12 week puppy getting overstimulated and jumping/biting

[Tribe85]

Our puppy is 12 weeks and has so far had a great temperament. However the past week she seems to get overstimulated/overtired and will chase and jump up biting clothes and growling. When the kids are about we try to do time out but she runs away and seems to love it. Is this normal behaviour? I think with half term she’s not been able to sleep as much

Completely normal, sadly!

What does 'time out' look like? She thinks it's a game so you need to teach her to settle. Puppies shouldn't really be able to run away from 'time-out' as it should mean they're in a confined place where they're 'forced' to settle.

What breed is she? Some breeds are worse than others at thinking things are all games when they're really not....

Normal. It’ll improve in another 8 weeks or so. We used a puppy pen for time out/make him calm down which worked great

Completely normal and will probably get worse before it gets better, then one day it'll just stop.

I used a crate to make mine rest at that age, now age 6 she still chooses to get in her crate when she wants peace and quiet.

Enforced naps, in a crate ideally. It’s the only way at that age
In a perfect world, the nap is before the puppy gets overtired and bitey so the practising of unwanted behaviour is not a part of the picture

Totally normal. Our puppy is 17 weeks and we’re much better at anticipating when he’s going to be bite-y. We’re also much more militant about putting him in his crate for naps so he doesn’t get so tired and lose the ability to control himself. If you scroll down through the threads in this section, you’ll find a despairing thread I started about a month ago on puppy biting. And then, if you join the new puppy thread, there are a few from me on this topic too.

I‘m glad this is normal behaviour. My SIL worried me and told me to get a behaviourist which seemed a bit OTT for a puppy. She’s a poodle and is doing well with training etc it’s just the overexcited spells.

In terms of enforced crate naps…how?! She just cries if left alone. We’ve tried treats in there, sitting close by, leaving the room but for all she cries. She’s quite a clingy pup and would happily sleep on somebody

Yes normal, mines 14 weeks and bitey, tired and excited is the worst for her. I have to warn everyone we meet that she’s full shark mode at the moment in case she does it. Hoping it starts to drop back soon. Doesn’t help when I have some friends who say ‘my dog wasn’t like this’
I know some dogs are worse than others but they definitely all do it. Good job they are cute (mostly)

@Tribe85 whatever your SIL is on, I want some! That's absolutely bananas.

Poodles are so clingy and are prone to SA. I wouldn't really leave a poodle puppy that young in a crate - they can really hurt themselves if they become distressed so enforced time in a crate won't work. If you want to use the crate you have to get her used to being in the crate without the door closed - throw some nice food in there, or a toy, or have her take her meals in there. Or have her sleep in a play pen which is a bit bigger but again keeps her contained.

I have mine sleep on my lap on the floor, in the whelping pen, when they're really young. It's enough space for them to move about a bit and for me to join them so they don't feel abandoned, but small enough they can't run with high enough walls they can't really escape. I would sit on the floor and just soothe them to sleep. If they kept mouthing, just repeatedly said 'no' firmly and pulled them off me. It's a good option if the puppy doesn't like the crate (or use a play-pen which is a far cheaper alternative...).

On the plus side she's a poodle, so she's sharp as a whip. She'll pick it up quickly after a few constant days of consistent routine.

The first 6-10 weeks of puppy ownership are crap though. Really crap. It does get better once they can go out. Try doing some training with her (sit, down, recall, leave, wait, stay etc). Nothing better for making a puppy suddenly conk out that 15 minutes of training! 😊

I can tell you as a behaviourist that it is utterly normal and you do not currently need the services of my profession based on the info provided!!
Poodles are known for clingy tendencies tbh
There are multiple ways to tackle teaching a crate. My personal preference is to sit next to the crate but no talking,touching or eye contact. Just reassurance by being present but not giving attention. Like everything else, it’s a skill she needs to learn and logically it’s not separation anxiety if you haven’t gone anywhere! A stuffed Kong may help but not always. Ignore the whimpering (unless it’s frantic and distraught of course, that’s completely unacceptable and would require a rethink) and let her learn quietly and calmly. Open the crate only when she is quiet so she doesn’t learn that making a fuss = owner caving in to demands. Where does she sleep at night?

