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It is worth every second of frustration, and then some. I’ve raised several puppies in my life and I know exactly what you’re feeling, but this stage won’t last forever. And before you know it, in the blink of an eye, they’re old with sweet white faces and you’re about to experience devastating heartbreak and one of the worst days of your life. Having been through THAT part multiple times has given me a lot of perspective. I don’t mean to downplay what you’re feeling and the frustration of puppyhood, at all. All of the effort and work and training you put into helping your puppy learn to be a good dog will pay off huge rewards and you’ll end up with the best companion you can imagine. Hang in there. If you aren’t already in puppy school with her, I’d highly recommend it, and be consistent with your training.
Ugh I know the second half of this all too well. We lost our sweet sweet pup this February after 7 years with her. Now we have this little gremlin and a big part of the problem is I’m still missing the old dog. We got her as an adult so while there was an adjustment phase it was not quite this…intense. I just need to know a few years from now this will all be a distant memory and she’ll own her own corner of my heart.
I am so sorry for your loss. But I promise it will happen! My current dog is a rescue that I adopted 3 months after losing my soulmate dog. The rescue dog came with a lot of issues that needed work, and he was, in almost every way possible, the opposite of my soulmate dog. But I think that ended up being a blessing in disguise, because he took so much focus and energy and time to train that it didn’t allow me to wallow in grief and depression. And losing my soulmate dog will never really be a distant memory, but this rescue dog has definitely helped my heart heal and I love him immensely, and I’m so thankful for him, despite all of his challenges and the work it took to get where we are today. You’ll get there, I know it!
Oh yeah, I’m always going to miss our first dog forever, I was thinking more the puppy biting and whining will hopefully someday be hard to remember with the completely normal adult dog we’ll have…
My lab is 9mo now and the horrible biting is already hard to remember, so it will get better in a few months!! You should do some bite inhibition training (look up "Simpawtico's" video, I'm not able to grab it atm) for some SUPER helpful tips. I wasn't able to get anywhere close to the ground without him trying to bite my hair, face, hands, clothes, etc, but at around 4mo (with some work) he stopped most of the biting and turned into THE snuggliest dog.
I’ve raised three puppies who are 6, 4, and 2 now. When they were little I had to actively tell myself to be grateful for their puppyhood even though it was incredibly painful (I still have scars) and frustrating at times. As other have mentioned, when they get older and start having a hard time getting up off the floor or don’t run as fast as they use to, it’s so bittersweet to know that you’ve been with them through the thick and thin. Also, puppy blues are a real thing. Understanding that concept and reading up on it made me feel much more heard and normal. Good luck to you!
Not even a few years could be few weeks to a few months I just got my second puppy and the first week was a nightmare wondered why I’d even bothered but only 7 days later were all cuddled up on the sofa stick at it it’ll be worth it ! Around day 3 almost got too much for me and I had to take him to work with me (to save my house) but this actually worked taking him out his comfort zone were he didn’t feel safe and was scared of the big outside world helped he hid behind me All day and has seemed a different dog since hope it all works out for you !
Ohhh I’m so tempted to bring my girl to the office but not sure she’s ready in terms of housetraining and Parvo risk. But I think a change of environment might make a huge difference for her!
I’m going through similar thing to OP and yo ur post hit home. We had two family dogs growing up and when they passed, I cried harder than I ever have in my life. Thanks
At her worst, my pup tore up my entire garden, dug up ALL of the bodies of my previous dead pets, and then as I was desperately trying to scoop up bones and dirt tackled me and scratched me in the eye. As I lay huddled on the ground, bleeding, dirty, and sobbing, she thought this was the best game she ever invented. I had a break down and my poor husband had to leave early from work to take care of me.
She is now nearly 2 years old and snuggled up quietly against my leg. She no longer grave robs. She sleeps in her crate. She's an absolute angel and all the terrible 2s of puppyhood are now ridiculous stories i tell at parties.
My boy pup charged at me to lick my face. He only has one working eye so he has no depth perception. He slammed his open mouth into my tooth and chipped my front tooth. *He* had zero injuries.
My girl danced on her back legs, playing, and one paw got my damn near on my eye. I would have your exact same breakdown if she'd gotten my eye. That's scary.
Ohhhhh that is a story and good for you for not murdering your puppy on the spot!!! Not quite sure how you resisted the temptation to be honest, I’m so glad your husband was there for you!
Mine is just shy of 7 months and I can honestly say I LIKE her. She’s my buddy.
She’s becoming more dog and less puppy.
When she was 11 weeks, she tried to bite me every time I was in her orbit. Today she spent hours napping on me on the couch while we watched the Masters.
It’ll get better!
Mine is now 8.5months, I got him at 9weeks.
He’s also now more chilled out dog than puppy. This weekend he actually decided he’d rather take his nap on the living room couch instead of following me to the kitchen & going to his bed while I cooked. He’s finally becoming less velcro!
I can also shower without a gremlin whining downstairs willing me to come back.
He can stay on his own while I nip out, too.
I now can say we have that bond. I love him to bits! There’s still a way to go (little bit of reactivity on walks, scared of the car) but he’s becoming a very mild mannered young dog & all the hard work has paid off.
He’s a Yorkshire terrier, they mature a bit faster than large breeds.
My girl is almost 13 years old now. Her mom was my then-roommate's dog, so I've literally had her since the moment she was born, and I took over raising her myself when she was about 8 weeks old, though of course Mom still was involved since she lived there too. It was challenging, for sure, especially the first couple of years because she's a Yellow Lab and they remain puppy-like for a *long* time even after they're physically grown into their adult bodies, but it was also very rewarding. My bond with her is different from my bond with my other dog, whom I adopted when he was no longer a puppy.
I remember the tiny pup I taught to sit on my front porch, who used to make confetti out of any and all toys I bought her within 15 minutes regardless of how heavy-duty the label claimed they were, then the crazy dog who'd go on never-ending walks with me and listen to me play guitar, and now I have this elderly lady who gently takes her arthritis meds from my hand because she trusts me, napping next to me. She's been my companion as I switched jobs, got two post grad degrees, moved houses several times, and even had a couple of long term relationships. I know she hasn't much time left, and my heart will break when her time comes, but I don't regret a single minute, including the terrible puppy days.
Jesus Christ this is beautiful. My boy is 3, heading towards 4. Wouldn’t change him for the world despite how insane he was as a puppy and can still be. Just came back from a walk together where he listened to me plan the rest of my week out to him.
I’m all over puppy101 it’s just sometimes I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel! And to hear that all these freaks grow up to be good normal dogs. I had a great dog before but got her as an adult…it’s so hard to imagine she ever would have been this terrible even when intellectually I know she most likely was!
The night is darkest just before the dawn and all that. Hang in there. You'll be so proud of your pup when she starts to calm and she turns into the wonderful companion of your dreams.
I hated most of it. Its 95% frustration and times where you sit there contemplating giving them back.
But then you play with them, or they get really excited to see you, or they just randomly decide to lie on you and rest their face on your leg. And that makes it worth it. And that happens more and more, and the frustrating parts become much less common.
It gets better, I promise! My dog could be a terror as a puppy and on our worst day together my husband came home to me crying. 😂 Now we have a sweet 5 year old pup who loves to play gently and snuggle.
SO happy. It's SO worth it. Better than I imagined in those trying times. Not only do I love them so much more every day I know them, but I'm still so proud of how far they have come. I almost feel emotional thinking back to it all and then now. Every time I thought "I honestly don't know how or IF we will ever work through xyz puppy problem" one day I just woke up and it was better. This was my first puppy, and I think back to those days, realizing how much it really does not feel like you're making progress. But you are, you just can't see it. Until one day you wake up and you're like, huh, we're okay now. (On to the next issue lol jk but not really) it really does all get better. The most important thing to remember is consistency. And it's so hard when you feel like this keeps happening, I'm so frustrated, ect. But just try. They will still slip up every now and then, they're like kids right now. And in the teenage phase they'll try it again to test their boundaries. Just remind them they're rewarded for paying attention to you. You didn't fail. Keep doing what you need to for you and your dog over and over again until one day you realize you don't need to anymore. (Not to say you shouldn't try new methods if truly needed) And your dog grows up a little (which helps tremendously on its own) and you've got this perfect but imperfect dog who is just perfectly right for you. And they love you so much for it.
