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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Puppy Troubles

23 replies

BackToLurk · 26/12/2023 12:22

Hi. I'm after reassurance really. We have a 3 month old rescue puppy. The rescue (RSPCA) wasn't sure what he is but reckoned he will be a medium dog and has a bit of staffy. They also felt he'd be fine with our adult cat - because of how he had behaved when with them. Anyway, everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong. He won't sleep on his own (at the moment I'm in a room with him) and he goes mad when left alone. He is also very bitey. Not just nips, but full on biting. I'm trying to leave the room when he does it - he's not easily distracted, but tbh sometimes it's quite hard to get him off. He's not aggressive just persistent. This has me worried about him hurting the cat. This is the one thing we feel we've managed well so far. We've kept them separate, then slowly introduced with puppy on lead and distracting him. He has approached the cat when on the lead, but he's wagging his tail and looks like he just wants to play, no snarling. I'm reluctant though to take the next step and letting him off the lead. There seems so much to address and I'm losing confidence.

OP posts:

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 26/12/2023 12:44

Honestly he sounds like a very very normal 3 month old puppy…

Eyesopenwideawake · 26/12/2023 12:49

When he bites, react immediately with a very sharp (and loud) NO and a hard direct stare - make sure he looks away first. At the moment he doesn't know it's wrong so he needs to be aware that that behaviour is unacceptable. As soon as he drops his eyes praise him softly and walk away (so that the praise is the end of the interaction).

MiddleagedBeachbum · 26/12/2023 12:49

It sounds like you’re doing a great job, puppy days are TOUGH and long! At 5 one of mine is still puppy like 😬

margotrose · 26/12/2023 15:49

His behaviour sounds perfectly normal - puppies are bitey, hyperactive horrors. The reason they're so cute is that nobody would want them otherwise 😂

Honestly, it will get better, but it does require a lot of persistence and repetition on your part.

NoTouch · 26/12/2023 15:57

Biting is just what 12-13 week old puppies do, they also need company during the night as they are just babies, nothing unusual about either of these.

Do you have good puppy/training/recall books? They are essential if you are not experienced to ensure you understand what is absolutely normal and how to approach raising your puppy correctly.

I have no idea how a rescue can say a 12 week old puppy will be ok with cats, that won't become clear until much older and will also depend on how he responds to training.

wildwestpioneer · 26/12/2023 16:14

Regarding the biting, tell him no and give him something to chew, swap your hand for a chew stick, keep lots and lots of things he can chew around the house

Puppies also need lots of downtime and can get over stimulated. This is where crates come in handy. Buy a big crate and put him in it when he gets over stimulated for an hour a few times a day. DO NOT let him out when he cries

Put him in the crate at night time, put the crate in your bedroom if needed.

Tbh sounds like a normal 3 month old puppy tbh.

Original poster

BackToLurk · 26/12/2023 17:10

Thanks @wildwestpioneer I've read so much conflicting advice about leaving them to cry. I've got very confused

OP posts:

Wolfiefan · 26/12/2023 17:16

Look at the FB group. Dog training advice and support.
Puppy is a baby who needs to stay with you until they build confidence.
Puppies bite. Just keep supplying things that can be chewed. And avoid pup getting overtired.
Keep cat and dog separate for now. Or dog on lead. If dog sees cat then get its attention with a treat. It gets great when ignoring cat.

BiscuitsandPuffin · 26/12/2023 17:18

FFS puppies don't cry, they whine, it's not the same as a human baby crying.

Maybe if fewer people anthropomorphised their animals and if they stopped divorcing their animals from their natural world, they would have fewer issues training them.

No one had these sort of nonsense problems raising dogs 20 years ago, we just treated them like dogs and they acted accordingly. And no, puppies shouldn't bite. My four never bit any of us even once. You should very loudly tell them "NO BITING" in a stern voice when they do it and generally make sure they know you're in charge. Gentle parenting doesn't work with animals, you're not their parent for a start. It doesn't really work with children either, it's a fad so they can introduce what actually works and sell it as a new thing in a few years' time, but that's for another discussion.

Wolfiefan · 26/12/2023 18:08

Dogs don’t understand no biting. It’s not gentle parenting! It’s understanding that puppies mouthe. It’s natural behaviour. Redirect it.

Original poster

BackToLurk · 26/12/2023 18:37

I’m so impressed that @BiscuitsandPuffin can advise on a effective technique for stopping biting despite having dogs that never but ‘not even once’. Truly gifted

OP posts:

margotrose · 26/12/2023 18:47

All puppies bite. It's how they explore the world around them. They'll also be teething fairly soon and (like with humans) it hurts and they chew to relieve the pain.

Using a loud voice and saying "no biting" is meaningless because they don't know what "biting" is to begin with. They also don't know what "no" means. All they know is that you have an angry/loud tone of voice and they don't like it.

