12-week-old puppy biting and growling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. The growling accompanies the biting. And it’s definitely all play. He thinks it’s fun, it’s not in a malicious, ferocious dog kind of way. I’m not sure the difference with biting and being mouthy. He uses his teeth but we’re not crying out in pain (most of the time). What’s that called?

The disciplining is also a game to him. I’ve firmly held his collar. He’ll stop, then start back up right after I let go. I cry out and leave the room. He’ll go back to the nipping as soon as I get back. I’ve acted like a stone and turned my back to him. This actually only works for that instance. After a few minutes he’ll try again and eventually I just have to get up.

Appreciate the advice. I’m getting a house line that I’m going to try next.

Gnawing on your hands? Normal. Nipping? Not normal.

Growling playfully? Normal. Growling in fear? Not normal.

Unless you are well versed and confident in reading dog body language (and no offense, OP, but it doesn’t sound like you are), please get a trainer in the view the situation to evaluate what you and your kids are doing vs what the puppy is doing. It might all be totally normal and they can give you redirection and alternative behavior strategies and reassurance that this will pass. It might be that you are unknowingly provoking it with how you are interacting (especially the kids). It might be over the top and displaying concerning behaviors they can help manage or suggest supports or tell you the dog has no business being in a house with children. No one can evaluate this without getting eyes on the dog.

Puppies mouth things. All. The. Time. It is unrealistic to expect that a young puppy will not put teeth on hands and toes and shirts and shoelaces. You can expect such behavior until puppy is done teething around 6 or 7 months old. But unless a professional has looked at your dog, who knows if that’s what this is?

—trainer

[Anonymous]

It will stop when their baby teeth fall out. For my Lab, that was around 5-6 months.

Make sure you are crate training the dog. When puppies are overtired, they tend to bite. Treat him like a toddler and make sure he takes two good crate naps every day (morning and afternoon).

[Anonymous]

I didn’t have your specific issue with my puppy, but I do remember feeling overwhelmed with the advice: “Don’t let bad behaviors continue! You have to train them!” It was so frustrating in those early months and I felt like a failure when things didn’t progress like the internet told me they would. But what I learned (and I feel like no one was saying), is that you have to train/correct but because of things like teething, you also have to give it time. So frustrating!!! I know. My best advice (repeating what others have said) is to either get an in-home trainer or go to a class so you can develop a relationship with someone who knows.

I know some people have expressed shock at your dog’s behavior on this thread, but I am definitely in the camp that this is related to teething and you just have to keep correcting/redirecting.

One thought that I’m not sure has come up: is s/he getting something high-value to chew on during the day like a bully stick or similar? I found that bully sticks, dental sticks, and yak cheese (heated ours up in a bowl of water to soften) all were very helpful tools in getting our puppy to focus his energy on something else for a while.

[Anonymous]

I have had a lot of puppies over the years and some draw a little blood. Their teeth are very sharp and some have a strong chew drive. I had one, probably my smartest most wonderful of all time (a cockapoo), who chewed my favorite pair of shoes, gnawed on antique furniture, and chewed on my fingers. Same pup was housebroken in one week and never growled at anyone as an adult, never ever. This is a phase. I mean, you can meet with a behaviorist - it is so within the realm of normal for this age that I don't think any dog expert could possibly diagnose an issue, but they could give you a plan of action.

OP, I agree to an extent that you have to wait out the phase but I also think you can make it end quicker depending on how you respond. I know some people are 100% positive reinforcement but I have always done gentle corrections and redirections with this. Like some PPs said pressing the side of the mouth... nothing that hurts or scares them, just something that gets their attention and stops a behavior. Then immediate redirection to an appropriate chew toy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's a doodle.

To PP, some people say if you don't correct it now they won't just grow out of it. I can't have an adult dog doing this.

Did you meet the litter and have the chance to choose the puppy? Or was this the only option? This isn't normal puppy mouthy. A friend once got one that was like yours and all needed gloves and boots for ankle protection. She had decades of experience with dogs as did others who met the puppy. Puppies do learn bite inhibition when playing with littermates and from their mom.

This because they get bitten back so learn not to bite.

