[misiu09]

my 8 week out puppy is play bitting and i dont want him to do any sort of bitting. what do you guys recomend? i tried everything i can but he just dosent care. anything easy or go to a play group to mabye get him out of it? please HELP

[Yogi]

this is why puppies are not removed until approx 11 to 12 weeks. The pup is not totally weaned off the dam. People assume that when a pup no longer nurses and is eating solid food it is weaned but the fact is that it is weaned when the dam refuses the pup totally. ie: this means when she in a sense acts as if it is a pest. During the period time from when a pup no longer nurses until the time come the dam wants nothing what so ever to do with the pup is the balance of the weaning wherein the pup is imprinted by the dam, learns socialization from the dam and litter mates and is taught bite inhibition from the dam, which is what you would generally no be experiencing had the pup still been with its mother. Unfortunately at this point all you can do is tell it no and replace your hand with a chew toy until the pup understands that if it is to bite it will do so on a chew toy. Much of this is the teething and needs to chew on something.

[Cúréaltach]

As the previous post + try to follow the example of how a litter interacts and how the dam reacts to over an exuberant bite, that is a yelp followed by no more interaction. I've found an Ouch!! or Aiee!! followed by stopping any play or interaction with the pup immediately even for a gentle mouthing to be very effective. And I mean all interaction, no emotion, eye contact, nothing, the pup doesnt exist in your eyes for about 10/15 mins, then all back to normal. Whatever you do don't scold the pup harshly in this situation, as at this age (and any age really) the pup is watching you and learning how to react in social situations and you dont want to teach it to be agressive if it gets hurt in turn. Good luck!!!

[emumbert1]

Originally Posted by misiu09

my 8 week out puppy is play bitting and i dont want him to do any sort of bitting. what do you guys recomend? i tried everything i can but he just dosent care. anything easy or go to a play group to mabye get him out of it? please HELP

I agree with previous replies. 8 weeks is very young to be away from the rest of the litter. They love to play and chew on one another at that age. Put some good durable chew toys in with him at night. There is nothing horrible going on here that time won't fix. Sometimes I will do the alpha bit, and when he bites on my hand with those sharp puppy teeth, I'll grab his mouth in my hand and close it and shake it a little, while telling him NO BITE. Then I push him away for a few minutes and ignore him. When he comes back and tries it again. I do the same thing. Repetition seems to work, as they love to be around you and can't stand it when you ignore them.

Keep those good questions flowing and you’ll get all kinds of answers. Take it all with a grain of salt and try what seems to be reasonable with your puppy.

[misiu09]

i would of left him there longer but the lady wanted them gone. i got him at 6 weeks. the lady is moving and couldnt keep them any longer. i bring him to play groups and stuff will that work out too?

[Cúréaltach]

Between 5-12 wks is a very important time for a pup. Its what is known as a critical socialisation period, what this means is that during this period a pup will form bonds with other animals, and learn how to interact socially with them. A pup will accept almost any situation during this time. For example if a pup meets say a horse for the first time after 12 wks of age it (and this is almost to the day) it wont be able to form a proper bond with it and accept it as part of the pack, this goes for all other animals (including people and other dogs). A poorly socialised dog is one who didnt get exposure to say, many people or dogs during this period. Now there is a problem re: vaccinations, people are often told not to expose a pup to other dogs until it finishes its course of vaccinations. There is no easy way round this and its a balance you have to decide on yourself. Personally I take great pains to expose a pup to as many situations and animals during this time as the rewards for you and (more importantly the dog) are enormous. That was a long winded way of saying yes bring him to play groups. :-) Hope I'm being some Help.

[rayter]

Socialization would help a lot. To help prevent your puppy from developing aggressive biting habits: Socialize, socialize, socialize.

[leashedForLife]

i would (have) left him there longer, but the lady wanted them gone.
i got him at 6-WO. the (breeder was) moving and couldnt keep (the litter)
any longer.
i bring him to play groups and stuff will that (help?) too?

hey, mimi! :--)

well, U are now paying in blood for the breeders convenience.
when she got the litter out of her hands 14-days early, HER needs were served -
What about the buyer? What about the pups?

first i will tell U what i suggest U do to ameliorate the damage, and compensate for the
BAD early-beginning; then i am going to explain, as clearly as possible, why this kind of
#$%&*@!#$!! really deeply angers and frustrates me. >:---((


what i would do -
go to DogStarDaily, and DOWN-LOAD both *free books*, Before U Get Ur Pup, and After U Get Ur Pup --
they are gems of their kind, and Dunbar DVM specializes in behavior.
teaching an Inhibited Bite is a key component in these books.
read them, and implement the teaching and B-Mod with the pup.

Why This Is So Disturbing -
does this breeder KNOW that dogs who leave dam + sibs too-young are also at very-high risk of sep-anx, fears + phobias including GLOBAL fears, IBD + stress-induced diarrhea, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, lick-granulomas, Resource-Guarding (objects, ppl, home-turf, their personal space, ___ ), BITING especially fear-biting, and a range of other
anxiety-based behavioral + physical problems?

how about the potential medical issues -
GI problems from inadequate digestion/absorption to gut-motility problems, less-robust skeletal + joint development, poor immune function, and on and on?

i never suggest that any breeder KEEP pups past the 56-day to 63-day range - BECAUSE the pups
only have til 12-WO / 3-MO for huge, important learning, in that precious primary-socialization period.

most breeders never dream of providing as much one-on-one socialization per pup,
from 8-WO to 12-WO, as the average pet-pup buyer...
let alone the extra-ordinary pet-pup buyer who WANTS to do a terrific job, hoping to have
a therapy-pet, assistance dog, or other more-demanding role for their now-pup, as an adult.

so if the breeder will not be taking EACH puppy to the mall to meet ppl, to the pet-supply store SOLO for some early habituation, to the vet SOLO to practice weigh-ins, table exams, etc, to the GROOMER for a comb and claw-trims, etc...
then leaving the pup with that breeder past 56-days is a waste of a precious,
irreplaceable critical-period, better spent IMO with the new-owner(s).

best regards, and good luck - this will take time + effort,
--- terry