She's ALL puppy!

getgracie · 02-08-2010, 03:00 PM

Well Gracie turned 11 weeks yesterday. It has been so much fun like a barrel of monkeys with our new household addition. She is still nipping/ mouthing and seems to really 'go for it' even when we correct her. I also noticed that she attempts to exhibit dominance such as humping our legs and standing over Sugar's head while Sugar is laying on the floor. We try not to laugh because Gracie looks so cute asserting herself.

Will these behaviors self correct ( with the help of Sugar)? We've never experienced this with Sugar since we got her as a rescue when she was a year old and pass all that. I'm considering taking the little one to obedience training but she's so little that I think she's still learning. We're really hoping that Sugar will impart her impeccable manners onto Gracie. How old should a doggie be to consider formal obedience training?

Am I being a paranoid mommy?

JennTyson · 02-08-2010, 04:19 PM

We are still having similar behaviours minus the humping and Tyson is just shy of 15 weeks. You can't play with him or you get bit. Pretty aggravating!! We have tried everything but things haven't changed. So here's to hoping they grow out of it shortly! Consistency better pay off!
He is taller now and can reach us no matter where we are sitting, the couch used to be our safe place! The only place we are safe now is when he is in his gated pen or happily chewing on a toy.

getgracie · 02-08-2010, 04:44 PM

LOL! I know! All we want to do is hold and cuddle with her but she's so silly wanting to do surgery on our hands and faces with her mouth that we just keep away and shove chew toys in her chompers!!! We're waiting until she's done with all her vacs before taking her for a spin around the block to avoid contracting parvo, etc. So with that said, she has all this pent up energy and runs around our house biting everything! Oh boy! We wait for her to tire out so we can take advantage of her when she's asleep and get some cuddle time in. It's the best!

Dillon'sMom · 02-08-2010, 05:16 PM

Dillon is 13 weeks and is exactly the same as Gracie. Can anyone remember when their puppies grew out of this? I love my little guy, but I'm really sick of him trying to make me a human chew-toy.

martinc · 02-09-2010, 07:32 AM

What a cute pair!

1 has left eye patch,other right!

We have a full set of piewats!

JennTyson · 02-09-2010, 08:15 AM

I am assuming this must be a boxer behaviour since it seems pretty consistent across the board! I can honestly say I can't wait for the puppy stage to be over. I love him first thing in the morning when he wakes up and is happy to see me (I can pet him for a whole 2 minutes without the jaws of terror opening), when I get home I can usually get 1 minute with him before being nipped. Bed time he has to get 2 nips in before relaxing and falling asleep. Then peace and quiet except for the loud human like snoring that I actually find sweet!

christineorr · 02-09-2010, 08:31 AM

It is so very frustrating with nippers! Hannah was a nipper, too. My ex always said she ruined her puppy years with us because she just wanted to bite us!

I do have to wonder, though, about the handling/socializing aspect. I did get Hannah from a breeder, and while I know she was treated well, I'm not so sure she was handled by a human as much as she should have. Only reason I say this is because my very first Boxer was not like this, and I know she was handled a lot!

Also, my second Boxer who I actually got from a BYB at the time had three kids, and I know she was in constant contact with kids, she was not a nipper either. She did have separation anxiety, though. So which is the lesser of two evils??? LOL.

For some reason, not that I think there's a correlation between biting and puppy teeth, but it seems as if once Hannah finished losing her puppy teeth is when things settled a bit. Can't quite remember how old she was at that time, though.

It does get better, and before you know it, you wont even remember the little buggers were such a pain! (literally)

JennTyson · 02-09-2010, 08:52 AM

I got mine from a reputable breeder who has all their dogs roam free in their home environment. The breeder and her husband have 3 kids who play with all the puppies and give them lots of attention. They are well socialized and have freedom to run and play with each other plus they do long term boarding in their home so there is lots of socialization with all different dogs.

His biting always happens when he has a major energy surge (which is quite often). He loves his walks and that has been super helpful but 15 minutes isn't enough to exhaust him. I am counting down the days until we can increase to 20 minutes etc.

I can guarantee that next time I get a puppy I will wait until 12 weeks to pick him up so the mom can teach him bite inhibition. I have tried yelping but that just gets him crazier and he bites harder. Ignoring is the only thing that works and that is temporary fix. If we hadn't purchased the puppy play pen I would be a wits end.

christineorr · 02-09-2010, 09:07 AM

Yeah, I'm not saying that's it for sure, it's just something I noticed with mine. It may be the age, too, because thinking about it, I didn't get my last one 'til she was 10 weeks. Hannah was just 8 weeks. That probably does have a lot to do with it. I guess we get so excited that we can't wait another day to get them, but you may be on to something. I guess it's better to leave them there a few extra weeks rather than be chew toys!

JennTyson · 02-09-2010, 11:01 AM

I got Tyson at 8 weeks too! I would have taken him at 7 weeks if I was able to, you do get excited and want them right away.

Anyone out there get there puppy at 12 weeks and experience the same nipping or no nipping??

