Puppy nipping

[Jess]

Hi, 

We just adopted our first goldendoodle. He is 8 weeks old and we've had him a week. He has been awesome other than having an issue with nipping. It started out playful but in 1 weeks has seemed to get a little more aggressive. I have tried a number of things. 1. gently pat nose and tell him 'no bite' 2. spray bottle to the nose (friend gave us that tip) works sometimes 3. Say 'ow' and walk away. 4. Time out. We did lots of research and felt like we went through a breeder that did good socialization and was concerned with personality. Anyway, I REALLY want a dog that is incredibly friendly. That is one of the reasons we picked this breed. My 6 year old son is semi afraid of our puppy. If anyone has any advice at all...please share!!!!! We want to work thru this but I do not want an aggressive dog. I talked my hubby out of getting a doberman to get a more family friendly dog. Thanks in advance!!!:) 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

The "ow" and walking away worked best for us.  Make sure when you walk away you go somewhere puppy can't get to you (we used the nearest bathroom).  That way the puppy's "toy" is gone for about 20 seconds and they realize if they're too rough play time is over!

Luna is now a very gentle dog with a very soft mouth.  She doesn't nip at all during regular play.

Keep at it, it'll probably continue a bit until he's done teething but as long as you're consistent he'll get the message.

[Jess]

Thanks!!!!! We will follow your advice today!

LOVE the name Luna...by the way!:) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's important that nobody ever holds anything over the puppy's head or out of his reach and encourages him to jump or grab it. He gets nothing, no toys, no treats, nothing, if he grabs for them or tries to pull them out of someone's hand. No tug of war games. Just as you must never allow him to pull anything away from you, you must also never pull anything away from him. If he wants you to throw a ball or toy for him, he must drop it. Never wrestle it out of his mouth. He lets go or you don't play. (Obviously this doesn't apply to something dengerous that he has gotten hold of.) Never allow anyone (it's usually men) to play games in which the puppy's teeth make contact with their hands, i.e. using their hands as toys. If his teeth touch human flesh, the game ends and he gets ignored. Stand up and walk away. Ditto if he pulls at anyone's clothing. Cry OW! and walk away. Everyone must be on the same page with this.

It's after the fact, but for anyone who might be reading this and has not yet gotten their puppy, it's really best not to bring a puppy home until he is at least 8 weeks old. Puppies don't start to learn bite inhibition until they are 6 weeks old, so a 7 week old dog has only been learning that for one week. IMO, two weeks of bite inhibition training from their mothers and littermates is better than one. 7 weeks (49 full days) is the absolute minimum age that any puppy should be taken from its litter, and in fact many states require that it be 8 weeks. 

Your puppy is not being aggressive. This is normal behavior for a very young puppy. 

[Jess]

Karen- Thanks for your advice! I wish I would have know that about his age!!! I would would have easily waited another week!!!! I did a lot of research but didn't read that & thought breeders knew the appropriate time for the puppies to go to their new home!

Anyway, we are going to do the 'ow' and walk away this week and definitely won't have him pull things or pull things from him. My kids are the main target of his nipping. I'm trying to teach my son not to freak out but it scares him....so anyway we will keep working! Thanks again for your advice! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It may help if you explain to your son that the puppy isn't trying to hurt him and doesn't mean to hurt him, that the puppy is only trying to play with him; that this is the way puppies play with their puppy brothers and sisters, and they have to be taught a different way to play with their human brothers and sisters. :-)

Shrieking or quick jerky movements away from his teeth will only reinforce the behavior, because the puppy will interpret that as an excited response to the "game." 

Tell him that dogs use their mouths the way he uses his hands, to hold things, to grab things, to pick things up, etc. Good time for a lesson on our wonderful opposable thumbs, too. LOL  

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

We have a very sweet ALD that was a nipper and used my husband as a squeaky toy for the first few months. As with J's Luna, he has a very soft mouth now (except with bully sticks-but that's fine)

Do what Karen says and this too shall pass.  And I would make that "OW" sound loud enough to let him know it!  

Meanwhile, that little face is precious! 

[Adina P]

Just to give you additional reassurance, my puppy was JAWS for months (I was not married and had no kids and he only did this to me) and months and months.  But by a year, with hard work in training, he got over it and became a registered therapy dog at 19 months.  Most dogs don't take a year to get rid of the nipping, mine was an exception.  Most pups kind of quit that silliness by 4-ish months.

[Jess]

Thanks! That is REALLY helpful and encouraging! What kind of training did you do with him through out his first year?! :) 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna's nickname was "land shark" when she was little ;) She stopped the craziness at around 8 months.

[Adrienne]

Puppy nipping is normal.  I am going through this, now, with my 12 wk old Dougie.  He is getting better but EVERYONE has to be consistent.  My daughter has a hard time being firm with him because she says "He is too cute".  Hence, she is his bite toy.  Be patient and keep working with him, it will get better.