Urgent, advice needed !!

[Busters Dad]

Hi guys
Buster is now eleven and a half weeks old.
I thought we had started to control his incessant nipping and this morning attempted to brush him.
I feel sure that initially he saw this as being a nice new game and started by playfully nipping me. As I continued to try to brush him he suddenly lept at my forearm and took a big bite, one that actually drew blood.  :evil:
This type of behaviour is unacceptable to me.
I am being to tough on the little lad ??
Do I need to clamp down on this now ??
If so, how do I clamp down on this now ??
Has anybody else suffered this sort of anti-social behiour ??
If not, some suggestions as how to keep Buster more social.
He has completed his first vaccinations and will be lead walked outside for the first time this weekend. I do not want him biting a complete stranger.
By the way, I scolded him when he bit me and put him in his basket. I did not smack him and he seemed to know that he had done wrong.
Any comments would be gratefully recieved.

p.s. We still love him to bits.                      

[KellyP]

Hi Buster's Dad,

I wouldn't have thought Buster was being spiteful - he probably just got a bit carried away thinking it was a game.
There's a good section in the FAQ on stopping puppies from play biting.
I think though that a 'time out' is good, which is pretty much what you did - only, instead of scolding him idealy its best to just ignore him, perhaps use your 'NO' command, avoid eye contact and put him in his 'time out' place. Ideally this shouldn't be his normal sleeping place, as this should be a good place for him, so perhaps outside, or in another room with the door shut, just for a few minutes and then allow him back in, but no fussing, just accept him back.

Here's the link to the FAQ

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/forum/viewt...opic.php?t=2016

Rest assured he's just a puppy being a puppy, he's not spiteful, but it's best to get a grip on this kind of behaviour, so that when he's older it isn't a problem.

HTH

Kelly
                   

[Busters Dad]

Thanks for that Kelly.
We will start to use the hallway for time out purposes.
I have also started to read some of the many other threads posted on the same subject.
I probably posted in haste, should have read the good suggestions first.
Thanks again.

Mike.                    

[KellyP]

Hi Mike,

no problem - we all panic at some stage during puppy ownership  :wink:  

Kelly                    

[PennyB]

Welcome to the world of puppies. In the litter they would be biting their siblings and now you're a suitable replacement as far as he's concerned. My pups were like demons and it was something we just had to work through. While I was out I always warned people when they wanted to cuddle my cute little monster just in case they did bite—they were all very understanding as they knew it was a puppy thing. I worked on it but you have to be patient as it does take time when they are so young as their concentration spam and comprehension isn't very good.

Puppies are never as easy as people think they are going to be but its a steep learning curve                    

[Dunton4]

Hi Buster's Dad,

When Tilly was a pup she had a great time whenever I got the grooming kit out - biting the brush and biting me!  It was all such an exciting new game for her.  I tried to deal with it by gently persisting, with a short grooming session each day and lots of praise and titbits when she behaved (not often at first!).   I followed the good advice on this board to always groom her on a table and that certainly seems to calm her down.  Now she is 10 months and an angel to groom - I was thinking the other day how far we'd come from the early days.

So, it sounds to me like Buster is just doing normal puppy stuff, like the others have suggested.  It may be that he gets extra excited by the brush, like Tilly did, but I would just persist and he will get better - honest!

Hope you are reassured by a tale from someone who has been through it and survived!

Sue                    

[Busters Dad]

Just to update, we have been very strict with the NO !!!! every time Buster has tried to nip.
He has shown a marked improvement and we have the benefit of him being much calmer in general.
I do believe I should also take a great deal of the blame as I used to play quite rough with him. Now we play more gently and the benefits are there for all to see.
Although he still has his mad moments, and we wouldn't want him any other way, he is now a much calmer and more loving puppy.
Mike, Tina and Buster.                    

[Shirley]

It's good to hear that you've seen an improvement in Buster.  At the time it can be distressing, I remember there were a couple of weeks when Morgan was out of the room more often than he was it, we thought we had the puppy from hell but it doesn't take too long before these days have passed.  Glad you're enjoying your pup more now