August 23, 2024
Our 9 week old cockapoo puppy bites us, runs around like crazy and growls. I'm worried for my children!
Full Question:
Hello Cindy.I really hope you can help us.
Less than a week ago, we got a 9-week puppy cockapoo.
He is wonderful in many ways, but he really bites when putting into a crate. He also very nippy and saying ouch does not work. Today during playtime outside, when the puppy was on dog run, he started to run around like crazy and growl. Could you please advise me on how to deal with this behavior. I worry for my children.
Thank you
Cindy's Answer:
Congrats on the new puppy, the issues you are having are very normal puppy behavior and how you handle him will shape how he behaves as he grows up. Your kids also need to learn how to live with the puppy in a way that is conducive to the behavior you want in an adult dog.
We have a lot of resources for raising pups on our website, I would suggest watching Your Puppy 8 weeks to 12 months and Living with Your puppy. We also have articles on raising pups, you can find the link for the articles here http://leerburg.com/articles-puppytraining.htm and the videos are linked below this message.
We have a lot of resources for raising pups on our website, I would suggest watching Your Puppy 8 weeks to 12 months and Living with Your puppy. We also have articles on raising pups, you can find the link for the articles here http://leerburg.com/articles-puppytraining.htm and the videos are linked below this message.
User Response:
Hi Cindy. Thank you very much for all your answers. I greatly appreciate your responses and the classes that you offer. I have more questions I hope you will be able to help me with.
My puppy Twinkle got so much better at not biting or growling when she plays with us, but she now growls and tries to bite my kids and me when we do something She does not like. For example, when we were coming from the river today, I picked her up because she was trying to jump into a mud puddle. She was trying to bite really hard and growl. She did the same today when I was trying to get her home from the walk this morning. How do I respond to this behavior?
I have two more questions. Sorry for taking so much of your time.
Twinkle pulls on on the walks in new places or when we go to the river. She is doing better on our morning walks. I am practicing with her the way it is described in a general obedience course.
What do I do if we are in new places? She does not respond to any threats. She eats very little in general, and we are working on her food drive.
We finished the basic obedience course. What would you recommend we do next? She is about 13 weeks old right now.
Thank you so much.
Cindy's Answer:
She's not ready for formal obedience, especially in new environments. At 13 weeks it's like expecting a 4-year-old child to focus when out in a busy park, don't ask for obedience right now unless it's a structured training session at home because all you will do is effectively teach her to ignore you.
As for the growling and biting when you do something she doesn't like, this should not be an issue if you have her on a leash. Use your management tools (leash, ex pen, crate) Sometimes new dog owners think this is aggression when in reality she may just be overly stimulated and excited so putting your hands on a dog or pup when they are in this state pushes them into a kind of frenzied behavior. Redirect her with your leash and get her interested in something else. If you have kids you can relate this to when kids get wound up and then you try to make them do something like sit in a chair, for some kids this causes a "tantrum" of sorts or more wild behavior.
I would not be doing formal obedience right now, she's just too young and you may turn her off and make her dread the whole process. The basic obedience course is really for older puppies (5-6 months old)
As for the growling and biting when you do something she doesn't like, this should not be an issue if you have her on a leash. Use your management tools (leash, ex pen, crate) Sometimes new dog owners think this is aggression when in reality she may just be overly stimulated and excited so putting your hands on a dog or pup when they are in this state pushes them into a kind of frenzied behavior. Redirect her with your leash and get her interested in something else. If you have kids you can relate this to when kids get wound up and then you try to make them do something like sit in a chair, for some kids this causes a "tantrum" of sorts or more wild behavior.
I would not be doing formal obedience right now, she's just too young and you may turn her off and make her dread the whole process. The basic obedience course is really for older puppies (5-6 months old)
User Response:
Thank you so much
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