Help... very bad mouthing!!

[cjealing]

Hello all this is my first posting so I hope it works! We have a much loved nearly ten month old working cocker who eighty percent of the time is loving,fun & a delight to be with but recently has started really bad mouthing so much so as to bruise the skin, she does this more to my OH than me but to me occasionally, she gets really angry & snarly when reprimanded (most of the usual reprimanding we have tried) . She gets an hour & half walk daily and we play "fetch" several times during the day too.. she sometimes gets like it when tired & usually a sleep in her crate sorts it out , but sometimes she does it for no real reason..that we are aware of.. any help & tips would be helpfull, & a belated happy 2013 to you all.. 

[ChrissyB]

How early in her training did you reprimand her for inappropriate 'mouthing' - when a pup was she discouraged from biting / chewing on humans by being given her own toys? I hate to ask but....ii she a bit 'spoilt'? You may need to speak to an expert behaviourist to advise you on maybe to change certain of your own behaviours to modify hers....I am no expert but this could get worse if you don't seek expert advice to stop it now...

[BeeBoo]

Wow, Chrissy needs to see a behaviourist.

Original poster - sorry you are going thru this mouthing episode! Could it be possibly down to the back molars coming thru - it happens at this age? Just a thought! 

[JennyBee]

Hi there, and welcome! First of all, I would stop any type of reprimanding: as you can see it is starting to have some unpleasant results. I agree with BeeBoo, it could very well be her back molars setting in - my girl Brodie certainly got worse around now. One thing that comes to mind, she is getting physical exercise, but how much mental exercise is she getting? This will be far more tiring for her than running around. Also, if she is mouthing out of excitement, then it may help to give her a little timeout to calm her down.

I would also give her zero attention when she begins to mouth - get up and walk out the room the second she starts. Once she learns that mouthing=no attention then she should start to get the message.

Hopefully others will have some advice, but I hope that is of some help to you.

Ps - Brodie mouthed for quite some time: she is now the gentlest, sweetest dog with an excellent temperament and superb bite inhibition

[ChrissyB]

Wow, Chrissy needs to see a behaviourist.

Original poster - sorry you are going thru this mouthing episode! Could it be possibly down to the back molars coming thru - it happens at this age? Just a thought! 

Getting snarly when reprimanded is nothing to do with back molars? All you idealists need to be careful ...cocker spaniels are known to be among the highest rated breeds for biting people ....an expert assessment of this ones behaviour / human interactions would be better advice to the questionner. I cannot believe how many people relate to dogs like they are children / human - have read on here so many 'funny' stories of puppies giving their owners black eyes, bleeding noses, etc - seriously need to take responsibility for your dogs interactions with you.

 Confrontational attitude despite earlier warning to abide by Forum Etiquette Guide re politeness & respect towards other members

[BeeBoo]

Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten a Cocker if you think they are so appalling, huh.

[MacTavish Boys]

Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten a Cocker if you think they are so appalling, huh.

So agree with you 

[JennyBee]

Exactly who is saying we treat our dogs like children? Our dogs have boundaries and training. Back molars start setting in around seven/eight months, making dogs much more likely to chew/mouth. I'm sorry, but I agree with the last two posts. This is obviously the wrong forum for you since you can't respond to any post without nastiness or bothering to listen to what anyone is saying.

[PennyB]

Hopefully we can now get this thread back on track to provide help to the OP

I have a sprocker girl who is pushing boundaries at the moment as well and is mouthing, more so when she gets too excited - in this case I will say no firmly (or I often now use the sharp ah noise - in a tone that she knows means 'no' but works better because no can be overused and just blur to a dog) and get her to sit - praising her for her sit (not the mouthing) and discontinuing whatever it was that was making her so excited and leave the room if you can for a couple of minutes.

If when she does this you act in an excited manner to to try and counteract her behaviour that will make her more excited.

Its worth thinking of the times when your pup is doing this sort of thing as well so you're prepared for it happening and finding ways of calming her.

[Joules]

How are you reprimanding your dog?  Mouthing is quite natural behaviour in young dogs - it is how they learn about the world.    The way in which it is dealt with by the owner can dictate whether it becomes a problem or not    Direct confrontation can lead to this sort of behaviour escalating - for example, pushing her off a sofa or getting her to move when she does not want to.  Many people find that a better way is to use a long line to do this so it is much less confrontational.  
Are you making sure your dog has plenty of things to chew to distract her from chomping on you?   Also is she getting enough "mental" activity to keep her busy.  Sorry, lots of questions.  Stick around though, there are plenty of people on here who have been through the same as you and come out of the other side.  The thing is to find a kind and positive way to show your dog what sort of behaviour you want from her - it is trial and error sometimes, but you will eventually find something that works for you and her  

ChrissyB - I am surprised that someone who holds the views you seem to, bothered to get a cocker, or any dog for that matter

As has already been explained to you, this site promotes positive and kind training methods and not outdated, dominance based methods.  If you do not agree with it, then please put your case politely and respectfully - it sounds like by "expert" you mean you!    If you have such a problem with the views of members, then perhaps COL is not the forum for you    Alternatively, you might wish to read the threads with an open mind and perhaps learn something

[lynnruby]

Ruby turned two in December.  She still mouths occasionally when she gets over excited.  When she does, we walk away and don't give her any attention until she calms down 

[Holly2009]

Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten a Cocker if you think they are so appalling, huh.

Maybe that's what all the dominance/ being the boss stuff's about   scared as she hasn't got a clue about cockers  

***

This is a good free puppy download by Ian Dunbar. http://www.shcnsw.org.au/SHCNSW/Content/File/pages/Training/AFTER%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf
I think it's important to play with pups calmly & quietly, I think it's easy to get a pup so hyped up their so excited they go over the top. If you know her biting is increased when he's tired I'd leave her to calm down & have a nap. Don't put your hands near her if she's wanting to bite something, give her a toy/ chew.

Ps) what's her name, colour...piccys please

[cjealing]

Thanks for all your replies , most of which are very helpfull & reasurring.   I think when i wrote the word reprimand I chose the wrong word..  we try and ignore the behaviour & offer her chews & toys when we  are trying to distract her from this mouthing/ biting.. we have noticed that she is pressing her jaw with her paws & we think it could be her back mollars bedding in, we are reasured that this is a common problem.. its been a really good day today & shes been a loving , playfull girl..  we will try harder with the mental stimulation... thanks again everyone.. from a beautiful  black working cocker called Millie. 

[JennyBee]

Great to hear you have had a good day . Another thing to consider is that she is now entering her teens, where things tend to go a bit backwards in regards to training . Fingers crossed that she soon learns some self control with the mouthing, she sounds like a lovely girl

[cjealing]

Thanks she is .. we have just done 20 mins of mind games and shes done very well & had loads of fun .. we will google some new ones tomorrow.. does anyone know any good dog games  , she loves a challenge!!