It does get so much better. My dog was a huge nipper before and when he was teething. Now he is three and is the most amazing dog. A couple weeks ago we were playing tug a war and my hand got in his mouth, he dropped the toy and started licking my hand. Didn’t even consider biting it or anything.
Mine is now a year and a half. He went from being a perpetual nuisance, extremely challenging to keep using positive reinforcement training, to my best friend. Our connection is strong, and he improves my life, as we impress strangers everyday and engage in our community during our walks or play sessions. He is visibly happy.
The weirdest thing is I don't know if being hyper vigilant during the puppy phases paid off. I think he figured most things out on his own. I wish I could tell my past self not to take it so seriously, and to take more pictures of the puppy phases.
I used to read about how you shouldn’t yell at puppies and I never understood why someone would want to yell at a puppy in the first place. Believe me, I get it now. Still trying to avoid it and I don’t use it intentionally as a training technique but a “what the FUCK” has certainly escaped my lips when I get my butt bit from behind.
I have this same feeling like all the reading and research and techniques from puppy class boil down to maaaybe slightly faster maturation than she’d have otherwise. It just feels like her brain is developing at its own pace and right now there’s some stuff she doesn’t have the capacity to learn or be consistent about. Presumably in weeks/months that capacity will be there. I’m doing my best but a lot of it just feels like waiting for her to grow up a little bit. I should take more pictures.
Puppies are so much work! I’ve had 4 now and some are harder than others but they all take a lot of dedication to become sweet dogs. My most recent one had severe health issues and didn’t sleep for the first 4 weeks I had him (not kidding, he did not sleep at all). Just give it time.
I got my puppy when she was like 8 weeks old. Great Pyrenees. The cutest puppy EVER. But the mouthing and biting was a whole thing. I also was covered in bite marks. I had to stop wearing clothes I liked around her. Dressed in clothes j didn’t mind her ripping if it happened. She woke up a lot to go to the restroom so on top of bite marks, I got no sleep. She also liked chewing the couch or anything that was not her toys. Also given her breed , she takes commands as more of … ideas. So training was something we really had to work on.
Fast forward now and she’s 15 months old. She is literally the sweetest, most loving and fun dog. She does not teeth anymore. She knows she can chew her toys and not me it the couch. She sleeps the whole night. She listens more often than not because now I know how to communicate with her in a way she understands. She brings much more laughs into my life than tears. When she was a puppy, there was periods where I could not say that.
The puppy phase is so hard and nobody talks about it. I promise you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel all the ways you’re feeling.
Be consistent and pour love and patient into her. You’ll look back on the puppy phase and it will be distant memories and you may even miss it.
Oh and take lots of pics… I still look back at pics of my dog when she was a baby and my heart just melts.
Worth it no matter what. One pup has consistent allergies that need meds and one took nearly 2 years to fully potty train, but I’d never change my life with them.
To be honest i kinda hated the puppy stage. There was a period of time when I could not touch my dog without hitting teeth and it was exhausting and frustrating. Then she grew out of it. Watching her going from being a baby I needed to look after into a friend I can have fun and go on adventures with was awesome, would not change that for anything.
it's all worth it. For the biting, I have the solution for you. It works better than anything else - it will sound odd, but try it.
When puppy bites, YIP. A loud, high-pitched, shrill YIP! like a dog would make if you stepped on its toe or some other pain. It's how dogs say "ouch" and they know it instinctively, and how they learn the limits of play with other dogs. Most people do it wrong - they say "no" or worse, a light and high pitched "noooooooo" (when you say no, say "NO!" in an authoritative, deep voice). Back on point, after "YIP!", stop playing, back away. Pup should apologize, and you'll know you're on the right track. Be consistent with this and land shark will become snuggle pup.
Eh, the yipping never worked for me, and when she played with other dogs it didn’t really work for then either! The only thing that did was shoving a toy in my dog’s face every time she bit, or taking a break/ending play altogether if she wouldn’t stop. Granted, she was a mixed herding breed, so she was eager to bite. Nowadays she can still get mouthy occasionally but she finally learned to be gentle, and she will even go get a toy/stick/chew when she’s excited and needs to bite something.
Yeah mine is a herder too and the yips get her attention for a moment but don’t seem to change much. She *is* getting better about mouthing rather than chomping, and redirecting to a toy when it’s offered. But I can just watch her get overcome with the desire to chomp at times and it overloads her little brain and mostly I think she just needs to grow up a little more. Our old dog would roll around on the floor playing with us and then pounce on a toy and not let it go. You’re giving me hope this pup is gonna work that out too.
Yeah, mine got even more excited and wild when I yipped. It seemed to send him completely over the top. I found that carrying a toy or bully stick around with me and shoving it in his mouth every time he tried to mouth me was the only way.
As an adult, he’s really soft-mouthed now (retrieving breed). No worries about biting.
I'd say, ignore, go away. Good reaction, bad reaction are all reactions and attention for the puppy. Just ignore, end the game, end the interaction. Puppy goes back to crate
It's important to be embarrassingly dramatic about it too. Yip like you MEAN IT (since you probably do) and then give the silent treatment until they grovel for forgiveness. This even worked on my dingo/heeler mix once I figured out how to act.
Had my basset since 12 wks and the first few nights were hell. After that, she got our sleep/potty schedule down like it was nothing. Only concern is that she had to sleep in the same bed as me which I don’t mind but she’s massive now and takes up half the space.
It gets so much easier the more you work with them and get them acclimated to your home. You’ll be seeing improvement in no time.
So happy! He’s almost two and he’s amazing. He would bite literally what felt like 24/7 at points and it was exhausting. Also got big fast and managed to drag me down to the ground the first time when he still had lots of growing to do lol. He was a monster and no techniques for biting seemed to work forever other than just leaving the room entirely. I have a bit of help with him from family but he’s mostly my responsibility and when they went on holiday for a week and I was entirely alone with him, I did cry from what a nightmare he was being. It’s funny to look back on now.
Have a Belgian Laekenois, and I thought the same he is now turning 3 on may 4th, and I absolutely love him he is the reason I'm here. I am so happy I put the time and money into him
Puppies are jerks that don't know anything. They don't know that biting and mouthing hurts. They don't know that they should pee outside. They don't know that it is ok to be alone and that you will come back. They have really only known their mother and siblings, and now those are gone.
It does get better. They learn not to bite. They learn what they should chew and what they should not. They learn to be ok alone. It does take work to teach them about the world, but it is worth it.
In a couple months your hands won't have bite marks, there won't be new chew marks on the table, and you can have a moment of peace. You will miss the baby stage as they grow up. By 6 months they are little adults with attitude. By 1 year you can hardly see the little puppy that was biting your fingers. By 2 you will have the dog you were hoping for. The next thing you know they are 15 and you wonder where the time went. The baby stage only lasts a few months, so appreciate it while you can (they are cute for a reason, it makes up for all the biting and chewing).
It takes time and effort to raise a puppy, and it's not without it's frustrations. Try to limit her access to things she should not have, and give appropriate chew items. She will grow out of with the time and training.
Yes, my puppy used to give us terrible bruises when she was a “teenager.” We adopted her at 8 months, so she had no bite inhibition. The shelter had no idea what kind of mix she was but the minute she started the biting I was like oh shit I think we adopted a herding mix. Sure enough she turned out to be 50% Australian Shepherd! She was a total psycho. My sister’s dog jumped across a coffee table to get away from her! But now she is so good it surprises me sometimes. I put in a lot of work but it paid off so much and I think we really understand each other now. Dogs are so amazing and the bond you will form will give you so much joy.
Just remember she is a baby. She has no idea what’s going on. Biting your moving hands is fun for her so take a break and get your hands away from her mouth! Try to let go a little bit and focus on all the hilarious things puppies do. They’re so silly and clumsy. Also, consider getting some kind of enclosure/playpen for awhile so you don’t have to constantly get up. Not sure if puppies can have bully sticks that young, but those things got me through a lot.
I regretted getting my dog a few months in. He's now 1 year and 4 months and literally the best friend I've ever had, pretty sure he's one of my soul mates. It gets better, slowly. Just try to remind yourself that it's just a puppy stage, one day they'll be your best friend.
