# 7 month old spoo biting and jumping on people...



## Zindra

Hi!

I have got some issues with my puppy that now are starting to get out of hand... Or however you wanna put it. Well not really out of hand maybe but...

She has been nibbling on hands and such ever since she was little. She is now 7 months old. It's starting to be very annoying that she bites and nibbles on everyone (including me) when you try to pet or cuddle with her. She gets very excited when she meets people and jumps and bites on them. It's like she doesn't know what to do with all her excitement and energy so she nibbles at you. I know it's not because she is mean-spirited. She is a lovely dog and she loves everyone. She just hasn't learned how to behave. That is my fault of course and not hers.

Obviously this is not a desired behavior. I don't know how to solve this because it doesn't help if I try to say "NO!" when she nibbles/bites and/or jumps... It is difficult because I can't feel relaxed with having her around other people since she can't behave properly. She is also pulling the leash which is not desired behavior either. But especially the biting/nibbling is kind of starting to get a bit too much. I want to correct this behavior.

I know this is because I haven't had the energy to start training her properly and she is basically under stimulated. She learns things very quickly and is clever (as we all know poodles are) but I just don't know how to make this right...

Any suggestions?  I prefer to work with positive training methods.


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## kukukachoo

Well, I failed at my one attempt with a puppy  We got kicked out of training as a matter of fact because my pup would. Not. Stop. Barking! Anyway, we rehomed her to a co-worker and then adopted an adult poodle. 

While I don't have any advice, I will say good luck and I'll be interested in the suggestions you receive since I do hope to try puppy- training again one day (when my kids are a little older.)


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## fjm

If you have a puppy - or a dog of any age - you have a responsibility to ensure they are properly socialised, trained and exercised. If for health or other reasons you are unable to do it yourself, you need to arrange for someone else to do it for you on a daily, continuing basis. And I do sympathise - I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few days after bringing my first pup home, and was going through chemo during her formative months... You don't say whether your lack of energy is due to illness, work or disinclination, but you have taken on the responsibility of a living, thinking, feeling creature, and have a duty to ensure her needs are met.

Firstly, she needs plenty of exercise - walks, off leash runs, brain games for several hours a day. If you are unable to walk her yourself then hire a dog walker; brain games don't need to take much of your energy - look at the Ottosson games for ideas, or there are lots of other examples on the internet.

Secondly she needs training - the easiest way to stop the behaviour you describe is to teach her a different, non-compatible behaviour - No is meaningless to dogs, they do whet works in terms of getting them what they want. Your attention - you are saying No and playing the fun game of pushing her away - is rewarding. Jumping up and mouthing means you turn your back and silently ignore her. All four feet on the ground means a love fest and chicken. If your timing is reasonably good and she is anything like Poppy, three repeats and she will be getting the idea! Teach her to go to her mat or crate when people come to the door, and release her to greet them politely - four feet on the floor. Train her while sitting in your chair watching TV, while preparing a meal, while having a drink in the yard - it is something that goes on all day every day. Every interaction with your dog is teaching her something - it is up to you what that something is.

ETA - asking her to bring you a toy is a good way of giving her an outlet for the overflowing excitement and preventing nibbling at the same time - just make sure she greets visitors with a toy and not something less desirable. My sister's spoo specialised in knickers from the laundry basket...


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## lily cd re

Hi Zindra,

She is teething which is part of the current problem. Make sure she has and has incentive to use heavy duty chew toys. Stuff a rubber chew toy with stuff she really likes along with part of her daily regular food. You can also try ignoring her when she jumps and nips. Keep your hands close to your body and turn your back. Be quiet and still when you do this. I had similar problems when my dog was in this age range. It will get better but you have to be smarter than her and patient about working through it. 

On the leash I would just change directions. When she pulls one way, give a pop on the leash and do a 180. Turning around will take away her momentum and redirect her attention. I am sure my neighbors thought I was crazy. At first I didn't go much further than 20 feet before I would turn around. We took lots of steps but never got very far from home. Now I have a beautiful heeler who for walks around home only has a leash so I can protect her from traffic and surprises.


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## Quossum

She sounds like a wonderful, energetic dog who would be a dream to train! I wish my Sugarfoot was so outgoing with strangers!

I really like fjm's method of teaching an incompatible behavior, and also agree with the idea that this pup really needs exercise and activity! Most of all, though, it sounds like this puppy needs a basis of self-control to put *you* more in charge of her boundless energy. You do that with two things, both of which are easily trained: It's Yer Choice, and Crate Games.

