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Original poster

Our "Lovable Labradoodle" just bit and drew blood on 11 yr old DS...

83 replies

CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 17:56

Taking puppy out for a walk (12 weeks) and he jumped up and bit his leg. He's quite smitten with trousers, hanging down stuff like dressing gowns, dresses etc and wants to bite them and play tug of war. NB. We do NOT play any tug of war games with him. Sometimes he lets go when we say LEAVE IT or NO but no matter how we try to distract him with proper chew toys, he won't leg go of things he is not supposed to bite.

We brought him straight back from walk and crated him for 15 mins. About to go out again now.

Any other useful advice on how we deal with this please?

OP posts:
RustyBucket · 08/05/2010 17:59

Get rid of him, I have had dogs all my life and I would not give house room to a biter.

wannaBe · 08/05/2010 17:59

get him a halti collar or a canny collar so you have better control over him when he's out on walks.

Are you doing puppy training classes?

Also remember that he is just a puppy and his actions won't have been intentional, he's just playing. Also worth remembering that crating him so long after the event will have no impact as dogs don't associate a punishment that is given later with the action they have done now iyswim.

wannaBe · 08/05/2010 18:01

rusty. this is a twelve week old puppy fgs - all puppies bite.

Jaquelinehyde · 08/05/2010 18:02

Get rid is the only advice I could give you here.

Jaquelinehyde · 08/05/2010 18:03

All puppies bite -- You are kidding aren't you?

I have never had a puppy bite...some puppies nip which is totally different and would certainly not draw blood.

oxocube · 08/05/2010 18:03

Can I just say that my Golden does the same sometimes (14 weeks). She is esp excitable with ds2 (8) and bit my dad this weekend and drew blood. I didn't see what happened but I think he was trying to show her who is boss by shouting rather than 'yelping' and walking away like we do and the puppy sank her teeth into his finger . He was obviously not amused.

Its getting less of an issue now we can take the dog to the woods and get rid of some of her energy. Clicker training is also a really good way to wear puppies out and leave them with less energy for nipping and biting. Phoebe also loves anything trailing such as dressing gowns, scarves etc. The easiest way to get her to let go is to shake the clicker and she rushes over in hope of a treat but I'm not sure if this would be seen as rewarding bad behaviour.

Hope you get some more advice/reassurance soon

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/05/2010 18:04

He is still a baby, so I don't think you need to panic just yet. Training classes are a good idea, and I agree with removing him from the situation when he gets excited and bitey, although as wannabe said, if it isn't immediate he probably won't understand. It does sound more playful than malicious.

Olihan · 08/05/2010 18:04

Puppies of that age do draw blood very easily because their teeth are so sharp. Ours did it a couple of times as a tiny pup. He's still really young and learning so being very consistent and using a firm NO will be effective in time. Well, it was for ours! If she got too bitey and overexcited we were told to hold her muzzle closed and squeeze it gently (it sounds a bit barbaric writing it down ) with a firm No Biting. I think it's a bit uncomfortable for them so it jolts them out of the loopiness.

wannaBe · 08/05/2010 18:04

.

op tbh I would have this thread deleted and seek advice from your vet wrt getting your puppy trained because this thread is just going to bring out the hysterical all-dogs-are-child-killing-monsters-just-waiting-to-devour-your-child brigade.

oxocube · 08/05/2010 18:05

To all of you telling the OP to 'get rid' - how ridiculous. Hope some other posters with more constructive advice come along soon.

30andMerkin · 08/05/2010 18:06

Well did he bite your son's leg, or did he bite your son's trousers and (accidentally) catch his leg, big difference really.

All puppies mouth and bite, they just need to be taught not to. If has a trouser fetish, then clearly that's going to be an added attraction. It's a very different thing to having a dog who aggressively bit a child. No blame, just saying don't panic!

Puppy training classes sound imperative to me, and a bit of added vigilance about keeping the two physically apart when puppy is jumping around for a while. I certainly wouldn't be giving up on him right now.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/05/2010 18:07

Am that people would write off a 12 wk old puppy so readily! All puppies DO bite/ nip- have you ever seen them playing with their litter-mates? They just need to learn that it isn't acceptable- and I'm sure this one will!

Olihan · 08/05/2010 18:10

Can't believe people are saying get rid over a 12 week old puppy .

He is 12 weeks old. He has teeth like needles. He jumped up at the ds's trousers and caught his skin at the same time. He wasn't being aggressive, he was excited by funny, flappy trouser legs.

It was an accident. They learn very quickly with training that that sort of behaviour isn't acceptable. He's not automatically going to turn into a rabid biter as a result of 1 episode of overexcitement at 12 weeks old, fgs.

Jaquelinehyde · 08/05/2010 18:11

I am not a dog hater. I love dogs, infact there has been a dog in my life since the age of 3, I am now 32. Not one single puppy has ever drawn blood on me any of my six siblings, or with any of my children and plenty of them have nipped.

Sorry if thats isn't what others are used to but those are my standards and what I gave my advice by. If I had experience of a nipper drawing blood and everything turning out to be OK then my advice would have been different, I don't so my only advice can be get rid. Jeez calm down some of you.

Madsometimes · 08/05/2010 18:11

When my dog was a young puppy, he was a nipper. When he got excited, I would pop a chew toy into his mouth. Now he goes and gets a toy or blanket on his own accord as a matter of habit, even though he does not nip any more.

