Very naughty boy!

Hi everyone
I am a bit concerned, my wife picked up Bruce today and was going to take a coat hanger off him as she didn't want him to hurt himself. He actually bit her , he's only 8 weeks old but still it wasn't play!


He had just had his injections today so we put some it down to he may of been sore , sleepy and she may of hurt him by accident....
Anyway later on today he was playing with some paper. I took it off him and he growled and I think he would of tried to bite me given a chance!

It does concern me as I have a toddler and I need to nip this in the bud quickly.My wife was also very cautious about having a a staffie in the first place . So this hasn't helped!

Needless to say he got a right telling off when he got funny with me. He was fiine with us both after the incidents

At 8 weeks he certainly isn't biting nastily, just being a puppy, thats what he would be doing and learning from his litter mates

I think he is just voicing his disapproval at having his game stopped.. Kind of the same as if you took something from your toddler while they were playing with it for their own safety, they would cry or chuck a tantrum.. It's not aggressiveness just a tantrum.. And I don't believe it is breed specific either, any pup of any breed would most likely do the same thing..

Yeah don't panic Ashy, just be firm about taking things away from him and don't let on to him if you're feeling nervous, and see how it goes.

Hi
I'm not nervous! My last staffy was a blooming nightmare! But he was my nightmare and I loved him very much!

Thanks for the reassurance guys . This is my first pup so it is a little new to me. He drew blood with my wife so she wasn't impressed . She did fawn over him though after some time out. I also got her to give him a treat .dont bite the hand that feeds you!

If your wife is a little nervous another idea is to start training the "Leave It" command.. If you can master this there will be no need to physically take anything from his mouth.. And getting her involved in that training would be good

Don't bite the hand that feeds you definitely does not apply to puppies, they bite everything, it is up to you to teach him what behaviour is allowed and what isn't..

Thanks will try that Kat !
Will it work on my wife and my daughter with my wallet!)))

No way!! Nothing will stop that

Ashy, I know the frustration and concern that you have over this behavior. Some of us have it worse than others with the nipping. Bacon was an absolute shark at 8 weeks.

Don't worry and don't panic. If you follow everyone's suggestions about ignoring/walking away and rewarding good behavior it will click. Stick with it is all I can say.

It took Bacon a really long time, so don't worry if it takes weeks or even months. Bacon did not stop nipping/biting until he was about 18 weeks old.
Now he's 8 months old and started biting a bit again. I've gone back to basics again and we are getting through it.

Your post made me remember all of my bite marks on my feet and hands!!!

I wouldn't worry about it being aggression just puppy behaviour. Make sure everyone is involved in the training process and understands the method you are using to stop biting. You may also want to explain the teething phase as well. My wife really hated that

Star has been doing this as well. Usually when I'm removing the paper after she has been toilet. I've been giving her a very firm No! and ignoring, hoping that this stage will pass. Sounds vicious though and shes strong. Little madam.

I have a scar on my arm from where demon-Loki sank his teeth into my arm. And that wasn't the only time, it was constant back then, I was terrified that it'd never stop and worried that it might be aggression. But I was reassured by people on here. It's not aggression. Dogs are so rough when they play, they sound like absolute monsters when they're just having a good old scrap . Plus they can't speak, so how else are they going to tell you "No, I'm not listening to you, we're doing what I want!"? They growl and bark and whine for lots of different reasons, not just aggression. At his age, it's either just playing or just testing his limits by being a pain. It does pass, just have to be consistent. I never thought Loki would get better with the biting, but he did, so have faith

Puppies will be puppies! They can be little monsters, after all they are a completely clean slate and like a child need to be taught right from wrong. If he does this again take what ever it is off him, tell him 'LEAVE' and end the game completely, walking away from him. He needs to learn it is not acceptable to growl and that it wont mean he gets what he wants! Firm discipline is the key!

We have been very lucky with Bacchus regarding mouthing/biting. We followed the advice on this forum and yelped ( you DO sound silly) and stopped all interaction when he mouthed us. It has pretty much stopped now but even if he touches us with his teeth by accident we go through the same procedure.
He will pretty much " leave" when told VERY firmly (unless it's something very tasty).
Can't advise you further as he is our first staffie but trust the advice of the older hands on this forum.
God luck.

Forgot to say, I found his snarling quite perturbing to start with but it seems the more fun we are having with tug toys etc. the louder the snarls are and it's definitely not aggression, more like a kiddie laughs when having fun.

reuben wrote:
Forgot to say, I found his snarling quite perturbing to start with but it seems the more fun we are having with tug toys etc. the louder the snarls are and it's definitely not aggression, more like a kiddie laughs when having fun.

Yes they can sound quite noisy when playing which could be misread as aggression it's all about learning the signs and knowing what to look for. Maybe the link below will help you with this a little:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

Herewegoagain! wrote:Hi
I'm not nervous!

Sorry - bad choice of words. I didn't mean I thought you were wimpy! Substitute worried/concerned/wondering what to do for the best etc etc.
All completely understandable.

And I can't add to the wise words above, it's all been said - it WILL improve.

My little monster (12 wks) has drawn blood from us all and nipped some very sensitive places. I yelp, shout NO and push him away until he stops. We are suffering all the usual puppy behaviour, they are like stubborn little kids