Won't stop biting!!!

[bizzylizzy]

I'm so glad to read this, it's unbelievable as it's so like what i'm experiencing it's almost like i wrote it myself!

I'm glad people are saying she'll grow out of it as apart from the 5 minutes of craziness she is so adorable and kind.

Also when driving with her she is so calm that sometimes i wish i could always be in the car with her! Never any crazy nipping when she's in the car (im glad!!) I'll let you know when she out grows this (soon i hope)

That's something to be VERY grateful for - so many of us on here have had problems with barking, whining or "singing" in the car, - (its taken us months to get Humphrey to stay calm). Whatever problems we have, there's always someone with worse ones!!!! 

[Ernies mum]

We've all been there , Ernie was a very bitey puppy , we often referred to him as the land shark  ... I can laugh about it now but at the time it was hard work . He's now the most gentle laid back spaniel , so you'll get there .
Re grabbing & jumping up at your clothes, I spent a lot of time in leggings & fitted jeans ,my wide leg linen trousers & wide leg pj bottoms did not see the light of day whilst Ernie was small as he found them particularly exciting & would hang off them . Cardigans were out for a while too 

[Londongirl]

I have recently rediscovered a lovely cardigan I bought just before we got Henry and quickly abandoned. Wearing it now, unmolested!

[Briggo09]

We are currently having very similar problems with our 18week old boy Charlie. He has always done exactly what you have explained with the collar- got round this by freezing peanut butter on a wooden spoon and laying it down in front of him- didn't give the collar a thought. We have since moved on to a harness because he is a bit pulley on walks and are struggling with ways to get this on without a bit of a war. He was extremely bitey when we first got him but it has eased of significantly in recent weeks. The rolling on his back and laying into our hands does worry me a bit though as he has done it twice when I have tried putting him back on his lead over the park. And he recently done it when my partner tried taking a mat which he was chewing away from him after telling him "no". I'm not sure how we should be reacting in this situation?

[desthomas]

The best advice I can give is to look at Kikopup on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c77--cCHPyU

She has so many good videos on a range of behaviours (I'm currently going through the calmness one for my older WSS).

[Valcattell]

I joined the forum hoping to discuss this problem. Branston is 15 weeks old and biting everything possible. He goes to puppy class and is very good doing sit, down, stay and come and behaves at school. However, he asks to come up on your knee and then bites your arm, hand, anything he can get his teeth into. We have tried screaming and high pitched noises but this just seems to add to his axcitement and biting. We find that putting him outside to chill out for a while eventually calms him down. So pleased to read that this faze will pass.

[Briggo09]

since my previous post i have started always using the sit/wait command for a treat whilst putting harness and lead on and have had really big success with this, no destroying my hands. I have taught this command over many weeks though and its a god send. With the general play biting i find its now mainly when Charlie is tired, or needs some mental stimulation. If he is tired i will take myself away and he will generally go off to sleep, for mental stimulation I have found the game 'find it' absolutely superb, he absolutely loves hunting around for kibble and it tires him out no end. For people who want to play with no biting, teach your puppy this game. Charlie is 5 months though, and it has taken a lot of time for constant biting stage to really calm down. Keep with it people. 

[moneypenny]

Penny is almost four. I well remember having bite marks all over my arms when she was a puppy. It was so physically painful to try to fend off those constant puppy bites that it was unpleasant to play with her.
Don't worry, it really will all resolve itself. I found the best thing was to sit down on the floor at her level, insert a toy into her mouth and get her to play fetch or the even more attractive game of "let's try to destroy this object". Her teeth would be firmly planted in the toy, not in me!

Nowadays if she starts rough play I just say "penny go find a toy" and she rushes off to rummage around in her toy box - actually she has three toy boxes at different locations in the house and it wears her out a bit just making the choice-she brings me back whatever is her current favourite so we can play fetch or other games with it. It's quite endearing really.

[Valcattell]

I really appreciate reading other people's views on this problem. Some days, I feel like giving him to a dog home to find someone who can cope with him. He is 16 weeks old now and this week at puppy class he had forgotten all he had learnt. At home he keeps urinating on the hall carpet and on the kitchen floor. We feel as if we are wasting our time. Branston is apparently at a teenaged phase now so we are told and so we have been advised to go back to square one with everything. He attacks us, especially my husbands feet, slippers, hands and legs and occasionally my legs. Think we will have to get a cage for him in the car as he goes wild in the front and bites. How long will this last? Not until he is 4?? Dont think we will still be together by then. We have had cocker spaniels before but nothing like this. He also has separation anxiety. We leave him for 30 minutes in his crate every day so far but he barks and whines. Please help us to keep him!

[lesley3165]

Please read my early posts, you will see I had exactly the same problems with Meg! 3 years on and she is the most wonderful dog ever. it will get better, it just takes time 

[Londongirl]

I really appreciate reading other people's views on this problem. Some days, I feel like giving him to a dog home to find someone who can cope with him. He is 16 weeks old now and this week at puppy class he had forgotten all he had learnt. At home he keeps urinating on the hall carpet and on the kitchen floor. We feel as if we are wasting our time. Branston is apparently at a teenaged phase now so we are told and so we have been advised to go back to square one with everything. He attacks us, especially my husbands feet, slippers, hands and legs and occasionally my legs. Think we will have to get a cage for him in the car as he goes wild in the front and bites. How long will this last? Not until he is 4?? Dont think we will still be together by then. We have had cocker spaniels before but nothing like this. He also has separation anxiety. We leave him for 30 minutes in his crate every day so far but he barks and whines. Please help us to keep him!

