[Teddy’s mom]

I have 3 month old standard poodle and he bites and way too much! Especially on my son. How to get him to stop when he needs to stop..when it’s too rough and too hard. I’ve tried redirecting with treats or toys.

 

[Raindrops]

I have 3 month old standard poodle and he bites and way too much! Especially on my son. How to get him to stop when he needs to stop..when it’s too rough and too hard. I’ve tried redirecting with treats or toys.

Poodle puppies can be extremely mouthy. It's not really biting because it's just their way of trying to explore the world. They don't have hands so they just use their mouths. All you can try to do is curb the extreme episodes and slowly slowly they will improve with patience and consistent training. Often when they get overexcited and very mouthy, they're actually ready for a nap. Putting the puppy in their xpen or crate with a nice bed should yield a settled napping puppy before too long. When they bite you can redirect or remove yourself. Play stops when the puppy uses their teeth.

Mine went through a second mouthing phase between 6 and 8 months where he was so bad that I actually put peppermint extract all over my hands to keep him from mouthing. He hates the smell/taste of mint so it worked quite well. I'm not sure if all dogs hate it though.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Good advice from Raindrops.

I recommend using an indoor exercise pen for playtime, or a gated room, plus TONS of toys within easy reach, in a variety of sizes and textures. When puppy bites, a toy gets put in his mouth. If he ignores the toy and goes for another bite, the human calmly walks out of the designated play space, counts to 30, and calmly returns. If puppy bites again, calmly retreat again. Playtime is over for now.

This is a good method for your son to use so he can easily remove himself from the situation.

The key is calmness, lots of toys, no roughhousing ever until puppy can demonstrate impulse control (and your son can successfully get puppy to sit, lie down, and stay), and naps. So many naps. Puppies at that age should be sleeping more than they're awake.

I also avoided wearing loose or otherwise tempting clothing at that age. Shorts were the worst.

 

[lily cd re]

In addition to redirecting to a toy I also recommend using treats to redirect to training activities. Lure the puppy to sit with a treat sit and then say "good sit puppy" and give the treat while the puppy is still sitting. Be careful not to feed if puppy gets up. You can have your son work on this once you have gotten to the point where puppy knows the sit order and has a couple of seconds duration.

I heartily agree with previous replies as well.

 

[Teddy’s mom]

Thank you for responding. I do all these things. That’s just it..nothing is working. It’s VERY frustrating! 😔

 

[Raindrops]

Thank you for responding. I do all these things. That’s just it..nothing is working. It’s VERY frustrating! 😔

When Misha was younger I would hear other people talk about stopping puppy biting in a few days of training. Haha no not for Misha. Many poodles just need to mature out of it for it to completely go away. Don't see it as failure if your puppy is a Tasmanian devil. He is just a mouthy puppy. Mine ripped four pairs of my pants attacking me. It is a phase, though a long one. It does get better but often so slow that it's hard to notice. Just keep up with the training and take breaks from him when you need to.

 

[Teddy’s mom]

Ok! Ty! I guess I do feel like I’m not doing something right. I’ll just keep it up and stay consistent.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Thank you for responding. I do all these things. That’s just it..nothing is working. It’s VERY frustrating! 😔

It's working. He's just a baby and you're his whole world. It's up to you to learn to speak "puppy" and teach him your expectations. You'll start seeing progress soon if you're consistent.

I see a red flag when I hear someone say they've tried everything. You've only had a month with Teddy (I assume) which means you can't possibly have tried everything if you're being properly consistent.

That's when I think it's a good idea to really study the situation:

Is anyone in the house teasing Teddy playfully and then complaining when he takes the bait or initiates these games on his own?

Is Teddy getting ample quiet time to decompress?

Is the entire household on the same page with the same solid method of training? (I recommend Ian Dunbar.)

Has Teddy spent enough time with other dogs and puppies to learn proper bite inhibition?

I could go on and on.

Puppies bite. It's what they do. They explore the world with their mouths. In addition to that, his little jaws are going to be feeling increasingly uncomfortable as he loses his baby teeth and grows big new chompers. There's a good chance this behaviour will come and go and manifest in new ways for the next year or so. I literally had to stop typing just now to get a plastic tube of lip balm away from Peggy. She'll be a year old next week!

Patience patience.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

(Now she's onto the dish cloths! So....time for a nap.)

 

[Teddy’s mom]

I meant I’ve tried all the things I have read. I guess I was wondering if I was missing something. He definitely is not being teased. I waited till our children were older because of that possibility. I just wanna do it right and have a great dog for our family. I have him on a crate schedule and he does great in the crate. Two walks a day 15 minutes each. He’s not a cuddly dog..atleast not now. Likes his space..not a licker. It has only been a month. So it’s all new. The biting is really bad with my 9 year old. Wraps his paw around my sons leg and goes to town.