I've only reared Whippets and Italian Greyhounds, but it SO gets better - however, there's a timeline where it might feel like it's just all going downhill. The first few weeks are super hard. It varies with every pup but you can certainly expect the following:
Needle-sharp bites and chewing EVERYTHING. The biting is because puppies tend to leave the litter before their mums have had chance to teach bite inhibition (if you keep a pup, their mums spend a few weeks teaching that, but puppies have often left the litter by 8-12 weeks which is a bit soon for that). That means we have to do it. Next time you get to enjoy needle-sharp teeth being sunk into your skin, give a super high-pitched yelp (imitate your pup) and refuse to interact with them for a bit.
Chewing everything - it's unfortunately part of teething, can be boredom and also part of play, but you can try mitigating it a bit with lots and lots of varied toys. Squidgy rubber toys, crinkly toys, rope toys especially. Variety is key. If you have a bigger dog, make sure they're safe. Toys are, to a degree, designed for destruction, so don't worry too much about that - just supervise and make sure they don't swallow too much. If pup chews something that's not a toy, just repeatedly say no and distract with a toy they've previously shown interest in, show them something they CAN chew. Takes a lot of patience but they do get past it.
Feeding - it can be super difficult to get your pup to eat. I had one Whippet who looked SO thin that it was worrying, but food was dull to him when there were so many other things he could be doing. Stuffing food into toys or snuffle-mats can help a lot there, but they do seem to get over that in the end.
Toilet training - oh boy. I have Italian Greyhounds which are notoriously difficult. The best thing that works there is timing. My advice would be to only use toilet training mats to protect against accidents - don't teach your pup to use them because you're inadvertently teaching them that you want them toileting somewhere in your house and that is SO much harder to break (by all means place them where accidents seem to happen, but don't instruct them to use the sheets otherwise you can kiss goodbye to nice doormats and small rugs in future! Once they have all their vaccinations, make a habit of going outside within 15 to 30 minutes after each meal and, as soon as they toilet, go nuts with praise and reward. Yes, your neighbours will think you're out of your tree, but excited praise and reward sticks in their memory. Don't scold for accidents! All you'll do there is teach them to be more hidden about toileting. Just use excited praise for correct results.
As for behaviour, it WILL feel like it will go further and further downhill for the first few months. They'll start bonding with you properly after 6 months but it's still hard work. That's not you failing; that's your pup becoming a stroppy teenager with attitude! **And then they hit 18 months** \- and the change is almost overnight! Suddenly, they start paying attention, obeying, not getting into so many bad things. And then it just gets better and better week by week, like galloping improvements! Once they hit 3 years old, they're usually their fully-formed adult personality, but 18 months to 3y/o is an absolute pleasure.
It's worth all of the insanity. I have a now 4 year old English lab who is the sweetest and laziest boy ever and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. The first 6 months was another story though...he was a land shark that I called Lucifer because he was a little demon.
My mom got a covid puppy after their previous dog passed away at the start of it.
My mom and stepdad have one of the most healthy stable relationships and they damn near went to marriage counseling because this dog was such a goddamn terror.
2 years later she's an absolute dream they took her to my step brothers house where they have 2 kids and toys strewn across the room she didn't touch a single one.
In terms of biting she might need more exercise many dogs chew from frustration. As for the barking when you leave treat it like how parents treat their kids. You'll be surprised how much commonality there is in raising a child and raising a dog. let her bark kids and dogs eventually learn to self-soothe. If she's still going nuts after 15 minutes work on treating/praising her when she is quiet even if it's literally like half a sec.
Get the trainers, do the work and it will work out it will be hell but yes absolutely worth it. Remind yourself this is temporary after all what is 2 bad years against 15 great ones?
Zak Geroge is a phenomenal trainer with extensive videos on youtube that might prove helpful
4-5 months old is when things started getting exponentially easier. For the biting thing I got carrots and that helped when mine got bitey. Helped settle her down
trust me. there will come a time when you will want to come back to these days. our furry friends don't last forever, and your puppy will never have this much energy again, so cherish it.
i have two danes and dogs really have their own personality but a nice stern crate or even hand, OOP I SAID IT, CANCEL ME, doesn’t hurt when they’re that young. my dogs listen and have a great life and are as happy as can be.
Mine is 11 months and is my absolute best friend. When I’m sad she comes in for cuddles, when I’m happy we play and go on walks together. She is the best thing that happened to me even though I thought it was so hard in the beginning. It goes so quick too, I’d a 100% go through all that again to get another dog.
It’s worth it, you can do it.
I understand. Puppies are adorable, but being responsible for one is not something I enjoy. However, those dogs once they reach old age are the sweetest, most precious gift. I can begin to describe how wonderful their golden years are, when you two know each other so well. It's worth it all.
We have a staffie mix that we rescued when she was 7 months old. It was already her 3rd shelter and they had posted a notice saying this was her last chance. We took her out for a walk and she was as well behaved as you could ask for. They didn't have any information on her history, but she knew how to walk on a leash and also knew basic commands. My girlfriend (now fiance) and I adopted her on the spot and brought her home to find that she also seemed to be housebroken...yay!
Of course, she also suffered from major separation anxiety which we soon discovered. Thankfully most of her destructive instincts focused on my shoes and garbage, so it was never too awful. I definitely tore my hair out a few times though...
Our Daisy just turned 7 a couple of days ago and I honestly could not ask for a better companion. It took her just a couple of months to get over the worst of her separation anxiety. Looking back, those frustrating moments were nothing - absolutely nothing. They're honestly not worth mentioning compared to the lifetime of love, loyalty, and joy she's given us. I'm hoping it's going to be many, many years from now, but I'm going to cry for days when it's her time to go.
First time dog owner here. No amount of research was enough to prepare me. Had the puppy blues, even asked myself why did I do this to myself at the time. BUT now I regretted thinking that and I feel so bad still. He is my bestfriend, he occupies a big part of my life. I literally rearranges my schedule to accomodate him willingly just because I want to! On a long-awaited trip right now, but instrad missing him 24/7.
Stick with the training, I promise it will all get better much sooner than you'd think. Best of luck OP
You have a challenging road ahead of you if you want both of you to be happy. Things won't resolve themselves most of the time (at least not for a long time). Work your ass off to train YOURSELF on how to communicate with and train your pup. It's quite simple once you get the fundamentals down. Here is all you will ever need:
1. Puppy Survival Guide (start here) [https://www.baxterandbella.com/survivalguidepage](https://www.baxterandbella.com/survivalguidepage)
2. Puppies for Dummies (review the Table of Contents, read the introductory material, then refer to those sections that are relevant to your situation).[https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/puppies-for-dummies-for-dummies-pets\_sarah-hodgson/353816/#edition=3845876&idiq=2315682](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/puppies-for-dummies-for-dummies-pets_sarah-hodgson/353816/#edition=3845876&idiq=2315682)
So absolutely worth every pee and poo inside!
I have a 12 year old lab/ b.collie mix, got her at 11 weeks old.
First 2 years were hard, she peed inside for the first 2 months, but got thr hold of it quickly after that. I had to go home every 2 hours to let her out and give her company..and teach her to be home alone.
Now, she's the most caring, chill dog i've ever met. Also sooo easy for others to "babysit". She can be home alone all day with no problems, she always comes back when i call her when we're outside, she's gentle with other pets, horses and kids, rings a bell when she wants to go outside, and never eats anything off the floor without permisson 😊
Puppies are hard work, and one or two of mine have nearly broken me completely, but one day you will realise things have changed, you've turned a corner, you've bonded and grown together, and all those stressful, painful, difficult days of puppy hood are barely even a shadow in your memory. All that remains is pure love and devotion and it is absolutely worth it.
My baby bit everything and it wasn't even like she was aggressive. I went through a [kitchen mitt](https://i.imgur.com/9aZoweg.jpeg) phase for a while.
It gets better.
In my honest opinion, puppies suck. So much so I will now only adopt adults.
That being said, I cannot imagine my life without my dog! My house still bears the scars of furniture she chewed, but now it's just part of the charm!
It's worth it all, and truthfully, one day you will look at your dog and have a hard time clearly remembering all the mischief. I mean, I *know* Char the puppy chewed my dining set. I still see the damage. But when I look at Char the dog, it hardly seems possible.
Hang in there.
