My 12 week old lab is a bit rough with my kids what can i do??

Question

he is adorable and i know he is only a puppy but he is constantly nibbling and nipping them. Is this normal??even when i give out to him or put him in time out in his bed he comes back out jumping all over them and still continues to nip at them. He has also left scratch marks and has even cut them with the nipping. Im afraid il have to give him away if it does not stop, my kids are my first priority but if this is just a stage lab pups or any pups go through then i would greatly appreciate any advice and is there any way i can stop this. thank you for your time. He also is very affectionate with them and i know he does not mean to hurt them but he gets very excited and thats when it happens.

Answer 1

This is exactly how my 20 week old labrador was a few weeks back when he first got used to us as his family. He play bited and scratched my two kids alot and caused blood a couple of times and it made me upset and thought....oh no what have i done, BUT he is 20 weeks old now, hardly ever does it,has calmed down alot, he has also learnt that he is the lowest of rank in the family, he realised this quickly after i banned him from the sofas, gave him time out with a stairgate on the front room door, he ate after us and is put in the back garden whilst we have main meals etc, he is also last to walk in the front door, i also did not leave the kids unattended with the puppy which is why i got soem stairgates.Ignorance aswell worked as when he did hurt us,we said ina  firm voice no and completely ignored him for a good 10 minutes, i also took my boy to obediance school. My boy is absolutely fantastic and would not be without him. Keep at it : )

Answer 2

Most male dogs are very aggressive even when playful. Depending on how old the dog is u may want to see into getting him fixed... Male dogs tend to calm down after they have been fixed. hope this helps

Answer 3

go learn how to train this dog because he won't just necesarily grow out of ti...if you don't want to do that or it doesn't work...give away the dog because your children need to be safe in their own home.

Answer 4

Constantly keep an eye on him, and when you cannot, put him in his puppy condo (crate train a dog like this). Take him away from the situation. Dogs crave attention like we do.. You need to catch him in the act, and reward him for good behavior.

It is just as effective as sending a child to his/her room for quiet time. I crate trained my pit-bull and I had similar problems. He is an exceptional dog now. The crate should be used as the doggy's safe-ground. They consider this their shelter or cave- if you will.

Puppies are great.. You did not do the wrong thing buying a baby lab; traditionally they are the most nonchalant and intelligent dogs.

Answer 5

This.unfortunately, is a puppy thing.  It is always difficult when you have small children and puppies together.  The pup jumps and the kids get excited so the pup thinks "Yippee, it's play time" and starts to jump and bite all the more.The puppy's teeth are driving him crazy right now and he needs plenty of hard rubber toys and bones to chew to help him cut his teeth.

I once saw a demonstration  at Crufts of how to get kids to interact with dogs .  A group of children were told to stand in a large circle with their arms folded across their chest and not to give the dogs any eye contact whatsoever.  About 12 dogs came bounding into the ring and because the children just stood like statues not one of those dogs jumped up at them.  They just sniffed around their feet and walked away  .It was fascinating to watch.

I wonder if you could get your kids to prctise this when your puppy jumps up at them.  Arms folded across the chest, no eye contact, and every time the pup leaps at them tell them to just turn their back on him .If he nips them they must give a loud squeal just like his litter mates would do if one of its brothers or sisters gets too rough with him.

Let the puppy know that his nipping and biting hurt but always have something to give him as a trade for not biting, e.g. one of his toys or a bone.  If everyone is consistent with this the pup should soon learn that jumping and biting is not acceptable and he will start to walk away and play with his toy.

This has worked for me with my puppies.  It might be worth a try for you.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Why are you even considering dumping the dog?  Lab puppies are some of the most rambuncious puppies out there.  If puppyhood was a problem, why did you get a puppy?

You need to be supervising interactions between your kids and the puppy.  And, the puppy needs to be in puppy classes so that you can learn how to correctly deal with this.  

Is anyone rough housing with the puppy?  If so, this is going to make the problem even worse.  

Are you exercising the puppy for several hours a day?  

It also sounds like this dog came from a bad breeder, so training is going to be even more important to overcome the genetic temerpament issues and problems that usually stem from bad breeders.  

Get the dog into training

Supervise interactions

More exercise

No rough housing

GL with puppy.

