Tips for kids and biting/mouthing puppy

[VScott & Lloyd]

So we've got a very mouthy 10 week old puppy on our hands!

I would really appreciate any tips for nipping puppies and kids and how to best handle it. My boys are 8 and 9 years old and are often victims of Lloyd's nipping and biting. He'll nip their skin and clothes, sometimes leaving holes in their shirts and shorts. It's quite upsetting to the (human) boys and a lot of times I have to intervene and get Lloyd off of them. So that means I'm always watching and not left with a lot of free time of my own when Lloyd's out of his crate. I tell them to redirect Lloyd to his chew toys or redirect him to "sit," which is the one command he knows. I also tell them to "yelp" and walk away. However when Lloyd has a hold of their clothes I literally have to go over there and pry it out of his mouth. It's really frustrating because the boys really want to play and cuddle with Lloyd but it's difficult when he hurts them.

We also try to exercise Lloyd in hopes he'll be too tired physically and mentally to nip. We'll go for short walks down the street but most of the time he just wants to sit on the grass. Most of his exercise is in the yard - exploring, playing with the ball, rolling in the grass,...and nipping at our feet, legs, hands, clothes. We provide lots of chew toys - kongs (which he's not that interested in even when filled with food), rawhide, bully sticks, kong stuffed animals, rubber chews, etc...I've been trying to train him and have been successful with "sit" so far. He gets training treats, ice cubes, and apples. 

The boys want to play tug of war with Lloyd but I've banned that game because I want Lloyd to know he always has to give up whatever he has to us if we ask for it. This is also what I taught my previous dogs before I had kids. Perhaps I should let Lloyd and the boys play tug of war to get this urge out? Or would that make matters worse?

Thanks for any suggestions :)

[Laura and Angus]

I completely understand your frustration. Teething is a VERY trying time for the family (including puppy). You're going to get a million helpful responses to this, but I think what helped us the most was identifying a "time out" place for us to separate puppy from us when he got overly rambunctious with the mouthing. I will tell you that for the first couple months I literally wore crappy clothes because we had holes in everything and I probably still have some scars on my arms from those tiny razor sharp milk teeth. Ugh! No fun :( When puppy would bite we would say "No bite!" and then immediately put him in the "time out" spot to calm down - for us this was the kitchen. We would put him in there with a toy for a minute or two and as soon as he would lay down we would let him back out to try again. At the same time we were encouraging "give kisses" as an alternative.

At this point (10 months), our puppy will still get a little too rambunctious and will put his mouth around our arms - usually gently, but when excited it might be too much pressure and we'll say hey! give kisses! and he immediately changes. It takes time, loads of exercise, patience, and a ton of training. Just make sure that every family member understands what the boundaries are and how to deal with issues - this will likely require a sit down with the boys about using calm voices and not using quick movements around the puppy. 

As our puppy got older (around 6 months), we started to use an air spray canister to discourage mouthing of any kind. It just sprays a puff of air and makes a hissing sound - we say "No!" loudly and give him a spritz on his hip. At this point, he understands that saying No! is a bad thing and it typically makes him drop whatever he is grabbing on to, but we really felt like this was helpful for our very hyper/mouthy pup. Good luck with everything!!

[SoSa]

Now that our puppy is 6 months old, I can look back on our experience with this and laugh. While going through it, it was anything but funny and I often questioned my decision to get a puppy. We have lots of war marks from this stage: scarred hands, ripped pants and sweater/jacket sleeves. I can say it does get better.

Sounds like you are really doing the right things in trying to shift the biting to a toy or chew treat. We would constantly yell "no bite" then walk away from him. We did play tug of war with him, but we always made sure we won, still do, because at 5-6 months, the mouthing begins again as they start losing teeth.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

You are doing the right stuff- just keep at it. As I posted recently, the nipping/biting literally almost drove me insane. But, with persistance and a lot of redirecting, time outs and "no bite" it WILL get better. I would recommend that you not let your boys play tug of war- it will likely only get Lloyd even more riled up. As frustrating as it is for them (and you), you might also want to let them know that it might be a while until Lloyd learns how to "play nice."

In addition to the above, one other thing I found helpful is to make all movements around the puppy very slooooowwww. Quick movements with normal every day things- like grabbing her collar, walking toward her, brushing her or handling any part of her body would only make things worse. So, I slowed all hand movements down and pictured my hands "going through molasses." 

Best wishes!

[VScott & Lloyd]

Thanks everyone!

I think we're going to employ the time outs more and try to move more slowly and calmly (as much as an 8 and 9 year old can do!). Hopefully Lloyd will get the picture soon :)

[Cammy Todd]

I feel for you! We are at 14 weeks with Izzy and it does get better with patience and consistency. 

A couple of things that worked for me with our girls who are 8 and 5.

1.  Teach the boys how to use a stern voice when correcting Lloyd.  At first, my girls would scream when Izzy nipped at them or their clothes and it just made it worse.  I had to teach them how to say "No Bite" in a low, stern voice.  It has done wonders!  We still have the occasional nipping incident, but it has gotten so much better!  My 5 year old can come right up to Izzy now and hug her without getting nipped at.  But, we did lose a few pairs of pajamas along the way (holes from nipping!)

2.  When the nipping starts/gets bad, play is over.  Whether this is a time out or you leaving the room, puppy needs to understand that nipping equals no more fun.  Izzy was/is either in our large master bath, leashed to me, or tethered to a piece of furniture with a 15 foot lead when out of her crate.  This helps us keep an eye on her and allows us to leave the room if she starts to nip.  Our house layout does not allow for baby gates which has made this a little more difficult, but it works. 