02-08-2010, 03:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
getgracie Experienced User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Cali, baby Posts: 299	She's ALL puppy! Well Gracie turned 11 weeks yesterday. It has been so much fun like a barrel of monkeys with our new household addition. She is still nipping/ mouthing and seems to really 'go for it' even when we correct her. I also noticed that she attempts to exhibit dominance such as humping our legs and standing over Sugar's head while Sugar is laying on the floor. We try not to laugh because Gracie looks so cute asserting herself. Will these behaviors self correct ( with the help of Sugar)? We've never experienced this with Sugar since we got her as a rescue when she was a year old and pass all that. I'm considering taking the little one to obedience training but she's so little that I think she's still learning. We're really hoping that Sugar will impart her impeccable manners onto Gracie. How old should a doggie be to consider formal obedience training? Am I being a paranoid mommy? __________________

02-08-2010, 04:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
JennTyson Power User Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 344	We are still having similar behaviours minus the humping and Tyson is just shy of 15 weeks. You can't play with him or you get bit. Pretty aggravating!! We have tried everything but things haven't changed. So here's to hoping they grow out of it shortly! Consistency better pay off! He is taller now and can reach us no matter where we are sitting, the couch used to be our safe place! The only place we are safe now is when he is in his gated pen or happily chewing on a toy. __________________

02-08-2010, 04:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
getgracie Experienced User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Cali, baby Posts: 299	LOL! I know! All we want to do is hold and cuddle with her but she's so silly wanting to do surgery on our hands and faces with her mouth that we just keep away and shove chew toys in her chompers!!! We're waiting until she's done with all her vacs before taking her for a spin around the block to avoid contracting parvo, etc. So with that said, she has all this pent up energy and runs around our house biting everything! Oh boy! We wait for her to tire out so we can take advantage of her when she's asleep and get some cuddle time in. It's the best! __________________

02-09-2010, 07:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
martinc Advanced User Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 979	What a cute pair! 1 has left eye patch,other right! We have a full set of piewats! __________________ Yes I'm a rescued dog (28-07-09)...now get that camera out of my face!

02-09-2010, 08:15 AM	#6 (permalink)
JennTyson Power User Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 344	I am assuming this must be a boxer behaviour since it seems pretty consistent across the board! I can honestly say I can't wait for the puppy stage to be over. I love him first thing in the morning when he wakes up and is happy to see me (I can pet him for a whole 2 minutes without the jaws of terror opening), when I get home I can usually get 1 minute with him before being nipped. Bed time he has to get 2 nips in before relaxing and falling asleep. Then peace and quiet except for the loud human like snoring that I actually find sweet! __________________

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02-08-2010, 05:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dillon'sMom Experienced User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 207	Dillon is 13 weeks and is exactly the same as Gracie. Can anyone remember when their puppies grew out of this? I love my little guy, but I'm really sick of him trying to make me a human chew-toy.

02-09-2010, 08:31 AM	#7 (permalink)
christineorr Power User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Crown Point, IN Posts: 687	It is so very frustrating with nippers! Hannah was a nipper, too. My ex always said she ruined her puppy years with us because she just wanted to bite us! I do have to wonder, though, about the handling/socializing aspect. I did get Hannah from a breeder, and while I know she was treated well, I'm not so sure she was handled by a human as much as she should have. Only reason I say this is because my very first Boxer was not like this, and I know she was handled a lot! Also, my second Boxer who I actually got from a BYB at the time had three kids, and I know she was in constant contact with kids, she was not a nipper either. She did have separation anxiety, though. So which is the lesser of two evils??? LOL. For some reason, not that I think there's a correlation between biting and puppy teeth, but it seems as if once Hannah finished losing her puppy teeth is when things settled a bit. Can't quite remember how old she was at that time, though. It does get better, and before you know it, you wont even remember the little buggers were such a pain! (literally)

02-09-2010, 08:52 AM	#8 (permalink)
JennTyson Power User Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 344	I got mine from a reputable breeder who has all their dogs roam free in their home environment. The breeder and her husband have 3 kids who play with all the puppies and give them lots of attention. They are well socialized and have freedom to run and play with each other plus they do long term boarding in their home so there is lots of socialization with all different dogs. His biting always happens when he has a major energy surge (which is quite often). He loves his walks and that has been super helpful but 15 minutes isn't enough to exhaust him. I am counting down the days until we can increase to 20 minutes etc. I can guarantee that next time I get a puppy I will wait until 12 weeks to pick him up so the mom can teach him bite inhibition. I have tried yelping but that just gets him crazier and he bites harder. Ignoring is the only thing that works and that is temporary fix. If we hadn't purchased the puppy play pen I would be a wits end. __________________

02-09-2010, 09:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
christineorr Power User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Crown Point, IN Posts: 687	Yeah, I'm not saying that's it for sure, it's just something I noticed with mine. It may be the age, too, because thinking about it, I didn't get my last one 'til she was 10 weeks. Hannah was just 8 weeks. That probably does have a lot to do with it. I guess we get so excited that we can't wait another day to get them, but you may be on to something. I guess it's better to leave them there a few extra weeks rather than be chew toys!

02-09-2010, 11:01 AM	#10 (permalink)
JennTyson Power User Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 344	I got Tyson at 8 weeks too! I would have taken him at 7 weeks if I was able to, you do get excited and want them right away. Anyone out there get there puppy at 12 weeks and experience the same nipping or no nipping?? __________________