I have had  a spaniel puppy now 10 weeks old for nearly two weeks. I'm home with him all day, he follows me from room to room, which I don't mind at all, and when he's wanted me to pick him up, which he has done frequently, I've been happy to do so.

From the start, although he's been very affectionate, he has been biting my shoes when I'm walking around,  chewing at my clothes when I'm holding him or he's in my lap, and biting my fingers, which has been very painful. I've said "No" in a firm voice when's he started to bite me, immediately pulled my fingers away from him, and put him down, but it's had no effect at all.  Now he's getting steadily worse. Twice today he's bitten my fingers slightly puncturing my skin,  and when I've put him down he's barked at me very aggressively, and then tried to climb back up into my lap.

The reason I decided to have a spaniel was because of their reputation for having a good temperament, but  I'm now beginning to feel that I've bought the puppy from hell. Any advice as to what to do would be much appreciated.

I have permanent scars on the back of my legs in the shape of tiny puncture marks from sharp puppy teeth! My pup is now 5mths old and has thankfully stopped the mouthing/chewing on my body parts.
I just gave him a sharp "ah ah" when he was getting too rough, or stood up and ignored him. You could also try putting pup in another room until he has calmed down, or get him focused on a toy instead of your toes and fingers.

Sounds to me like you have never had a young puppy before. This is natural behaviour in puppies & should never be punished. If you don't want him to nip your hands give him something else to chew on like a rope tuggy. No point in says no, your puppy doesn't speak or understand language I suggest you get a copy of - Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey which gives a good insight into normal puppy behaviour

He sounds like a perfectly normal puppy, this great article explains the puppy biting and how to deal with it.

Puppies are little savages, piranhas on legs, follow the advice in the article and you'll get through it and have a dog who has learned bite inhibition for life. It's actually really important for them to bite at this stage, and shouldn't just be stopped, but gradually softened then decreased so they learn that human's don't like rough play and they must be gentle.

It's just as well puppies are cute or no one would have one otherwise.

I've found ignoring works far better then everything else, you will need to get up, turn your back maybe even stand in a corner with crossed arms, and totally ignore the puppy. Wear tough jeans as the puppy will inevitably jump up to get your attention. Once the pup has calmed down and is probably sat there looking a bit bewildered, then return to the pup and play again. If the puppy starts biting again, then up you get and repeat the above until the puppy gets it that if he bites your attention is immediately withdrawn.
Sadly puppies don't come to the house knowing the word No, it means absolutely nothing so no point in even using it. Another one here recommending The Perfect Puppy. If you have the Kindle app or a Kindle it can be downloaded for immediate reading

> I'm now beginning to feel that I've bought the puppy from hell.

This is totally normal puppy behaviour.  It is how pup would have played with his litter mates.  Pup just needs to learn what wimps we are.  I agree with chaumsong, Ian Dunbar's article is worth a read.  I do tend to ignore unwanted behaviour - dogs do not like being ignored.  You need to be consistent.  This is so important, and I do mean consistent.  Be prepared to turn away from pup over, and over, and over again. Keep at it - for quite some time yet! 

In addition to what others have said, what breed of Spaniel is this and is the pup from show lines or working lines? Working Cockers and Springers don't really suit life as a pet, they have been bred to do a job, so will be harder work than others.

Is he getting enough sleep? young puppies - and he is still just a baby - need lots of sleep, including plenty of naps during the day.  They don't know when they're tired, but just keep on and on, and get bitey because they're tired.

Be patient with your youngster; with care, and following the good advice in the book and the article that others have recommended, he'll come out all right.

If you could see my Google search history from when my puppy came home until he was about 6 months old, you'd think my terrier was eating an entire human hand for breakfast every day ... I thought he was the worst as I'd never had such a nippy dog. My skin was punctured; my slippers savaged ... We used the Ian Dunbar bite inhibition method and nothing seemed to progress and I even Googled things like "how many adult dogs that have been well raised actually bite" and "how common for puppy never to outgrow biting" .... And then, overnight, he stopped. Then at 10-11 months he started again Arrrrrrrrh! But that lasted about a week and the teeth have not been seen since.

So - keep at it - patience and giggles :)

Think about what a puppy is???

Think then about the purpose of Play???

A puppy is basically a young predator. Play is a way of practicing life lessons.

So for a predator play equals perfecting the skills of chasing, ambushing and biting.

A lamb would be practicing dodging, butting and running away.

As others have said a dog does not understand language other than the canine one, and is like us on holiday when we are able to put a few words to some actions and objects by association.

Something I have found useful when advising puppy owners on this issue and all attention seeking behaviour, is to be calm and quiet when speaking to pup when it is aroused/naughty.  when petting use slow movements, to relax, not excite.

Also get in the habit of quiet praise when pup is settled quietly, walk by and say 'good boy' settle, so that eventually you can use this as an off switch 'go settle'

Your way of teaching 'settle' was how I taught my puppy, Brainless. I would wait until she was settling down on her own accord and say to her 'settle down, good girl, settle down' several times as she began to drop off to sleep. It worked a treat and is used to this day.

They are not known as cockerdiles for nothing. Perfectly normal behaviour for any pup. Advice already given is great.

