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Question

Our little one (age 3) was playing with our puppies (age 4 months) with a long snake toy thing. The puppies were biting at it and our little one was having a great time and giggling. They were running around and around. Then one of them bit the child instead of the toy. It left

marks where blood came to the surface in a circular bite shape. I wondered if he went for the toy then let go when he had bit the child's leg instead accidentally. He has nipped at the kids before but never anything like this and the little one gets really rough with him sometimes despite my scoldings. One of our older children tried to pick him up the other day to make him go in his cage and he kept acting like he was going to bite (making biting motions but never bit). Could this have been an accident or should we get rid of this dog?

Answer 1

He's a puppy.  That's what they do, bite.  Teach him some manners.  Correct them when they bite.  It was an accident, but again, puppies bite when they play.  I'm not so sure if it's a good idea to let a baby play with 2 puppies.  It's a little unfair to give him up when you haven't really discipline him.

4 months is a perfect time for Obedient class.

Answer 2

I think you should give the puppy a time-out when it bites or nips too hard. Even if it was an accident or fake bite, he needs to learn that it's not okay. Imagine if it had been one of your children's friends and the legal trouble you could be in b/c of a misunderstanding or accidental nip. People are sue-crazy these days. I don't agree but it's a popular mentality.

Our puppy used to play bite (they all do) but we flipped him over to show we were dominate and told him "No." And then we told him to give kisses or l**k instead and praised him for l*****g instead of biting. Now, when you blow in his face to make him mad or pull his tail to tease him, he gets a snarl on his face and then pounces and licks angrily. Sounds weird but it's totally cute and safe.

And as for the cage thing, never pick him up or try to catch him to put him in there. Give him a nudge with your foot or hand toward the cage if he's avoiding it, but he should learn to go on his own and to listen to the authority in your voice and in your children's. Plus, the puppy has too much energy and might see it as a game if you pick him up, or it might scare him and a lot of dogs are very sweet-tempered 98% of the time and would never bite, but when they are scared can be very unpredictable. Our dog is part cocker spaniel and this was one of the things the vet told me about the breed and it's proven to be true twice but knowing that helped me prevent something serious happening.

Hope this helps and good luck! It sounds like you have a good start training the little guy already and classes might not be a bad idea b/c of the small children.

Answer 3

He's a puppy, puppies nip. They need to be taught not to. Ending play is a good way to teach them. As soon as puppy nips, everyone stops playing with it and ignores it for a couple minutes. The pup will soon learn that nipping=no more play time.

The crate incident sounds like he's not acustomed to the crate or has a bad association with it. Either that or he just had to much energy to burn yet and wasn't ready for a "nap".

I'd also suggest enrolling in a Puppy Kindergarten class so you an learn how to teach your pup some manners.

Answer 4

Puppies bite they nip they have to be taught that it hurts and it is a behavior that is unacceptable.  Chances are he bit the child on accident, he is 4 months old and doesn't know any better.  Children bite, they don't know it's unacceptable until you either spank them or tell them off for biting, it's how they learn.

Don't spank the puppy, if he nips or attempts to nip, grab his snout and hold it tightly closed and say "NO BITING" in a low growly voice hold his snout till he cries then release.  You want the puppy to associate something unpleasant with biting so he learns to stop doing it.  If you don't teach him that biting is unacceptable he'll turn into a large dog that bites and snaps because he thinks it's ok.

Start now while he's young, don't smack him on the nose or smack him just hold his snout closed everytime he nips, immediately after he's nipped, 1 minute later or even 20 seconds later is too late, it can only be done the minute he nips, remember puppies have a 1 second memory span so you've got to be quick, otherwise he won't get it.

Don't get rid of him, TRAIN HIM, and get him into puppy obedience classes as soon as you can.  A well trained dog is a happy dog and a pleasure to be around.

Answer 5

Your puppies sound as if they think your children are also puppies :)

What you should do is teach your children how to play safely with your dogs, and what to do if they nip again. What I would suggest is no tugging games or anything that involves chasing because this will really work up your puppy, who then might forget that nipping humans is a no-no. Try and teach your puppies that being with your children means being calm, where your children gently stroke your puppy and talk to it softly.

If your child gets nipped again (I am saying nipped because it doesn't sound like he is being aggressive, only playful), teach him/her to yelp very loudly to indicate pain. This is the response that other puppies make when one bites too hard. Your child should then remove him/herself from play, which sends the message that biting is something that will end the good experience (which is not what your puppy will want!) Puppies should also learn accuracy when they are going for the 'kill' of the toy - they are capable of it so should definitely be rewarded! There are some great games to teach accuracy which you can find in any puppy book.

As for the cage, try to make it as positive an experience as possible. Put some favourite toys/treats inside - always try to lure your puppy in of its own volition, rather than force it inside as this can reinforce to your puppy that the cage is a punishment rather than its own personal space to hang out in. It sounds as if he was play-biting, not actually aggressive towards your other child.

I think that the faster your puppy learns that your children are on top when it comes to the social scale you should be fine. As it stands, it looks to me like your dogs are a little unsure of where they stand in regards to your children, so as long as you set up some boundaries and always supervise play they should grow up with beautiful manners.

Hope that helps :)

Answer 6

Instead of allowing your children to use this dog as a toy, buy the three year old some scissors to play with instead. Your child was virtually playing tug with a puppy and puppies bite. The dog missed the toy and accidentally bit your child, its not the dogs fault. its yours. Although children can play with dogs under supervision, TUG is a dangerous game for a three year old. Children must be taught how to play with and respect puppies and dogs. If you cannot do this, yes get rid of the dog.