CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Puppies => Topic started by: gilld on May 09, 2008, 10:28:32 PM
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We have a 9 week old cocker who has been with us for a week now. I know it sounds ridiculous but he takes 'playbiting' too far at least 2 or 3 times a day by nastily snapping at our faces, legs, arms, whatever is within reach and it can really hurt!! We say 'OW' loudly and have now resorted to putting him in his crate for a few seconds but nothing seems to stop him. He seems manic at these times and I am really concerned that this is not normal puppy behaviour.
Has anyone had the same happen and did it all turn out right in the end?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Hi :blink: Its very common and a puppy trate. I wouldnt call it aggression its just what happy healthy puppies do in their developing early weeks. It can be easily remedied with the correct training :D I remember my old boss's Lab pup was a nightmare doing this and her kids were terrified they'd run and stand in the bath to get away from Megan :005: Didnt last as she was quickly trained accordingly along with the kids :blink:
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Don't worry, it is normal. It's not aggression or him being nasty, it's just a puppy that hasn't learned appropriate behaviour yet. He's just a baby, most pups have a few manic phases during the day and some are worse than others with the biting. Patience and perseverance are the key, you've only had him a week which is no time at all really. You need to pick a method for dealing with it and stick to it and eventually he will learn but it does take time.
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My Alfie was a nightmare doing this, but now at 20 weeks old he is great. :D
Forgets himself occassionally with visitors when excited, but they do not listen when I ask them to ignore him. ::) Dont worry, its certainly not aggression. ;)
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oh I remember it well :005: - you may find it helpful to read Ian Dunbar on bite inhibition - patience and training will pay off dividends - I did several things when Dax was going through this phase - he spent over 3 weeks almost permanently attached to my trousers and sleeves being very growly - but this stopped completely by the time he was about 20 weeks and he is an absolute love now :luv: if you are interested in the things I tried you could look up my posts on the subject ;)
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We have a 9 week old cocker who has been with us for a week now. I know it sounds ridiculous but he takes 'playbiting' too far at least 2 or 3 times a day by nastily snapping at our faces, legs, arms, whatever is within reach and it can really hurt!! We say 'OW' loudly and have now resorted to putting him in his crate for a few seconds but nothing seems to stop him. He seems manic at these times and I am really concerned that this is not normal puppy behaviour.
Has anyone had the same happen and did it all turn out right in the end?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
My Charley gets really nasty at times, and i look at him and think 'why are you being mean to me?' Hes just done it now upstairs while i was sorting lewis out for bed - barking snapping and really pulling at my pants, when i went to pick him up to take him downstairs, he was really snapping at my hands like he knew he was hurting me. Hes done it plenty of times, and theres no way of stopping it, because how do you tell a puppy to stop? I just put him in his crate for 10 minutes, let him cool down then let him out - and start afresh! But i have wondered myself if i had myself a little aggressive puppy! ::)
Good luck with it :005:
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We have a 9 week old cocker who has been with us for a week now. I know it sounds ridiculous but he takes 'playbiting' too far at least 2 or 3 times a day by nastily snapping at our faces, legs, arms, whatever is within reach and it can really hurt!! We say 'OW' loudly and have now resorted to putting him in his crate for a few seconds but nothing seems to stop him. He seems manic at these times and I am really concerned that this is not normal puppy behaviour.
Has anyone had the same happen and did it all turn out right in the end?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Yes, as others have said, your puppy is behaving like a normal puppy. You are doing the right things, stick with it, it will work. Show him how you want him to behave by being calm and in control yourself ;)
I don't know if you have kids, but an over tired toddler behaves in just the same way- tantrums, screaming, I want I want..... :005: A very good indicator that sleep is needed!
http://www.scallywagsdogs.com/biting.html
Enjoy him, and laugh at the ridiculous antics that pups get up to.......even if sometimes it does hurt :D Remember he is finding his way around the world, using all the equipment that he was born with, it is up to you to calmly teach him, in kind ways, that he can understand, how you want him to behave :D
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Firstly welcome to COL :D
That website Bluebell has put on looks good :D Here's a sticky on COL too for you http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=2016.0
Good luck with your new puppy - but please please can we have some pics??
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i have this with yogi aswell...dont worry it will pass..yogi was really bad with the kids..but we are trying to teach all of them how to behave..it is working slowly...so dont worry its all normal..as horrible as it is . ;)
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Ruby was a snapping demon at times and I thought that was bad then I had a terrier pup on foster who was much much worse --- and I still bear the scars.
Use the methods advised here but when they go through that daily session where nothing works I found it best to walk away and watch from a distance (as they just weren't listening)
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Thanks so much everyone. I feel much better now that I know it's not just us and it should get better. We've had a great day today. I started the day feeling much more confident and I think it has paid off. Hope tomorrow is just as good! Would love to put a pic on of our boy but because I'm pretty dense when it comes to these computer thingys I can't work out how to do it!!
