Hi everyone, I have just discovered this site and am hoping for some help!  We have a 10 week old Springer Pup called Meg, that we have had for 2 weeks.  She is lovely and very intelligent, already sits on command and is learing "down" as well.  Our problem is that she "mouths" us constantly.  When playing retrieve she will nip our hands and when having a "mad 5 minutes" will jump and nip or bite as she dashes madly round.  This is bad enough for me and my husband, but not at all good for my 9 year old daughter who is already getting nervous of her.  We also have a 2 1/2 year old and don't want him to get scared either.  She even bites when we are trying to have a cuddle with her.  When she is tired she is very loving and gentle, but she doesn't seem to be tired very often!!!

Please can anyone help with some practical advise.  We lost our 13 year old collie clab cross last year and she was a bit of a nipper when she was a pup but I cant remember how I got her to stop ( it was such a long time ago and I didn't have the children then)

Pips

Pups nip and bite to learn just *how* to play with their litter mates - too hard and their brothers or sisters don't want to know and its' the end of the game - one of the most effective ways to communicate that you don't like her behaviour is simply to stop all contact/ignore her until she backs off, then offer her something she *can* play with you with - like a ragger.

It's worth bearing in mind that it's also used to get the pup out of a situation she's not happy with, so it might be worth looking to see if she really wants that cuddle you want to give her, or if she'd rather be playing a more rough game just at that moment.  All cuddles should take place somewhere that the pup feels secure, somewhere she's not going to fall from - sitting on the floor really is best, especially for the children, as there is no risk to the pup should she fall off a lap or out of somebodies arms.

It might also be worth looking into her diet - although Springers have a reptutation for being a bit 'manic' they can be made worse by an innapropriate diet, and this itself can result in more biting .......

As you say it is mouthing, unfortunately puppy teeth are like pins and very painful. I think all pups go through this stage and nearly all grow out of it. They're exploring the world the only way they know how..with their mouths. Calm, firm, consistent and kind is what I try to apply to any training technique. Has she got plenty of chewy toys, teething won't help matters and better they're mouthing their own toys rather than your hands.  Springers are so energetic, it's hard with working pups they need alot of stimulation but obviously puppy exercise has to be limited. My own breeder hand fed all my pups, and we continued to do the same in the early days to prevent food guarding mainly but it also helped teach 'gently'. We also started putting treats down and making them wait at quite a young age. They are intelligent dogs so if you persevere I've no doubt it'll be fine :)

At my local training class this is the problem most owners of new puppies mention.  It is perfectly nomal.

there have been literally hundreds of therads on teh subject with lots of advice.

If you use the Search facility on the dight and try Puppy biting and Puppy Mouthing or Puppy Agression you will find lots :D

Hi

Here is a specific thread aimed at new owners on this very subject :)

http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?pid=91595;hlm=and;hl=Biting%20and%20Mouthing#91595

You will need to copy and paste as I cannot get the link to work