# Gremlin pups - when do they calm down?!!



## DB1

Just wondering, as I know a few of you have said your dogs were quite full on with puppy biting but grew out of it - what age do you think you started noticing a difference? I'm afraid i'm wishing Dudley's puppy days away and feel bad about that but he does bite ALL DAY! when he is calmer he will stop if we tell him firmly leave but during the mad sessions he just growls and bites harder so its time out then, I so envy those of you with gentle cuddly pups, we can only get those cuddles late in the evening when he is more or less asleep! otherwise we get pierced ears and noses.

Thought I would bring this thread back to get an update on our pups and for newer owners to read to know they are not alone!! My Dudley still has his Gremlin moments but at 20 weeks is definitely calming down, dare I say it he may turn into Cuddly Dudley after all!!


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## mandye

i feel for you i have 9 week old pups, one bites gently and leaves go when i whine...however the other seems to be encouraged when i yelp(which is a worry) and turns into a shark!


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## tessybear

Dexter was a dreadful biter but completely grew out of it when his adult teeth came through at about 5 months.


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## flounder_1

Things definitely get better between 16 & 20 weeks when their adult teeth come in!


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## emmelg

we've noticed that the nipping has more or less subsided (bailey is 20 weeks today and has lost nearly all of his baby teeth) the only time he nips is when my 3 yr old daughter annoys him too much, we still give him lots of chews and he does tend to bite on layla my bulldog and anything else he can get hold of (but atleast it's not us anymore)...

How old is dudley now?


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## Eddie

After getting really frustrated with the biting we took some advice we had been given and startled Eddie by shaking a plastic pot filled with dried beans if he started to bite us and it did the trick.We only had to use it a couple of times and then it was enough to say 'I'll get the shaker' to stop him in his tracks.He is ten months now and plays with the 'shaker' so I dont think we terrified him too much.


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## Scarlett

I noticed that Scarlett's biting got better when she started getting her adult teeth in (5-5.5 months). She still bites a little, but it is not as bad as it was, and it is worse when she doesn't get enough exercise (like this week because she just had her spay and wasn't allowed to do anything!)


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## Pepster

Pepper certainly got better after her adult teeth came in too. I can't remember when this was but One day I realised she didn't do it any more. I hoped for a chilled out , friendly dog and the puppy stage was a big shock to me! It doesn't last long, the phases they go through pass really quickly and it's only when someone says something about a certain behaviour or you meet a puppy in the street that you realise that yours has grown up and it's stopped. Pepper was a REALLY bitey, feisty, puppy but is now an affectionate, cuddly, sweet girl now, and exactly the kind of dog I would've chosen, good fun, lots of personality but also just loves to cuddle up on the sofa hen we re at home  so don't worry, yours will soon calm down too !


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## jane13

I was so reassured to read about Dudley and his biting as we are having exactly the same experience with our 12 week old Buddy. We havent had any puppy experience and really didnt expect the continual biting-expecially when it is directed at us. We have tried all sorts of tactics but most of them seem to wind him up even more. I even brought some 'pet corrector' spray and it does shock him into letting go of my trouser leg but he straight way comes back for more!! I dont want to wish away his puppy time too but am so looking forward to the biting to end.


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## sallyhoneypot

*Me too!*

Daisy is 13 weeks old now, and is a biter, much worse when she is excited. She loves strangers though they get licks. My husband and I get the bites!! We tried the loud noise - made her worse. Giving her a toy works as a distraction for a short time. My 3 year old grandaughter wears wellies all the time when she is at my house because Daisy loves her feet. Really hope it does stop soon. Does anybody have an older dog that is still biting?


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## DB1

[. Pepper was a REALLY bitey, feisty, puppy but is now an affectionate, cuddly, sweet girl now, and exactly the kind of dog I would've chosen, good fun, lots of personality but also just loves to cuddle up on the sofa hen we re at home  so don't worry, yours will soon calm down too ![/QUOTE]

I hope so, it sounds like Pepper was the same so here's hoping, I too wanted a soft cuddly dog, my husbands choice would have been a border terrier but I decided I'm not a terrier person as they are usually quite feisty and bitey - ha ha! well Dudley will be 5 months at the beginning of July so I can hope for a lovely summer hols with him - then I guess adolescence will start!! Thank you sallyhoneypot and jane13 - its good to know we are not alone!


