Biting at my legs and ripping my clothes.

[Archie bean]

Oh you do have my sympathy. Archie was an absolute S%@ when it came to ripping clothes. He didn't have as much sproing in his step as Blue so didn't jump that high. But as he got bigger, above the knee rips weren't uncommon. I lived in ancient jogging bottoms and ugg boots. My biggest fear was him destroying clothes belonging to visitors. I used to pre-warn anyone to wear old clothes when visiting but we still had a couple of mishaps. (The pupil whose mum ended up yelling "it's Karen Millen, KAREN MILLEN" as he hung of her cashmere cardi was a high point!  )

I would love to say that there is a magic fix but I think it's just time and practice. I'm sure you are doing all the right things but some pups are much more of a challenge than others. A one to one session with your trainer would be a good idea, if only to boost your confidence and confirm that you are pointing in the right direction. Keep persevering with the time outs. They are what eventually (and I do mean eventually) did the trick with Archie. We spent a LOT of time practising the "off" command for getting him to let go of something. One little trick was to always have treats in my pocket. I would drop a treat and tap the floor next to it with my foot. I was then able to use this if he was hanging off one leg I simply tapped the floor with the other foot. He would then let go to look for his treat. The minute he let go I praised him and treated him. I ALWAYS had treats about my person when he was small! Make sure that you get some time to yourself too. Even if it's just half an hour. My Mum used to look after Archie for a short time every so often just so I could sit and have a coffee and kick my shoes off without being molested by him.
Good luck. It WILL get better. I promise. 

[lescef]

As a follow on from Archie bean, you can either carry treats or put little pots of treats around the house. Whenever Blue is doing a desirable behaviour calmly, then reward. Some people believes this works really well towards getting good behaviour.

[Londongirl]

I bought a beautiful long cashmere cardigan just before we got Henry, a two months old. First time I wore it he was 9 months!

[Pop-Star]

hmmm, its probably not that uncommon, Martha seems to be doing it to me when she is excited. Probably the best thing you can do in the short term is wear an old pair of jeans or suchlike then at least you don't get stressed over the clothes damage.
I have found that the best way to stop Martha jumping and nipping the trousers is to firmly tell her to sit, its the command she knows best and she always responds to. It just seems to break the cycle of jumping, shouting and whatever - she just sits and gets a treat, then off we go calmly. Best of luck, they do grow out of these behaviours.

I agree that Blue is probably over excited and needs to understand to be calm.
I would suggest that you have a look at some of the Kikopup training videos,they have lots of positive suggestions for this sort of situation.
This is the link to one about jumping up https://youtu.be/lC_OKgQFgzw
But I would look at this one first which is about how to stop unwanted behaviours, and training your puppy to be calm instead  https://youtu.be/TBvPaqMZyo8

Good news is it's free to subscribe to Kikopup and there are lots of other topics too (other dog training videos are available    )

[Theo961]

Oh you have my sympathy. I did have some of this with Reese probably about the same age. It was really when he was over tired and needed some time out for a nap or over excited and I needed to calm him. I did the arms folded and ignoring him stage, at first I thought it wasn't working because if I did that he would then just leap higher at me but he did soon learn that he wouldn't  get a response and stopped doing it. 
I am quite lucky as my trainer goes round the class at the beginning of each session and asks if we have any issues giving  each of us advice on how to deal with it. It's also good to know that there seems to be pretty standerd issues with most puppies of all breeds,  your not alone and it will get easier if you have the right support. 

[Blueberry]

Thanks all, lots to think about, and many thanks for the hugs and reassurance that it's not unusual or permanent.
From our pup trainer's website: 'is a qualified Police Dog/Search Dog Handler and qualified Guide Dogs For The Blind Trainer/ Instructor. Has worked for the RSPCA as Animal Home Manager and Local Authority encouraging responsible dog ownership. Was one of the founding members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and has been called upon as an Expert Witness in court cases where dogs are the centre of controversy'.  I'm sure he's perfectly ok, only uses positive methods etc.  I will just have to ask him about some 1:1 sessions.
Re the trousers, they were only very casual ones,  inexpensive - I actually bought them 'for dog walking' - ha! 

[minimoo]

Honestly he will grow out of it , cockers are not easy  pups , if he is on a lead try and keep him at arms lenth and a firm sit with a treat when he does. I am sure that if you stop and ask your trainer he will be willing to help

[Pearly]

Pearl was like this as a pup - at 9 months old I sat on the living room floor sobbing while a white and black set of flying teeth jumped over me.....

I had no problems like this with Coral.  Yes she was a bit of a cockerdile at times but learnt bite inhibition very quickly and didn't rip any clothes.....

The main difference between the two was the way in which I handled them.  I expected Pearl to be my companion and follow me round, especially at weekends.  She was a high energy pup and needed a lot of attention/"jobs" to keep her occupied - she also wouldn't give in to sleep and where I naively thought she would put her self to sleep for a nap in the day - she didn't!

The moment I realised (and I think it was from a comment on here  ) that she was over tired my life became very much easier!

