Hello All

Hopefully someone can offer me some advice, we have recently got an English Springer Spaniel puppy she is coming up to 10 weeks old.  She is generally well behaved but sometimes will start biting and growling along with it, she doesn't usually stop when I say ouch etc.

Is this normal can anyone offer any advice

Thanks

Rich

Perfectly normal Rich ;)  Try this http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

Hi Rich

All pups go through the teething stage and some are worse than others, mine comes to mind :)
Have you any chew toys like the Kong puppy or teething keys? These help as she will hopefully chew them.
My Newf started from about then and at 8 months still has the odd chew on me but its not painful now just a 'I love you' thing :)
As their baby teeth start to develop the chewing may get worse as it's a painful time for them and you can buy soft chews that you soak in water then freeze. The coldness helps to numb the pain. Some of my friends have given their dog's ice cubes to suck on and that seems to work too. Oh and Kong chews can be filled and frozen as well.

You can buy bitter apple in a spray form as well to help them from chewing you, but I think as she's just 10 weeks that might be only needed at a much later date if she still nips you.

I would think the growling is her expressing her joy when playing with you after all she's just a wee pup.

When I got Bruce it had been a long time, over 16 years since my last pup and I forgot how painful the teething was. It can drive you mad but it will end once those adult teeth come through.

I bet she is adorable and you're having lots of fun. 

The use of Bitter Apple is to stop chewing on inappropriate inanimate objects - not people ;)  Better to train the puppy thoroughly and more importantly with complete consistency by *all* family members that biting people with pressure is not acceptable.   Spraying something on household members will only at best deter the puppy from biting the specific fleshy areas sprayed and the actual household members themselves.  The puppy would not be trained to realise that it's not OK to later take a chunk out of a visitor, tradesman, other child on the school run etc etc :(

Regards Teri

Teri makes an extremely important and valid point; by all means use something like BA for environmental control but NOT for use on people.

Thanks Teri
I think you're spot on with that. I've never used it my self but seen others talk about it only.
I keep telling Bruce No No constantly but being a Newf he's as soft as can be and its worked apart from the odd one. Even at 8 months he fills me with joy when I walk him over to meet the children coming out of the school opposite. He never makes any sign of nipping and just takes all the strokes, cuddles and shake hand in his stride. Being my first Newf I'm amazed at his softness to others.
I guess its the soft nature of these dogs that attracted me to them and their out side manners :)

Would I be right in saying as I packed in work when I got Bruce the 24/7 time spent with him has speeded up the lesson of 'No biting' where perhaps if I had worked in the day the lesser time might have mean't a longer period of chewing my arm to bits.

:D Sorry - Got a mental picture :D

Some pups will learn at different stages than others and I suppose there's a chance that the more opportunities to prevent the behaviour then the quicker they may learn - but equally it could be viewed that a pup left for a couple of hours more has less opportunity to try the behaviour in the first place :P

I think the key is always consistency regardless of what we try to teach pups - and of course only ever using positive encouragement methods.  Lots of owners feel frustrated at not getting instant results which is a shame but perfectly understandable, however often what's actually happening is someone in the household is undoing all the good work done by the main carer by allowing the puppy to break the guidelines that have been set.  (Usually the kids get the blame - I think it's the men myself :D )

Like you I'm around 24/7 for my dogs but I did work part-time when my first two were youngsters (although we took separate holidays off work to ensure the first 3-4 weeks they had someone at home to get the housetraining thoroughly instilled in them!).  I can't say I found training our original dogs any different than those I've had since but that could be a breed thing and also apart from my first ever dog, all the others have been related so character wise etc. they are actually all quite similar.

Regards, Teri :) 

Quote 'I think it's the men myself'

Us old poor chaps get the blame for everything :) but we're pretty good with a paint brush if nothing else hehehehe :)

I'm relentless :P  Can't you just tell that my OH always thinks he's right - and that he usually is ........ :rolleyes: so I just target 'em all!

regards, Teri
ps. he's not so good with a paint brush but a dab hand with the Yellow Pages :P

Hi read your post and would say i agree with the other CD members mypup is 15 wks (16 on sat) and still  has a nip more of a bite now     but was quite bad in the beginning but constant no in a firm voice and distraction with toys to chew helped,also when i said ouch and then managed to release my hand and had her sitting i would give her a lot of fuss tell her she was a nice girl and give her a treat,i also found and still do that if she gets carried away with her biting usually she is hungry or tired,i get up and move somewhere else and say to her go away naughty girl,like Minipeace my dog is a newfie/berner so not quite the same but has a lovely temperament,and sometimes i would get so worried and stressed out over it and think what have i done,then when she is calm and good know that her nature will always be soft and it is just teething Zanta is now cutting her adult teeth so we have been more or less back to square one but are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnell,remeber it wont last forever be consistent and make sure all your family members encorage and discourage the same as yourself so you pup does not get confused. Sorry meant to say when you think she is tired or hungry feed if near feeding tiome or try to get her to have a nap somewhere quiet if poss. Sorry if its gone on just spent 3 hrs in an eye hosp with my mum,hope some of this helps.Good Luck

Hi Max
Sorry to hear about your mum, hope she is ok.

Thanx she is fine just stresses me out to many hosp appts.Wrong board for this really,the dog is fine too,just been for nice relaxing walk over field came back a bit wet though,nothing like taking the dog for a walk to clear your head and destress.

Thanks everyone for there input on this, at least I now know our dog is 'normal' : )

Rich