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## Stela12

Yes, hang in there guys, it will pass. I thought we got a monster puppy first time she started to bite/mouth/growl/snarl.....I had no prior experience with dogs and this came as a big shocker to me. Luckily I found this site and my friend who's had dogs all her life were tremendous source of support for me.
Stela is 6 months has all her adult teeth in place and she is so much better....of course there are other issues now - testing the limits like jumping on the couch when she is not invited or not coming when called but I am hoping this too will pass with some work and training.


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## jane13

Thankyou everyone for the reassurance. It has helped so much knowing that or 'little biter' Buddy is not the only one. Dudley and Daisy sound really similar to him!! We are now trying to relax more when he has his mad moments and this seems to have helped a bit. Just hope we can all survive this biting stage-even if our clothes and furniture dont!!!


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## jane13

Quick update-Buddy just turned into a gremlin again. My daughter has a lovely big hole in her favourite jumper  !!!


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## emmelg

jane13 said:


> Quick update-Buddy just turned into a gremlin again. My daughter has a lovely big hole in her favourite jumper  !!!


Do you have a crate you can put him in when he gets too bitey...(a bit of time out wont do him any harm)
Give him something to chew on, they spend alot of time chewing at this stage you can also give them an old frozen knotted tea towel (as suggested by kendal) it really helps.. 

Another suggestion is to hold his mouth shut for a couple of seconds and shout NO really loudly(it worked for us) xx


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## DB1

The holding the mouth shut thing doesn't work on Dudley, still here's hoping in just a couple of months we'll be saying what wonderful gentle puppies Dudley, Daisy and Buddy are and we'll be telling owners of younger gremlin pups not to worry as they will grow out of it!! (I like to be optimistic).


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## DB1

Yeay, thought I would update and say that FINALLY Dudley is definitely starting to calm down, in the mornings I get at least 10 mins of him snuggling up to me enjoying being stroked before I feel his teeth (ok yes he still uses them a bit), in fact I would say he probably has about 2 or 3 Gremlin moments a day for no longer than 10-15 mins instead of the 10-15 times a day! How are the other little Gremlins doing from original thread?


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## Carolyne

Dudley sounds like Mollie! She is a bit of a nipper - occassionally biting harder. Usually more so with my daughter who is 11, but if I am honest I think that this si because of how she plays with her. Very excitaing play which Mollie responds to by biting. Don;t think she realises when Jessica wants a snuggle!
Mostly more biting in the morning ... by afternoon calmed down a lot. then biting again when people come in from work and school - excitement. She can be redirected with a toy but will try to return for a nip. Keep biting Jessics's socks too!
She is 10 weeks old (Mollie that is - not jessica)!!


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## JoJo

Sorry laughing about the Gremlin pup topic 

All dogs are different, therefore have different energy, respond better to differing training methods .. but one thing they all do is be puppies then grow up lol ..


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## jane13

DB1 said:


> Just wondering, as I know a few of you have said your dogs were quite full on with puppy biting but grew out of it - what age do you think you started noticing a difference? I'm afraid i'm wishing Dudley's puppy days away and feel bad about that but he does bite ALL DAY! when he is calmer he will stop if we tell him firmly leave but during the mad sessions he just growls and bites harder so its time out then, I so envy those of you with gentle cuddly pups, we can only get those cuddles late in the evening when he is more or less asleep! otherwise we get pierced ears and noses.
> 
> Thought I would bring this thread back to get an update on our pups and for newer owners to read to know they are not alone!! My Dudley still has his Gremlin moments but at 20 weeks is definitely calming down, dare I say it he may turn into Cuddly Dudley after all!!


Yes Buddy has calmed down alot too. When I read your initial post I was so relieved that I was not alone having a little gremlin! Buddy is now 4 months old and calmed down so much. Like Dudley he still has his moments, is into everything and can be a little devil but we are getting more cuddles than bites!! It really does get better


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## rachelkidd

*My little monster!*

I have a 15 week old cockapoo pup called Nell, she can be a little monster. This morning I got so down in the dumps about her biting. I do the whole, yelping standing up and ignoring her, then time out if she continues but sometimes she just won't stop! It's really great to hear people having the same problems as this morning I caught myself wishing I hadn't got a puppy. However, now she's asleep under my feet and being very cute so I take it back 
I have been home with her almost every day since I got her, i'm about to open a pottery painting studio and I want to be able to take her with me. I have a baby gate and a sperate space for her so she won't be running around. I'm getting a bit nervous that she will bark and whine all day but fingers crossed! At what age do they start losing their teeth?
I have heard that running a rope tugger toy under the tap and then freezing it will help the irritated gums when chewing on something cold, is this true and has it helped with anyone else?