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 08/05/2010 18:17

Similar thing happened with my friend's puppy and her 10 year old. Her dog has a lovely temperament and it doesn't happen now she's older as she's learned to play appropriately and has bite inhibition and can regulate the pressure she applies to things.

Our trainer recommended leaving a light lead on as we had problems with jumping up on the sofa and not getting off. That way we could more easily quietly remove her and put her out for a couple of minutes which I guess might work with an over excited nipping pup as well, it does have to be immediate though she stressed.

OurLadyOfPerpetualSupper · 08/05/2010 18:19

Our dog is now 5 and the loveliest, least nippy thing you could imagine.

However, for what seemed like an interminable time she would jump up and nip whenever she got any attention, or when someone was passing with flappy trousers.

I don't think she ever drew blood but it was pretty painful at times, and I think we occasionally had (teeth) scratch marks.

It's a matter of training and time - they do eventually calm down naturally but they do need to be helped along, and ours definitely didn't like being spoken to harshly.

I had a friend with a big, slow, old dog who used to bring him round sometimes and I think his example helped as well.

Bella32 · 08/05/2010 18:23

What a load of drivel on this thread.

OP - your puppy was excited and nipped you out of excitement, not through aggression.

Crating should never be used as a punishment - you want the crate to bea safe secure den that the pup can retreat to when he wants, not a place with bad associations. And any corrective action must be carried out within 2 seconds of the deed, otherwise pups and dogs do not associate the two. Your pup thinks he was crated for 15 minutes as a result of walking home with you .

Thediaryofanobody · 08/05/2010 18:28

How does your DS feel about what happened?
I wouldn't write off a 12 week old but maybe he needs a home without children.
I can understand those poster concerned for the dog but some seem to forget that there was a child involved, a mothers first concern should always be her child therefore for me it would depend how my DC reacted to the dog afterwards.

EdgarAllenPoll · 08/05/2010 18:39

puppies have v. sharp teeth and do indeed nip - especially when excited and in 'play' mode - and they are (like children) not really in control of their mouth/body very well, it is really easy for them to catch their teeth on someone completely unintentionally.

although crating can calm an overexcited dog, it's not something worth doing after the fact.

training and time is the answer- they grow up, learn to control their mouths, and get calmer. does puppy retrieve a ball? ball games can be easier to keep puppy occupied on walks and being obsesssive about any dangling bits on your clothes. Although should be fairly gentle at this age as doggy is only 12 weeks old.

SugarMousePink · 08/05/2010 18:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsL123 · 08/05/2010 18:54

Writing off a 12 week old puppy because of one incident is absolutely idiocy. Even a fluffy litle hamster can bite and draw blood, an unfortunate side effect of having a pet with teeth!

I agree with what's been said about crating - don't use it as a punishment. And have a look at his teeth and gums, if he's teething he's likely to be very nippy at the moment, and the pain can make them act a bit crazy (you know what tooth ache is like - imagine what that's like when you're only 12 weeks old and don't understand why you're in pain!).

Lab puppies are known to be very mouthy anyway, so I doubt a labradoodle would be any different. Both of my labs (now 12 months and 3 years old) went through awful bitey phases at this age - in fact with the youngest, we really started to worry that she was going to be an aggressive dog. It moved past playful nipping - she would stare you right in the eye, and if you didn't look away immediately she'd bark and launch herself at your face like a snapping alligator - she drew blood a couple of times because her teeth were like needles. She would also bark and growl if you tried to take something from her, it was a very worrying time and we wondered what we'd done to cause it - our oldest dog had gone through a bitey phase but was never aggressive, just playful nipping. Thankfully the aggressive stage passed very quickly and at 12 months she is now the daftest, softest dog you could imagine - she was just an especially horrible puppy

wannaBe · 08/05/2010 18:56

"I wouldn't write off a 12 week old but maybe he needs a home without children." Oh for fuck's sake this is a puppy who jumped up and nipped, as all puppies do, and because at twelve weeks old he only has baby teeth which are very sharp he managed to draw blood. If he hadn't drawn blood then people wouldn't be encouraging the op to rehome him. Do you per chance think that the dog knew he was going to draw blood?

he is a baby. If a two year old child bites another child then it needs to learn that biting other children is wrong, but at no point would people consider the child to have behavioral issues probably until that child was about four/five years old. Puppies are very much like children. They play, they jump, they nip, and sometimes they can be a bit rough because they don't know their own strength.

Anyone who doesn't know that and seriously thinks that a twelve week old puppy that nips out of excitement and just happens to draw blood should be rehomed because it is a problem really should never own a dog.

ilovemydogandMrBrown · 08/05/2010 18:56

Agree with others who have said that crating after the fact won't make a difference. Dogs have very short memories. For instance, if out on a walk, and dog doesn't come back on recall, you don't punish him when he does come back as they will only understand the punishment being associated with returning to you.

So, if your puppy is biting/nipping, then you need to punish him immediately.

Puppies can bite. This is how they play with other puppies, and need to learn this isn't how to act outside the pack.

Puppy socialization classes are great as they teach a puppy how to play, and also helps an owner with basic sorts of skills.

Although my dogs will never be guide dogs, they are trained enough and we can take them with us on holiday etc

oxocube · 08/05/2010 19:00

WannaBe, Bella and others - I am glad I'm not the only one who thinks that this is a complete over-reaction (not on your part OP)