Crate Games is a DVD readily available on the Internet from various sources; just look it up. It teaches your dog to figure things out, to make appropriate choices, and to listen to you. 

It's Yer Choice is a game that may seem simple at first, but again, it's teaching your dog to control herself and to figure out that the way to get GOOD stuff is to do what you want. I utilize IYC every day, in almost every situation with my dog. Here's the YouTube on it.


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## Indiana

Remember too, 7 months old is kind of the peak of energy for your dog, ...have you seen all those ads in the newspaper, "8 month old dog for sale to good owner, I don't have time for her"? All those people got a cute puppy who is now at the height of mischeivous behaviour because they are bursting at the seams with energy! So if you can afford it, try hiring dog walkers, asking friends for dog play dates, doggy daycare, and as MANY obedience lessons as you can possibly fit in! Besides the exercise component, try telling yourself, I will spend 15 minutes training my dog in the morning and 15 minutes at night, every day. What's that in a day, really? And yet if you do some repeititions with lots of treats and praise in those 2 15-minute sessions, it will really make a big difference in the long run. My Indy, who is such a great dog, tends to nip too when she's really, really happy (this in combination with spinning around me, chuffing and wagging her tail off, such as when I come home from work). So I just remind her to mind her manners by holding her muzzle and saying into her eyes, "no bite". She knows it from previous practice sessions with her, so a reminder when she's over the moon with excitement is enough now. Same with jumping up, she's used to be an incorrigible jumper but I had good success by practicing (many times) coming in the door and making her sit and then crouching down to pet her and say hello, rather than her jumping up to my level. But it just takes practice, and we have the advantage that they want to make us happy! So we just have to convey what we want from them.


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## outwest

Like Indiana says, 7 months is right at the top of energy/exhuberance and needing training and guidance. I could give lot of tips here, but I get the feeling you might be new to dog training. Because of that, I think you should join a group training class with her and bring your kids to the class with you. The whole family needs to be consistent for it to work. If you put out the energy now and are diligent, she will end up a terrific dog. The fact that she is super friendly with strangers is a major plus. A lot of standards are reserved with strangers. 

Hang in there and work through this. She needs lots of exercise and guidance right now and so do you. Good luck!


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## MaryLynn

Hey there, 

There are already some fabulous posts in this thread that I would agree with completely. Your puppy sounds a lot like my first dog, so full of energy and love for everyone.

A puppy at that age is going to require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation so that they can focus on what you expect of them. I found my boisterous puppy benefited from two 30-45 minute walks, and a 30min to 2 hour romp at the off leash dog park. Games can be as simple as hide and seek with toys, and they tend to enjoy those toys that you fill with treats that they have to work at to get the food out of. 

I understand that it can be difficult to find the time to do so much physical activity with your puppy, but you can always get kids on board, and if you're lucky maybe some people in your local community would have kids who would like to help out. When I was a teenager I used to walk dogs for free/fun because I didn't have one. I am not sure if teenagers are as cool today though.

Consistency and routine is key! 

Getting a dog to stop jumping on people is both very easy...and very hard! It's hard because it generally requires adopting a protocol, but it's very easy for strangers or guests to break this protocol and set your dogs progress back.

Try this for jumping: if your puppy is craaaazy and trying to get your attention, then turn your back to it, and cross your arms so it can't nibble your hands. Don't make eye contact, or speak to the dog. Don't tell it "no" or "down". The idea is to completely ignore the unwanted behaviour. Keep turning your back if they move to your front, and if they jump on your back/jump on you resist the urge to push them down/off. Pushing them, screaming, squeeling etc, easily turns into reinforcement and a game. 

When the desired behaviour is performed, laying down, or sitting, quickly turn your attention to the puppy and give them lots of praise. 

Make sure your puppy has a rock solid sit, and eventually they should calm down for you when you ask them to sit. 

For hand nipping make sure no one in the house ever plays with the puppy with their hands. If they go to pet, and the puppy starts mouthing, then remove the hand contact, and put those hands in a pocket or cross the arms. Play instead with the puppy with a toy, or a tug rope. The same ignoring the unwanted behaviour technique as above works for nipping, too. 

Basically they're just happy and excited to get attention from you, so if you withhold that attention until the proper behaviour is performed and mark that behaviour with tons of praise the puppy will learn very quickly! 

My cairn wasn't solid in his manners with greeting people until he was about a year and a half, it's very hard for strangers to listen to me to not pet him because he is so happy and cute, but you need to enforce how people interact with your puppy so that you make sure only wanted behaviours are being rewarded. 

Best luck to you!!


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