HELP! I have had it!!!
 

Lucy is in her cage right now, because she made me so MAD that I just had to get away from her before I slapped her little butt. She was such a good puppy when I first brought her home but now she is turning into a little BRAT. I have tried establishing my authority by doing the submissive exercise, feeding her out of my hand (when I can), and using a stern "no" whenever she is bad. Also, when she is playing with her toys or just relaxing I say "good girl" and stuff like that. It seems like all day she is a good girl and gives me kisses and plays and naps and if she bites and i tell her "no" she will quit. Then, darkness falls and she turns into a little witch. She will bite ferociously, and not just me, but anyone near her. She even will bite my face and last night she ripped into my cuticle and drew blood, OW. I am so sick of being bit and scratched that I just have to put her in her cage, even though I know that should not be a punishment place but I do not know what else to do with this little monster! After a LONG day with her, now that school is out I am home pretty much all day until I have to work, which is typically at night, I have had it and just want to relax with her, but oh no, she wants to squirm and wriggle around so much that I'm afraid she's gonna fall and hurt herself. I have scratches all up and down my chest and arms from her doing this and I have just had it. I worked a few nights this week and my mom said she runs into the dining room( where she isnt supposed to be) and will hide and bark at her or sometimes potty. I told my mom she has to be stern and not be so lenient, bc then at 5:30 am when i am trying to get out the door, she wants to run in there and hide and bark at me. She can't go to obedience classes yet, but I don't know what else to do in the mean time. I tell her "no" every single time she bites me. I will put her on her back to settle her down any time she turns crazy. I am running out of ideas or reasons of why she could be doing this. I read in another thread about food and exercise. She eats Royal Canin, and really doesn't get any treats, just a couple cheerios a day. I take her to potty outside on a leash so she gets her walking in as well as me playing tug with her all afternoon. She doesn't whine when she is in her crate so i don't think it's that but I just need help! I am so sorry for the huge rant, but I just can't take it anymore and I need your help!

-Sarah

Awwwww... poor little puppy
She must be teething. I know its tough....Reyna chewed through kitchen cabinets, furniture, my toes, my fingers...anything and everything. It's frustrating but they are babies...they don't know any better. It is soothing for them I guess. It'll pass...as with everything when it comes to our little yorkies...patience patience patience :D

good luck! :thumbup:

Do you think that's all it is? During the day she will start chewing me, which doesnt hurt or bother me, but I don't want her to think it's okay so I give her a chew toy. But at night, she is not chewing on me she is biting me and when I tell her "no" she snaps at me. I hope she stops soon. Of course, I don't have much patience this week with anyone, but my family has noticed the change in her as well.

some of the same here
 

My 5 month old becomes crazy about 5 pm every nite. Almost the same behavior as you describe. I have given her carrots and just walk away. A friend suggested I have her bite one of her paws but haven't been able to do that yet.

I will be happy to have some help her too.

Tinkerbell was like that at night as a puppy too. Kinda wierd. I would put her in her crate too when she would get like that. She would seem so much better when i would let her out after that little timeout.She did grow out of it. Hang in there!!! THere's nothing wrong with taking a little break from her when she is misbehaving like that. How old is your baby?

She is 13 weeks old. I wonder why it happens at night, hmm. Lucy is usually better after her little time out too, but I always read on here that you shouldn't use their crate as punishment. So far it is working and she doesn't whine so I guess it is okay to do for now. I'm glad to hear that it is not just us that has this problem. I was beginning to think she had rabies lol.

i don't use the crate as "punishment" but i do use it as a "time out" sometimes. the trainer in bunjee's obedience class also recommended it. i sprayed and smeared bitter apple on every piece of kitchen cabinet that bunjee could access 'cause he kept chewing on them despite all the wonderful other toys i have for him to play with. most of the time he's sweet as can be and playful in a gentle way. but sometimes he's so rambunctious and wouldn't heed my "NO BITE" commands that I have to just carry him to the crate for a time out and then walk away. sometimes to prevent him from chewing on my fingers i'd spray bitter apple on my hands. which works, unless i'm wearing short sleeves, then he'll just travel up to my wrist or forearm for a chew. i try replacing my fingers with a toy and he won't take it. he'll ignore the toy and come back to my hands.

he's going on 12 weeks right now. he's doing well in potty training. doesn't cry too much in his crate anymore. he even stopped trying to take off his new sweater today! but the nipping and biting, that is definitely annoying and i've got battle scars to prove as well. everyone say, it's a phase.... so i'm waiting for the phase to pass... waiting.... waiting.... is it over yet???

