Frustration biting

[Briggo09]

Charlie is now nearly 7 months and is coming on really well in all areas. I am just after a bit of advice regarding some incidents where he still bites out of frustration. He has really taken a liking to ripping plants out of the garden and running away etc... I don't chase him but if I am near him and go down to pick him up he will bite my hands out of frustration to try and stop me. He is fine with being handled all other times but I think because I am telling him "no" he gets a strop on. Is this something I should be worried about or is it simply an adolescent stage that will pass?

[Londongirl]

Maybe he just doesn't like being lifted? I know Henry didn't like it at all even from being quite little and would get mouthy about it. Now he just puts up with it if I need to lift him into the bath or the car and I rarely lift him for any other reason.

[Briggo09]

Yeh he isn't massively fond but like you we only do it when we need to. And he does just except that. This is more of a frustrated "you are taking me away from this I'm enjoying it" kind of thing.

[Londongirl]

I try not to 'take' things from Henry but get him to swap whatever he's got for something better. If I say 'oh, look, what have I got?' he knows I have a high value treat in my hand and will usually drop whatever he's got and run over to me. I'll make sure to be right beside him and get my foot or other hand on the contraband item so he can't pick it up again after he's eaten his treat. i whisk it out of sight so he forgets about it.

The only time this doesn't work is when he has a ball. He won't give up his ball for anything!

[bizzylizzy]

I agree with that, Humphrey didn't like being picked up at all. I don't know if the biting and ripping things is frustration, Humphrey (13 months) still does this in the garden, I think its more just what Cockers do! .
Distraction, swapping the booty for something else, practising the "drop" or "leave" command and games that offer some mental stimulation can all help, although I have to admit I still have to resort to taking things away now and again if he's got something bad and I need to react quickly, but on the whole, I do try and deal with it without force, its always better to try and train them to stop what they're doing voluntarily. (That's the theory anyway!!  )
Good luck!

[Briggo09]

I never take things from his mouth anymore, the drop and leave it is a work in progress but we are getting there. I'm not fussed about the garden particularly- it's just I want to be consistent in what I allow him to do. It's not a big problem as I can usually get him away with a quick game of find it with some treats- it's just I want to know if this is normal behaviour when it rarely occurs.

[bizzylizzy]

I'd say,yes, it is normal at that age and for him its all a game therefore nothing  to worry about as such but you're right to address the the biting and work towards teaching him its not acceptable.

[Londongirl]

I would also add that Henry likes being approached and handled MUCH less when he's in the garden rather than the house. I think it's because it's so much fun out there and he doesn't want me butting in and making him do something boring instead.

[hoover]

Ollie was very bad for this - especially at the age your boy is at.  He would turn around and snap out of frustration if we tried to remove him from food he had found on the ground, if we wanted to lift him or move him from a location he had settled on, or if we tried to move him away from any dogs he was pestering. (females and neutered males).  He would also do it to anyone who tried to intervene at a time he was trying to beg food off someone else - he was fine if the person with the food told him off or pushed him away, but if someone else got involved he would snap at them as if to say 'This is between me and them; mind your own business.'  This was the thing we found hardest to manage because it was not very amenable to training.  It was very specific to him being in a very aroused state and we couldn't replicate that arousal during training. 

I've got to say he is dramatically better on this front now and this is the biggest difference we noticed after he was neutered.  It is possible it was a general age and development issue as well (he was almost 11 months old when neutered) but honestly it was such a dramatic and sudden change I think it is more strongly related to the neutering.  From being an every day part of his behavioural repertoire he has ceased to do it altogether with people now.

[Briggo09]

Thanks for that input- he doesn't do it for a lot of things- just when he has decided he really isn't going to do something. But like you say it's hard to manage and it really confuses me because the other times he is an absolute softy. I had him checked over at the vets the other day for his pre neutering inspection but have decided to leave it a bit longer until he is fully developed. Fingers crossed it will go away like yours did.

[hoover]

Ollie was also worse with this behaviour when he was tired.  Not sure if that has any bearing on your situation though.