Normal Puppy Behavior?

[Kimi_Coconuts 0]

So, is it completely normal for a young puppy to follow your feet and hands and grow in a vicious tone and bite at you?

I have just been redirecting but she is freaking out my kids who are running away from her!

This baby was abandoned by her mother and I have her at only 6wks. She is lively, curious and thriving. Her name is Cricket. She chases my other Shih-tzu around constantly and he runs away from her . My 3 year old shih-tzu never ever did this. He will growl when he plays with a toy but didn't start doing this until he was much older!

[FairyTail Josette 14]

Yes, completely normal for a puppy. The mother and littermates teach the puppy many things, including what's acceptable for puppy play. Your puppy missed out on that. So, she doesn't know and you have to teach her. You are correct. Redirecting to a toy is a positive technique. When the children run away....the puppy thinks that's a game and chases them. If you chase a puppy and call their name, they will run away and think it's a game. If you sit down and call them and wait...they usually will come to you. They think everything is a game! LOL! Some of the others will weigh in with advice too. I had a gal at Petco with a puppy that was super high energy/playful. She asked me, 'why are yours so calm?' I told her my Maltese is almost 10 yrs old, and the girls are going into middle aged. lol I think they all go through this stage your experiencing. Enjoy it, it actually goes by so fast. You look back and wonder where the time went. If you have the time, puppy classes help during this stage, too. :dede:

[Carolina Girl 2]

Exactly what Suzi said. Completely normal!

[loewenthal.anna 4]

In situations like this, I find the word "normal" to be a little deceptive. Yes, is is normal behavior, but it should ABSOLUTELY be discouraged. Usually mama and siblings do that but in your girls case, she missed out on that so it becomes your job.

Use a technique which gets your message across is my best advice. If a harsh NO! Does the job, great! But if she goes right back to nipping you need something a little stronger. A trainer favorite is a submissive hold where you lay the puppy on her side and hold her there until she is completely relaxed before letting her up. Fair warning: expect her to throw a temper tantrum the first few times! That too, is "normal". It's also wise to encourage the whole family to use the method so that your puppy learns that it is not ok to nip anyone, not just you although you don't want your kids doing this until your puppy knows what to expect and is used to the correction. In the mean time, encourage your kids to stand up and turn away from her when she nips and NOT to run- - puppy make take that as a sign that it's play time.

Hope that helps!

[Luna 8,676]

What Anna said, in spades. You need to stop this behavior immediately just as the mother would have. Otherwise, you will have a monster on your hands before long.

[Patches 1]

That is normal that is how she played with her siblings, however you and your children are human so you'll need to stop her from nipping and biting. She doesn't know that she's doing anything wrong. I taught Patches the No Bite word. When he started biting I would immediately get a toy and start playing with him, he could bite till his heart’s content. After awhile he would only bite the toy and not mommy. I also taught him to find a chew and chew when I was busy. If the toy or a chew doesn't work. Teach her to go to bed, down and stay or sit and stay, something that would give her an alternative behavior. If all else fails, it's time out time. Give her the word of your choice for no nipping and plan on isolating her for a few minutes if she doesn't listen. When Patches use to nip and because he didn't want something done to him, I use to tell him no bite, if he failed to listen, I would pick him up and put him in the bathroom for a few minutes alone. I'd then go in and get him and try to tend to him again, if he got nippy, I wouldn't even say the "no bite" word, I'd just put him back in for even longer. Usually 5 minutes a lone did the trick. When I would bring him out, he wouldn't try to bite at all, he'd let mommy do what she needed to do to him. Once he allowed me to do what I needed to do, I would give him a big kiss, carry him to the refrigerator and stick a big piece of juicy leftover meat in his mouth. This way he was well rewarded for the behavior I wanted, and there's consequence to the behavior I don't want to see.

If possible get her into puppy training classes, a lot of young puppies now go to class. Puppy classes start at 8 weeks old, so try to find one. It should be clean; all the puppies should be close to the same size, there should not be more than 5-6 puppies if possible. The puppies will not all have their shots, neither will yours, so it's important that she goes to a school that cares about cleanliness and provide a safe environment for puppies. They should be cleaning the floors before class and after class and wiping things down. Try to find a trainer that is certified in behavior as well as a certified in training. Patches was trained using the Pat Miller's theory, and he did quite well. There are no physical restraints or handling for consequence using her theory.

It sounds like she wants your attention, so try giving her a little more attention and when you can't give it to her, try putting a chew treat in her mouth. That's what I use to do with Patches, worked great. He learned when I was busy to find a chew and chew until mommy had time for him. Physical consequence can lead to aggressiveness and this is not what you are trying to achieve. A lot of people also have good success with in-home training too, especially those who are afraid their puppy might get sick because he doesn't have his shots. Your pup needs an alternative behavior, nothing more.

[JasperandAkira'smom 4]

Well I know with my male we redirected him with a toy and now every time we come home instead of bitting and jumping he goes and gets a toy to chew on till we get on the floor to give him loveins. My girl will respond with a firm no. I also do not have kids around and I do believe this makes a big difference. Their brother Max was around kids all the time when he was young and he is very bad about nipping at your legs when you come in the door and when he wants to play. He is a monster compared to my two. So if you can get your kids on the same page with whatever you decide to do that will help alot. Good Luck with Cricket! :blush-anim-cl: