Puppy nipping!?!

[Klm20]

Thanks for everyone’s advice. 
I have found in the last week that the “time out” putting him in a separate play pen or my laundry/kitchen gated area, when he gets too cheeky and bitey is proving to be most effective for our little nipper.

He is also starting to understand that if he does it we remove ourselves and stop playing with him. 

I also feel that he’s starting to have much more calm and relaxed time than what he was a week ago. Lots of patting with no nipping where as we couldn’t even really pat him without him going in for a good nip before. Lol! 

 

Fingers crossed it fazes out over the next few months. 

Thanks again for all the advice from everyone.
It’s all been taken on board and it’s much appreciated. 

[Klm20]

On 10/01/2021 at 5:11 PM, Dogsfevr said:

Not surprising he does the nipping being brushed but something you need to start being more in control off .Your puppy should not be nipping even at that age whilst being brushed .

Walking wise puppy can walk out the front onleash ,we walk our puppies for lead training pre homing out the front from 6 weeks .

Seeing the world,seeing cars ,hearing noises is a must .

Most vets explain it wrong there.

 

Grooming wise find a groomer early who will get the pup into a good routine early .

As a groomer most leave it till 6 months and bring a nippy ,untrained pup for there groom .

Where do you brush the pup .It doesn’t get to tell you what it wants ,brushing is fir life let it take control now and you will have an unpleasant 12 odd years ahead .

 

We tell our puppy owners to buy a non slip matt,place on washing machine or bench and brushing/touch time / feet,eyes,ear checks happen there .

 

Most people brush on the lounge,there lap or flip them upside down.

Great advice about putting him on the washing machine as I found that when I washed and blow dried him the other day on the top of the machine he was fine with me brushing him there and using the hair dryer, come to brushing him in the lounge etc it was not going to happen, he kept trying to bite the brush like it was a game. 
I will persevere though and hopefully take control of that one, like you said it’s a life long thing he will have to get used to it. 

He has his first proper groom in a couple of weeks to get him used to going regularly. 
fingers crossed it’s not too traumatic for the poor little bugger. Lol! 

[MaxMom]

Hi there! My first dog was a female Great Dane, and I do not recall her nipping at all. I currently have a male Newfoundland, and OH BOY DID HE NIP! My legs were bruised it was so bad. I could barely walk by him in the morning because he was so full of energy and was attracted to anything that moved. I had to keep a stash of toys within reach all over my house. I tried my best to remain calm, say nothing and when I gave him the appropriate thing to chew it helped tremendously. I also quickly realized I needed to exercise him way more. When he was supper nippy I couldn't just give him something to chew and walk away, it was a sign to me that he had stored up energy. I would play tug of war or fetch, also a brain game using tennis balls and a muffin tin ALWAYS wore him out.

 

I can tell you it passed, he no longer nips, he is a bit mouthy at 9 months, but it's controllable as well.

[Adrienne]

I raise puppies. In the beginning I would tell people who were helping me socialise my pups, "Don't let them bite you." and the people would admonish the puppy. I changed the directive to "Please keep your hands out of my dogs mouths." This is the number one thing I have to tell people in the community who want to pat puppies. It amazes me that a person would stand their fingers and hands being chewed on, as if that's cute or "what puppies do". Its not cute, and the person is communicating to the puppy I have no boundaries and no expectations of you."

 

Puppies mouth and bite things to find out about the world and to play with each other. Its important for them to do with each other - it is inappropriate for them to do with humans. They will learn excellent bite inhibition and respect from each other and from their mother. I know it is often displayed in ads for puppies that they are raised in a busy household with kids etc ... but I suspect that many pups from very early are experiencing gumming, sucking, and biting their humans whilst being handled or played with. At first it doesn't matter to the people because it doesn't hurt and even feels kinda nice for a while but it is bad socialisation. By the time they are six or seven weeks old they are greeting people and interacting with people through their mouths and it hurts! And then you have to train them not to. 

 

 

 

 

[coneye]

On 30/11/2021 at 5:56 PM, Adrienne said:

I raise puppies. In the beginning I would tell people who were helping me socialise my pups, "Don't let them bite you." and the people would admonish the puppy. I changed the directive to "Please keep your hands out of my dogs mouths." This is the number one thing I have to tell people in the community who want to pat puppies. It amazes me that a person would stand their fingers and hands being chewed on, as if that's cute or "what puppies do". Its not cute, and the person is communicating to the puppy I have no boundaries and no expectations of you."

 

Puppies mouth and bite things to find out about the world and to play with each other. Its important for them to do with each other - it is inappropriate for them to do with humans. They will learn excellent bite inhibition and respect from each other and from their mother. I know it is often displayed in ads for puppies that they are raised in a busy household with kids etc ... but I suspect that many pups from very early are experiencing gumming, sucking, and biting their humans whilst being handled or played with. At first it doesn't matter to the people because it doesn't hurt and even feels kinda nice for a while but it is bad socialisation. By the time they are six or seven weeks old they are greeting people and interacting with people through their mouths and it hurts! And then you have to train them not to. 