Our beagle was really mouthy as a puppy and the best solution for us was to teach him that if his teeth touched our skin, play would stop. It didn't happen overnight but one day we just realised he hadn't done it for ages. Making sure he got enough sleep helped as well - they need way more than you think!

margotrose · 26/12/2023 18:47

And no, puppies shouldn't bite. My four never bit any of us even once. You should very loudly tell them "NO BITING" in a stern voice when they do it and generally make sure they know you're in charge.

If none of yours ever bit you, why did you need to loudly tell them not to bite?

BiteyShark · 26/12/2023 18:51

My MN name is due to the bitey hyper monster that was my puppy 7 years ago.

He is a bloody lovely adult dog but oh boy those teeth were needle sharp and hurt for many weeks as a puppy.

Some people yelp to put their puppies off mouthing, others use a toy. Mine only got the message with short timeouts e.g. manic zoomie biting/mouthing meant I lept behind a baby gate or put him behind one.

It will get better but takes time.

Rowgtfc72 · 26/12/2023 18:53

We had toys and chews all over the house so there was always something to hand to put in his mouth when we said no to biting. And no it wasn't nipping, it was biting.
Fortunately he slept through after 7 nights with one of us on the sofa. By night 7 we were so sleep deprived we tucked him up in his crate, covered him with a blanket and miraculously he's slept through since 8 weeks old.
We found lots of naps helped. An overtired puppy is never going to sleep.

positivedoesit · 26/12/2023 18:58

Hi OP
You have my sympathies. We've had a terrier mix from puppy and he has been a total nightmare for biting. It peaked at 5 months when teething, then stopped before starting up again 9 months. He is now 15 months , matured and doesn't bite anymore.

For us it was a combination of redirection, positive reinforcement when NOT biting us and short timeouts as well as castration at 12 months.

The reality of it is that some are bigger biters than others, some are very high prey driven biters who need guidance and patience to become good adult dogs, who trust humans.

If you stay patient and talk to him kindly but firmly he'll soon get what you like and what you don't like.

He will test your patience, but will soon become your world. Don't give up🌸

21ZIGGY · 26/12/2023 19:00

Dont worry, deepbreath, you can do it. Biting is totally normal, not sleeping alone totally normal, not being left alone totally normal.
Look at fb group recommended above

ItsMyPartyParty · 26/12/2023 19:06

Just chiming in to confirm it sounds like you have a very normal puppy OP! They are such hard work, it’s very like having kids in that you only really realise how hard it is when you’re in the middle of it!

Obviously if your puppy understands and obeys English from birth like Biscuits’ puppies, life is a lot easier 😂

Floramac · 26/12/2023 19:45

A lot of stuff happened 20 years ago that we would never contemplate now. Things have moved on !! Don't leave pups to cry, they are babies and yours is a rescue so possibly even more scared of everything. Ours slept in our room in a sectioned off area by the side of me whilst a young pup. Yes it was tiring (knackering) and hard work getting up constantly to take her out or to reassure but that's a pup for you. The biting will lessen and stop and maybe change to mouthing, you just have to be consistent. Ours is now 11 months and she sleeps on her own bed on the floor in our room, (she still occasionally wakes us at 2 am if she has done the typical pup thing and eaten something bad) and sleeps till 7 at least. Everything takes a lot of repetition and practise but you will get there. We still have days when she is a real terror but the good days are more frequent. Don't give up.

Wolfiefan · 26/12/2023 20:04

Waving to @BiteyShark we were on a puppy survival thread at the same time weren’t we?
All that hard work will pay off. Be calm and consistent.
Going off to remind myself why I want another puppy. Dog number three. 😱🤣

BiteyShark · 27/12/2023 05:45

Wolfiefan · 26/12/2023 20:04

Waves back.

Still number one for me 😁. Could not cope with two let alone three 😆

nottaotter · 27/12/2023 06:02

@BackToLurk Im sure you are doing better than you think, the biting is completely normal. Can you join the FB group 'Dog training advice and support' ? They offer free qualified detailed advice .

The only piece of advice I feel confident in giving any puppy owner is to have your puppy sleep with you, the more secure your puppy feels in the house especially at night the better its behaviour will be as an adult. Deep proper sleep sets them up for better day behaviour, makes them more secure and happier to be on their own as adults.

If you decide to use a crate in your bedroom, wait till they fall asleep before you put them in, at the slightest peep from them open the door.

I don't like comparing dogs to humans but a dog trainer explained to me that as a newborn baby you don't expect them to manage on their own, jumping up and attending to every cry and snuffle is normal and helps them get to the next stage , a confident happy child that copes when a parent leaves them at school.

School age children still need lots of support to get them to teenagers that cope with exams etc, same as young dogs.

The more secure your tiny puppy feels at this age the more confident and calm they will be as adults. Please don't listen to anyone that says attending to a crying puppy teaches them to cry, it doesn't.

Original poster

BackToLurk · 27/12/2023 20:11

Thank you everyone. He's adorable when he's asleep

OP posts:

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