Puppy blues

[AnnieSnap]

I need some love and sympathy fellow dog owning mumsnetters. I have a Weimaraner puppy. I have had the breed before (30+ years ago), but I had several and looking back, I think the older ones (I must have been incredibly lucky with my oldest bitch) kept the youngsters in line. Flora (10-weeks on Wednesday) has been with us 9 days. She is an absolute land shark. She bites everything, including us, 90% of the time she’s awake. I know what to do, but it’s impossible to completely ignore it and just reward desirable behaviour all the time. I’m covered in teeth marks and bruises 😔 We do put her in her crate for time-out periods and also give her treats in there (leaving it open then then) so that its a positive place. Sans treats, she howls often the place down in there, so we’re not being bitten, but there is no peace. When I had the last lot, the older dogs put the youngsters in their place when they were over-stepping, so it was all very easy for me! I’m not looking for a solution. I know that it will improve with time and patience. Tell me your stories. Tell me about your puppy blues and tell me it gets better 🙏

This is the culprit on my DHs lap waiting for the pre-vaccine puppy party at our vets.

Sorry, I don't have any answers or suggestions, but just wanted to say that she is adorable 😊

Can totally sympathise and just read your post on Weimaraner FB page 😂
We've got a just turned 5 month old and just beginning to turn a corner.
Although I think that's more to do with the fact that Rafa is almost toothless at the moment!!
We tried every trick in the book to no avail. It was also primarily directed just at me. My scars are only healing now.
Honestly the amount of teeth marks I had on my arms really was not funny.
If I got up and turned my back he'd just jump and attack. If I walked away he'd wait patiently until I sat back down.
In fact it was so bad at one point I didn't go into the living room with him at all alone because that's what set him into hyper attack mode.
Can I ask you a question now, how the heck can we stop him counter surfing?!? As he's got bigger he is using his stretched fingers to grasp anything and everything off the counters no matter how high or far back!!
Like you we've had weims in our family before but they just didn't seem as obstinate!!
In other ways he's a dream to train and is my favourite child 😂

This is Rafa , waiting for the growth spurts to stop 😂

Not a funny story but this is Rafas recent tactic to make sure he has enough of the sofa, when he's not sitting on my lap 😆

Puppy blues are a real thing - I remember how horrendous I felt when my beagle was a puppy!

I know you say you don't want solutions and I don't want to overstep, but I wonder if you're confusing her with the crate - using it for time outs won't help build a positive association and may partly explain why she howls in there.

I'm not sure that the crate is the issue here.
Weimaraners are known as Velcro dogs for a reason, they don't tolerate separation well at all.
We don't use a crate but have a stair gate so ours can't go upstairs unsupervised, mainly because that's the only carpeted areas and he's still prone to the odd accident.
When I pop upstairs quickly Rafa is immediately alert and at the gate crying like a baby.
Nothing, I mean nothing, makes any difference.
Yet when we're down stairs he'll be sleeping like a baby but will stir as soon as he hears the gate.
One thing we did notice was that sleep was so important (obviously!) to a pup but with a multi sensory hound with all senses heightened it was a challenge to get him to sleep for the required amount. I would often sit (silently!) at the kitchen table while he slept. The slightest sound would alert him and we'd be back to square one

It's so hard when you are in the midst of land shark territory, but it does honestly get better, my hands, arms and feet were in a terrible mess only a few weeks ago as my pup was using me as giant chew toy, but he's 20 weeks and the biting has lessened so much, it's only when he's over tired/over excited sometime both at the same time that he will have a chomp then remember it's not allowed so will stop.

The crate should never be used as a punishment, if that’s what you mean by time out. If she even senses you’re cross or irritated with her when she goes in, it won’t be a nice place for her to be. She needs to be cuddled and go in for naps with a couple of toys before you get to that point.

All normal stuff you’re going through but you need to enforce naps to a schedule so that she doesn’t get to the point of being overtired or overstimulated. Puppies need far more sleep than you may think.

And always have a supply of toys (hard and soft) to put in her mouth whenever she gets bitey. You can try the ouch and ignore techniques as well but the toys are the most important - they open their mouth and you shove one in…and repeat. It is their instinct to bite on things at that age, you can’t stop that, so you need to make sure you direct it in a positive way.

Good luck, this stage will pass.

@drivinmecrazy Thank you. Wow, your little monster sounds worse than mine. Maybe she will get worse though 😳 She doesn’t throw herself at us biting, or bite ankles etc. Our dogs all lie on the sofa with us and rather than snuggling, she just chews us, flings herself on my shoulders, biting my ears etc! She does mark us and it bloody hurts.

Which brings me to your points @MuttsNutts and @cinnamonfrenchtoast I’m doing all the things you suggest already. I don’t use the crate as a punishment, but she is more bitey when overtired and fighting sleep. The only way to “enforce naps” with a big bolshy puppy is to put her in her crate, let her howl, then settle! I never get angry with her at all (DH gets pissed-off, but she’s pretty much mine to deal with). She goes in and out freely herself to play as she has toy in there and is given treats in there. It’s certainly not over-used. Our dogs sleep with us at night and she will have a bed beside ours. During this ‘sweet, but monster’ stage. She stays downstairs with my husband until the early hours, then I come down, whilst he goes to bed for a few hours. It’s just easier when she needs to go out for a wee in the middle if the night. She is quite settled at night.

I know the tough times won’t last. She is a lovely girl, but the biting is tough to get through, as others have said. She has been really good most of today (I’m not being lulled into a false sense of security though 😂) and us currently curled up asleep beside me 🙂

Thanks also to @Ihateboris and @Moanycowbag

I always wanted a Weimaraner and have just spent a pleasant 30mins looking at google pics of them. Please give those ears a stroke for me.
Just one teeny tiny solution - a pair of nice indoor wellies and nothing "dangly".
On the puppy blues, I got my much much wanted puppy a year ago. I knew it would be hard but dear god I was in bits for the first few weeks. I didn't just cry, I wailed every day and mourned what I though was my previous perfect life. Honestly once the teething stage dies down it gets so much easier, then enjoyable. I reckon I did the wailing for 3 weeks, then sobbing for another couple (yes I was that bad) and now I look forward to seeing her beaming face every morning. I'm even researching litters....hang on in there and come and see us on the puppy survival thread - we post pictures!!

@BigBundleOfFluff thank you. It’s so comforting to read all of that. I have felt really fed up and thought wistfully of my previous peaceful life over the past 10 days, but I haven’t cried yet 😂🤣 I will go and look out that thread right now.