Answer 7

Yes, it is normal.  he's a puppy, he has sharp puppy teeth, and he uses his mouth as hands.  And he's teething, just like a human infant would teeth.  And just like little kids, when puppies get excited they tend to loose any self control they do have.  You are going to have to teach him that it is not appropriate to bite and that biting does not get him any attention.  A sharp yelp should stop him in his tracks.  When he stops and looks at you, redirect his chewing to a more appropriate object.  If he continues to mouth you, get up and go somewhere where he can't go or remove him to an area separate from the rest of the family and completely ignore him for  a few minutes.  You need to do this every single time he bites in order for him to understand that biting is not acceptable and it results in the end of all fun.

Sign this pup up for some obedience classes ASAP because you are going to need all the guidance you can get.  Good dogs aren't born, Lassie is a myth, and all dogs need some sort of training in order to be well-behaved by human standards.  Biting is a normal puppy behavior and there are many other 100% perfectly normal (and often acceptable in a dog's world) behaviors that are also perceived as problems in human society.  Training classes will teach you what to expect out of your dog and give you the communication tools to teach your dog what is and is not acceptable behavior.

Answer 8

Dont get a pup, then when it behaves like one start talking abut 'getting rid' - you obviously did not do your research!!!

Go to a good puppy training class, but in the meantime tell the kids to yell ouch when he nips the then turn their backs on him and ignore him totally till he calms down. If they do this consistently he will stop!

Waving arms, juming about and running all make the pup think this is a game and they are joining in.  

Answer 9

It is normal, but you should start taking him to training so it doesn't get out of control when he gets bigger, they're no bad dogs only bad owners, don't give him away just because you don't know how to handle him, look for answers from experts go to a pet store and take him to clases, clases are more for you than for him... oh, and watch

the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic!

Answer 10

How old are the kids? If they're old enough to be involved in the disciplining a bit, then the pup can learn pretty quickly. It's normal for lab puppies to nip and gnaw. When they do it with their litter mates, if they bite too hard, the standard response from a puppy is a high-pitched yelp. If you train your kids to yelp EVERY time the puppy's teeth makes contact with their skin, then he'll start to get the hint. Also, a firm tap on the snout with one finger helps. It doesn't hurt the puppy, but a little strong physical contact gives it a clue that it's not supposed to do that. So high-pitched yelp from anyone that it's teeth touches followed by a tap on the snout and a firm "NO!" should get the dog to stop its nipping. Good luck!

Answer 11

Why in the world did you get a puppy when you have kids, You should have gone to the pound to get a stable older dog. Now you think it is the dogs fault- puppies have a lot of energy, but you are blaming the dog.

If you have a family member who loves that dog and will take him in for the next couple years than do that. It is your fault OK, you can not change a 12 week puppy. You should have been smarter, now you need to fix this problem. No amount of hitting or yelling at the puppy will help the dog. Labs don't mature until they are 2 YEARS old. You should have been smarter now the dog will have to pay for your laziness or your vanity.

Answer 12

when he gets to rough tell him no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 13

The number one mistake owners make with labs is lack of exercise.  Labs are highly trainable, affectionate, and gentle dogs.  But ONLY IF YOU BURN OFF THEIR EXCESS ENERGY!!!  

Labs are retrievers, they were bred to have demanding jobs, and they enjoy their work fully.  If a lab doesn't regularly go on long walks, play energy-intensive games, or perform a specific task that makes it feel useful, they magically morph from one of the best breeds out there into one of the worst.

To an extent, the exuberance is a stage all puppies will go through.  But you need to know that an under-exercised lab can be massively destructive, impossible to live with, and dangerous to your children.  It needs lots of exercise and firm training to be a good housepet.

Answer 14

As with all "Baby's", you must take the time and teach your pup disapline.  You can send it to school or take the time and do it yourself!

Answer 15

Go to a training class.

Answer 16

Check out www.unclematty.com

Answer 17

look up on google the dog whisper its a show and you could be on it will teach your dog how to behave

good luck  

Answer 18

ALL puppies do this.  And they need to be taught what is acceptable behavior.  And the kids also need to be educated in how to play with him so that he learns the rules.

He is a prime candidate for a puppy obediance class.  Check with your local park district, or if you have a Petsmart near you they offer classes as well.  You won't regret it, and you, the kids and the dog will all be much happier and less stressed for it.  He may be cute and little now, but he will grow up to be a big dog and proper training right out of the gate will make a huge difference in his personality later.