# 15 week old puppy biting, jumping and growling



## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

Hey guys, I'm a new V puppy owner and I have a bit of a problem here. My pup will sometimes start growling, jumping and biting really hard. He drew blood out of me a lot of times. Also, I have read somewhere that puppies after 15 weeks old shouldn't be allowed to bite the skin so I'm a bit anxious now and would appreciate any help.

So, he has started doing this when he was 10 weeks old but stopped at around 12 weeks old. Back then, when he started biting I would jump into a training session right away and he would stop and focus on how to get those treats.

The biting after 12 weeks didn't go away completely but I understood that he was a puppy so some mouthing was tolerated.

He started with this again at around 14 weeks and I haven't been able to stop this. I've tried yelping, walking away, putting him in time-out in his crate but I don't want to do that because I want him to like his crate, lightly pushing him away, putting a toy in his mouth but he just leaves the toy and starts biting my hands and legs again. When I try to walk away he starts running and biting the back of my legs or jumps and tears my clothes. Yelping doesn't really work he just looks at me for a second and then continues with jumping and biting. When I go into training session he starts biting even more.

He usually does this in the evenings and afternoons. When we play he bites here and there but I redirect with a toy and everything is good untill I cross some kind of a line where he just gets crazy and starts biting and barking so badly. Again, when I try to leave he starts biting my ankles and legs. He sometimes does this while training. He gets frustrated so I ask him to do some simple things like sit or down or just reward the eye contact so I can end on a positive note. He also sometimes starts biting out of nowhere. I could sit and chill out and he would lay and bite a toy and then he just starts jumping and biting me but I guess this is just boredom or something like that. So when he stops biting I start playing with him.

He is a very good, sweet and smart puppy most of the time but this just drives me nuts. I've noticed that he bites me more than anyone else in the house. It isn't getting any better. I've read a lot of discussions on this and other forums and sites but nothing has really helped yet. I'm aware that he's teething but I don't know what to do anymore. I love him to pieces but this has to stop. 

Thank you.
Ana


----------



## Sunshinesol (Jul 3, 2020)

Meh my 6 month old still still this very occasionally, but she has softened her bite considerably. She did this a lot the first few weeks. Don’t engage with them even if it’s training, remember training can be pretty fun and rewarding itself so ask yourself are you rewarding the jumping with engagement?

I’ll usually just cross my arms and look up. If you turn away or try to leave, yeah my pup would also think are still playing and chase my pant legs or something.

ignore the behavior not the dog, important. I didn’t really get this at first, but try to be “present” but not rewarding hisjumping. He simply gets nothing from it.

wear non baggy clothes. I couldn’t wear flannels or jeans for a few weeks. I can do that now and not worry about her getting wound up by the flapping.

If your V gets too pushy, and it sounds like it is, don’t be afraid to correct. Dogs understand quick and sharp corrections timed within a second of them doing an undesirable behavior. If my pup is getting too wound up I’ll give a leash pop and she’ll give her focus back to me, tail wagging- almost like the pup is saying “okay okay sorry I’m back, what’s next?”


----------



## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

Thank you, that helped a lot!!! 😊


----------



## PinDave (Jul 1, 2020)

We’re going through the stage where he’s a bit bitey too... Much like Sunshinesol’s experience, my girls can’t wear flowy dresses or skirts as it’s something for Maui to chase and bite. He also bites at their long hair. I don‘t leave him alone with them as he’s getting bigger and stronger.

Maui’s bite-play is still a constant thing, but his bite has softened, and he’s learning that if he bites my hands, my hands ‘bite back‘ by grabbing at his mouth.

I also find that a firm correction (a deep growl from me or a sharp “NO!”) gets his attention. I follow this with a calm time holding him and stroking him.

We’ve found that good, long walks are paramount to siphon off the energy. Because it’s so hot out, we can only do the walks in the morning and evening.


----------



## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

Same problem here. No baggy clothes or else I'm going to be covered in bite marks, scratches and my clothes is going to be ripped in pieces. 

When I say no my pup starts barking at me and biting even more so that's not a solution for me.

He got the last round of shots on Tuesday and the vet said that I can start walking him 10 days after the shots. Can't wait to release all of that energy on long walks.

Thank you for your response!!! It's nice to hear other people's experiences and solutions.


----------



## PinDave (Jul 1, 2020)

My wife and daughters saying “NO!” doesn‘t have the same effect that mine does. I suspect that it’s because they don’t follow through the same way I do. I feel that I have to follow through every time. When Maui is standing on his hind legs trying to get something off the counter, saying ”Down!” Is not enough. I say “Down!”, but I also go over and make sure he does get down each time. The difference is that he knows that they say it, but I mean it.


----------



## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

Great explanation. I do the same thing when he jumps on something he isn't supposed to but I'm not sure what to do when he jumps on me ready to start mouthing my arm. Should I gently grab him at his collar, make him sit and hold him until he calms down? Will that help? 



PinDave said:


> My wife and daughters saying “NO!” doesn‘t have the same effect that mine does. I suspect that it’s because they don’t follow through the same way I do. I feel that I have to follow through every time. When Maui is standing on his hind legs trying to get something off the counter, saying ”Down!” Is not enough. I say “Down!”, but I also go over and make sure he does get down each time. The difference is that he knows that they say it, but I mean it.


----------



## freealfin (Jun 8, 2017)

ana19 said:


> Great explanation. I do the same thing when he jumps on something he isn't supposed to but I'm not sure what to do when he jumps on me ready to start mouthing my arm. Should I gently grab him at his collar, make him sit and hold him until he calms down? Will that help?


You got a lot of good advise here so I'll add just one more thing about jumping on you. What I do is...Shout NO at the same time I bump him on the chest with my knee hard enough so he gets the message.It has worked for me for over 4 decades. All of my pups have always been allowed to jump in the proximity of me but never ON me. One more thing....making sure the pup understands you are the BOSS pays BIG DIVIDENDS throughout his life and in EVERY thing you will be doing together..


----------



## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

freealfin said:


> You got a lot of good advise here so I'll add just one more thing about jumping on you. What I do is...Shout NO at the same time I bump him on the chest with my knee hard enough so he gets the message.It has worked for me for over 4 decades. All of my pups have always been allowed to jump in the proximity of me but never ON me. One more thing....making sure the pup understands you are the BOSS pays BIG DIVIDENDS throughout his life and in EVERY thing you will be doing together..


I really like that tip, I'll give it a try. Thank you!


----------



## PinDave (Jul 1, 2020)

I agree with freealfin... Your pup has to take you seriously. You have to be the boss and leader.

When Maui play bites (he’s never been truly aggressive with us), I either ‘bite back’ by grabbing his mouth with my hand, or if he’s got my forearm in his mouth, I press my forearm deeper into his mouth. He doesn’t like this because he’s no longer in control. Take away the power of your pups mouth by showing him that you’re not afraid of his mouth or teeth.


----------