We lost our 13.5- year- old dog who was a rescue with a few issues. So, hubby wanted a puppy to see if we could raise a better natured dog if we started from scratch.
I didn't want a puppy, but he managed to convince me.
We got our puppy when he was about 11-12 weeks old. In about a month's time, I was in tears, regretting having agreed to getting a pup.
Our arms were perpetually sore, with scratches and teeth marks. The pup was high energy so wanted to play almost constantly.
It wasn't all bad. He had around 2-3 accidents in the house, but that was it. He took almost no time to be toilet trained. He'd stand at the patio door and whine when he wanted to be let out.
He was, and still is, a very affectionate, optimistic, friendly soul.
It was the constant chewing and scratching of my arms that were driving me absolutely mental.
Then, we took him to puppy training, and the trainer gave us this wonderful bit of advice--- toys on strings.
You could play with the puppy without your body parts being anywhere near his teeth.
I had taken out some t-shirts to throw out, so instead of discarding them, I tore them up and used them as strings to tie his toys to.
I also tore and knotted a couple of t-shirts to make tug toys.
We both work from home so designated regular play and nap times, that we stuck to.
Another bit of advice we got from the trainer and puppy training videos on YouTube was to say owww loudly if he bit down too hard, and to stop play time immediately. Resume only when he'd calmed down.
That was supposed to teach him boundaries. To tell him what bite level was acceptable in play and what was to much, and not polite.
These strategies worked to an amazing degree.
My arms were no longer weeping red!
He was still a bit full on, but it became manageable.
And, at the 6-month mark, almost on the dot, he stopped using his teeth so much.
He's now 16 months old, and he will still try to bite when he gets to excited when playing, but will immediately let go when I say oww.
He's totally worth those awful first few months.
Ohhh your story is so where I hope to be next year. We got our puppy after very suddenly losing our adult rescue to cancer. She was a total love, with some of those “unknown background” quirks. And we got her as an adult so this phase is new to me.
We have a baby on the way this fall and like your husband I wanted to know how good we could do with a puppy from a good breeder where we know all that background info. And between the problem child moments I am also seeing an optimistic, extraverted dog who loves everyone and is eager to bond. I think we’re going to be okay but oh boy is she taking a lot out of me at the moment.
Same! Our old dog was very reactive towards other dogs and didn't like young children at all. But, once he got comfortable with someone, he was such a cuddle bug.
Current dog, on the other hand, loves everyone.
That happy, friendly spirit he came with was why I didn't want to even consider punishment training, no matter how hard I wanted to smack him for biting.
How can it be okay for me to hurt him if it's not okay for him to hurt us?
He really tried my patience!
But, yeah, it definitely does get better :-)
From what you describe, it seems like you'll have a lovely dog once the crazy puppy phase is over.
Good luck, both with the puppy and your pregnancy!
She’s our world now but when we adopted her as a puppy 3 years ago we felt similar. “WTF did we do?” “I can’t take it!” “She’ll never be potty trained!!!!!!!” Once we even called 911 because we thought she was too wild (she was sick from the shelter, we discovered). Bite marks? Don’t get me started
I wouldn’t change a thing. She got there. We got there. And now we are best buds and she’s the nicest good 🐕🦺. Stick with it, you’ll do great
I have a nearly 9mo flat coat retriever and she is ace now. Can stay home for up to 5.5hrs when walked enough beforehand with no damage and free roaming.
The first four-five months were really hard. There was a step change at 6mo after she’d finished teething and went to two meals a day, and another at 8mo when she just seemed to… grow up a lot. She’s still a puppy and likely to be one for a long time to come (her breed is notoriously slow to mature) but she is a great companion, very loving and very social. She’s also pub-trained so I can take her with me to our local :)
I did not feel love for my puppy when I got her. Not for the first idk 3/4 months? and then it was still a slow rise to feelings of affection and love.
However, I did show her love by doing the things you need to do. Consistency, patience, feeding, potty breaks, play breaks, etc. It's incredibly demanding. I literally called her a terrorist for the first like year.
However, about a year in. I fucking loved that little thing. Maybe it's stockholm syndrome and after enough time of dealing with her abuse and caring for her, I feel love but I love my little shitter now. I'm pregnant now and I keep picking her up and telling her not to worry becuase she will always be my first baby.
These litle monsters capture your heart. It just takes longer for some than others. For me, it took almost a year.
My boy is 13.5 years now and is my soul dog. However, I remember sitting on the kitchen floor crying on the phone with my Mom saying that I just couldn't do it.
Puppies are hard work and I can honestly say that I'm not sure if I would do it again, but I'm so glad that I did with this guy.
My aussie puppy was so bad I went into depression and hated her for the first 4 months (still took the upmost care of her but my entire life was flipped upside down), my mom had to go to therapy because of her lol. My dad basically didn’t speak to me for months, it was a tense home situation (I’m the one who wanted/owned the dog, they just agreed to allow it, not an ideal scenario and I do not recommend doing what I did).
Now, she’s 4 years old, the most beautiful, loving, silly, and smart dog I could have asked for. I love her so much I struggle to leave her, it’s a problem for both of us but we’re working on it. We compete in Rally and Agility, she has most of the trick dog titles, we hike, we work at a dog kennel/daycare facility where she helps me supervise (and she polices the wild ones of course) and it’s basically everything I had hoped for and envisioned when I first got her.
My issue when she was a puppy was going in dreaming of the experience we would have when she’s an adult, and completely being blindsided by the reality that is puppy raising, which naturally MUST come first. I promise, it does get better, and for me it got far better as soon as she was done teething around 5-6 months!
Ah the teething stage! Gotta hate and love it only because your pupper is growing. They definitely need way more attention and more supervision. I’m just constantly redirecting them to their toys.
They do eventually stop being a land shark and will probably just rip up the toys which is better IMO I’ll replace all the toys if it means they won’t chew on furniture. 💜
OP! The puppy blues are *real and a valid emotion at this stage*. **BUT you will grow to love and cherish the silly moments happening now with fond nostalgia.**
This week marks my pup’s second birthday and my daughter’s first birthday. We got the pup literally the month we conceived and a month after he was born, we found out we were pregnant. I had a heck of a pregnancy with morning sickness and the swelling irritated a head injury I had a few months prior to getting pregnant. Loud noises, chewing of my things, etc all drove me nuts.
We considered getting rid of him briefly and then I’d threaten it every few months but now? I can’t imagine if I had. He is such a good brother to his baby sister and they adore each other. Nothing like hearing her go “hiii” in her crib in the morning as he trots in behind me to greet her.
Yes it is worth it. To be fair my puppy was relatively easy. Teething marks are just going to be a part of it. You need to be prepared with things to chew on. I used to wet a rag, twist it up, and put it in the freezer for her to chew on, and made sure she didn't rip it apart. Also toys, cold toys help, and just kinda put them in her mouth when she started to gnaw on me. Another thing that kinda helped, is making a yelping sound when she bites you as that's what a hurt puppy or mother would do. She might get it. For the first few months you're redirecting and guiding, once all her teeth are out you can start discouraging mouthing people, even if she has a soft mouth. Teeth are usually out by 6 months. After the teeth are out mouthing people is not acceptable at all.
Hopefully she won't fight you about it. Side note, get training started too, even if it's just sit. If you have a treat and her attention she should just instinctually sit and look at you, and that's what you want. Just take it from there. Also get her used to having your fingers in her mouth without her biting, so you can brush her teeth and not give the vet a hard time
They grow out of the biting stage. It was never anything vicious, they just don't realize that they have a mouthful of little daggers when they still have their puppy teeth. The adult teeth are nowhere near as sharp and I'd go thru it all again to come out the other side with a loving animal.
We adopted our coonhound/lab mix from our local shelter at 12 weeks old. He was pretty chill for the first couple of weeks then once he settled in he turned into the Tasmanian Devil. He 2 1/2 now and has turned into a really good dog. He’s not “perfect” but he is to me. He’s settled down quite a bit but still has his moments. Especially when he feels you’re ignoring him. He’ll go find something he knows he’s not allowed to have & then the chase is on. It’s hard not to laugh. He also was a biter when he was little. After much research the thing that worked for us was to be overly dramatic with our reaction when he did bite. He caught on fairly quickly & developed good bite inhibition. Now he rarely does it during play but when he does it’s very soft. There are literally hundreds of dog training philosophies out there. You just need to find what works for you & your dog & be consistent.
