Help needed.... new pup

[newpupparent]

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Hello all

I'm really hoping someone can help us. We have a 17 week old lab and he has been hard work but it's been great. He had recently started lunging at me biting and barking all at once. I have walked awsy but he bites me harder. I have redirected with toys doesn't work. It's just with me. It's making me really sad as if we cant change this behavior we might have to consider giving him away as I'm really worried the bigger he gets the more he's going to hurt me.

Please help

 

[JoanneF]

Hello and welcome. We actually have a page about this, please have a look but do come back to us if anything is unclear or you think doesn't apply to your situation.

Puppy biting

I'm posting this as part of a series of helpful articles for common problems. If you have more information to add (or disagree with anything in this post) please do so in this thread, but if you have a specific question relating to your dog, please start a new thread. Puppy biting, aka Land...

dogforum.co.uk

In fact, do come back to us anyway, and tell us more about him, and pictures if you can!

 

[JudyN]

Honestly, it gets better. My lad was particularly bad on walks - he became overaroused at the drop of a hat and then would launch himself at me. What worked - eventually - was:

1. Shorter walks: less chance to get overaroused, though you might want to squeeze in an extra walk to make up for the short ones.
2. Wearing a thick denim jacket to limit the bruising to my arms (and stop people thinking my husband was a wife-beater).
3. When he kicked off, turning my back and completely ignoring him until he got all paws back on the ground... then praising him and walking on (he would often immediately jump up again, then I'd ignore him again, etc.).
4. Clinging to field margins, paths with fences, and treed areas - partly because wide open spaces were more likely to set him off, and partly because then I could cling to the fence/tree, (a) so he couldn't come round to my front, and (b) to give me something to hang on to so he didn't knock me off my feet.

It did take a long time to fix, and there were some situations, like if we took him to the beach, where he'd have a brief 'jumpy/bitey' moment when first let off the lead for several years, but even then it would be a lot less intense. And thankfully, he only did it with hubby and me, and not anyone else.

 

[newpupparent]

Thank u for your reply. He's actually really goid on walks. The problem I'm having is in the house. I would just be sitting on the sofa and all a sudden he would launch himself at me when I put him down he then barks continues to bite me. You are right my arms don't look great. It's do stressful

 

[JudyN]

Ah, OK - in that case, yes, I'd go with the advice in the link and just calmly remove him from the room when he starts. (My laptop lost several keys thanks to being landed on by a pup!) If you're really consistent, you'll soon see him thinking before biting, and even if he doesn't then manage to restrain himself, you'll realise that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[newpupparent]

Thank u