Yep agree with everything here, I remember back to first having our cocker pup and thinking it would ever end! I remember crying and wailing to my husband ‘she actually haaaaaaates me’ in a slightly dramatic fashion...

She grew out of it as I’m sure they all do, we found ignoring, folded arms, turning our backs on her etc worked the best. The whole squealing and saying ouch thing just seemed to excite her even more. Also removing any temptation, a dressing gown is still sometimes like a red rag to a bull to her, all the dangly bits were just far too tempting... That went unworn for a while as switched to tighter fitting clothes with nothing to grab hold of and attack, and no laces on shoes etc. Bare toes were too much as well, kept socks on as she was obsessed with toes....

It does feel like nothing is working in the beginning, but it will eventually if you pick your plan and stay consistent. They’re not stupid and will catch on in time.

> a dressing gown is still sometimes like a red rag to a bull to her, all the dangly bits were just far too tempting...

Hehe i had to giggle at this! My dressing gown is the only thing that my pup still can't resist.

Facebook Reply:

Jill Turner says: I’m told the biting can last for 6mths sometimes longer. It’s a normal puppy thing - it’s how they learn and experience life through using their mouths. Teething starts around 16 weeks and our puppy is well and truly in the middle of that!

Facebook Reply:

Jules Magee Burton says:  Get some help in ASAP. If you can’t deal with it now you will have a nightmare for the rest of his life!
Biting isn’t affection. But you need a professional to assess this not internet advice, that should of been read up on before

Oh Wow a behaviourist for normal puppy behaviour !!! A bit extreme !!

A behaviorist?? Really??  Better get a live in one then as he will go through all kinds of normal behavior for the next year.  And just wait till the hormones kick in and he becomes a 'bratty" teenager!  Follow all the previous good advice and it will pass (eventually) .

> Oh Wow a behaviourist for normal puppy behaviour !!! A bit extreme !!

Ain't that the truth!!!

Facebook Replies:

Jane Gray says:  It's perfectly normal puppy behaviour, they all go through the manic piranha stage. Following Roger Mugfords advice in the link below works every time, not instantly, it's a process. I wouldn't say you need a behaviourist for a perfectly normal puppy. http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=64170.0

--- Jules Magee Burton says: She doesn’t have a clue what normal behaviour is and as such isn’t reacting properly. As such her description of what is happening may not be correct. Much better to pay for an hr of a professionals time now than ruin the dog and give it up later! You can just tell someone how to react if she’s not understanding fully. By the time she might do the damage will be done. I’ve worked with thousands of dogs in this situation and seeing the puppy is the best way to fix it, now not later, and by someone who knows what they are doing.

Janet Hawthorne says: Your pup is likely to be teething, buy sturdy toys to chew, we always used a teething chew for a human baby also

Jules Magee Burton

Are you volunteering or touting for business ? Thousands of puppies really ??

BTW the OP is "Paul"

Actually, not extreme at all - a fair chunk of my workload as a behaviourist/trainer is puppies!  And all their normal puppy behaviour.  I don't charge behavioural fees for it (cheap training rate instead), but an awful lot of people have no idea what they're getting into when they get a pup, and having a professional reassure them and guide them through the first few months is extremely beneficial.  I can also head off a lot of problems doing it, and have fewer people calling me when pup is 6-12 months old, still mouthing badly, grabbing, jumping etc because the correct handling was not put in place at the start.

I can also forewarn people of the various behavioural changes they can expect as pup grows, and head off any potentially bad decisions such as neutering at 6 months, over-exercising and so on.  A lot of people find that hearing these things from a hired expert really helps, especially when they've been through the minefield that is the internet!

I would like to thank everyone who has gone to the trouble of replying to my message. The advice that I have received has been very welcome, I've been visiting the websites it was suggested I visit, and I feel much happier about the situation now. Although this isn't the first puppy that I've had it's a  long time since my previous one, and I'd forgotten  to an extent what it was like when it was very young.

I keep a puppy every two to four years and still forget, and most pet owners who keep one or two dogs probably only have a puppy every 7 - 10 years.

This "problem" is the bain of my life. When prospective puppy owners first contact me I make it clear to them that puppies are not the sweet and fluffy  things they are thought to be but bitey little monsters. At the four week visit I give them a print out  of The bite stops here" by Ian Dunbar. When they come to collect their puppy I go through it all again and add my own thoughts and experiences with  bite "problem" Even after all that I can guarantee that at least one owner will contact me and complain that their puppy is aggressive and biting!! Aaaaaggghhh. I don't know what else I can do.  This is not a dig at you Paul888, merely my own experience. Maybe you didn't have the benefit of the information you should have had.

There's not much more you can do, really!  Sometimes people just don't 'get it' no matter what you say or do.

> I give them a print out  of The bite stops here" by Ian Dunbar

Me too! 

I can often tell which people read it all.  I once had a guy, on collecting his pup, say "It makes sense really."  He, for sure, took the article seriously.  Unfortunately, not everyone can be bothered.  I've only ever once, in all my years, had someone say "My vet was really impressed with your information on the worming that you carried out." 

You can only do your best.