# Biting help



## Nia'smum (Feb 13, 2015)

Hi all, after a good couple of days I've come home a little deflated and upset. That today after school my husband and 12yr old ( who has been the most nervous of buddy ) was sitting on the sofa and buddy was at their feet ? Asleep we are not sure def calm. And Jack leant down to stroke him from behind ( we have said not to do this, dont come from behind or grab from behind etc) anyway in a blink of an eye my husband heard a def growl and he bit jack. As Jack pulled his hand away it looks worse on his hand on the palm by the thumb. Obv jack was very upset by this, buddy was removed by my husband told in a firm voice it was wrong and put in the pen for time out. I've come home from work and he is behaving, jack we have talked to never disturb a settled dog etc but my mind is racing what if he is a dog that can just turn etc we start puppy training in Sunday and tomorrow is our first day out etc. Any advice from the experts x 



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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Sounds scarey and upsetting for all of you. How old is Buddy again? My near grown children loathed Rufus and his relentless biting. Mostly I kept them separate for everybodies sakes. Is Buddy generally a waggly tailed little guy or more anxious in nature?


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## Nia'smum (Feb 13, 2015)

He is 11weeks he is a very waggy tail excitable puppy. As soon as you walk in a room he runs straight up to you jumps up. When you sit down he is straight over to jump up but all this time when you go to strike him or pet him he will try to nip you. He loves running round the garden etc the biting / Nipping we have accepted as party of being a pup this week. But it was the fact all was calm my husband said jack lent down to stroke home, he didn't talk to him my husband said he heard a growl he looked straight down jack had been bitten. But we don't know what happened! x 


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Poor you.
Please do not panic.
Buddy is a baby puppy.
Puppy teeth are very, very sharp - this phase of needle teeth puncturing skin is at its worst from about now to around 16-20 weeks, then the sharp baby teeth fall out and it gets a whole heap better.
As I think you have already said Buddy was asleep - I suspect he was startled awake and reacted instinctively.
Poor Jack... if he has siblings he has probably suffered worse ... very soon Buddy will be his very best buddy and he will love him more than he loves you , quite a lot of the time 
Encourage Jack to sit on the floor and let Buddy fall asleep cuddled up to him - that is always a lovely bonding time. Also involve Jack as much as you can, feeding Buddy, taking him up the garden, training him - challenge him to find a puppy trick on You Tube and train Buddy to do it - shake hands, roll over, touch a target. If you can get him interested in clicker training all the better.
Please don't worry that this is a major incident, it is just a puppy thing. He has a lot to learn. I used to put Dot and Kiki when they were little in their sleeping place on their own to have a proper sleep and the kids were told to leave sleeping pups well alone. Don't forget that Buddy needs lots and lots of sleep still - 18 hours is not too much


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## Nia'smum (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks you guys are keeping me calm & sane I think once we can get out and about I have training classes on Sunday. My worry is I have 2/3 days a month when we are all out from 8am -3.30pm and we have a puppy sitter from 10.30 - 3pm on them days then jack will be home with him from 3.30 till get home at 5pm. 


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Nia'smum said:


> Thanks you guys are keeping me calm & sane I think once we can get out and about I have training classes on Sunday. My worry is I have 2/3 days a month when we are all out from 8am -3.30pm and we have a puppy sitter from 10.30 - 3pm on them days then jack will be home with him from 3.30 till get home at 5pm.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Jack will be fine, he'll learn more when he is looking after him on his own. Buddy will be tired from the puppy sitter. Jack and him will have a romp in the garden and then if jack is like my sons he will be eager to be on sone electronic device or other and Bud will sleep... 
I used to get grumpy with my son who used to put Kiki in the kitchen behind the baby gate because he got fed up of watching for her peeing or chewing. In the kitchen she settled on her bed and slept. Dogs are good at this. A good romp, followed by a quiet snooze.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

11 weeks. Sorry if I'm laughing but it reminds me of when my best friends daughter assaulted my daughter with a shovel. The shovel was plastic and both kids were babies but I was so mad I would have sent that vicious, psychopathic killer to jail if there was one for two year olds. Buddy is just a baby. You can't call that biting it's just nipping, and my trainer used to say there is something wrong when a puppy does not nip.


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## Meili (Apr 26, 2015)

I completely agree with everyone. Those needle teeth of Dexter's have broken skin on my hands many, many times now, not counting the numerous holes on my pant legs and shorts! Thankfully he is almost 16 weeks and does not bite hard anymore. Still has all the sharp teeth, but we have spent countless hours learning bite inhibition, and he has learned to be gentler. 
Poor Jack. I'm glad you and your husband explained to him. Encourage him to spend some bonding time with Buddy. It will build trust and confidence for both! Hang in there, it will get better


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## Nia'smum (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks all the nip / bite I'm not worried about that bit it was the growl it came from nowhere it was in play etc he was settled being stroked and it happened x 


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

The phrase "let sleeping dogs lie" is so true! My human baby is 9 months old, but already I tell him on a daily basis, "no, Tilly is asleep. Leave her alone." Tilly is 2 and a half and very gentle and couldn't care less whether you stroked her when she's asleep, eating or anything else, but it's such an important thing for children, teenagers and even adults to understand....... Despite her being gentle now, when she was an overtired puppy, if I had woken and startled her, I'm sure she would have done the same. those little razor teeth were permanently clamped onto my skin!! 