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## designsbyisis

A frozen damp tea towel is good. I freeze the filled kongs too as it makes them last longer. My Dex settled immediately that his adult teeth came in. That was about 24 weeks. It was a real overnight change for him. 


Sent from my iPhone 
Lisa - mum of 3 boys, Dexter Cockapoo & 4 hens !


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## SPCnut

I was looking for this thread to post and update as well. Daisy will be 19 weeks tomorrow and what a change!!! We are loving it. She has lost about 3-4 teeth now and has really calmed down. She does play differently with my 10yo than with Bob and I, but not the nippy puppy she used to be at our ankles all the time. She is much calmer. Yea - there is hope


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## Emmaar

My puppy barney is 13wks old and his biting is really hard if u push him down he seems to think its a game, he growls and when he has your foot or
Sock it's really hard to get him off, also when we put him
Outside for a bit he stands on his back legs scraping and crying at the door until you go out and then he is calm, he only seems to be like this with me and the children he seems to know not to bite my husband, is this normal and will it stop, I am with him all day and its becoming very stressful. I love him to bits but I can't relax around him until its nearly bedtime then he stops the biting and will let me cuddle him, he had loads of toys I have asked loads of dog walkers and they all say its normal and he will stop soon?


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## DB1

well I'm sure if you have read all of this thread you should know that yes, it is totally normal (although there are a few lucky ones who never had it quite as bad!!) I started this thread last year and Dudley was such a challenge, he used to get hyper with his biting and couldn't control himself. I even paid a trainer a ridiculous amount to come round for a home visit, he agreed that he was a particularly 'cocky' character, but to be honest when I look back at it the visit was during the evening when they have the worst moments anyway. Time out is probably the best action, try to get him to bite on a toy instead of you, wet a tea towel and freeze it for him to chew on as well. Keep a house line on him (just a cheap lead) so that you can move him away from the children easily when he is too much. I tried the holding the muzzle and said it didn't work for me as he just seemed to get worse, however much later I read advice that said if you use this method to hold their muzzle again with a firm no (and stay calm - no shouting) and keep doing it until they get the message. I do wish I had read that when we were going through it, I think it probably would have helped. Good luck - oh and my boy is still lively and can nip very occasionally when over excited but 99% of the time is a daft soft thing - my son spends loads of time rolling around the floor with the dog licking him like mad, I can put my face against his for gentle cuddles without a tooth in sight, its lovely. The big change will come at around 20 weeks when his sharp little puppy teeth are falling out.


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## suzis

Great thread, very interesting to read that other pups are little nippers. I thought we were being too daft, we tend to yelp if he catches us with his teeth and if it gets too much we just stop playing, give him a toy and ignore him for a while. Glad to hear that it gets better as I was starting to think he was going to be a handful.


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## RangerC

Thanks for this. It is so reassuring although I must admit I'm not sure my patience will last until our barney is 20 weeks! He is 9 weeks tomorrow and we are already calling him crocadog.


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## Tecstar

Our little fella is very bitey. We are getting him a few toys to chew on so hopefully it will help.


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## redecoffee

Buddy since 6 months old and didn't nip anymore - even when excited jumping around. (Still intact)


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## dio.ren

Molly was really bad when she was younger. I thought something was wrong with her. I almost got a dog behaviorist to come in. Too bad I hadn't noticed this thread back then! Glad it has popped up now cause I can see she was normal also great for people who have a new puppy!

If we yelped she bit harder, if we gently held her mouth shut and said "no bite" it made her even more agressive.
Now she isn't too bad she has her moments when she is overly excited but it has gotten a lot better. I can now kiss her little face and she kisses me back


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## RuthMill

Crate, timeout and routine are your best friends! Young puppies need up to 18 hrs sleep per day. Not enough sleep = over tired, over excited, boisterous dog. As soon as I gave Lola regular breaks in the crate she really settled. If she got too bitey, excited or nippy, we would cease play and lead her to her crate for timeout, training her to go in herself not physically putting her in - not as a punishment but for her to chill out. Most times she would settle down because she was so tired. Probably best not to react to the biting and nipping behaviour, I found ignoring was better than reacting. Lola used to get worse if we yelped or looked cross. These were things that worked for me. Not to say they are right. 

Most valuable thing to say is that it does get better. It's just all part of puppy growing up!


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