SO many people on this forum (and in general) are afraid to correct their dogs. Dogs get over it pretty quickly. If the puppy is in range, scruff it and tell it, loudly and firmly "NO bites!". After that, you redirect to what you want it to do. If it does it again, crate it and walk off. One warning correction, and then all games are over.

But please, for the love of dog, correct bad behaviors. If you've ever seen dogs interacting with each other, it's a big, loud event when one gets corrected, but then everybody knows where the lines are and they're fine. Teach the dog where the lines are.

[Anonymous]

My labradoodle was so, so bitey until 6 or 7 months after he was done teething. We never corrected it and it just sort of stopped, almost overnight. The only thing that really helped as a puppy was to make sure he had lots of chews. Bully sticks smell like a$$ but they love them. Yak chews are quite hard but he loved those. Some puppies just have a really strong need to chew, chew, chew and sometimes that means chewing on their people if that is all they can find.

[Anonymous]

Use a spray bottle. Spray and say no! My dog cringes if we just show him the bottle now.

[Anonymous]

I have a poodle and I think you wait this out, for the most part. All pups are biters/constantly playing, etc. at that age. When mine turned 6-7 months old, her behavior really started to improve exponentially. By the time she was a year old, she was a dream.

I think puppy kindergarten or puppy training classes are a good idea, even if just for you to learn more about your dog. The kindergarten type classes are great for CONTROLLED socialization with other pups and getting expert feedback from trainers. We took ours to Your Dog's Best Friend in Rockville for reference. If you're not local, their website has tons of info on what to expect in other classes.

Lastly, whenever my pup was too bitey, it was almost always because she was overstimulated/tired (just like human babies). When I started putting her in a crate (or whatever safe quiet space you have at home) when she was doing too much, she 99% of the time went to sleep immediately after a minute or two.

[Anonymous]

11:42 again and i forgot to add that i didn't really correct behavior either, other than simply removing the stimulus. Sounds like your pup views negative feedback as fun, so simply removing whatever fun thing might be effective.

We also used bully sticks a LOT. She still gets one a few times a week. They really help scratch that itch (lol) for the chewing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use a spray bottle. Spray and say no! My dog cringes if we just show him the bottle now.

Every lab/lab mix I've ever known thinks spray bottles are excellent toys. My current dog likes to catch the spray, which is hilarious to watch.

A soda can with a few pennies in it, taped shut, makes an effective deterrent for my cats and my dogs, so if the spray bottle is a toy and not a warning, maybe try a can/noisy rattle.

[Anonymous]

You’re not meant for dog ownership. Please return the dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use a spray bottle. Spray and say no! My dog cringes if we just show him the bottle now.

That’s abusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stick with it, OP. You're overthinking a very normal behavior for a very young puppy. Almost all puppies are mouthy (certainly some more than others) but the vast majority of adult dogs are not. You are teaching it limitations and the more calmly and consistently that you do it, the better. Get your kids some thick gardening gloves and make sure they are calm when they engage with the puppy. They can learn a lot from this too. There will be time for rougher, funner play when the puppy is done with this bitey stage. This shift almost always happens between 4-6 months.

In the mean time, sign up for puppy kindergarten. You'll see how normal this is and get feedback from trainers and other puppy owners to make sure you stay on track. Raising a puppy well is really not totally intuitive!

If you really don't think you can persevere, please re-home the puppy immediately while it is still cute and has a chance to find a new family with the patience to get through these normal phases.

Not really a patience thing after four weeks of your kids with broken skin bite marks. Biting is normal but without training it’s not going to magically disappear. Different training styles work for different dogs.

How old are you kids? Why are they interacting with the puppy to get bitten?
I'd say it's parenting issue, not the puppy training issue

NP. Huh? Family dogs should immediately be introduced to all puppies. Puppies should get used to children from the start. It would be one thing if kids were playing rough with a puppy, but kids should be able to throw toys, pet the dog, walk the dog. I've never had a puppy actually bite. Mouthing, yes, but not biting.

Ewww no. You’re asking for parvovirus.

[Anonymous]

Don’t be a Kristi Noem. Hire a trainer. Seriously, we got excellent advice from a trainer. Helped turn our dog into a honey who is excellent with our grandkids.

[Anonymous]

The behavior is normal. Think of them as teething too. Offer higher value chews. You can also make your own by freezing fruit in bone broth or pumpkin puree.