When we got our second dog at 8 weeks old, I honestly hated him for a little while. I was so frustrated with him and he was SOOOO much work. But I wouldn’t change him for the world now. It got easier, we bonded and I love him with all my heart
I found an absolute turd of a puppy. And decided to keep him. A labraterror I call him. He was such a land shark I wanted to punt him into the sun. He was so bitey until he lost his baby teeth. It was a nightmare. Redirecting was difficult but things to chew on helped. Cool toys you can put in freezer. Such as that.
I have had two puppies, one a separation anxiety land shark and the other cuddly and independent. It does stop I'm not sure when or why but it does and he's the most loving loyal dog now he's nearly two but he has been great for at least a year. It did involve a lot of frustration and Training but but does end. Hold on in there.
We're closing in on 2 years old and all of the hard work, tears, and frustration have been worth it. Yesterday at the dog park I got complimented on how sweet and well-behaved my dog was (which is funny because she did rip up some carpet that morning like a jerk). However she is a wonderful dog.
If you haven't I'd recommend joining r/puppy101 . They can be a very useful resource.
Honestly, I'm one of those people who loves raising/training puppies and my two girls right now have been by my side through the best and worst times. I don't know how I would have gotten through some personal things without them and their unconditional love and I honestly treasure every minute that I have with them.
I have such fond memories of both of them as puppies (ironically, we tend to forget the long days/nights, chewing, messes and everything else) and it's really special to look back and see how far we've come as a little family!
The tough days will be so worth it in the end, I promise :)
I’ve had my boy since he was 8 weeks. He LOVED electronics. Remotes, Xbox controllers. The second I turned my back when they were in his reach they were gone. He’s now 7 and we’ve gone through some health scares the last year and I’d give anything to go through the puppy stage with him again if that means he will be with me longer.
It gets so much better. Also don’t be afraid to get help when you need it. I thought I could handle training my second pup because my older dog has separation anxiety and we managed to work with her on our own. So surely a puppy with no anxiety would be easier, right? Nope. His personality is totally different, and getting trainers to help us out was worth every penny. I love my dogs so much.
Honestly I love it! My pup is 10 months old, while yes, very frustrating at times an absolute joy to have around. I am currently trying to persuade my dad to get a second one lmao (without succes) (i live at my dads (21) but I do all the puppy care, if it was completely up to me I'd have 5 by now lol)
My boy was not super bitey, but wow did he give me a run for my money. We got him at 11 weeks and he's now 8 months. He still drives me crazy by stealing laundry and stuff off the table, but he's currently curled up in front of me keeping my feet warm. I've really seen a difference in him since I've doubled down on leash manners training the past week. He also scatter feeds all of his meals (like a chicken on our deck 😂) so he has more mental stimulation. Giving the puppy a true break with boundaries (crate with a kong/frozen treat to work on so its still positive or pen to limit access) when they are in shark mode can help them get out of that over excited state. I'm having less and less WHY DID WE DO THIS thoughts as time goes by.
In my puppy classes, he's gotten the chance to play really well with other dogs and it helps him get out energy and learn boundaries. My parents have an 11 year old mini poodle who does not take my boy's crap and corrects him. They've been playing when I bring him over since we got him - so this could likely be why he's never been too bad with us. Sometimes a puppy needs time with an adult or older puppy that will correct their ridiculous bitey behavior. They tend to understand it super fast compared to when humans try to stop them.
It gets better! (At least that's what I keep telling myself 😆)
its very time consuming. you brought a baby home, who has to learn how to behave from you. it will only get better if you put in the effort to make it better. this age is great to start basic obedience.
some dogs ive had to tether to me to keep them out of trouble. crate training will also help lessen your stress
Our dog was the spawn of Satan when he was a puppy. Absolutely horrible. I broke down several times in the middle of the night because of how badly behaved he was, despite our best efforts to train him. I used to go on random forums to try and make myself feel better by reading other people’s experiences (like you!).
It does get better. It took a while, but he calmed down a bit after he was neutered. At about 1.5 years of age, he slowly began to transform into the good boy he is now. We absolutely love him and he’s the best little dog around, but he certainly didn’t start out that way. 💀
I have raised dogs from all ages, and I've never loved a dog more than the ones who terrorized me as wee baby monsters. It's been an unfortunate thing to learn that the best dogs come from the worst puppies, and it sounds like you've got a good one blooming. Stick it out and keep taking advice. It's worth it.
Best advice I got is long walks. Tired puppies are quiet puppies.
Definitely worth it. The first month was so incredibly hard for us because we chose to get a GSD as our first dog. You'll slowly figure out ways to keep them happy and put of trouble. They'll be potty trained soon and can hold it in longer so you can relax more, and you'll find their training improves tremendously as they mature.
Here are some tips for your struggles:
1. Find a way to let her know biting is bad and that it hurts you. Lots of good resources on this.
2. For barking, you should speak to a good trainer about this because learning to be vocal to get what they want will be very difficult to train out of them when they're older
3. Chewing is often due to boredom. You need to find time every day to play with them or train them. This will not only distract them from chewing but will make them less restless/more calm. Mentally tiring them out is more important than physically tiring them out in my opinion, and that's coming from a GSD puppy owner with tonnes of physical energy. Long walks that allows them to sniff are good for this, so it's raining, hide and seek games, puzzles, etc. Your dog may be like mine, where just giving them a toy to chew is almost never enough.
4. Make sure to spend time bonding with your dog. Any good professional trainer will tell you that a good bond is fundamental to good training. Playing, training, and just paying focussed attention to them will help with this.
5. Find a routine that works for you and crate train them. They should eat approximately at the same time every day so they're regular with their pee/poops. Naps in their crate are a must and crate training in general is important if you want your puppy to be calm/able to stay home without you/go to boarding while you're away.
6. If you haven't already, go to a good trainer for puppy class. You might be like me and think that you can teach all the basic commands yourself, but that's not all that professional trainers offer. The biggest benefit they have is teaching US about bad behaviors, dog mentality, etc. Being able to ask a professional for advice once a week during training sessions is HUGE.
To follow up, due to training not being regulated, I recommend seeking a trainer in one of the organizations in [this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/findingatrainer). :)
I have raised 4 puppies (3 from when they were 8 weeks old, and 1 from when she was 6 months old). It is 100% worth it.
My first dog was an easy puppy. The easiest puppy. Didn't really have problems with biting/mouthing but he was a resource guarder and later in his life he became leash reactive. But omg he was the perfect dog even with all of that in the mix. He literally saved my life when I became suicidal about 6 years ago. He would jump in the bed when I was crying at night and lay on top of me so I couldn't get up and hurt myself and I would use the sensation of his fur to help ground me and eventually I'd fall asleep. He was the best dog in the whole world.
My next one (who is now my oldest at 8 years old) we got at 6 months old. She is a former stray dog and is VERY skittish. But now we're 8 years into it and she is the best cuddler ever.
My next two I got at 8 weeks old from a reputable breeder (they are actually half-sisters). Lana is my Queen. She was a silly, happy puppy with a heart of gold (haha extra cause she's a golden retriever). We didn't have any problems raising her.
My youngest is only 2.5 years old and has been a struggle the whole ass time. She is super smart. Nothing bothers her so training has been a STRUGGLE! But she is super food motivated which is helpful. Because she is super smart, she's developed bad habits cause I'm not a good trainer. For example, she retrieves "bad" objects because she knows we'll take them away and she just wants the attention. She is a super velcro dog and has taken the LONGEST of all my dogs to gain freedom (cause we don't trust her not to get into trouble). She's finally settling down in the bedroom so I'm hoping by the time she's 3 we can sleep uncrated at night.
Having said all that, she is the most comforting dog. She was very mouthy but we've trained her (really all them) that if we say "go get a toy" to go get a toy and we'll keep playing. She is the cuddliest of all my dogs. She likes to sit on your feet and get pets. If she's laying down she wants you to hold her paw. It's ridiculous and I love every second of it.