I’m glad we’re not alone even if others are suffering too 😂 We’ve been doing time out in the kitchen for her as we’ve mainly been in the garden this week. That’s when she’ll escape and do zoomies around the garden wanting to be chased. She’s generally very good and loves cuddles but we’re a bit clueless how to handle the moments where she goes bonkers! She’s learnt a lot already - sit, paw, lie down, touch, stay, leave it - so she’s definitely a smart little thing.

Thanks for the tips on crate training. At night she sleeps in the crate next to our bed and that works perfectly. She often sleeps in the crate downstairs during the day but if you leave the room she’ll wake and follow you. She’s been disturbed constantly this week with the kids running around so I’ve ended up holding her to sleep. Bad habits probably!

I have a mini poodle X and this reminds me of her as a puppy. I vividly recall I was gardening and she was jumping up and nipped at my boob! Didn't draw blood, but she was just so over tired and I didn't realise she needed to sleep. When she gets over excited, try to take her somewhere away from stimulation, quiet and let her rest.

i wore wellies and gardening gloves in the house.. your mileage may vary..
But honestly it meant that pup didn't get a reaction or reward from biting me but got a reaction reward as I could still play with him with a toy. It taught him to play with a toy (with me - not on his own ). Sometimes biting isn't over stimulated it's just wanting play. Play is good for your relationship especially when it comes to you wanting your dog to be clingy when you're teaching recall. Clingy is not always a bad thing!
You've had good advice on calm time just wanted to also throw in the play bit as well - because there will be a time soon that the biting will happen all day and you'll know then that he can't just be tired!

It’s entirely normal op.

Puppy photo please

and please don’t worry. She is a tiny baby and will learn in time.

I am feeling very wise & experienced reading this despite our cockapoo only being 5 weeks older and this being our first family dog.
We had exactly these issues with the crate. And now he takes himself in there for naps! At first, one of us always had to sit on the floor by his crate letting him lick our fingers as he settled and, as we moved away, there was always a risk
that he’d wake and we’d have to start the whole process again. Then we were able to sit on the sofa right by the crate but as soon as we moved from the crate he woke up. Then we had to be downstairs being noisy. Then anywhere in the house. Now, provided he is tired, he stays settled even if we go out slamming the front door behind us and, as I said, when he’s tired will take himself off to his crate sometimes although he wakes &
comes out to investigate as soon as there’s a noise.
To be honest, I think the heat has helped a bit in the last few days. He’s been so lethargic and so fond of the cool
spot he’s found around the house and the garden that he hasn’t immediately got up to follow me. He’s also
been going to doggy day care once or twice a week for about three weeks now and that seems to have helped, maybe either because he’s
simply exhausted or because he’s
not so
dependent on me.
We got our puppy at the beginning of the Easter holidays and it was all a bit chaotic and my DC are teens. Once they were back at school, I was much more structured in what we did and when. And because it was just me and so someone couldn’t always be with him, he had to be in his crate a bit more.

Your SIL is an idiot.

We have a 19 week old standard poodle and the same, I turn away, she nips my son in the legs or elbow, holes in so many clothes.
It's all fun and games and when she gets the zoomies I just can't get her to calm down.
I want to take her to one-on-one classes but can't find anybody who doesn't mind my 2 year old being with me during training (somewhat understandable but at the same time...it's one on one, adapt the training)
Will read all the advice given in your post. Good luck 😅🐩

I have a poodle aged three. What you describe is normal puppy behaviour. Poodles are highly intelligent and will boss you about, if they can. Try and be consistent and reward good behaviour. Mine has downtime, which she’s got used to. If I let her, she would sit on the sofa with me all the time. I’m firm with her and because she’s intelligent, she catches on very quickly.