gtjell Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We have a very energetic michevious 12 week old lab puppy. The last week or so he has started nipping, growling and grabbing at the kids clothes (9,7,4). He also grabs things and bolts with them jumping and growling while the kids try to get them. It is always supervised and I do step in. My question is basically I guess is this just normal puppy stuff or is there a dominance thing going on. Also is there a good way to stop it ?? When we had our last pup (a rotty) we didnt have kids so this is all new..... Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Do the kids chase the puppy when he takes things? It sounds like he thinks it's a game. The kids need to not chase the pup, and if he is grabbing clothes while they run and play, keep them seperated, or teach the kids to just stand still and not move, whilst you reprimand the pup and take pup away from the fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinonthefarm Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi I'm having the same problem, I have put it down to the fact that my little boy never does anything quiet with Sniper and plays lot of games where there is running and screaming. I have had to explain to my boy that he is over exciting Sniper and needs to tone it down and have some quiet time. We are still working on that so atm I just step in and end the game by separating them when it's too boistrous. I try to encourage my son to take Sniper for walks around the yard on his lead, feed him, throw a toy instead of running around with it. I fortunately have a fenced front and back yard so puppy can be in one yard and son in the other. I am not worried though, just one of the challenges of having kids and puppies together, both with totally normal behaviour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Your children need to be taught what they can and cannot do around the puppy - likewise the puppy needs teaching the rules! You might get some benefit from this ebook ..specifically for families . CLICK HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 It is totally normal for a puppy. It is play behaviour and has nothing to do with dominance- BUT he still needs to be taught not to do it. I found a very effective way of stopping biting with my lab puppy was to remove her from our company as soon as she engaged in the "bad" behaviour. I would usually put her outside or in the laundary for a period of 5 minutes. If she started barking for attention I would wait for 30 seconds of silence before she was allowed back in our company. The kids need to be taught not to chase the puppy and to put the puppy out when he bites or nips them. Dogs require different methods to help them understand what is expected of them. Separation worked for my pup, but other methods include using a water spray bottle. If you use this, it is ideal NOT to let the puppy associate you with the spray bottle, so try to spray them from a position where they cant see you. The biting usually lessens with time and consistent trraining. It is also extremely useful to teach the puppy to "give". This is usually very easy with a lab puppy as they love their food! When the puppy has a toy say "give" and show him the peice of food. When he drops they toy say "yes" and give the treat. Puppies learn this very quickly. If he is not interested by food (you have a broken lab lol), you can also use another toy. It is importnant to remember that the reward should be of equal or higher value than the item in his mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonJosie Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Our puppy is going through this badly at the moment, only it's not with kids, it's with me! She seems to have perfected the art of nipping me too so it really hurts (my legs are currently covered in bruises). Because it's quite painful, ignoring her is not only an option. Reprimanding her verbally isn't working, so we thought we'd give removing her a go. Only turning around to grab her is the beginning of a game of chasey. It's getting really, really frustrating! Thankfully she's got her first training class tomorrow so we can start teaching her some bloody manners! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I can't help with the kids thing sorry, but bonjosie - our dog Elbie started nipping like crazy when he was 11 weeks. It drove us absolutely bonkers and we had tried a lot of the usual techniques. I received a lot of helpful tips and support here. We thought it would never end but fortunately for us, by about 14 weeks - he stopped nipping at us and actually hasn't mouthed since ... to our great relief Good luck with your puppy - it's very frustrating and every puppy is different so it's just a matter of finding the technique that works for you and persisting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtjell Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Thanks guys. I'm checking out those links now. BonJosie I know the game of chasey when you try to catch the little devil to actually put his in time out...lol I started getting the kids to do a bit of basic stuff with him (under supervision of course). I give them a few treats and get them to tell him to come, sit then they give him a treat if he behaves well. Its simple stuff and doesnt require too much timing as he knows these commands (though is equally good at ignoring them..lol). He seems to be showing them a bit more respect now - not barking and nipping as much. Will keep working with the little terror I also started give and in most cases now the game of grabbing stuff and running away is depleting as he is pretty happy to swap the thing for a toy - I tell the kids now they are NOT to chase him when he steals stuff. Ahhh kid and dog training all at once :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonJosie Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Haha, thanks KTB, I remember reading that thread and thinking "Maybe there's hope for us yet". We're up to 15 weeks and she's been even worse these last couple of weeks because she's discovered that no game is as fun as the one where she bites me until I try and put her in time out, at which point she gets to play chasey and the hand-snapping game. :D The worst thing is it often comes out of NOWHERE. We'll be sitting quietly and all of a sudden she will just start flailing about doing her shark attack. We'll be training and all of a sudden she will get a treat and then SNAP! shark attack! Some days I get so upset and frustrated because I can't have any fun with her, I spend the whole time trying not to get hurt. But we will keep trying to train it out of her (and secretly hoping she grows out of it). I have these words of encouragement for you, fellow bitey puppy/shark owners: Of all the pleas for help I have read from other scabby, bruised and bullied bitey puppy/shark owners, all of them have ended in relieved cries of "Thank god, it's over! Peace at last!" I hope to join their ranks soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozjen Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) When I had a litter of pups hit the pirranah stage I corrected it by simply slipping my hand round the muzzle giving a light preassure and giving a growled no, followed by time out from play. All 8 pups had stopped within a day and went to their new homes over the biting issue. A couple of things to remember are 1. not to grab at the muzzle, must be a smooth fluid movement to discourage a bite response, 2. gentle pressure only, your not out to hurt the pup just to imitate the mother telling it of. 3. if pup is getting over stimulated by play give it time out before it starts to nip .4. have a given spot where the pup can go for a break where the kids are NOT allowed to disturb it (avoids an overtired cranky pup) 5. most important of all be consistant. ETA Jenna the dog in my signature was biting non stop when I got her as a 13wk old pup ( her owners hand was actually bleeding from a bite and she had no control over the dog), within half an hour of getting her home it had stopped by using this method and has never been an issue since. I am thankful that the owner gave her up as she is the most wonderful dog any one could wish for and if left would have ended up destroyed as a dangerous dog simply because of lack of knowledge on the owners part. Couldn't ask for a sweeter nature, but being extremly smart she knows when she has the upper hand. Edited February 2, 2011 by ozjen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrotpea Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I have two young kids and a puppy and we have been having a few issues with jumping up and nipping too. I have found the crate and puppy pen invaluable, so that if I can't directly supervise, the kids can't be teaching our pup any bad behaviour! We have been doing lots of reinforcement of quiet calm behaviour, and making sure pup gets her rough play time with me or with our older dog so she isn't so hyped to play with the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I reccomend this video: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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