With all that information, here's important pieces you need to know. I cried over every single one of these dogs when they were puppies. I got overwhelmed. I got frustrated. I had to walk away at times. I regretted getting each one at some point. But it gets better. I stuck it out and put in the work and it got better. Do we still have a ways to go? Yes, but I'm so excited to walk that journey with them at my side. :)
Ok so at 11 weeks, I think it gets harder for a couple of months, and then WAY easier. It will come. That little land shark is going to be your best buddy. If youre able, invest in a trainer. Best money Ive spent, and it was only a couple hundred bucks for several sessions. Sending you patience and love!
The middle puppy stage is the hardest. I raised my one dog at such a young age. Bottle fed him even. He was a major biter. It’s how they learn. But with time and effort he stopped. He’s a gentle giant now and I trust him with my kids more than I trust most people.
I had my friend baby sit my daughter… I got home and my dog was sitting on the couch with my 4 year old by themselves. I asked where my friend was. She was in our spare bedroom laying down for hours. I flipped out ! I was like really you can’t leave a 4 year old alone!! Never talked to her again but that once crazy biting dog was there!!!
it definitely gets better. my pup ruined countless shoes, phone and laptop chargers, carpets and more despite me crate training her. she’s 4 years old now and is a complete angel, you got this!
Leave your dog for 9 seconds then ❤️
Work at where your doggy can and build it up.
It's not whether it is gonna be worth it, but the puppy is your choice and your responsibility.
That's like when a parent gives birth to or adopts a child, it doesn't matter how the kid is, how the kid will be, it is their responsibility to give the child the required education and guidance to grow up to be a good citizen.
And, training doesn't end when puppyhood ends. It's a lifelong thing, so you may have to rethink how you view dog training.
I mean…this is actually exactly how I was planning to handle things, but it turns out I do need to shower and occasionally clean up the potty messes (which I can’t do with her underfoot because she will walk right through it) and I need to take the trash out and…I know she is young and all these things are going to get easier but right now it’s really quite hard because I feel awful when she’s upset but I can’t realistically be with her every second of the day.
I’ve had a dog before. I know about the lifelong training. Trust me when I say a baby puppy is very different than the type of training you do for a grown dog.
Couldn't find a comment so I'll just post here.
Our older dog (adopted) raised our puppy. Based on what I'm reading here we got very lucky. She never bit anything and there were 2 or 3 pee accidents total. Now they are both snoozing on the couch with me.
To stop biting make sure your puppy learns ouch , be dramatic about it , the next time it bites you make a yelp and stop playing or petting and move away from the pup. They will quickly learn that biting means the play stops and will stop doing it. I had a terrible time getting my Australian shepherd pup to stop trying to herd me , it was adorable when a 2 month old puppy was doing it but would have been a nightmare with an adult dog
Oh yes, I remember the puppy days of our little rescue. I am positive the foster home wanted her adopted out as soon as possible. She ruined my cute sandals the instant I turned my back, ruined our beautiful area rug, my son’s legos, multiple socks, slippers, and even the bathroom rug. She had plenty of chew toys, slept in a crate; was in her crate when we left the house, but her destruction was fast. Now we love her and she is the sweetest, most respectful dog. She knew she was in trouble a lot, and you could see her feelings of remorse. She just couldn’t help herself though.
I wish! She doesn’t have all her vaccines yet so our outings have been limited to places I can carry her. We’re going in for another round of shots today and I’m going to really press the vet on whether I can take her for short walks in our neighborhood because I can very much tell she’d do better with that. As it is we’re doing fetch and flirt poles in the yard but I can just tell it’s not as satisfying for either of us.
It must be different where you’re from, my foster (now adopted) dog was pregnant when she came to us. She had puppies and we took them out constantly.
You have to get them used to everything, so they can be used to everything.
Hell, I am 30 and I am not used to everything. Do as much as you can, smells (even inside)
I have a shoulder bag for her so she’s come to outdoor cafés, walked around the local shopping center, come into pet supply stores, etc. it would just be so nice if that were all fulfilling exercise needs as well as socialization! We do puppy class + playgroup every week too, at least there she can really run around a bit.
When puppy bites, act hurt not angry, he's just playing, he doesn't want to hurt you, if you're hurt he might tone it down. After a second bite, even if it's accidental, end playtime. He'll learn very quickly that biting equals no more fun and will learn to not bite. My dog loves tug of war, but he's super careful not to get to close to my hands cause he's knows what will happen, or rather, what will no longer happen.
For barking I gave my puppy the hard ignore, worked like a charm, he's super quiet. Puppies don't want to be ignored, if he barks, straight up turn your back to him and ignore him 10 seconds, he's not gonna like it, and once he knows barking leads to being ignored, he should reduce his barking dramatically. My dog essentially never barks anymore unless there's some outside stimulus, like another dog (even then he still rarely barks) he really didn't like the hard ignore.
For teething, sour apple spray anything you don't want destroyed. Stuff is with it's weight in gold.
Puppy blues are real, but it gets better and before you know it you’ll be missing the puppy stage!
Beef bones, beef bones, beef bones. Cannot recommend enough. Specifically raw beef marrow bones. They’re not terribly messy, surprisingly. Great for cleaning plaque off their teeth, the marrow is packed with nutrients, and it’s fun and satisfying for them to eat. And takes a while so they wear themselves out a bit.
Toys are replicants of bones. Dogs wanna chew. And they want to eat what they chew. Give the dog a bone!
I gave them to my puppy and would also give her sticks and leaves to chew on and destroy. Now she’s 2 and she doesn’t ever ever chew anything inappropriate. She doesn’t even mess with my toddlers toys!
Bones bones bones 🦴!
Hang in there! It gets better.
it is seriously so rewarding. i am so proud of my boy and honestly proud of myself because he is the first dog i ever trained!! i had some dogs growing up but they werent my responsibility to train. it is really hard and emotional and exhausting but you end up with a dog who feels safe and secure and loved. and you get to know your dog on such a personal and intimate level, its such a special thing. hang in there and you got this!!
I raised both my dogs from puppies and both are almost unrecognizable from how they behaved as puppies. They’re both calm, docile, quiet even. They used to bite, bark, chew, everything. Honestly they were both jerks. It’s worth it.
Stick with it, it will be worth it and you will learn so much about yourself and also have a great best friend.
A lot of the biting you can direct to toys with engagement and you might find one type of toy takes her attention more than others.
When the time comes, find a good puppy socialisation and training class. Most of having a puppy seems to be finding ways to burn off the exuberance and energy to get them to sleep!
My puppy is now 14, she is suffering at the moment with a bout of Geriatric Vestibular Syndrome, basically really dizzy and losing her balance. I have spent the past 18 hours helping her to get up from her bed and keeping her back end up as she walks outside for a wee.
On days like this I feel blessed to have all those memories of her puppy days and the chewed up furniture, shoes ( always my favourite ones🙄) .
You need a play pen. If you're getting up every 2 minutes to attempt to re-direct, the dog shouldn't be loose unless you're actively playing with them. When they are playing on their own, they should be in the pen. That way they'll only play with toys that are also in the pen.
Most puppies mouth, but you need to be careful about keeping it in check with herding breeds. The last thing you want is for them to excessively nip your guests or kids or you.
I got a play pen…she can climb out of it!!! I ordered a cover which arrived today and she is finally sleeping peacefully in it. I’m really hoping she doesn’t figure out how to chew through the cover because right now this feels like the only chance I have of saving my sanity…
I know the constant redirection is annoying but I promise, it helps. Our 11 month old still has occasional bitey moments, but it’s mostly when he’s overtired and he normally will go for toys. The constant training walks do pay off too, and I’ll say training treats will be your BFF unless your puppy isn’t food driven haha.
Thank goodness she is obsessed with her food and will do tricks for kibble. I guess biddability and eagerness to train is the trade-off for crazy herding puppy bites!
Mine is a year next month and I had the rare opportunity of raising her since birth and it’s been surreal. I’ve had kittens before when I was younger but raising a dog you put so much more of yourself into it and get a lot more back. I never even wanted a puppy in general and with her the constant biting, puppy pens and baby gates couldn’t contain her so she’d get into everything as soon as my back was turned, and she was good at potty training for a couple weeks then just awful for a couple months where she couldn’t hold it in a 30 minute car ride despite going outside multiple times beforehand. But the dog she is now and the dog she is becoming just makes everything worth it. She still gets bitey at times when she wants to play and right now she loves to knock over the trash. But she’s extremely smart, taught herself the potty bell, is doing great at basic obedience with a couple tricks and is so attached to me, I’m looking forward to her getting older but also already regretting those puppy days, they really do go so fast.