If you don't already, I would urge you to set a regular schedule of sleep for Blue - morning, afternoon and evening.  Pups need around 18-20 hours sleep a day.  I'm still amazed how much sleep they need!

Coral happily puts herself to sleep by getting into a basket or her crate throughout the day, she also asks to go to bed at 9pm and sleeps through to around 7am. 

I would also suggest finding a - positive training only - not an old fashioned trainer  gun dog trainer in your area.  Spaniels have very different needs to most dogs that attend puppy classes etc and while your trainer works with cockers they will have a high prey drive and be a little obsessed by balls/ food etc which makes them easy to train but not suitable to be pets......Blue as an extension of your family will probably respond better to being allowed to hunt and quarter in a controlled manner which a gun dog trainer will help with.  It doesn't mean you have to "do" anything to do with country sports.....

[bizzylizzy]

I do agree that not all trainers, as good as they might be, always appreciate that training a cocker isn't like training a German Shepherd. They're not a common breed where I live and neither of my trainers had had any experience with them before and both of them, after a few weeks of working with us, finally admitted that the problem of pulling on the lead, for instance, couldn't be solved as easily using their stalwart methods. My current trainer has watched us closely and now knows what Humphrey's about and doesn't make me feel like a failure when things don't work - instead he tries to either find another way of adressing the problem or has said that I need to accept that there are some things that are just not in  his nature to do. (Shepherds guard and protect, retrievers tend to be more up front etc etc.). All breeds have their strengths and weanknesses and he's  taught me to concentrate on the positives and relax and accept the socalled negatives, celebrate the successes and ignore the failures and not to be cross or frustrated because the dog isn't deliberately trying to antagonize. Its so much more encouraging when you feel as if you have a reliable partner who sees you as an individual.

[Londongirl]

One of the best things I did with Henry was have a regular routine of nap times. He had two long naps of 1.5 - 2 hours each and a shorter early evening nap which meant he could cope a lot better with the bustle of every one coming home and me cooking, sorting school bags, finding PE kits etc. These naps were at roughly the same times every day and I would put him into his crate no matter whether he seemed tired or not. He'd go from 100mph to flat out asleep in seconds. I learned he would NEVER put himself to bed. It's only in the last month or so this routine has loosened up as he approaches adulthood 

Knowing there were set points in the day when I'd be free from puppy attentions saved my sanity. I don't think I've ever cried so much as when Henry was little. There is generally a conspiracy of silence in the world about how hard puppies can be to live with, which makes us feel even more of failures when we struggle. Thank goodness for COL! 

[PennyB]

May be worth doing a 1-2-1 with a good trainer to see if you can sort something out. Sadly it will take time and yes pups can be a pain in the backside re this sort of thing but something a lot of us had to go through - its takes a lot of patience and finding something to distract/redirect him with

I have often been vocal about how hard it can be re living with puppies so no conspiracy here and too be honest this forum has often been criticized for being too honest about puppy behaviour by others. Over the years I have fostered many puppies and when talking to prospective owners I prefer to be honest about the pup and what may happen in future at various stages.

[Blueberry]

Interestingly, of the 8 pups in our puppy class, 5 are Cockers, and all are very similar in age, with just a week or two separating them.  As far as I can tell, I am the only one having any problems!  The other 4 are all Goldens; 3 dogs and 1 bitch, and all 4 are impeccably behaved at class, have brilliant recall, sit, stay, lie down etc. like little robots 
Our household is very quiet, just myself & husband, we are not youngsters, I'm retired and my husband works from home.  We don't have children visiting and don't go out lots, there's always been one of us at home with Blue so far.  We do put him in his pen when we need to get on with things, and he will put himself to bed for a nap when he's tired.
This morning, he's a different dog altogether, he's been as good as gold today, and no biting!  We had a nice long walk up on the moor earlier, and he's currently sleeping in his box at my feet.  I just don't know what got into him yesterday, but he took a wild hair and there was no controlling him.

[bizzylizzy]

..... and maybe those 4 perfect ones at class are being little pains in the bottom at home this morning, while Blue's being good!! You'll never know,    but concenrate on the good days and the bad ones will pass!!!......
You'll get there -.....!
.

[Ernies mum]

You have my sympathy , Ernie was a nightmare for jumping up & grapping onto my clothes - he could " Spring " to eye level from a sit ! I had lots of ripped clothes & found anything loose fitting seemed to add to his excitement so I lived in leggings & fitted jeans , wide leg trousers & cardigans were a definite no go ! As the others have said lots of rest helps as being over tired seems turn cocker puppies into cockerdiles .
I remember reading a suggestion on here about popping a large cuddly toy into a puppies mouth to let them " rough play " with the teddy instead of on your arms legs etc & I found that tip very useful .
In the meantime chocolate & wine helps  .

Ps Ernie was quite a handful as a puppy & has grown into a very sweet natured & well behaved dog ... Hang on in there , you'll get there 

[Finvarra]

Dylan also used to run behind me biting my trousers, I had forgotten that, and grabbing my sleeves. Ripped my best jeans. He has grown out of it though, 13 months old now, and I'm sure. Your one will too, just hang in there

Lesley and Dylan