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Oh!!! I'm a clever girl - pressed a few buttons until a pic of my Alfie appeared!!!
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Ahhh he looks gorgeous. :luv: :luv: :luv:
Now we want big pics. :005:
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Stick with it! Ben was so bad as a pup - I was depressed for ages as he was a >:D I really thought I had an aggressive dog in the making. However he's still here and I think I might let him stay now :005:
There was one time when we went to puppy clicker training and Ben was being the noisiest aggressive pup in the room - the lady that made the tea offered to take him for 5 mins ................ I was ready to leave him at that point! She made a comment that seemed mad at the time 'I adore puppies when they are being naughty, they grow up too soon' .......... I couldn't wait for Ben to grow up but can now see what she means ;)
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Oh!!! I'm a clever girl - pressed a few buttons until a pic of my Alfie appeared!!!
He's gorgeous :luv:
Now to press a few more buttons and get some bigger pics on :D
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I too think I have an agressive puppy. Spence is now 14 weeks and whereas he used to mouth and nip and bark it has esculated to standing in front of me and OH and properly growling, nose curled up with his teeth showing. I took him to the vet last week for a checkup and he bit the vet (she was not impressed). She said that behaviour was not good and he should have calmed down by now. She also said that he is showing a dominant side to him, she then proceeded to book me and Spence in with a councillor at the vets, which we attend in 2 weeks.
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I too think I have an agressive puppy. Spence is now 14 weeks and whereas he used to mouth and nip and bark it has esculated to standing in front of me and OH and properly growling, nose curled up with his teeth showing. I took him to the vet last week for a checkup and he bit the vet (she was not impressed). She said that behaviour was not good and he should have calmed down by now. She also said that he is showing a dominant side to him, she then proceeded to book me and Spence in with a councillor at the vets, which we attend in 2 weeks.
Oh goodness, how sad that such a young puppy has been labelled :-\ Puppies have been behaving like this for generations, it is a critical part of the maturation and socialisation :-\
I increasingly believe that the expectations now-a-days are so high for normal dog behaviour to be suppressed and for dogs and puppies to fit some hypothetical "ideal" that suits us, rather than us accommodate their normal behaviour ph34r
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I too think I have an agressive puppy. Spence is now 14 weeks and whereas he used to mouth and nip and bark it has esculated to standing in front of me and OH and properly growling, nose curled up with his teeth showing. I took him to the vet last week for a checkup and he bit the vet (she was not impressed). She said that behaviour was not good and he should have calmed down by now. She also said that he is showing a dominant side to him, she then proceeded to book me and Spence in with a councillor at the vets, which we attend in 2 weeks.
what was the vet doing to him when he "bit" her? Was it a proper bite or just a wee nip? What do you and OH do when he does the growling thing?
I think its a shame that people dont put as much pressure on parents to have better behaved children as they do on puppies. ph34r
I agree with what Cob-web says in that there seems to be this pressure to have a puppy that doesnt do "puppy things". Whether its the ever growing televised quick fix dog trainers or something else that is to blame at the end of the day we all welcomed biting, growling, barking furry creatures into our homes....so we cant complain when they carry out their natural behaviour :-\ We just have to learn to understand it better. ;)
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Ditto what Rachel and Elmo have said. How can we expect an animal who has only existed on this planet for a mere 14 weeks to have all the manners and skills of a mature, well bought up adult dog?
I know of many, (if not all )children who were complete horrors at some stage during their early years, and am sure on many occasions a complete embarassment to their parents, but with consistent and clear boundries, have turned into fantastic, kind, well mannered young people. Why can we not apply the same reasoning to the behaviour of our young dogs?
:'(
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have just been reading this and am I relieved. We have willow who is only 3 months old and improving every day but over the last 4 days has bitten my grandchildren just playing. It has caused an enormous row with my family. I should know better she is the 8th puppy we have had [6th cocker] but things have been very upsetting. I feel it would be best if we didn't see the grandchildren until the puppy is a little older but I know I am being extreme. She hasn't broken any skin just nipped but I have to get this sorted.
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I feel it would be best if we didn't see the grandchildren until the puppy is a little older but I know I am being extreme.
Not at all - several of us with young children have kept their young puppies and children apart except under incredibly close supervision for several weeks... ;)
Visiting children are a bigger challenge than resident ones, imo - it is more difficult to teach both the puppy and the children the rules if they don't share the household, the puppy is more of a novelty and excitement to the children and it is a lot harder to *train* someone elses child if you don't have the support of the childs parents ;)