I am telling this as a third party.
My boyfriends friends at work have a 16 week old springer spaniel!!
I havent met them or their dog but I always go home and tell my boyfriend about the font of all knowledge that is Chamdogs :D so they asked me to post for them!!!!

Apparently they take the pup out into the fields at the back of their house and let him.her (dont actually know sex) off the lead.
But then it goes absolutely mental running round like a loony. I told them this was normal or at least nothing to worry about but they said it gets so hyper it bites people if they go near it. So much so they wont let their kids near it when out in the field!!!

THey're talking about paying a behaviourist to come out but I said I thought the puppy was too young for that

Has anyone got any advice.
If you need more information I can find it out

Rachael ,
do they take the pup out on a regular basis ? If its only taken out occasionally , it could exlain it ?
I would say it is probably down to over excitement although it shouldnt be biting !! And this should be discouraged immediately .
I would walk the dog for a short while so it has had time to calm down while outside before letting it off the lead . Also try taking a toy or a small stick for it to concentrate on rather than running round on full pelt .
Not too familiar with springers so I dont know if this is a common characteristic
Lel

When my bro's springer stayed with me (9 monthe old) I used to take a tennis raquet and ball out with her and lob the ball as far as I could :D, it gave her something to do and was the only way I could give her enough exercise, springers are high energy dogs, if they don't get enough exercise they will go loopy. :D

Hi

I don't have much experience of Springers - but I do know that the owners could find themselves in serious trouble, and the dog being destroyed, if he/she bites someone. It sounds to me like the pup is out of control, and is suffering from a lack of mental stimulation and training, and the owners are just loosing the pup out hopeing that a burst of energy will be enough to calm the dog down...

The dog needs a training routine, and exercise, but I suggest a muzzle until things improve. A word in their shell-like regarding the DDA might be a good idea too

HTH
Chloe

Omigosh! Someone that has a 4 month old puppy and wants to call in a behaviourist because it runs around like a looney and bites really did not do a lot of research first. :-( First, I would ask your boyfriend to tell his friend, "congratulations, you are the owner of a normal puppy. Now, it is your responsibility to train so it grows up into a happy, well adjusted adult."

The puppy is biting because it is trying to goad people into playing with it. That's what puppies do. I cannot count how many times my puppy has run up to me and grabbed my pants leg or jumped and grabbed my arm. She's nine months and this behaviour has nearly stopped, but she still forgets herself sometimes. Until your boyfriends friend teaches the puppy not to bite -and this is something every puppy has to learn, it's natural for them to keep biting if they are not taught otherwise. There has been a lot of information on this board about teaching puppies not to bite. I would keep the puppy on a long lead if strangers are around until it learns not to bite, otherwise they may find themselves in court.

This puppy probably needs more exercise and mental stimulation than it's getting. Taking the puppy out more often and playing with it more often (tossing a ball in the house is exercise too) would help. Give the puppy things to do outside as well - toss a kong, a ball - teach it to retrieve. It can then run around with a purpose, which should help with control and channel that natural puppy looneyness and overexcitement. Starting a puppy socialisation and training class would be great - in this case maybe even better for the owners than the puppy.

Stacey

I'd agree about going to puppy classes, where the owners might learn a lot more themselves. Better get in quick though as some of them aren't running over the summer period!

Don't think he/she needs a muzzle just yet though just a little bit more socialization and training—pup is only 4 months old after all and biting is quite normal at this age (if not a little painful with those needles for teeth), but needs to be dealt with. Also, point them in the direction of Gwen Bailey's Perfect Puppy book.

Fair comment re the muzzle... but even at 16 weeks he could draw blood on a child, adn that might be enough for an anti-dog parent to take action :( I probably would if someones dog bit my child... I wouldn't go as far as some, but you have to think "worse-case"

Not everyone is dog friendly :(
I know when we take Gus to the woods and he will ocassionally forget himself and jump up to say hello. The majority arent bothered and give him a pat or say " o he's only a pup , dont worry about it " when i apologise but the odd person looks on disgust and brushs him down as if his behaviour is terrible .
I think as mentioned the idea of a long lead / rope is a good one although if pup gets very excited , dashing about here and there it may get tangled up .