# Nippy/humping puppy



## Bertie (Aug 4, 2015)

Hi everyone,

My 8 week (and four days) old toy, G'Kar, is a good little chap in general, but can be a bit boisterous. He likes to nip and hump quite a lot.

His biting is largely obviously play-biting (to hands and feet), very gentle and clearly not intended to hurt. In the event that he does hurt accidentally, he usually responds to a yelp and the word 'gentle', and he tones it down.

However, on some occasions - usually immediately after eating - he goes bananas and bites quite hard (mostly on my legs, ankles and feet) if he feels remotely provoked (e.g. if I stop him chewing something he shouldn't be chewing).

When he does this, I do my best to remove myself from the situation and get out of his reach (difficult with a dog attached to your leg), and ignore him for 20 seconds. This usually (though not always) calms him down completely.

My question is - is this occasionally aggressive behavior unusual or anything I should be taking additional steps to resolve? I've been reading some past threads in the forum, and some people say I should be reprimanding him with a firm 'no' (G'Kar never listens to the word, and believe me, I've tried), others say just to ignore him when he's bitey and he'll get the message. If that's the case, can anyone advise on how long this should take?

He also humps when he's going bananas, which looks hilarious but, considering he is presumably doing it to assert dominance, is also something I obviously want to discourage.

Any tips would be most welcome. This is our first puppy (we've had him since Saturday) and we don't want to be responsible for raising an uncontrollable dog. His mother was a little bit frisky and we want to train it out of G'Kar as much as possible.

Many thanks in advance.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I use a very stern NO, Bad Dog, my Cayenne likes of bit on your hands very softly. My Bella is fixed and since I got Cayenne she humps one large teddy bear, so teddy went away not more humping


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It sounds as though he is learning the lesson of bite inhibition very well - congratulations! The harder biting and humping sound to me like frustration - think of toddler tantrums. Removing yourself is excellent, but you may find it helpful to have a toy to hand and redirect him to that. SImilarly with the humping if it worries you - a good game of chase and tug will help to dissipate his energy and give him something even more interesting to think about.

It might be a good idea to start playing lots of games of swapsies - when he has something in his mouth offer him something much more valuable - a treat for a tissue, chicken for an ordinary chew, and then, whenever possible, give him the original object back as well. Dog etiquette is that possession is 101 points of the law - it is quite diffcult for them to understand that it is worth giving something up to a human - but learning that letting go means they get both lovely things is very persuasive! As he gets better at the game have the swap treat out of sight on a table or something, and eventually you will be able to run with him to find it in the kitchen cupboard. 

Frustration control games are a good idea, too - start with very, very short waits for a treat or a thrown toy, barely a second, and gradually increase the time. A dog that will wait for what they want for a minute or two without jumping on you and shouting the house down is a great blessing!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

He sounds pretty normal to me! FJM gives good advice! You are doing good too!At this stage of puppyhood it's lots of redirecting and patience! Training at this age should be fun and consistent .............it'll get better, really!


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Humping in a puppy or adult dog is not about dominance. It's more about over excitement/stimulation. Racer will still occasionally hump but what really helped is stepping in & holding him with a firm no. I would hold until he relaxed. Now if he goes after my male shepherd all I have to do is stand up & it stops. If I'm already standing & "no" doesn't work I just hold him until he settles. I'm not at all rough with the holding, just keeping all 4 feet on the ground & waiting for him to relax. He was the humpiest puppy I had ever seen. Lol

Even though I do not plan on breeding him he is intact & will remain so unless he gets any habits that a neuter would help. For the most part he is a polite boy who has been trained well enough not to be rude. Keep at it & be patient. Your puppy is very young.

I agree with FJM about working on impulse control. It is so important with these silly poodles who make up their own games. Lol


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree with the replies of the others so far. I also think you are doing a very good job on helping him understand bite inhibition. It is one of the most essential skills puppies need to learn. Generally they learn it by rough housing with their litter mates. It is almost never a problem with spoos since their litters tend to be large (Lily is one of 8, Javelin is one of 9). Since tpoo litters are almost always small and your pup is only 8 weeks old you may have to be extra mindful of keeping up with your work on this.

poolann is importantly correct about humping not being a dominance thing but an excitement thing.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I'm seconding the advice to redirect onto a toy. Make sure you have a good chew/tug toy on hand at all times when puppy is excited. Archie was extremely mouthy when we brought him home, but a month and a half in and he's already doing much better (he's also almost a year old now, so your timeline might be different).

Basically whenever he goes for a hand, say "Uh-uh" or "No" (I don't use a harsh or aggressive tone with it in this case - it's more of a "try again" cue) and then offer the toy. It's best if you can get him to take the toy before he even gets to your hands, so he never even practices the behavior you don't like. When he grabs the toy, praise excitedly and then give him a super fun game of tug or fetch or whatever he likes. If he lets go of the toy and chooses to go after your hand anyway, then all the fun stops - hide the toy behind your back, set the puppy on the floor, and stand very still and boring with no eye contact until he's been settled for a few seconds. Basically the lesson is biting hands = no fun, while biting toys = tons of fun.

If he's getting too crazy, you can practice time outs to calm down. If you've got a space where you can put him in a boring room behind a baby gate for 30 seconds or so, that's good. Otherwise you may have to use your crate - but in that case you have to make sure it's an upbeat experience because you don't want your dog to fear the crate. So it's a brisk, happy tone, grab a good chew or stuffed kong, and puppy goes in the crate until he calms down. It's like hitting a reset button.

I wouldn't worry too much about the humping but if it bothers you feel free to redirect that as well. Tug games are great for getting out that kind of frustrated energy.


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