Rumbustious puppies - tips on stopping the biting...

HeresHoping

HeresHoping

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The labrador pups are now 6 weeks and the teenage mum (don't ask, and please don't rollock, I was in hospital when it happened and she was 15 months old - we thought, with 12 days in separate rooms, we'd avoided this but at 5 weeks she showed us a swollen froof and then exploded outwards at 6) is happy to start weaning. No doubt so she can go back to painting her toenails and smoking behind the bike sheds. Thank God, because getting up twice a night has been more than a little wearing. Dad, of course, denies all knowledge and lies snoring in his basket. Mind you, if the little blighters get out and make a beeline for him, he climbs the nearest bit of furniture he can. The big wuss.

I have a stream of people coming to view over the next couple of weeks although I have put my foot down and said none are going before 10 weeks, when I know they've been wormed and jabbed and buyers have been vetted :cool3:.

They are, however, at that rumbustious stage of all teeth and little regard for humans. Do you have any tips for deterring this? I gently remove them with a 'no'. However, they think my daughter (small, 7) is fair game and she doesn't have enough hands for this.

Thank you.
 
Most places let them go at 8. Labs will be big and greedy by 10 weeks! Can't help with stopping that many biting though. Good luck!
 
I don't know about that many puppies, but squealing loudly has stopped my JRT pup biting me - although his reaction is to lick my face to death in apology so perhaps not ideal! Good luck!
 
What is their mum doing if they bite her? Usually the best place to start with bite inhibition.
They're only babies and are not likely to know what 'no' means.
I know people say about doing the yelling thing, but it has to be a big shock to the pup, not a little squeak which says 'I am prey! I am yummy! Chase me and eat me!' which, unfortunately, is probably the kind of noises your seven year old is making. So best not to let the opportunity arise :) and remember to keep an eye out for the next series of Jeremy Kyle ;)
 
Would you introduce another puppy to your existing litter? NO, obviously. Your small child is another puppy. KEEP THEM APART. That's what I'd do. No rollocking, intended or implied!!

Alec.

ETS, and as a footnote and from C_C;……..
I know people say about doing the yelling thing, but it has to be a big shock to the pup, not a little squeak which says 'I am prey! I am yummy! Chase me and eat me!' which, unfortunately, is probably the kind of noises your seven year old is making. So best not to let the opportunity arise and remember to keep an eye out for the next series of Jeremy Kyle.

Sound advice! a.
 
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Thank you. The daughter won't be happy but she will, at least, listen to her mother.

The teenage mother, on the other hand is not so hot on discipline. She mouths them around the neck occasionally but the rest of the time she spends as far away from them as possible, and leaving pools of piddle on the kitchen floor. We've had to plug them in at appropriate times to ensure mother's milk has been applied.

Poor girl. She is the sweetest thing, really. It's not her fault she's a problem teenager - we 'rescued' her from a poor lady with 3 kids and bipolar disorder. She wasn't spayed - I booked her in and she promptly came in season and the vet said 'come back in three months'. Ha ha. Sigh.
 
Pups will eventually learn not to bite from their siblings. A bites B and B bites back in retaliation. Actions bring consequences. Don't forget, a litter of pups would be getting whole prey delivered by their parents if they were wild dogs and that would mostly be dismembered by the pups tearing it apart in a tug o'war, so biting/ripping is perfectly natural at this stage. I echo the advice to keep small children and pups apart except under supervision, then you can at least prevent a child being eaten alive!

With the single or older pup who can't learn from litter mates, I gently insert a fold of lip between their own jaws and gently squeeze. The squeak of pain will send a message of "Enough!". At that instant, I say "Don't bite!". Works for me. Have fun! I also agree about 8 weeks which if I had my choice would be too late. I'd prefer 6 - 7 weeks though I believe this is now illegal. Max came to me at 8 weeks because of the Christmas break and was initially a bit remote from me, but he has made up for it.
 
We had my older dog at 10 weeks and the younger at 8 weeks. Having done some reading I thought the older one would be better socialised at 10 weeks and have learned bite inhibition... Nope! We had to teach him, just by shouting 'owwww!' Really loudly when he bit. Our older gsd also assisted, being a grumpy old man. The younger one has never nipped even in play, but I think his grown up mum taught him that. I'd take at 8 weeks in future I think; leaving til 10 weeks was of no benefit in our case.
 
Our last 2 labs we got at 6 1/2 weeks and 7 weeks respectively, but I daren't say that unless I got shot down in flames!
 
Our puppy is 11 weeks now and when she bites the adult dog, he puts up with it, so we say No, and she'll stop but today she met her friends, the 5 friendly spaniels and thought she'd try her nipping game on one of the bitches. The bitch told her off, quite nicely but clearly and puppy girl instantly got the message.
 
When I got Rua she was quick to mouth/nip (18 months, had no previous training) so when she done it I let out a yelp. Shocked her that she'd hurt her mummy :p and she stopped it easily.
 
GinaB said:
When I got Rua she was quick to mouth/nip (18 months, had no previous training) so when she done it I let out a yelp. Shocked her that she'd hurt her mummy :p and she stopped it easily.
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The problem with a litter of 8 week old puppies is that the squeal given off by the 'victim', especially a young child, would or could, encourage their unwanted behaviour. A litter of puppies at 8 weeks are the nucleus of a pack. Therein lies the danger, and a litter of puppies, unsupervised, could very quickly become a danger. Your 18 month old dog, admittedly with no previous understanding of what's acceptable, and what isn't, none the less has learned how to have a balanced relationship, even if the balance is out of kilter, and it also doesn't 'benefit' from being egged on by its siblings.

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
The problem with a litter of 8 week old puppies is that the squeal given off by the 'victim', especially a young child, would or could, encourage their unwanted behaviour. A litter of puppies at 8 weeks are the nucleus of a pack. Therein lies the danger, and a litter of puppies, unsupervised, could very quickly become a danger. Your 18 month old dog, admittedly with no previous understanding of what's acceptable, and what isn't, none the less has learned how to have a balanced relationship, even if the balance is out of kilter, and it also doesn't 'benefit' from being egged on by its siblings.

Alec.
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That reminds me of a litter of 12 week (?) old pointer pups I had on free range. I also kept geese which terrified everyone. I came home one day to find a goose still alive but half eaten and a gory mess. They had surrounded the poor bird and simply attacked repeatedly from the blind side. Never under estimate what dogs can do, even puppies.
 
GinaB said:
…….. the tone of yelp that I can produce in comparison to that of a child is going to be very different.
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Accepted. Being angered rather than victimised, could be the difference, and could have a different effect. Interesting. :)

My BiL's little girl (6 or 7 at a guess), cannot be allowed near ANY young dog of mine. I've told her and TOLD her, but as she continues to squeal in mock panic, whilst probably attention seeking, so any youngster reacts immediately and they bounce about and over her. It's interesting, because if there were 6 or 8 puppies, of 6 or 8 months, and she was left alone with them, it wouldn't surprise me if, just as D_R's experience, a game could become more sinister.

Before dogs become part of the human 'Pack', or the Human is integrated in to theirs, we really should consider just what we're starting out with. The curious thing, of course, is that there will be those puppies which immediately accept their role in life, and then those which don't. I can't imagine a litter of Pekinese puppies ever being of any danger to anyone, but there are those dogs, possibly 'size' or 'use' influenced, where they could be of greater risk.

I'm not really sure of the answers and I've never really considered it, before. I wonder what others think.

Alec.
 
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