[Kim&charlie]

I need help! We have a toy poodle puppy which we have had from 14 weeks, he is now 22 weeks and up until now he has been good as gold. Over the last two weeks he has becoming increasingly showing obsessive behaviour towards me, panting and following me, jumping up and biting seems to be the concern to the point I can’t sit on the sofa without barking or biting me. The biting is getting harder and causing a lot of pain. I have tried all the tips, and nothing works. He doesn’t do it to my partner at all. I wouldn’t say he’s aggressive towards me but is definitely a crazed moment when he does this. Any advice or similar experiences?

 

[lily cd re]

He is resource guarding you. He should be in a crate when you can't supervise. This will cut down on his rehearsal of unwanted behaviors. You should also work on creating a lot more order for your time with him. Dogs, especially smart ones, like structure in their days and if we don't give it to them they will try things to see if those behaviors work. Don't get mad or overly emotional, just keep things neat, calm and orderly.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Could it be hormonal? I know toys mature faster than larger dogs.

 

[Kim&charlie]

I was wondering if it was hormonal, I didn’t think of the resource guarding to be honest but that does make sense as he hasn’t learnt leave very well! We had good structure but sadly with the lockdown that had thrown it out, it appeared to start happening when lockdown started. Just hoping we have solve this before it becomes an aggressive issue

 

[Kim&charlie]

Just to ask when you say resource guarding is he guarding me by biting me etc or guarding my partner? I was wondering if it’s cause I do everything with him, feed, walk, take him out for toilet etc, he now cries when I go out to the shop which he didn’t do before the lockdown. Before this we would go to work, he would have a few hours alone, dog walker would come and take him out with other dogs and I would come hone a couple of hours later. He had a good structure and now it’s gone!

 

[fjm]

I would focus on structure, routine and predictability. It sounds as if his life, like yours, has been turned upside down but, unlike you, he has no idea why. Have specific times for exercise, meals, games, training, settling down, etc, and make up small rituals to introduce each. I suspect that he is also much in need of more downtime - he will be picking up on your anxiety and the biting and attention seeking could well be a stress reaction. When things are stressful in my house Sophy becomes very clingy, in a way which is quite out of character for her. Make things feel as safe, ordinary, and predictable as possible and I think you will all feel the benefits.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Changes to routine can be very hard on our smart little poodles. Same goes for changes to our emotions. If you're feeling stressed or anxious, your little guy absolutely knows.

Luckily, at that age especially, they are super resilient. So start establishing a new routine, with clearly defined periods of age-appropriate activity and rest, and he'll quickly figure out the new normal.

Also (and I say this with tons of compassion because I've recently come through those same early puppy days), you might feel like you've tried "all the tips," as you said above. But if this new behaviour's only 2 weeks old, you've not had time to try all the tips—at least not properly.

Good training takes consistency and sometimes results take a while to appear. I promise your puppy is a little sponge and he's learning every single day.

Have you taught him to go to a place such as a mat or a bed? If he's feeling anxious, this will give him confidence. It will also require him to follow a gentle command ("Go to your bed") that's incompatible with biting you. Eventually he'll learn to go there himself when he's feeling unsure.

Once he's there, you can give him a stuffed Kong or a special chew to help him settle. Or (if they don't get him too excited) toss treats between his front paws while he lounges. You can even anchor him with a light leash. Teaching our puppies to settle is worth every minute it takes. (And sometimes it takes a LOT of minutes.)

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Ha! Clearly fjm and I are on the same page.

 

[Kim&charlie]

Thanks to you both for the help, I will start building a structure from today and see how it goes, hoping we can definitely sort it!

 

[Latte12]

It's you, not the dog. The sooner you realize it, the sooner you can fix it.