At my wits end with a bitey puppy

[Vixter]

Thanks everyone for your messages of support and advice they have made such a difference when I am feeling really low.  Its so good to know that others have been where I am and that I am not just a rubbish puppy parent.
I have had the trainer round and had some really good tips around modifying our behaviour and how we interact with her.  It seems that Isla's excitement threshold is really low, so it really doesn't take much to tip her over into puppy mania.
I have also started wearing wells around the house, although she now bites over the top of the wellies and onto the back of my thigh.     but at least it helps some of the time and means that it is a bit easier for me to ignore her and not give her a reaction.
`i am hoping that with a lot of hard work we will start to see some benefit.  I just need to hang in there and remember it will all be worth it!

[Sirius Mum]

Glad to hear you're feeling better and have help. I'm sure Isla is beautiful and that you will help her through this and have a lovely little lady.

Posting when it's tough helps us all too. so thank you because you can be sure someone else will come along read your story and be helped in their turn. 

Ps love to see some pics too

[frater5]

Hi
I have a new puppy too . I like you researched the breed and saw nothing about the bitey growly behaviour .
On her 2nd night here she turned into a monster and I thought what have I done , this puppy is a lunatic .

I went online and found this website which told me this is perfectly normal behaviour for a cocker puppy , so
why doesn't the breed standards elsewhere on the internet tell us this . We are a family that I consider to have experience
with dogs having had high maintenance breeds such as boxers and staffys in the past , misguidedly I thought I would get a
nice easy going spaniel , she is harder work than any other puppy I have had .

But she is also gorgeous and affectionate , I think the key is patience , patience and more patience and we shall be rewarded with wonderful dogs at some stage in the not to far future .

Don't be to hard on your self , puppies are hard work and can try the patience of a saint as you can see by all the replies .

I manage to get some peace by giving our little miss a great big smelly chew , then its time to sit with my feet up with a cup of coffee ( must add feet are up in case they get bit ).

[Clover]

They can be very challenging    Willow was a real bitey pup, times I wondered what I had done    All I want to say is, it wont last forever and you will come out the otherside with a wonderful dog.  It's just hard to imagine at the minute so  Sarah

[Vixter]

I agree frater, I like you saw nothing online in the breed information to prepare me for what I got, but I think that is true for many of the puppy books as well.  They all mention chewing/biting, but none of them highlight what a big part of early normal puppy behaviour it is.  Its so hard when you have never had a dog before to know whats normal.

I think i am making some very very slow progress, although wearing wells and gloves  has really helped  looking on the positive side that at least they hide my pasty white legs…..

Just about to employ the chew tactic to get a cup of coffee in peace and quiet.  So glad I found this site as  think I would have lost the plot if not by now.  Thanks so much everyone xx

[sodpot2000]

A few things that might help based on various spaniels over the last 40 years +.

Spaniels (particularly as pups) often don't see too good and so their world is different to yours. They explore through smell and feel and unfortunately their mouths are their preferred way of feeling. When to bite and when not to are things that the puppy would learn from its Mum and siblings but at 8 weeks that process is far from complete and so you have to finish it off and stand in for the siblings.

If you have not got them can I recommend getting some of the hide chews that most of the pet shops sell. Most of my spaniels have loved them and it gives them something they are allowed to exercise their jaws on. An old knotted sock also works for a tug of war which tires them out so they fall asleep in a pile!

Cockers are quite capable of being little horrors as pups and that is really because of the amount of character they have and which takes time to form and develop and you will play a part in that.

Cockers are rather like a group of naughty school children. They know when they have been given a nervous student on their first placement and they will have fun with them. Like most of us they grow out of being loud, smelly and obnoxious! They do however need firm and consistent boundaries.

Finally can I suggest that you try to avoid anything which has artificial colours or other additives. Sophie was an absolute horror until we found that she had what I suppose was akin to ADHD brought on by artificial colours in treats/biscuits. Observation showed that within a few minutes of eating them she would become very aggressive and difficult to control and that it took about a 2 hour walk to burn it off. A strictly regulated diet helped a lot. She grew into one of the most wonderful dogs you could ever wish for.

Chin up and whatever you do don't give up. You will be rewarded by a great friend

[Ben's mum]

Oh I remember thinking 'what have we done' when Ben had been home a week, he was a nightmare, a biting, screaming puppy, who just seemed to cause chaos.  I was so upset, I wanted a cuddly puppy , not a cockerdile, I went through a stage of wanting him to go back to the breeder  as I couldn't cope, then I thought I was just a rubbish owner and everyone else's puppy's were perfect- so it must be me.  This was 10 years ago and long before I found COL so I didn't know he was just a 'normal' cocker boy!! Like you with no children he was going to be my boy, but I really didn't like him much at all.  Then about 6 weeks in, we were walking in the park and he must have found some broken glass on the floor and cut his nose, and I was heartbroken he looked so small and vulnerable and that was it he just had me hooked  It wasn't easy, even then for a few more weeks, till he stopped biting all the time, but the bond between us has got stronger and stronger and he is my whole world now.

I have to say it did put me off having another puppy, I decided I just wasn't a puppy person, so for various reasons (including Ben's attitude to puppies  ) we ended up with Harry who was 8 mths old.   I adore Harry, but there is something about the bond between Ben and I that I think stems from working through the problems and coming out the other side in one piece.

I am sure you will fall in love completely with Isla and she will be everything you want her to be    You will know how well you have done in a few weeks time, when you come on the puppy board to support some other new owner going through it and you will be coming out the other end and enjoying her completely 

[Vixter]

Thanks so much Ben's mum.  It is so good to know that I am not the only person who has had thoughts of sending their puppy back to the breeder, but I think I realised today that I can give Isla a really good home, and the fact that we dont have children means that we can devote all the time we need to getting her training right and her biting under control so really she is best with us.  I also realised that dogs and puppies have their own personalities, and whilst I wanted a really cuddly pup to fill a void in my life she has her own little charecter and may not ever be cuddly but that doesnt mean that she wont be a loving and loyal companion.  Dont get me wrong I still feel really overwhelemed and inadequate but have had such good advice and support from everyone on here.  I am hoping that as we progress with her training she may gain some more self control although it seems a really long way off at the moment as she has the concentration span of a goldfish 
A really good tip about the diet, although we have been very careful about her food ( all gluten, grain and additive free) we are not being very careful with treats, so will have a look at those and maybe bin the cheaper pets at home ones in case they have anything in them. 
She has just fallen asleep on my OH's lap, moments like that make it all worth it.