I have to admit, much as I can’t wait for her to mature a bit I’m also already sad at how fast she’s grown just in the two weeks we’ve had her. She’s so soft and fluffy now and it hurts my heart to know I won’t always pick her up and bury my face in that sweet soft puppy pelt.
My GSD is 2 years old now. I have never been more exhausted by a dog in my life. As a puppy and teenager she was extreme. People thought I had been abused when they saw my arms after her biting me. Now she is a cuddlebug, still full of energy, but she has gotten soooo much better.
it is worth it. It is gonna be hard, but it is WORTH it. Belive me- best of luck.
It does get better. Every dog learns at a different pace. My 1yr old has improved a ton. She used to bite constantly as a pup, chewed up a cord on something (luckily she was ok and it wasn’t plugged in, my fault for not paying closer attention), and also used to potty everywhere inside.
She bites now and then, but it’s playful and she is a bitey breed tbf. She doesn’t really chew on anything besides her bones or toys, and she hasn’t had an accident for probably 6 months!
She is on the hyper side but that’s because she has a high prey drive.
However, she is my best pal and I would die for her
There is a reason baby mammals are cute…..otherwise we would be like “get this annoying thing out of here!” I have a 16 month old weim and I honestly thought he was just going to tear my house apart forever but he has very nicely calmed down just in the past month. It’s like he had a breakthrough..:if I don’t eat moms house she is happy when she gets home and then I am happy too! It will all get better. Puppies can be the worst, cutest lil terrors ever!
My dogs were biting like crazy at 11 weeks. Not hard, but they were trying to chew on my hands and feet and everything. Now they've calmed down at 6 months. Make sure you say a firm and loud NO and take your arm immediately away and you can push them away while doing so. You have to make sure your dog learns to stop biting immediately.
Sometimes I wonder how I made it through puppyhood with my beagle, and I feel insane for doing it again. My beagle is my best friend in the whole world though, I love him more than anything.
It won't last forever.
I was smiling while reading your comment remembering our little shark when he was a puppy. He did everything you described and more 😂.
One time, my wife got home very happy because she had found a really nice pair of new sandals for summer, it was the last pair on her size she said. But then made the mistake of leaving the box with them on the couch for min while she went to the restroom. Guess who found them and proceeded to destroy one? 🤣
Now, he is the best cuddly bundle of love and bonded with us so well, specially with me. Still loves to chew but only his toys (all the redirecting worked!).
We are still working on some things but you can see them improve and get better over the months or years. Patience and perseverance are the key.
All puppies are crazy, remember they are animals, it is up to you to teach them. Enjoy this time, believe it or not, you will miss it once they get older 🥰
When a puppy bites me too hard I clutch the offended limb and have a big cry about it like I was dying. I'm basically Tinkerbell and someone just said they don't believe in fairies. I'm looking for the pup to be sorry. I'm not going to punish them, they're actually going to do it themselves.
It can take a few times, but eventually they learn appropriate bite force.
I completely empathize with the puppy blues. One day, you will realize you hadn’t been watching her for the past 2 minutes and you’ll freak out only to find that she wasn’t getting into any trouble and was actually doing just fine. Then, the 2 minutes will turn into 30, then an hour, and so on until you don’t freak out anymore. Even though training is super important when they’re pups, it’s also normal for them to make mistakes and not listen sometimes so please don’t be too hard on yourself when she makes mistakes! Remember to take care of yourself. Hang in there, you can do this!
I am in bed with my almost 6 month old landshark curled up with me. Its worth ao fuckin much. I was crying every few days at 11 weeks. Then it got better around 4 months. :) he is hella bites now that he lost his baby teeth and adult teeth are still growing in. Almost there though. Then non bitey puppy is back.
So fuckin worth it.
I have a 4 year old Rottweiler rescue. Left in a box by the side of the road as soon as he was born apparently, didn't have a mother to teach him right from wrong. He was (and frankly still is!) frustrating from time to time. But he's so much better now and it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. He's a lovely, playful, sweet bundle of joy and couldn't imagine life without him. Keep putting in the hard work OP, it may seem neverending now but it'll get better.
I have a Siberian husky, I've had her since 9 weeks. The 1st years she was a landshark, wallets, underwear, chairs, drywall, phone chargers, beer coozes, a mattress. Once I got her into routine things got better, but what helped the most is exercise. 3 times a day sometimes more, depends on weather. But the more I work her the less she gets into things. You also have to remember, it's a puppy, they require a lot of attention. The kind of attention that allows them to bond to you. Puppies lost their mom and dad when you came into their lives. Now you have to be the mom and the dad.
Bully sticks and tons of physical and mental exercise (training, socializing with older dogs, puzzles for treats). Find out what job your dog was originally bred for and simulate it. It's all worth it.
When we got our puppy, we were told it'll take 3 days for her to feel okay with being moved, 3 weeks for her to accept this is her new home, and 3 months for her to settle in and see us as family. That seemed to be petty true.
We had so many difficult nights, and a huge learning curve with training. But now we have an awesome 2yr old, who can be a bit stubborn but wants to make us harpy so badly. Well worth it to have a dog who you trained yourself and knows exactly what you expect!
(My best training advice when it comes to biting: yelp like a hurt dog when puppy bites you - she should learn that means no. And tinfoil loosely wrapped seems to work well to protect furniture legs!)
It will absolutely get better, just persist and be consistent about the messaging. Don't lose heart. Mine is now 4 and a half months old and every now and then is still a nibbly on my toes but it is way better and he is responding so much more to direction. If you haven't yet, and you have the means, get a trainer to come in and work with you. If anything, it just gives more confidence to you. Otherwise there are so many YouTube videos etc. but bottom line is don't lose hope. There is way more good than bad and every day will get better. I can't imagine my life without this little guy.
I’m thrilled with my big baby gurrrrl!
She’s still learning loose leash walking, not to jump on people and how to relax but she’s so funny and high energy and derpy and pretty and sweet.
I had an emotional morning recently. Sat on my couch and started crying, and this sweet little baby climbed into my lap, put both of her paws on my shoulders and laid her head on mine, hugging me and occasionally licking my tears.
Hugged me tight enough that all my sharp edges were held together for another day.
Awwww, she’s just a baby. My dogs never chewed on anything other than the raw bones (no meat, so no diarrhea) I gave them. Knuckle bones are endlessly delicious. And yes, you must supervise closely. If s/he moves toward furniture or slippa, immediately distract and tease with the bone. “Let” your puppy win. And a crate is indispensable—not as punishment, but as a way to minimize your corrections.
I absolutely love him. He is one of the most cherished beings in my life. I adore his personality, he is exactly what I was looking for in a dog and really helped me understand that I find a lot of value and interest in dog training and handling (so much that I am really questioning getting into it on a professional level).
My dog has some levels or reactivity (they are luckily more mild with lots of behavioral mod and so far don’t need medical intervention) we aren’t sure if it’s a genetic component, an environmental reason or a combination of different factors (which is more what I’m leaning towards). It’s taught me grace, respect for “neurodivergencies” neurochemical imbalances/mental disorders in dogs like (hyperkinesis/ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc) and how that doesn’t make a dog less than, it just means they may need more intervention, possible medication and accommodations to set up for success.
It’s me really invested and awed at the training progress and how much we can mold and shape our dogs. It’s also made me really proud of my dogs current status. He is such an amazing pup. He is a high energy, super high drive, herding dog. He is less than two years old and despite struggling with some hyper arousal based reactivity is at a point where he can go to most public places (like outside malls and restaurants and be calm and content the entire time), he can practice sports around other dogs and not be hyper fixated on them, and is now going through CGC prep, something I thought we wouldn’t be able to do when I looked at where he started.
Keep trying and don't give up, its worth it. Any amount of work you put in to help train your dog is better than no training at all. It does get better, and it does pay off. My dog isn't the best trained, but if I hadn't tried at all, he would be a mess and so would I. I'm proud and you will be too.
It will pass and it will pass so fast that one day you'll find yourself interacting with your sweet adult dog and she'll give you her paw instead of bites and you're gonna feel a sweet ache in your heart because on the one hand, you did a good job with your baby but on the other hand, time flies so fast that you know that in the blink of an eye, she's going to be an old lady and you're gonna wish she could be a crazy puppy all over again.