 

 

 

 

Good advice ,,

[Paul777]

On 09/01/2021 at 8:22 PM, Klm20 said:

I started training with him pretty much as soon as we got him. 

He has learnt to sit, shake, lay down and we are currently working on stay. 
He is highly intelligent and I’m finding he picks up things quickly, although when it comes to stopping the nipping at the moment he doesn’t seem to respond. 

He is very good on a lead, although I have not taken him outside of our yard as he only had his second vaccination last week and I was told by the vet to wait 7-10 days before taking him out for a walk in the neighbourhood, so I’ll be able to take him next week which will be great for him I think. 

As for brushing he doesn’t like it, I brush him every second day and he finds it to be a game I think and nips etc. 

Something we definitely have to work on. 
 

I think the puppy pen as a time out space is a good idea as few people have mentioned. 
He does have a crate but I may add on a pen so it’s more of a bigger area for him. 
 

Thanks for all you advice. Much appreciated. 

Poodles are quite intelligent dogs. 

A pen is an excellent idea for 'time-outs' - a crate should not ever be used as a punishment but if the crate is in or attached to a pen then that's fine because then it's the dogs choice whether they go into their crate or not. 

Once redirection fails to work, especially when a pup is overly excited, putting them in a pen and totally ignoring them for several minutes gives them the opportunity to 'think about it' and settle themselves. 

Not saying this is the case but ensure that there's no knucklehead in your family who is encouraging the biting by stirring the pup up like it's a game. [When I was a young teenager I was one of those numbskulls] 

Good for you that you're seeking to rectify the behaviour now while he's still a pup. 

Make sure you get recommendations and check out the techniques used by the trainer. 

Two years ago I 'fostered' a highly reactive GSD who has a shocking history of abuse and neglect who took crap from no one. 
At the time I felt desperate for advice so was delighted when GSD rescue had organised a training day for rescues with a dog behaviourist whom I'd heard many good things about.
Silly me thought I'd actually learn some valuable lessons. 

In the first demonstration the behaviourist used harsh techniques [that made the dog yelp in pain] and used the owner as the distraction, which in my eyes was betraying the dogs trust in his owner. Not anyway to treat any dog much less a rescue with a history of abuse.
The behaviourist used aggressive and domineering tactics on other GSD rescues, a couple of whom looked close to attacking him. 
The behaviourist got the shits and stormed off when I refused to allow him to handle Wooki. When I told him that Wooki would not tolerate such treatment and would bite him, he replied "I've been bitten heaps of times!" as if that was a badge of honour. Not on my watch you moron. 

The positive that I gained from that experience was it showed me that I needed no advice from a cretin. All Wooki needed was time and patience using firm consistent direction and soft hands.
 Wooki is now like a different dog who actually is a rather nice natured boy.

That's an extreme example but shows that even 'experts' like this dog behaviourist need to be checked out and avoided like the plague. 

Good luck.
 

[Paul777]

On 03/02/2021 at 12:21 AM, MaxMom said:

Hi there! My first dog was a female Great Dane, and I do not recall her nipping at all. I currently have a male Newfoundland, and OH BOY DID HE NIP! My legs were bruised it was so bad. I could barely walk by him in the morning because he was so full of energy and was attracted to anything that moved. I had to keep a stash of toys within reach all over my house. I tried my best to remain calm, say nothing and when I gave him the appropriate thing to chew it helped tremendously. I also quickly realized I needed to exercise him way more. When he was supper nippy I couldn't just give him something to chew and walk away, it was a sign to me that he had stored up energy. I would play tug of war or fetch, also a brain game using tennis balls and a muffin tin ALWAYS wore him out.

 

I can tell you it passed, he no longer nips, he is a bit mouthy at 9 months, but it's controllable as well.

Yes, often it's just an excess of energy. Why on earth anyone thinks that that's an ideal time to train a pup is beyond me. 
Always play or exercise a pup before a training session is sound advice.  

Tennis balls. One thing that was pointed out to me several years ago was one of those things that should have been obvious to me; look at the surface of a tennis ball - it's similar to those scouring pads for washing dishes. 
A tennis ball is quite abrasive and will wear down the enamel on dogs teeth. 
Since then I've only ever bought rubber balls for my dogs. 

[Paul777]

On 09/01/2021 at 8:22 PM, Klm20 said:

As for brushing he doesn’t like it, I brush him every second day and he finds it to be a game I think and nips etc. 

Something we definitely have to work on. 
 

 

My GSD, a rescue, had received no positive handling from his previous owners [just abuse and neglect] and hated to be touched or handled. 
GSDs shed a lot and when they moult their winter/summer coats the fur just comes out by the handful. 

To make brushing an enjoyable experience for him I used dried liver treats and incorporated training into the exercise [Wooki loves dried liver] 
Wooki is an extreme case but he learned to tolerate a brush. 
Two years on and he's still not fond of being brushed but with the offer of a few dried liver treats he will allow me to brush him without too much fuss. 

Since your poodle is still a pup, it would be much easier to brush him after game time or a walk after he's burned off excess energy.