# Couple more Questions



## cnorris (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a couple of questions, I had asked on another forum and got no response. I am hoping someone here can help me.

1. Star has been biting, not very hard but I want to break her of this habit, yelping doesn't work. What can I try that might help stop her?

2. She has also started growling, biting & pulling at my feet, ankles and pants and if i try to pick her up she jumps, growls and bites at me. This usually happens when I take her outside to do her business. I have tried stopping and ignoring her but then she just lays down and chews/sucks on my pants. I have also tried continuing what I was doing like walking and pretending shes not bothering me but that doesn't seem to work either. It is frustrating because she does it most with me, and only once in a while for my mom. She has done it in the house and a couple times when I take her for a walk. Some people say that she is just trying to play and others say that its aggression. Is she just trying to play?Could she be venting because she is not getting enough exercise? Or is it a behaviour that I need to stop and How can I stop this?

Any help would be appreciated.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

This is all normal puppy behaviour. Molly was the same way. If I yelped it just seemed to make her more aggressive. I tried softly holding her muzzle shut and saying "no bite" this didn't work either. For me replacing her biting on my hands etc I would always have a toy handy and exchange for that. Also I used the clicker to help with this. I would flutter my fingers around her mouth and if she didn't bite I would click and treat. This is what helped the most for us.

She did hang off pants etc too. Very frustrating if she did I would leave her and go on the other side of the baby gate and turn my back to her. She would whine etc..but I ignored her. This seemed to work but when she was very out of control with the nipping etc...it meant she was tired so I would crate her for a few hours and then she was ok. It's like a baby having a tantrum when they are over tired. Puppies need lots of sleep when they are small and if they don't get it they go out of control

Hope this can help. Good luck with your puppy soon this will pass and you will forget how crazy they can be


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## SamRinde (Jun 10, 2013)

Yup. I had pretty much this exact post with Frankie a bit ago and so did another member, I forget who.

When does she bite? Is it when you are playing or sort of out of nowhere? Is it related to your #2? Also, how old is your cockapoo?

It is apparently standard puppy behavior, although I swear it doesn't seem like it. (I've never had a puppy before, so I wasn't prepared for such a little devil! Does anyone know at what time this behavior usually stops and the calm down a bit? -Meaning, when do they realize, on their own, that they are tired and fall asleep without you putting them in their crate or calm down zone?

What Renee mentioned above is exactly what we did. We tried yelping, tried holding muzzle shut, none of that worked. We just made sure we had treats with us so that if they walked next to us the right way, we said "Yes" and gave a little treat. We also clicker trained him - shuffling our feet in front of him and if he didn't lunge at them, we clicked and treat.

Just be patient and calm and I'm sure it will get better!


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

SamRinde said:


> It is apparently standard puppy behavior, although I swear it doesn't seem like it. (I've never had a puppy before, so I wasn't prepared for such a little devil! Does anyone know at what time this behavior usually stops and the calm down a bit? -Meaning, when do they realize, on their own, that they are tired and fall asleep without you putting them in their crate or calm down zone?


I don't know when it happened, but all of a sudden I realized they aren't their crazy selves anymore. ironically, I kind of miss it. I've been lucky as they have always settled themselves down when they were tired since probably 12 weeks. Even their daycare persons were really impressed as they seemed to know their limits whereas a lot of other puppies keep going until they literally drop. But I was really consistent about making them take naps from the get go (mostly I needed it too).


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Lexi responded to gently holding her mouth with a "no bite". Nothing worked for Beemer other than a time out. A couple of timeouts and he was a much better listener.


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## Nellies mum (May 12, 2013)

I notice from the Pita pata that star is 7 months old? Has she only just started to do the biting? Maybe she has her last adult teeth coming through and it is hurting her. Maybe give her chew toys etc when she starts to bite


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Is she bored? When out in the garden throw a ball for her, or a kong. Kings are great cos they bounce in weird directions. Get a pair of old socks and play tug with them. Have it with you at all times then you can dangle it and she will bite on that instead. Kings are great when stuffed and frozen. Keeps them occupied for ages. And lots of quiet times too.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Is she getting enough sleep? Structured sleep breaks/naps? Give her things to bite on, toys, chews, frozen carrot to soothe gums. 

It doesn't sound like aggression, it's probably tiredness or frustration. Have lots of walks, play and training to tire her out and build a relationship.


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## cnorris (Aug 13, 2013)

Thank you

She is not teething anymore, when she got fixed they also removed her last baby tooth.

The biting isn't as much of a problem as it used to be. 
Also most of the toys we have gotten her do not last very long. She doesnt like fetch much, she prefers chase, where I throw something and she gets it and then I try to get it from her while she runs away.


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Christina maybe give her a chew that is long lasting when she gets like this. I agree she should be growing out of it by now. Try a stag bar, paddy wack or a pizzle stick. I always have these three hanging around for my two. If they get bored they will chew one of these instead of getting up to mischief.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

We found with Max that if you take two balls in the garden and make sure he knows there are two, then he will fetch the first ball and drop it our feet in readiness for the next ball. He will do this for ages! He also loves playing find the kong. We hide it. He has to find it! Keeps him active!


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