New puppy aggression

[NarminM]

we got a new puppy (cockapoo) 10 days ago. At first he was just little fluff ball but then while settling in he started to show sudden bursts of aggression. That especially happens towards my husband but sometimes to me, too. Growling, freezing, jumping and biting. I have a 6 year old at home and this is not what we were expecting from getting a puppy. My son is already scared to death of the dog and my husband wants it to be gone.

Puppies need lots of energetic play walks regularly feeding routine and calm.

If OP's only had it for ten days, it's likely not even 10 weeks old yet - far too young for any kind of exercise or massively energetic play.

Its not unecessary
It happens over and over again and its the dog that suffers.
If OP had come on here asking for practical tips rather than calling a perfectly normal puppy aggressive and her H wanting to get rid of it (because its that easy) then I might have been more sympathetic

I remember my puppy one morning, I was calmly drinking a cup of coffee, she was calmly enjoying chewing on a toy. 5 seconds later she was playing bitey face with my face. Coffee on the floor, clothes, furniture, puppy removed and given a toy.

Normal but it will get worse before it gets better and will only get better if you manage and train. They will often mouth again at adolescence but biting is normal and real.

It's just the needle teeth phase

Thank you to everyone who offered helpful tips - they're truly appreciated. While I understand frustration with unprepared owners, unnecessarily harsh comments aren't helpful.Our cockapoo is 9 weeks old and can't go outside yet, which likely contributes to his energy levels indoors. I've had a puppy before when I was single, but I'd forgotten how challenging the early weeks can be, especially in a family setting.
I apologize if my original post came across as panicked. It was written late at night when I was feeling overwhelmed. To clarify, rehoming is not an option we're considering. We understand that a dog is a long-term commitment and not a toy to throw away when got bored.
I've already contacted professionals and we plan to start puppy classes once he's had his second vaccination next week.

He can go outside, he just can't go on the ground. I would be taking him out as much as possible to get him used to all the sights and sounds of the world.

We have a Doberman otherwise known as a land shark. All puppies are bitey. He's now 6 and a cuddle monster. With the right response and training they grow out of it.

My lab is 8 and will still gently take me by the hand/wrist if she wants something. They are such good communicators. She has different sounds she uses. A high pitched whine means she needs to toilet. Food is more of a tidal/light bark. She also does the dinner dance and tip taps when excited.
I have given up trying to stop her collecting socks.
I digress, OP, it is perfectly normal behaviour. Take care not to snatch your hand away. We used Vicks vapour rub on our hands, it was also effective on furniture to stop her chewing. Discovered it by accident, but have used it with all puppies since. Just a small dab on your fist is all you need.

Normal behaviour. Read up and get the Louise Glazebrook book - and get signed up for puppy training.

@NarminM
Maybe consider joining the puppy survival thread? It's a great place to get moral support when you're feeling overwhelmed. We're all going through pretty much the same things with biting, lead training etc. and it is always helpful to compare notes.

Good luck with the pup. You might find things get a bit easier once you can go for little walks with him.

Gorgeous

My now 3 yr old dog was like this. One thing that helped was "enforced calm". I would take him into my arms and hold him quite firmly and he would wriggle briefly but then totally relax and often go to sleep.

My labrador cross puppy is just the same and he is 14 weeks now.

Most of the time we love him but occasionally we really regret our life choices.

They do grow out of it though - eventually! It's not actually aggression, it's just how puppies play & learn. The puppy blues is a well known thing.

@Angrymum22 I'm going to try that tip re vics vapour rub so thanks for passing it on.

Omg that's what puppies do

The benefits of letting the puppy go outside very much outweigh any risks.

How are you toilet training if they can't go outside?

You can also socialise the puppy to the wider world by carrying them. Once we got our puppy at 8 weeks we carried him somewhere different every day for weeks.

The book Easey Peasey Puppy Squeezy is really useful for basics in training and how to socialise.

Puppies are really hard work! I'm always amazed at how many people get puppies rather than an adult rescue. I'd never have a puppy I think they're complete nightmares! Get some really hard chews toys and some soft ones and offer them when he starts biting. When I'm puppy sitting I do an 'ah' when they bite me and then a good boy when they accept the toy as an alternative and start chewing on that. I also agree with enforced naps, you can tell when they go into that frazzled hyper leaping around snapping and biting everything that that is when they are over tired and definitely need a nap.

Do you not have a garden? Your puppy can go in the garden, they just can’t be walked out in public places - although as a PP said, you can socialise them by spending a brief period sitting and watching the world go by where they will see cars, bikes, etc.

Rest is vital, and sounds as if your puppy may be over-tired.

Puppies are hard work. They need training and yours is only just settling in. I nearly rehomed mine at 5 months but kept at it. It's now 15 and the light of our lives. Nothing worth having is easy.

Totally normal. Mine turned 1 last month and it feels like a lifetime ago that she was like you describe... but I can assure you she was! I remember googling "is my puppy aggressive and is it puppy biting or more" many times. I used to get annoyed when people described it as "mouthing" as it wasn't, it was proper biting!

My youngest son, 7, bore the brunt of it, I assume as he's the smallest and gave the biggest reactions. All his PJs were shredded and his teacher called me over after school once, to check all the marks on his arms were from the puppy like he'd told her 🙈

The only thing that worked for us was enforced naps. Puppies need to sleep for most of the day at that age. She didn't get on with a crate or pen, so I puppy proofed the lounge and that became her safe place. When she got too hyper we simply left the room and she'd just go to sleep as she had nobody to terrorise!

You've probably got a couple of nightmare months ahead, but it does ease off, I promise! I'm pretty sure mine had settled down by about 5 months.