 

[Raindrops]

Misha used to really latch onto my legs and sink his claws and teeth in like that. It sounds like you've got a very good handle on things and he just needs time. It is really hard when you compare your puppy (or dog) to other puppies. Because each dog is different and has very different struggles and strengths. Poodles are very smart and sensitive dogs. They crave stimulation and love play and exploration. Lily cd re brought up a good point with training. The one thing you don't mention is how much you're working on training basics of obedience. It's never too early to begin teaching impulse control and good habits. There are online courses that you can take with your dog if classes are currently shut down in your area. It is a good way to bond with your puppy and learn to communicate with them. Short training sessions throughout the day will also help to give your puppy mental stimulation and keep him from looking for other outlets for all his energy.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Then I'd definitely implement some sort of pen or barrier system so your son can physically remove himself from the situation when that happens. If you watch dogs play together, if one goes a little too far, the other abruptly jumps back and play stops dead.

From what I've seen, dogs that have poor social skills will keep going back for more, and that's a no-no. They should offer up calming signals until the wounded party says, "Okay! All is forgiven. Game on!"

Mature (but still playful) social dogs can help with training. But your son, too, by removing himself, will be establishing his own clear boundaries and not allowing Teddy to be so persistent with his impolite play.

Keep trying different toys, too, until you find one that Teddy finds interesting. And then make it EXTRA interesting by moving it around enticingly. Puppies are attracted to movement, so just the act of your son pulling away, or pushing puppy away, can be positively thrilling.

 

[Teddy’s mom]

Yes! I have been doing basic training. Teddy knows sit. Working on staying longer than 3 seconds 😂. My neighbor has a dog Teddy absolutely loves. Maybe a daily play date? They play well together. Love all the feed back!! I need all the help and tips. 👍🏻

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Is Teddy your first puppy? If so, I recommend ordering this book or reading it (for free!) online:

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf

I re-read it with every new puppy.

Advice is good, and Poodle Forum gives great advice! But it can often be incomplete or contradictory, which is confusing not only for you but also for your puppy. So I always recommend establishing a good foundation with an expert's help.

 

[Teddy’s mom]

See what I what I mean?! Helpful! Yes he’s our first.

 

[cowpony]

This will sound counterintuitive, and Teddy is almost too old for this, but with tiny puppies I will pull my fist up into my sleeve and let the puppy gnaw on it. I wear an old sweatshirt that I don't mind wreaking for extra protection. If he's biting gently I will play wrestle with him. If he gets over excited and bites down painfully I push him away. If he calms down immediately I might let him wrestle again, or I might redirect him to a toy, depending on how wound up he is. At the second hard bite it's game over - nap time in the crate.
By 4 months I've phased that game out. I push the puppy away any time teeth touch me uninvited. Instead I work on having the puppy gently take a treat from my fingers. I offer the treat and keep hold of it if he tries to snatch it. Only when he is being very gentle will I set the treat on his tongue and withdraw my fingers.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I'm so excited for you! A spoo is a challenging first dog, but so rewarding. And you'll have lots of support here.

As for pushing, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with cowpony on this one. Not to say it won't work with some puppies, but I'd say many (if not most) will interpret this type of contact as a very fun game, which could encourage their behaviour to escalate.

There's lots of information out there about pushing dogs and puppies, but see the end of this article from the SPCA, which specifically mentions children under the age of 10:

https://www.spca.org/file/pet-university/Puppy-Behavior---Nipping-and-Biting.pdf

 

[Phoebe’sMom]

I’m no spoo expert but I have had several puppies in my lifetime and current My 8month old spoo is still teaching me new things. What I recommend you and your family trying is when puppy bites hard, give a loud high pitched yelp. Like the others before me have said when puppies play with litter mate, mom, or even more mature dogs they will give clear cues for when they have had to much. This noise is a great way to say I have had enough without confusing the puppy with physical gestures. When we first got Phoebe (my spoo), my German Shepard who is 3 was a great playmate for a 9week old puppy. She would lay on the floor and let Phoebe play with her, but if Phoebe got rough she would give a yelp. This helps set boundaries when they were playing, which while I’m typing this they are wrestling/playing at my feet. But I do recommend reading or watching online helpful puppy training guides. As every puppy will respond to different training methods/types and same goes for the owner. Just an idea to try!

 

[For Want of Poodle]

I had a hard time with puppy biting with annie. Pushing her away and yelping just encouraged her. I created a rule. If she bit hard I would yelp, stand up, close myself in the bathroom and shut the door with her on the other side. Sometimes I would try a few times with the yelp method, then if she persisted go away. It really helped calm her down and was a big consequence (you bite so it hurts, play time ends and i go away). This might be a good method for your son especially.
I also found if she was particularly bitey, she was usually overtired, like a toddler with a temper tantrum. A nap in her crate or a snuggle was a good thing at that point, and I got my sweet puppy back.

 

[Dianaleez]

Does the pup normally play with your son? Is he possibly trying to get him to play or at least notice him? I find 'turning off' a playful puppy to be a challenge.

Normie would nip at my heels when I walked. He eventually stopped after I started turning around and saying NO then making him sit.