End of my tether......advice please....

[BettyBoo]

btw, pictures are a must

Just what I was thinking

[sal spring]

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time. Ripley who is now 8 months was exactly the same at that age. I have 2 and 5 year old boys and I used to have to separate them from ripley most of the time.....sam even ended up in casualty with a nasty cut to his ear. It does get better though - don;t worry about separating kids from pup - it is too much to ask of young children to tolerate biting.... by 15 weeks ripley was loads better and now she is brilliant with my kids.....hang in there and get yourself a baby gate......cockers can be little nightmares at this age but they do turn into brilliant dogs once they've learnt the rules !

[Sarah.H]

Although Charlie wasn't as bad as your describing your boy he was still a little biter despite doing all the right things. We found putting the citronella spray you can buy on our feet helped a little in getting him to make the right choice  .

[JennyBee]

Sounds to me like you're doing well . I was in the exact same position with Brodie and felt exactly the same, I just couldn't believe something so small and cute could be such a horror , she almost put me off puppies for life . I couldn't even pet her without her going into crocodile mode . And yes, it did go on for ages, she was very persistant, but now she is all I could ever wish for in a dog and the bad puppy memories are slowly fading . It has been worth it and it will be worth it for you too .

Brodie wasn't too keen on toys at first but soon discovered a love of playing tug - it is her favourite game ever and encouraged her to cling onto something other than me with her teeth . Keep in there, remember you are not a bad dog owner, what you are going through is completely normal and things will get better

Oh and welcome to COL

[williamsmum]

OMG - puppies!! Buttercup, you are echoing everything about the way I felt when I got my pup back in January. My cocker spaniel, William, was a fantastic pup, but then he had two german shepherds to guide him. Six years on, both the GSD's have gone now sadly, so I thought it was time to get another - and I got a pup! Well, had all sorts of nightmares. William hated him on sight, and I spent months getting up at 4am, as he wouldn't sleep. Had forgotten how awful it all is - cleaning up the pee and pooh, having to watch them ALL the time, the training, the tantrums etc. Well, I have had Rufus for nearly a year now, and I can tell you, it DOES get better, honestly! I've lost count of the number of times my OH came home and found me in floods of tears, in absolute despair. Please don't be so hard on yourself. Having a puppy is like having a new baby - total disruption, lots of sleepless nights, doubts and fears etc... Take heart.

[Sprinkles]

Buttercup hang on in there. I've PM'd you!! We've all been there!! (and still going through it a bit, but NOT as much!!)

[Ninasmum]

Hang on in there, things will improve.    I can understand you must be exhausted at the moment, which always seems to make everything worse and harder to cope with. 

Loads of good advice already    Just bear in mind that when your puppy loses his 'baby' teeth (about 12 -16 weeks) the nipping will start to 'tail off' and it definetly won't be so painful.   

Good Luck and let us know how you are all getting on.     Oh and pics please. 

[Annette]

I think it sounds as though you are doing all the right things so far.

It's hell isn't it?

They are gorgeous and horrid all at once, or so it seems. But it really will get better. At the very least those little pin teeth will fall out and be replaced by some that don't make your arms look like you are sleeping in the rose bed!

Gwen Bailey, and Jean Donaldson here. Lots of socialisation and perhaps withdraw all the toys and just introduce one a day to see if you can direct his enthusiasm onto them that way.

Keep at it, keep strong and keep coming on here for encouragement. I don't think we would have survived puppyhood if it wasn't for COL and I am certain that we have a pretty calm cocker here!

[Hurtwood Dogs]

MASSIVE HUGS

I HATE puppies  My first cocker pup was ok, not pleasant but ok. The second cocker pup was a total git... for 8 months, even just calmly saying 'no' to him seemed to incite a demonic anger and obsession with ending my life through shredding me to pieces, he was absolutely HIDEOUS

I had a 4 year old son when the second pup moved in to ruin enhance our lives and my son was so good but went through an awful time with the pup.. in the end I spoke to a trainer as it was just unbearable and she gave me great advice, she said just keep him separate from your son until he grows out of it as you can't expect children to help train bite inhibition, it's just not fair on them.. So for eight months we had a baby gate across the kitchen and the pup lived in there other than for supervised play sessions (on a long line so he could be easily and calmly removed back to the kitchen when he got out of control) and my son and our other dog lived on the other side of the gate. I still got shredded everytime I entered the kitchen but I chose him so I deserved it  His biting and attacking seemed to stop overnight at about 8 months and he's been fine ever since, my son adores him and they have a really FAB relationship.