I don't think he's in his teenage phase at 16 weeks. He's at peak 'cockerdile' though, with the biting. It is such a pain (quite literally) and I really found my patience tested at this age. Teething will have a lot to do with it - starts at about four months. Cooling chews you can put in the freezer help. Henry chewed on ice to relieve his gums. I remember being utterly fed up with him one day, with his nipping and neediness, then found blood on the toy we'd been playing tug with. He was cutting one of his big teeth and it was driving him mad.

How do you have him restrained in the car? We've always had Henry in a crate in the boot and while he hasn't always been a happy passenger, he's safe there.

It does sound as if he's a bit late in getting the hang of housetraining, but I'm sure some people here have had the same experience. You do just have to keep up with the basics.

With the separation anxiety, you might need to find out it is that or the crate that's the issue. We have been lucky with Henry on both counts but I know other COLers have experience of issues with both and will be more than happy to share their experiences.

Good luck - it WILL get better! Early days still.

[Valcattell]

Thanks very much for your helpful reply. Branston has been particularly bad today but we will keep trying.
We will take your advice and put him in a crate in the boot of the car. He sleeps in his bed in a large crate at night and is no problem through the night.
When we leave him in the house we leave him in his crate in the kitchen. Do you think there is a better way to leave him?
Will try again with the toilet training.
Thanks again

[Londongirl]

I wonder if he is directly associating being in the crate during the day with being left alone? Does he go in the crate any other time than when you go out and at night? Henry sleeps in his crate during the day as well. Sometimes I'm still around in the kitchen where he can see me, sometimes I'm somewhere else in the house, sometimes I'm out.  So he doesn't know when I'm actually out rather than just somewhere he can't see, and I might pop up at any time. That has worked for us, but every dog is different. I'm no expert, not even on my own demon dog 

You do have my sympathy. If it's any help, I remember some times when he was especially difficult being followed by real developmental leaps. Sometimes I think their little brains are firing all over the place when specific developments are going on. Bad stretches are often followed by calmer ones (for a little while at least!), in my experience. It's a rollercoaster.

[daw]

Your tone is almost frantic... This sounds like a very anxious little boy and obviously you are tense over the situation as well. So take a deep breath and tell yourself this is a young puppy that's come into your home and can still be a joy. 

OK. For a start try not to compare him with your other cockers- I've had four in all, all very different. This one I guess is a sensitive soul- and I know you find that hard to take when it seems he's being 'aggressive.'  But puppies have only one thing to express their feelings with- the mouth. The more confused and wound up he becomes the more he resorts to it. He isn't so much trying to get a reaction out of you as use up his own adrenalin. One thing to try is just giving him a totally calm environment. Calm people equals calm dog usually. Ignore him if you're able especially when he's doing what you don't want. Make sure there are always plenty of other surfaces to take his feeling out on instead of you! Give him things to destroy if necessary, toys, cardboard whatever. Personally I'd buy a clicker and start very short bouts of training to engage his mind, come, sit, stay etc. Minutes only with reward or praise voice.

As for the housetraining I'm not a believer in crates. A puppy pen that his bed can go into is a compromise I guess. When I left him, I'd leave him in a safe room (kitchen?)with lots of things to destroy and maybe Radio 4 on very low. Bring in a dead branch from the woods with lots of good smells on for him to sniff and chew. As for the puddles in the hall etc, puppies do something called submissive urination- they get a scared feeling and it's their way of showing you 'I'm little and no threat.' As he calms down and feels more trusting it should happen less and less.

Sorry for such a long post. Good luck.     

[PennyB]

I really appreciate reading other people's views on this problem. Some days, I feel like giving him to a dog home to find someone who can cope with him. He is 16 weeks old now and this week at puppy class he had forgotten all he had learnt. At home he keeps urinating on the hall carpet and on the kitchen floor. We feel as if we are wasting our time. Branston is apparently at a teenaged phase now so we are told and so we have been advised to go back to square one with everything. He attacks us, especially my husbands feet, slippers, hands and legs and occasionally my legs. Think we will have to get a cage for him in the car as he goes wild in the front and bites. How long will this last? Not until he is 4?? Dont think we will still be together by then. We have had cocker spaniels before but nothing like this. He also has separation anxiety. We leave him for 30 minutes in his crate every day so far but he barks and whines. Please help us to keep him!

It does sound as if he's a bit late in getting the hang of housetraining, but I'm sure some people here have had the same experience. You do just have to keep up with the basics.

Not really as it can take up to 6 months for a dog to be completely housetrained - there are no hard and fast rules as to times/milestones really. Plus unfortunately if you clean up with certain things it leaves a residue of their urine - you won't smell it but he will - I use something like a bio-based soap (powder/liquid bio in warm not too hot water) then use disinfectant if need be

It will happen but may not just yet

Just as with the other things all pups or dogs no matter the breed or gender and patience is something one needs