When they start bitting at you they all they really want is you're attention. I know sometimes it seems like we give them alot but for them its not enough. Ruby is the same way when she wants to play and wants my attention. Fortunately she doesn't do this to often and whe she does I play with her or give her what she wants,I have thankfully build a relationship with her to were she can communicate with me and lme me with her with only a look from her or a certain behavior. I am sure and hope that with time you will build this kind of communication with yours and I am sure it will happen just be patient.

:zip: :zip: :zip:

What does this mean. To many comments. Thats funny. LMO :thumbup:

My pup is 14 weeks old also and would bite me constantly too -- if I let him.

If I throw a toy out on the floor, he sometimes goes and play with that for a while. Toys and other things to chew on are often a good solution.

Occasionally, when he is driving me crazy biting me - I hold his mouth shut. This doesn't hurt him and he really hates it. I wait a few seconds until he starts whinning a little before I let him go. I'll do this a few times when he's biting, and sometimes he will go and do something else. When he bites and hurts me, I want it to be a little unpleasant for him also.

Teething puppies have to be chewing on something constantly. We just don't want it to be us. And, it's a stage that they go through and eventually they stop doing it. Every puppy I have ever had has done this - albeit some worse than others. And boy aren't their little teeth sharp!

**** I don't feel that my puppy's biting me is an act of aggression. To him, it is just play. Even some of his little episodes of aggression toward me are play. I notice him and my other dog playing this way a lot. He is growling and pretending to be real tough and bites my other dog a lot. But they have hair, and they aren't hurting one another as much as they hurt us when they bite. It's all part of growing up.

Try a lot of toys and other things for him to chew on. Try holding his mouth shut for a while. Try getting him interested in other things. They love to play with paper. I give my pup a sheet of wadded up paper once in a while.

All puppies do this, and I am sure that some are worse than others. Have patience (he will outgrow this) and good luck!

Carol Jean

I had two pups, brother and sister, so they would playfight each other, and then when they got tired, they would snuggle with me. :)

I guess that i am shocked that you would have such little patience with a baby.
:eek:

I'm glad you came on here and asked for help. If you want to pm me or email me you can. :)

I have a 13 week female - and she does the exact same thing. I freeze small baby face clothes (dipped in chicken/beef broth) - she absolutely loves them! Helps her with her teething and keeps her busy for hours! Trust me - it works! She is most definately teething and she needs something to sooth her gums. I also keep mine on a lead - this seems to calm her down at night during the just before bed time - she now knows when the cloth comes out and her leash - it is quiet time! Keep trying - things will get better!

What is with the negativity? She came on here asking for advice. Sounds to me like she's been very patient. She's done all the things she's read to do and maybe even some I haven't heard of. If she lets this get out of control, then there would be people that criticize her for letting it go too far before trying to correct it. It's not like she came and told us she beat the poor puppy and now doesn't know what to do! Ignore the criticism Sarah, I think you've done the right thing by coming here to get advice. I can't really help you though in this area because Tatum really didn't do that. She did go through a chewing phase but only on one little piece of furniture. She stopped after being corrected but I think it was a teething issue. Hope you can find what you need from the helpful people on here. Good luck.

Dollar is the same way....he is so sweet but at the same time so terrible....he bites so hard and is so riough. I say "NO!" but he doesnt listen!

I know when my girls were puppies and bit too hard I acted like it REALLY REALLY hurt me - they hate to see us act upset... and this seemed to stop them in their tracks - so.....have you tried the Drama Queen Tactic ?

Good luck - I think they all go thru a pretty big biting stage....and though mine never drew blood - they didn't really know they were playing too rough....after they grow up a bit more they have way more control on their biting...don't give up !!

YES YES to all said here ;)

Aww...babies do this. It's probablly her teething. Also at night they need to calm down...so that may explain her "crazy" behavior when it starts getting later. Kelsey runs around my apartment like a mad woman before bed time every night almost. She'll just run around like it's an obstacle course and if i get in her way she'll play bite and bark at me etc. It's just "her time" to cool down and get all of her energy out. I bit my dog back when she bit me and she didn't like it at all. I think if you try it it could work.... make sure you say "NO bite bad!" or something like that. But of course dont bit too hard. ;)

Good luck and let us know her improvement! :rolleyes: :)

hehe.... Had to laugh because that comment reminded me about when my daughter was two years old and a kid in her dayschool class kept biting her (really hard - leaving whole teeth impressions!) for absolutely no reason. The teacher told us that if my kid would just bite him back, he'd probably stop but of course she couldn't officially TELL my kid to do that. We practiced her screaming NO and told her to holler NO at him when he did it again but every single time, it would shock her so bad that she would just cry. So I don't know if biting them back (puppy or human) would actually work! :D

How old are they when they stop teething? Nelly goes through those little tantrums as well and she is 4 months, she is not as bad and fortunately our other dogs took all the heat so our fingers were saved. When she did get a little to rough though I would not get mad at her I would just put her in her kennel long enough for her to calm down, I think that was what it was she was just getting to excited and did not know her biting was hurting. We took her out and she was fine again. She has those fits as well, running around the house like it is an obstacle course, the other dogs just stare at her wondering what the hell is wrong and if they happen to be in her way, she would take a sly nip at them and keep on running. My 15 year old dog thought she was playing and actually tried to join in. It was so funny, I was just after having surgery and I was laughing so hard I thought I would burst my stitches.

good job angie!!
 

my morgie is the same age and just as rough..i'm all scarred up too...and it 've been trying all the above with it working sometimes only..it's such a comfort to hear others are going thru the same thing..right now i'd just like time to pass so she'll get over it..i have another issue to ask about..every weekend we go home to the lake house from our little apt...as soon as she gets there she goes crazy..its like she cant control her self..running ninety miles an hour..pouncing on everything..this lasts for two or three hours until she's so worn out she just conks out..i swear its like shes out of her mind..kind of concerns me cause its just not her..everyone knows to be calm when we get there so its not that shes getting revved up by anyone..does anyone know whats up with this behavior?

You just have to be patient they out grow the biting stage. I only went through it with one of mine but he really would bite. We would put bitterapple on our hands and feet.

I wonder if they make bitter-apple in gallon jugs?!?!? With 7 - 7 week old puppies scampering around underfoot, I could bathe in it!! :eek: :eek:
Suz

I really believe that you have to realize that you aren't the only one hurting! :D Their little gums are killing them, too. I mean they are in pain! You've already received some great suggestions in this thread. Some puppies chew more than others. At least, that has been my experience over the years. Mine is now past eight months and she had a terrible time. I used some of the examples on this thread, such as the frozen washcloths. I used toys and balls to keep her busy, along with bully sticks. Even now, at just past eight months of age, her favorite pastime is to lay on her back in my lap and chew on my fingers late at night. When she gets too rough I put her down or get a bully stick. I also used extra walks and runs to wear her down, too, but the exercise has to be sufficient for them. I really do believe some people think a little walk around a block is sufficient and it is not. Good luck!

Rocky is 4 monthes old and he still bits me sometimes, but not as much as he did a few weeks ago. I did not thing my fingers and toes were going to make it. I would just try to give him a toy or a chew bone when he went for fingers and toes. He seems to have the idea know. thank God!!!!! But he will bolt through the apartment now and come right up to me bark and run off again. Think he is playing catch me if you can game. I night when I need him to settle down I put his leash on him or put him in crate for quiet time, this seems to be working at the moment (always subject to change with him).

My little Chester is 14 weeks and he bites me, but not that much. I keep about 20 or so toys on the ground for him to play with. If he does bite me, I use the technique of holding his mouth shut for a few seconds (not hard enough to hurt him ofcourse) He's a little hellion at night or early in the morning too, but I just let him go for it. I think it hilarious when he runs around the couch about 10 times in a row. Only thing I worry about is him running into something and hurting himself! So, just be patient and it will all be over. Just make sure your baby has a million toys to play with and I think the whole freezing things in chicken broth is a GREAT idea. I'm actually going to try that.

I posted earlier, but want to say that I don't think little puppies bite to get attention - or from a lack of attention. I am sure your little puppy is loved and played with as much as ours ever were.

I believe they are just teething (I have had four puppies over the past 10 years, and they all did the exact same thing - and they all outgrew it). I think they get excited like little puppies do and then really go to town attacking and biting you --it's play to them and it helps them cut their teeth. It feels good.

I know with every puppy I had there were days or times where I thought, "What did I get myself into???" But these times pass quickly (sometimes they last only a few minutes) and you're back to loving them to death and wouldn't trade them for a million dollars.

I think you got a lot of good tips in some of the previous posts. Many are worth trying. But one thing for sure -- time also will solve this problem. That's a promise!

And - again, I don't think your pup is lacking attention in any way. He is just teething and playing and biting - even growling and barking a little at times. They are just picking on you because you're their buddy. They would treat their litter mates and their mother the same way if they were available. My pup drives my other dog crazy - and they also play alot.

It is perfectly normal behavior and doesn't last forever.

Good luck! Carol Jean