3.  Start to teach the drop it command.  This is a work in progress for us, but it is getting so much better.  If Izzy grabs clothes/pant legs, a firm drop it command usually works to get her to let go.  I use treats for this or sometimes a little pressure on her front paw (nothing to hurt her, but it usually distracts her enough to let go of what's in her mouth and enforce the command). 

[VScott & Lloyd]

Thank you!

We also have an open floor plan where gates wouldn't work. I've been tethering him and although he doesn't really like it and whines for a few minutes, at least he can be with us and the rest of us can have somewhat of a normal life. 

Now to get the boys to do the low stern voice... :)

[Kaitee and Orwell]

First off, ice cubes are great--keep using them. My almost 11-month old is far past teething, but whenever someone goes to the freezer, he sits and looks at you imploringly until you give him an ice cube. 

I would suggest that everyone should always have a toy in their hand when they are within the vicinity of Lloyd. If he puts his mouth on skin, encourage him to chew on the toy. If he doesn't, give him a time out.

Like everyone here agrees, this was a stressful time, but it doesn't last long in retrospect. That being said, I still need to get new clothes because of the damage on almost every pair of pants and shirts I have, lol. And yes, I have scars, but they are kind of endearing to me now. :P I think you will eventually feel like SoSa and I. You will get through it, and your kids will get through it. At your son's age, I had a yellow lab and I was so afraid of her at this stage that I avoided her at all costs. And she was primarily my dog. After that stage, she was great. Your pup will be too. 

[Sheeba Daniel]

I've been meaning to respond to this because we are in the middle of this right now too - with Tessy -13 weeks. We do all the same things you do but also like others have mentioned started using a time-out area, are teaching the "Leave it" command when she is tugging on our pant leg, and just stopping interaction. I tell the kids that if they are on the floor with her the easiest way is to stand up and say in a stern, low voice "I'm done Tessy." I don't know if Tessy actually understands the words but it at least reminds the kids that they should end play. I also try to have the kids ask for "Kisses" and then treat or treat randomly when she is using her mouth in a gentle way with "kisses." She is getting better and better but at certain times when she is especially riled up and excited - and we have tried everything - we just say it's "time to relax in the crate" The kids are doing this too - trying to stay very calm. Of course I usually have to intervene and pick Tessy up and put her in the crate - but my 12 year old is getting better at being able to tell when these times are. Usually, then Tessy is overtired and she just collapses in the crate. This is not a time-out per se as it usually at the end of the evening and she just needs help calming down. It's been extra work to make sure the kids say "relax in the crate" in a calm, non-punishing way. 

The one thing that has been helpful for the kids is to remind them "slow and low" - this is a phrase a friend of mine taught me and now I use it all the time with the kids - reminding them to keep their body movements slow/calm/not jerky and their voice low, stern but calm. I always remind the kids to not put their face in the dog's face - even when she is calm - she is just so young and get so excited so fast - when the kids pick her up - I am even keeping an eye out to make sure they are turned away from the dog's mouth. 

I have to admit that I have been stressed about making sure we always address the mouthiness/nipping - worrying that she might accidentally nip one of the kids in the face, or not correcting the behavior the right way, etc., that I too have to say "slow and low" to myself  - LOL. 

All in all I think using all of these strategies constantly have made a difference though - we are seeing slow progress - thank goodness! I think that parenting my kids on how to "parent" Tessy has been the biggest challenge even though they are so responsive to it - it's just a lot of work! But I think it is really positively affecting their bond with the dog. Hope this helps . 

[VScott & Lloyd]

Thanks for your tips and encouragement. Of course, he's still nipping as much as he ever did but

[MICHELE DREW]

I'm going through the same with my 11 week old. It's driving me crazy. It feels so good to know I'm not alone on this. I question, what did I do to my household...my poor kids love this little guy so much, but this nipping is killing us. My 1st dog ever...so  this is soooo new to me. Trying to stay positive and tell myself..."This too shall pass" 

[VScott & Lloyd]

Yes, you're not alone but I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's gotten a little better for us the last couple of days. If we can't keep a keen eye on Lloyd we tether him to a doorknob near us in the family room. He's with us in the mix but restrained if he gets out of hand. It also helps with the potty training and keeps him from getting into things he's not supposed to. We go over to him when we want to play or cuddle but if he starts nipping out of control, we can leave swiftly and without much struggle. It's also easy to get him out for a walk. Leash is already on! If he continues the out of control nipping I put him in the crate and he takes a nap.

I read a puppy book (can't remember which one now. Maybe Cesar Millan?), and it recommended to grab the scruff of the neck and give a shake. Let go immediately once he lets go and praise. It's supposed to mimmick what mama dog would do. I've started doing that and saying "drop it" and it seems to be working. He'll let go and I prefer that versus prying open his mouth or jerking my bitten body part away.

Another thing that seemed to help is getting a doggie pool. We got a hard plastic one from Walmart for $5. He plays in there and "digs" at the water. He's not in there too long and probably doesn't exert a whole lot of energy but it seems to calm/cool him down. 

Best of luck to you and hope we get through this phase soon!

[ViLinh Lu]

I am in your same boat. My boys, 8 and 6, are literally scared of our 14 week, 21 pound, puppy at times. Their overreactions don't help, either.