Rocky is nipping at the face

[Gerald]

Rocky has nipped at my G/Fs face and mine on the occasion. I can only guess that when he is all hyped up, he does this for what reason I don't know. I suppose it's a play thing? I'm pretty sure it's not anything to do w/ aggression b/c usually when he does this he is sitting in our laps gnawing on a booda bone.

In general he is getting nippier at times. He seems to go through spells in the day where he gets very hyper. We don't know why he is doing this; sometimes we think he wants water, or to go outside for a potty. So we give him water, (he can drink gallons of it!), and take him out. He is coming a long with the potty training, so he usually goes every time we take him out, even if it's just a tiny bit. However, I really feel that there has to be something else going on for this increase in this kind of behavior.

Coupled with the nipping is the occasional biting of a shoe or jumping on the couch. We have a "puppy cord", that at times we attach so we can correct him with a pull, (it's attached to a harness), to prevent him from the jumping and what not, but we don't always put it on. However after several "Offs" or No's, which I am sure at this time mean nothing to him, he will continue on. It seems like no matter what we do, when he is in this phase he is unreasonable.

So far what I have done is try to redirect, but when it's at its worse, we break away from the behavior by luring him with a sit/treat/crate. I'll crate him for a few minutes, and once he has calmed down we take him back out and try again. I do make sure that I don't put him in there right away and not to associate crate time as punishment time. However I am hoping that he gets to the point that when he is too nippy that play time is over.

Any suggestions???

- Gerald

[Mom2Many]

Sounds like a perfectly normal little puppy! Instead of putting him in his crate for a time-out is there another area you could put him in say the bathroom or an area of the house where you could tether him to something, have a special little bed there with a good chew toy? When you are discipling him you say you have him sit, treat, then crate. He is not getting that what he is doing is unacceptable to you, he gets a yummy treat whenever he acts out. I think he is associating the unwanted behaviors with a reward. Immediately upon his transgression tell him NO! and put him in his timeout. No other interaction from you for about 3-5 minutes.
Puppies get hyper, try to find a toy that really intriques him, like a puzzle ball, kong stuffed with frozen goodies, etc. When he is acting up give him an opportunity to work off his energy like that. If it doesn't work your pup needs more exercise and stimulation. They all go wackey on occasion, Gunnar likes to run super laps around the house and do super jumps over people to get onto the couch, then it is on to trying to see how far he can get with the nipping.
I am a bit confused, do you ever allow the dog on the furniture? When you comment on telling him off and him not understanding if he is allowed to be on the couch sometimes he will transfer that to being all the time. Dog's, especially puppies do not see gray, only black and white. Meaning if he isn't allowed on the couch sometimes but is allowed at other times he isn't going to get that. It must be one or another for now. Once you have some basic obediance down and your pup is a bit older then you start inviting him up on the couch on your terms.
Another good idea to try when they get hyper is some basic obediance work, keep it fun and upbeat. Sometimes that mental stimulation is enough to poop them right out.
Hope this helps!

[Kade]

Winston gets nippier when he has to poop. Just thought I'd throw that out there, LOL.

[Gerald]

Rocky is not allowed on the couch at all. I might be able to get a baby gate and put in our kitchen area with some fun toys. I really would prefer to not crate him but at the time it was the best I could do.

We are trying to expand his toys. He really likes to chew, and he has more chew thingys than toys. I'm planning on going to the pet store this weekend, and I'll try to find some interesting stuff to keep his attention on that. I also like the idea of doing training at that time. I'll start with that for the next day or so and see how it goes. That and try to do even more walks. We do a lot of potty breaks, but only a long walk or to. Perhaps when he is getting a little to hyper a nice LONG walk will tire him out

[Novel]

Let's see... a few ideas. Rotate his toys, leaving a few out, but picking up the rest, and rotate them every day. That way he always has a "new" toy to play with. He won't care that it's the same one as last Thursday, he just likes the change.

Puppies go through a biting phase. Some trainers say that it goes away naturally by 16 weeks, which it most often does, with no corrections. I, however, do as you do, ignoring the puppy when the play gets too rough. This is the signal that another dog would give your puppy, so I think it's developmentally healthy. Removing him to a "time-out" area, anywhere without his people is fine, but, I agree with caution about using the crate. Crates are only positive things.... but you already seem to know that!

A walk would tire him, but owners must be very careful with physical exertion and puppies. Growing bones and muscles can be damaged by too vigorous or strenuous of exercise. A time-out with a chew toy or bone of his choice would work also.

You're doing fine, and no matter how annoying puppy habits can be, they're never puppies for long enough, so enjoy the time while you can!!