As always, marzi's advice sounds perfect. Getting your son involved in buddy's upbringing will build a great bond and improve their confidence and trust in each other. Good luck xxx


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Was he playing with something? Chewing? Sleeping? The fact that he growled was a clear dog signal for no thank you. He may have made a very low growl no one heard. Then when it wasn't enough, he felt the need to ratchet it up a notch and then some. The key is it doesn't come out of no where, it just happens at a frequency we may not notice and with greater speed than we are prepared for. He may also not be feeling so well or actually hurt. This makes them even more sensitive and more likely to have a bigger reaction. 
I had a similar incident with Beemer and my niece. No bite but only because she pulled back faster than his mouth could reach behind him after she tried to pet him from behind. I explained to her how Beemer was reacting to her actions, that I understood that she just wanted to give lots of love to him but that Beemer gets scared pretty easily so she needs to help him by moving slow and making sure he is comfortable with her petting him. It was important to me that she wasn't scared of Beemer and that she learned to interact with him. Beemer is my sensitive one whereas Lexi you could land on while she's asleep and will roll over for a belly rub. 
Btw - growling is good in my book. He's willing to communicate and you and your family know what that growl means -"no, thank you". 


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## Nia'smum (Feb 13, 2015)

He was lying at my husband feet we are not sure if he was asleep or just settled. And my son just lent down to give him a stroke and my husband heard a growl and then he nipped/bit him. Thanks all for advice xxx 


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Nia'smum said:


> He was lying at my husband feet we are not sure if he was asleep or just settled. And my son just lent down to give him a stroke and my husband heard a growl and then he nipped/bit him. Thanks all for advice xxx
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I forgot to ask how your son is doing. I suspect Buddy is going to learn bit inhibition a lot from your son. 
Based on your description, I'd check Buddy to see if he is tender to the touch anywhere (back, legs, paws) when he is in a calm relaxed state. Check all over. Like you said it does sound unlike him which would make me wonder if he had an injury you couldn't see. 
As you describe Buddy's reaction it makes me think of what it was like to wake my sisters up from a sleep when we were growing up. My older sister would just groan and roll over. My younger sister would startle and kick and punch (still mostly asleep) which meant you had to be fast to get out of the way. Sadly for your son Buddy may be the kicking and punching kind of pup. 


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## Ann-MarieG (Jul 29, 2015)

I am so encouraged to hear all this biting and nipping is normal, Fudge is now 14 weeks old and bites anything that moves....... He gets super exciting and looses all control, I find it very hard to get his attention when he goes into these frenzies, even time out does not distract him........ He can be as calm as anything at home but when I drop him to his grannies ( where his cousin butters is often visiting also) he just gets ridiculously hyper, tears at my clothing and bites my hands, even nips at my face if I lift him up! I am trying some distraction training at minute but it's upsetting when I cannot control him. Any advice!? He is an adorable little boy but so excitable....


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

It happens to all of us, I used to change into "scruffs" when at home, so it didn't matter if my trouser legs were bitten, chewed & pulled.
Children soon get over been bitten by a pup
(Any excuse to post billy getting chewed in a wine box)


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

.....and it started off so well


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Now the best of friends (always under supervision for this type of bear Ralph hug!)


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## Jantymac (May 3, 2015)

I agree with all the advice. The little puppy teeth are so razor sharp and I also spend my time with one leg weighed down by a small puppy of nearly 6 months attached to my trouser leg, or my skirt! She also growls when she is playing, but at all times the tail is wagging and it is not meant to be vicious, I think. My husband has never had a dog before and (at the age of 85) it was quite a culture shock. His hands were very punctured and bloody to begin with, but it is getting better ........I think!!


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## Janey153 (Mar 26, 2015)

Fabulous photos! 
Barney seems to have slowed down on the biting - perhaps they do stop after all! 😮


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## whatsuppup (Mar 9, 2015)

Sorry to hear! I know your worry. Davinci is now 6.5 months old. About 2 weeks ago, one of our neighbours' kids were over. Davinci was sleeping on the kitchen floor when one of the kids went up to him and attempted to pick him up. By the time we realized what she was doing and turned around to say something he beat us to it and growled somewhat fiercly and snapped at her, though thankfully missed. I suspect if he could have caught her with his teeth he would have, as we still have an issue with him biting us (gently though) in excitement and play. We scolded him and explained to her that she can never disturb him when he is sleeping. Thank goodness he didn't catch her hands or arms as I don't know if he would have been as gentle being startled from sleep like that. It's definitely a lesson learned by all of us. In paying closer attention, I see now that he gets startled fairly easily by various sounds and is somewhat skiddish. I'm sure that played a part in how he reacted when startled while snoozing. Now, when we notice he is scared or worried about a sound, we repeat it while trying to assure him that everything is okay and give him a treat. 

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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Dudley just did this once - snapping and snarling at my son when he was disturbed - we were on hols and he had been playing really nicely with a little gang of children but eventually I said I thought he needed a rest and let him go and sleep in our camper, a little while later my son went to move him off the seat and he really had a go at him, it was a big surprise as he had never done it before but we realised he must have been really tired and it was a reaction, it served as a reminder that he is a dog and not a toy. His naps were in his crate for the rest of that holiday though.


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