise him and let him know whos boss so he does not dominate us and love him..lol  

  I sent you a PM. Good Luck.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Wow, having kids must make for a very different dynamic. Our 2 doodles came from a breeder with lots of kids and she sent us(both times)  instructions on how to have children behave around a puppy. Let me see if I can find it.... 

Here's the part that pertains to kids (she had quite a thorough list of instructions and tips, if you're interested):

 

Puppies and kids: I have raised many puppies with small children in the house and there is a trick to it. When unattended, my pups stay in a wire kennel in my kitchen (the center of the action in my house). Whenever I don’t have time to watch the puppy, he is in the kennel (ie feeding baby, making dinner, etc.).

Playtime with small children is always supervised by an adult until I feel that both the puppy and child are safe to interact with each other. I put a puppy outside to pee before play time. Then I sit on the floor with the puppy and child for play time.

A puppy will play bite, especially with a small child that your puppy thinks is another pup to play with. This is how puppies play, but puppy teeth are SHARP and they hurt! This is great for other puppies (they have fur and their own set of shark teeth), but it really scares human children. Play-biting can easily foster (or cause) a child’s fear of dogs. Do not allow this to happen. I usually do several, 15 minute, “no bite” lessons with a pup (in a quiet environment away from children and distractions) before introducing the puppy to the small child. This way, the puppy has a clearer idea of what is being taught. I gently play wrestle with my hand in the puppy’s face. If the puppy bites my hand, I gently/firmly grab the pup’s nose and say “no bite”, stop playing for about 30 seconds and then continue playing. I praise the puppy when he plays well or licks me instead of biting and stop the playing briefly to repeat the “no bite” when he bites.

Teach your child, if the puppy bites when they are playing, the child does a high pitched “yelp” (the sound that a pup makes when it is hurt), and stop playing for about 30 seconds (this is an eternity for a puppy/toddler).

 

Debb here, again. I'm going to go ahead and post a few more gems of info the breeder sent me. Many of these include tips for children:

Learn your puppy’s language

Our labradoodles are VERY smart. If you do not train them, they will try to train you. They are also very sensitive. A quiet, confident, consistent training program with a gentle, confidence is necessary. Establishing yourself as the pack leader, does NOT imply that you need to be loud, mean and overbearing to your dog!! You just need to learn the puppy’s language to establish who the boss is. A relationship where the puppy feels secure in your leadership will make a happier, more confident and secure puppy and you a happier puppy owner. These things may sound silly, but it’s just a few simple things to keep in mind, and will help to establish dominance with your new puppy

Do not reward any undesirable behavior- Just like teaching a child; make sure that your puppy never gets what it wants when it he does a behavior that you don’t want to re-enforce. Good behavior, not bad, needs to have positive re-enforcement. For example:

Barking to get attention- When my dogs bark, they go outside (even if I know that they are usually asking for attention when they bark, or I put the dog alone, in a different room. I just quietly pick up the pup, sometimes saying “no bark” and quietly place them outside without any “social” interaction for a minute or two.

Jumping Up- If a pup jumps up for attention, turn your back on the pup and ignore it until all feet are on the floor. When the pup is down (all 4 on the floor), THEN pet and praise your pup NEVER show him affection when he is jumping up on you (It is kind of cute as a puppy, but very difficult behavior with a dog).

Here are a few simple things to pay attention to (“dog talk”), which will help to establish you as the pack leader:

Dog on the bed/couch- Have you ever heard of the term “top dog”? In the dog world, whoever is on higher ground (on top), is the dominant dog. I don’t allow dogs on furniture, because I don’t want to blur the line of dominance (especially with young children). The humans are always dominant, even the little ones. If my children want to cuddle with their dog while watching TV, I have them sit on the floor, with the child lying on the dog (not the dog on the child). If the pup is too small for the child to lie on, I have the child rest their arm on the puppy while they are sitting together (so that some part of the child is higher than, or over, the dog).

Dog putting his paw in you- When a dog puts his paw on your arm, hand, etc.; put your hand on top of his paw. In “dog speak” whoever is on the top is “top dog”.

If a dog comes up to you and "asks" for attention, have them do something for you first; Like "Fido, sit". This puts you in the position of trainer/pack leader and not them.

Tug-of –war – If a puppy has a tug-of-war game with you and wins; he thinks that he is dominant. I don’t play this game with my dogs (Again, It is kind of cute as a puppy, but very difficult behavior with a dog and you want your shoe back). If you want to get something from your dog's mouth, you can teach them the command "drop". If you want to play tug-of-war, you need to be the winner.

Play-biting- This is something that really needs to be watched closely, especially with small children. It is normal, puppy play behavior for determining dominance in a puppy pack. Do not allow a dog to play bite a child. See www. Labradoodledoo.com “Training your Puppy” for more tips on how to stop play biting.

Walking in the door first- The “top dog” walks into the room first. I have my dogs sit at the doorway, and then I walk in. I give them a release command to let them know that it is their turn to enter.

Chewing on children’s toys- If your puppy chews something that you don’t want it to (i.e. children’s toys), take away the item, say “No” and give the puppy one of it’s own toys (praise the puppy). When given a puppy, children quickly learn, “Pick up your toys or they will be eatenJ”

[Bridget and Lupin]

Thanks so much for the info.  We don't play any tug-of-war games and she is only allowed up on the couch when we invite her.  If she tries to invite herself its a one way ticket to floorsville.  Kyle often wants to be down on the floor with her at her level and I'm trying to get him to stay more upright.  He's getting it, but he's three so its a lot of reminding and Why?  We've taught him to say "4 on the floor" if she tries to jump up, but really, I don't think his voice carries much weight...haha.  I'll be sure to be mindful of keeping a hand on her if she's on my lap and make sure K does the same to reinforce the top dog angle....hadn't thought of that.  I'm learning that yelping and a sharp NO work pretty well.  The nipping was better this morning already.  I'm working with her on her name and on sitting.  I'm pretty sure she already knows what "out" means when I ask her if she wants to go out...she heads for the back door.  So I know she's smart...thank goodness!  This is just so different from adopting a 2 year old rescue and training was essentially a refresher course.  Luckily she's cute!  :-)

[Jessica]

Things are still pretty tricky at my house right now- Coco is 16 weeks, and I have 3 children ages 8, 5, & 2.  My 8 year old is pretty good with Coco, and comes with me every week to puppy school.  I bought a product called Stop That that my trainer recommended, and it seems to work very well.  I am super quick to intervene anytime play gets too rough with the 2 year old, and now for the most part Coco leaves her alone, and rarely ever tries to bite on her.

The 5 year old is another story completely.  It seems Coco believes my Jacob is a fellow pack member, and harasses him non-stop.  I have had many conversations with my son, and he understands that Coco doesn't actually want to hurt him.  My trainer advised me to arm Jacob with his own Stop That spray, but I think I'll start with a water bottle first.  

 http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12194138 

[Bridget and Lupin]

Thanks for the product req....I'll try it.  I'm working with my kiddo and I think he is starting to get it that he simply cannot tear around shrieking and not expect to get nipped.