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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:
Original poster
CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 19:04

Whoa whoa whoa.. I have no intention whatsoever of writing off our very lovably, playful puppy. He was excited, he was going for a walk. He completely has a fetish over things hanging down. He doesn't always let go even when I offer other things like treats, chew toys etc. Most of the time a very strong NO, LEAVE IT or my manually removing his mouth from the object works. He lets me and doesn't try to bite.

I think basically he was after the trousers but being a puppy with sharp teeth he penetrated and make quite a mark which hurt DS. DS was upset because it hurt, but not upset with the dog. We went out for a walk again 10 mins later and he was trying to get hold of my coat. However, after a few seconds I gave him a treat and then he walked like a treat.

Everyone that meets him comments on what a lovely nature he has - but he's a puppy that needs to learn the rules.

What I'm after is some good constructive advice on how to deal with this.

We have had a 1-2-1 training class for 2 hours and are signed up for puppy training classes on a 6 week course but they don't start til 17 May.

OP posts:
MrsL123 · 08/05/2010 19:08

I'm not sure what the difference is between 'nipping' vs 'nipping and drawing blood'. Surely if you think one is unacceptable and cause to 'get rid', both of them should be? A dog can bite really hard and not draw blood, or it can catch you by mistake and make you bleed like a bastard. So I don't understand why the blood-drawing is an issue.

The simple fact is that the puppy was excited and nipped whilst trying to play - it's all part of having a puppy. It wasn't intentional and doesn't mean the pup is about to chew someone's face off. Even if the pup did seem to do it intentionally, it doesn't mean it's going to grow up to be an aggressive dog - as I said, my dog was a horrible little thing and for a few weeks no amount of training seemed to help the situation, we were worried for the future. But a few months on, she's grown into a beautiful gentle dog and we wouldn't be without her.

MrsL123 · 08/05/2010 19:09

Sorry cantthink, x post. I don't think anyone was aiming the 'writing off' at you, rather the people who jumped in and said get rid.

TBH I think you're doing all the right things - it's just going to take time for the nipping phase to pass. It seems like it'll go on forever but it won't, I promise!

coffeeinbed · 08/05/2010 19:14

My dog was so nippy when he was a pup, we all had hands like pincushions.
He lost the sharp teeth and grew out of it.
he's the gentlest ever dog now.

Original poster
CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 19:15

Thanks to those so far with helpful comments and especially noted about the crate. Actually, we put him in his playpen - not that it's much of a difference really but he does have more room and toys in there .

We all love him dearly - I just want to do the right thing with regards to the nipping and biting things/people and a quick fix solution would be MARVELLOUS , although I appreciate patience is more likely to be the key.

OP posts:
MrsL123 · 08/05/2010 19:20

If you find one, let me know please! I could happily have moved out when mine was 4 months old, she used to actively seek me out to bite me, and DH got away without so much as an evil look!

I think all dog-nipping threads should be put under a code name in the future so they don't draw attention from the 'send it to the pound' brigade. Any suggestions for the code name? Would have to be something utterly mundane and non dog related, so as not to draw attention in active threads either

junglist1 · 08/05/2010 19:45

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh killer pup arrrrrgggggghhhhhh help help help!!!!!!!!!

junglist1 · 08/05/2010 19:46

Not you OP

Bella32 · 08/05/2010 19:53

pmsl junglist

mrsL - why don't we use the code title 'Puppy did a big poo' in future?

Then only the most dedicated, seasoned dog owners would pile in

MrsL123 · 08/05/2010 19:59

There could be a reference to the texture, too

Original poster
CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 19:59

PMSL indeed! OK - so my puppy did a big poo earlier today right on my DS!!! He doesn't always do his poos where we want him to no matter how much cajoling etc we do. Any constructive advice

OP posts:
Vallhala · 08/05/2010 20:17

What Wannabe said:

".

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."

Together with what Bella said.

And Jungalist. And MrsL123

Ignore the "get rid of it" (IT????) brigade. They are either idiots or attention-seekers.

The thing you need most of all in this situation is something which is both free of charge and invaluable... patience. Together with distraction, toys, training to make him responsive to command, the speed to yell NO! bloody loudly when the incident occurs, patience ia the key. This will* pass. All pups jump and mouth. Pups have sharp teeth.

Intelligent, sensible owners like you know this. Don't stress. Oh, and please, NEVER crate him as a punishment again, it's both unkind and terribly counter-productive.

Original poster
CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 20:52

Errr.. how do I get thread deleted

OP posts:
OhExpletive · 08/05/2010 21:05

Report your OP. Great advice from the usual sensibles. I want to know if those who'd get rid of a 12 week old puppy for expressing normal but undesirable behaviour would smack a baby for drawing on a wall?

wannaBe · 08/05/2010 21:10

op - "so my puppy did a big poo earlier today right on my DS!!! He doesn't always do his poos where we want him to no matter how much cajoling
etc we do. Any constructive advice"

Well I just wouldn't stand for that. Any dog that doesn't pooh where he's supposed to is clearly dangerous and you should get rid of him at once.

Bella32 · 08/05/2010 21:26

My dh sometimes misses the loo when he has a pee.

Any advice, ladies?

OhExpletive · 08/05/2010 21:34

Rub his nose in it Bella!

junglist1 · 08/05/2010 21:43

It has to be straight away though. There's no point coming home a few hours later and doing it because he won't link the punishment to the deed

SugarMousePink · 08/05/2010 21:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
CantThinkofFunnyName · 08/05/2010 22:08

Mmmm - poor DH was just lying on sofa watching TV when said puppy just ran up to his face and started growling and barking.

I ran in, scolded him NO. Took his face in my hands and told him off very sternly whilst staring into his eyes.

He sat, gave me puppy dog eyes and now won't leave my side, being EXTREMELY well behaved.

Great. But why won't he behave for other members of the house? Why is he doing that to DH I wonder? Power struggle?

OP posts:
OhExpletive · 08/05/2010 22:11

Sounds to me like puppy wanted a game from your DH. How does your DH tend to respond to him? I'd be inclined to totally ignore that sort of behaviour, or quietly direct pup to an interesting toy but make myself boring IYSWIM.

SugarMousePink · 08/05/2010 22:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OhExpletive · 08/05/2010 22:30

It's nitty gritty but I wouldn't advocate responding directly in any way. Especially not holding a dog's face and staring it out, which is threatening and unnecessary. Behaviour which goes unrewarded will extinguish - so if the pup comes looking for attention by barking, but is always ignored and receives no attention, then it will cease to show the behaviour. It is remarkable how quickly this takes effect in little pups.

2old4thislark · 08/05/2010 22:43

My dear,sweet 5 year old dog was very nippy as a puppy. She was our first dog so it was a bit of a surprise but she soon grew out of it. Our second puppy never bit. The difference between them may have been how they spent the first weeks of their lives.

Nipper was not raised indoors and had less human contact. Non Nipper was raised in my friends kitchen and had a constant stream of humans visiting.

When they nip some people squeal to tell the dog it hurts. We prefered a firm 'no' and a tap on the nose.

Isaidheyhoney · 08/05/2010 22:44

FWIW I would ring the trainer who did your 1 to 1 training and ask what their assessment of your pup was. Our pup was challenging, but I always bore in mind that our 1 to 1 trainer had assessed him and told us that he is a very amenable and non-aggressive dog, by nature. Sometimes you wouldn't think that was true, but only when we mess up.