Even when kids are calm, pups still target them as they react better (even when they're really trying not to  ) so if you've got a horror pup don't fight it, but temporarily create an area that separates you all so that you can have some well deserved time out from each other and it also helps the pup learns that biting = no play or interaction too, but it does take a while so be prepared for that

It's worth (if you can get near them without risking your life) checking your pups teeth - particularly the canines, sometimes bad biters have a misplaced tooth that's causing them pain and encourageing them to savage everything in sight. This was the case with my pup he had a bottom canine growing in the wrong place and it was pushing into the roof of his mouth. The vet decided to leave and the adult tooth came through in the right place and the problem was solved.

Try re-jigging your house a bit for now to allow you all to manage the pup a bit better and see how you feel then. There is nothing wrong with managing how much time the pup interacts with you all and giving yourselves (and pup) regular breaks and rests from each other either, so don't be afraid to do that when you need to

Hannah xxx

[laurianna]

Aaah Sweetie, I know where u are coming from.  I really hate the puppy stage. others seem to get so excited about it, but i dreaded getting Maisie as Bella was a nightmare!  The biting was a real pain and seemed to last forever (like morning sickness when your pregnant)

I put a soft lead on Bells and stood on it to have some control and stop her jumping up and biting my face! I used a spray bottle of water and sprayed her and threw her (well not literally) in her crate when she pi**ed me off. I'm a bit short tempered myself  

We couldnt stroke her apart from when she was asleep, she growled when we picked her up, my 12 year old daughter was covered in scratches and the school thought she was self harming!

I used the time out method and kept her segregated in the kitchen ALL the time, she was not allowed in the other rooms AT ALL.

She is now 5 and the most well behaved placid dog on the planet. I am totally besotted with her and she is literally my baby.  I'm not kidding, i nearly gave her back to the breeder. it was THAT bad.

I took her to puppy training just for someone to talk to and got a lot of support and the wonderful cocker mums and dads on here gave me endless support and valuable advice.

Try and stick with it, I have given a dog up after 3 years of battling his behaviour and it is not a good way out.  you will feel guilty for a long time and it is hard to come back from

You should read my post about Maisie our 4 month old. She Never mouths or bites but we have more than our fair share of problems, I can tell you! LOL

[laurianna]

MASSIVE HUGS

I HATE puppies  My first cocker pup was ok, not pleasant but ok. The second cocker pup was a total git... for 8 months, even just calmly saying 'no' to him seemed to incite a demonic anger and obsession with ending my life through shredding me to pieces, he was absolutely HIDEOUS

LOL Hannah,  me too, glad someone else said it too! 

[Annie's Mum]

please stick at it.....Annie was nearly returned many times (just a very tired threat  ) but it passes so quickly I promise, just keep talking to all of us YOU ARE NEVER ALONE x

[JennyBee]

I used a spray bottle of water and sprayed her

One thing, Buttercup, as this is something a lot of us face, please make sure any trainers you go to always use gentle methods - praise good behaviour and ignore the bad. These are always going to work far better than any of the adversive type methods out there and there is no danger of things back-firing. One book that has helped me so much with Brodie is 'the culture clash' by Jean Donaldson, it is widely recommended on here and makes things so clear to me as a novice dog owner

[laurianna]

I've taken advice from a trusted source and apparently the good old fashioned methods are now seen as outdated  so dont take any advice i have given out 

I have just bought Culture Clash from Amazon as recomended by JennyBee,  it seems to have some very interesting new ways of dealing with difficult behaviour and explains WHY dogs do what they do. The reviews on Amazon say its a revelation 

Try and keep a sense of humour as best you can though,  I find it helps to put a humourous spin on things, even when you feel like hanging from the nearest light fitting!

Have you read or seen Marley and Me?  Now there was a dog with problems and its a true story! That lab was a nightmare, but became a beloved member of the family. saddest film i ever saw!!

I really  hope you are feeling better today. xxxx

[sox]

By the sounds of it your needing something alot stronger than a cup of tea.

I dont have any advice but just hang in on there, good things comes to those that wait! You will get good advice on here 24/7, if your in a down mood, someone will be around to help/advise you.

I have had issues with my boy, and without people on here I would have given up a long time ago.

Big Hugs xx