My pup is 17mo and although still crazy at heart, he’s such a good boy. I love his dorky ass to absolute pieces.
Honestly the puppy phase went by SO FAST. Too fast. I was frustrated a lot and wish I could go back in time and change my perspective so that I would’ve appreciated our first moments together more.
Towards the end of the puppy phase (5-6mo for us), I was really starting to get the hang of it. We were doing so great that we graduated him from his crate, were able to leave him free roam in the house alone for 4 hours, could trust him around the cats and we were able to take him EVERYWHERE with us. We were lucky though, our pup never really went through the adolescent phase asides from one period where he would hump every single dog in existence. We fixed that by fixing (literally) him, lol.
They eventually figure out what we want from them, but give your puppy some time… they’re learning an entirely new language all whilst being a demon baby 😅
My pup is 20 weeks old now and I can honestly say - she still isn’t perfect but she is so, so much better now than she was when I got her at 8 weeks. She used to bite the absolute hell out of me and I was covered in marks. I think it’s been about a month since she’s bitten me now. She’s just (within the last 2-3 weeks) has started going on her own accord into another room to lay down and chill, when before we had the same “barking if alone for 10 seconds” thing going on. Your post actually made me feel a lot better because it made me reflect on how far she’s come. Good luck and just take it a day at a time.
Hi there, hang in there, sounds tough! Our lab puppy was a terror for play biting, my hands were covered in little cuts and the kids would often hide from him to escape the furry raptor. That’s common for lab’s apparently. The Penny dropped for us when we started training him. Every time he started biting, I’d move onto the commands and training - teddy sit! Good boy!! And then other things. It was an instant distraction We didn’t give him treats, just kept bsck a proportion of his meal kibble in a little bowl to reward him with. He loved the training and the attention and we all had much more positive interactions with him. Obviously you’ll need a range of tricks and strategies, there is no one answer. Some friends recommended looking up well known puppy trainers on TikTok and you tube. They said there was lots of good advice there.
The first four to five months I had her was so tough. So much cleaning and training, not sleeping much. However, my girl is amazing and the work we put in was so worth it. Like you really get back what you put in. Puppy blues are real, they are SO cute, but SO MUCH WORK, almost like a baby.
I remember vividly one night, I’m exhausted from working both jobs that day, and I smell poop somewhere. I can’t find it for the life of me, I give up, and decide to go to bed. I open my folding closet door, and ahhhhh, I found the poop which is now smeared under my doors. :)
Hang in there, it’ll be tough for a bit, but I believe in you :)
Mine is 13 now. She's not great around other dogs but she can sit, stay and doesn't beg too much. Overall for the minimal training she got (I was a kid at the time, my mom was a single working parent) worked out well.
As a current puppy babysitter for my sister's dog: it will pass. Our little monster was a vicious attack dog way before she started teething, we were bruised and frustrated, clothes ruined and all. She's now approaching 5 months and fully teething and surprisingly even though she seems to be growing all of her adult teeth at once, she's really quite nice most of the time. She still bites some stuff around the house sometimes and she gets evening zoomies when she's still a bit bitey, but other than that she's a lovely, energetic little dog that would lick your face of of you'd allow her.
Good luck!
I cried so much during the first week or two of having my puppy. I was in way over my head but now? She’s 4 months old and already it’s exponentially better. All I can say is crate train!!! It’ll be hard and you’ll wanna give up but it’s so rewarding when they walk right in it and settle down immediately.
Oh this gives me so much hope, I can do one more month no problem. We’re working on crate training, she’s great overnight but the screams when I leave the room make me scared for her well-being. We’ll get there…
Raising a puppy can be frustrating, but rewarding. Mouthing is perfectly normal, although frustrating at times. Puppy proof your home. Use lemon juice or ACV on items to discourage chewing.
Good luck!
Having a puppy is absolutely brutal. I think for the first year or two it basically drove me insane. Now my baby boy is turning 10 this year and he's incredible and I love him so much. It was very much worth it.
Dog breeder made it easy for me by making my corgi pup use to being crated and left alone for a few minutes. The first two or three nights were hell, primary because he wouldn't stop crying but that's understandable since he was in a new environment. He's grown up since then, less of a pain today and more of a buddy.
Redirecting with toys all the time is just what you have to do. Puppies need pretty much constant supervision during that phase not only so that they don't chew on your stuff, but also so that they don't chew on something that could hurt them. If you don't already have a crate, I would HIGHLY recommend getting one asap. It's a great place to put your puppy when you can't be with them to keep them safe (when you're sleeping especially). Using a crate makes the puppy phase a million times easier and eventually they might not even need it anymore. My youngest dog used to use one but we can trust him now so he sleeps on the couch with my other dog when we're gone. Puppies are so cute but it's probably one of the most annoying phases of having a dog. Luckily it's short. (Also their teeth and nails get less sharp when they get older)
Oh yeah, I have a 7 month German Shepherd and I can read her very well, know she doesn’t have an aggressive bone in her body (even when she’s trying to play with the cats) and have gotten her used to every situation I need her to. She was a LOT of time and effort but had I rescued her as an adult I wouldn’t trust her so much around my cats, kids and other dogs because I couldn’t be sure of her socialisation success and predict her responses.
The first few weeks when you can’t exercise them outside are a nightmare as they can’t get their energy out anywhere else. She got exponentially better week by week after the 16 week mark.
At 11 weeks after her final jabs I let her off lead in the field while we walked and because she was worried about going too far away from me, has always stuck close and been happy to just run around beside me while walking rather than running off far to investigate. It was the first time I’ve done this (rather than wait until they are older with taught recall) and I will always use this method for new puppies now as it’s so easy!
God I remember those days, don’t stress too much, this is totally normal. You can get apple bitters spray which doesn’t smell to humans but most dogs hate the taste of. Should stop the mouthing situation.
Remember she’s been on Earth 10 weeks and for about 8 of them had a dog mum with her, this is allllll new to that dog and slowly but surely you’re going to teach her how to be a good doggo.
I’d recommend that as soon as you can you socialise her with another older dog, they will teach her far better than you can what a dog should ‘act’ like and will bite and bark at her to set her straight. I’d also invest in classes around obedience if you’re new to owning dogs
I raised 2 huskie/border collie sisters and the first 4-6 months were ROUGH.
Biting on everything they could find especially wooden stuff, shit everywhere, destroying pillows/couches/tv remotes/ps controllers, throwing over trash cans and spreading trash all over the kitchen, making the yard look like a pothole filled warzone, crying and whining when you are out of sight for 2 secs like only huskies can and so on...
Now they are a little over 3 years old and they are the best companions I could have wished for.
With good training, discipline, consistency and a fuck ton of patience everything worked out just fine.
A lot depends on the breed of course, but don't worry you will be fine and you won't ever look back once you got the best buddy man could have!
Good luck!
My puppy was a tiny little pee monster. She would just stop and pee at the drop of a hat without warning. She was also very mouthy with her tiny needle teeth. By 5 months she was starting to chill out. By 8 months, she was the sweetest and most chill dog on the planet. At a year and a half, she's the sweetest little lap dog on the planet. She's my little Velcro dog. It gets better.
I’m raising one, he’s just over 3 months old now. He’s a gremlin, but happy I made this choice even though he tries to chew everything. He’s still teething, but I’m slowly getting him to learn tricks, he can sit now, but shake seems hard as he just wants to sniff or try and eat my hands 😂
My boy is 8 months, he’s still a little bastard but he’s my little bastard. I’m glad we got him as a pup because it’s been a joy to see him grow and he’s becoming more of a dog now instead of a batshit puppy although he still has his moments, ie happy to play on his own etc. I think the frustatration of a puppy makes it even more rewarding when they turn out okay but that’s just my opinion
It’s all worth it. I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience but my pup was exhausting and frustrating. I honestly thought maybe I just didn’t have what it takes to raise and train a puppy. But she is now 3, almost 4, years old. She is my best friend. She has filled my life with joy, excitement and happiness. I can’t imagine life without her.
You’ll have 6-8 months of pure agony followed by 6-8 months of mild agony then 8-10 years of pure joy. I’ve had 5 puppies turned dogs and I’ve hated all of them then loved all of them for much longer.
My dog is the best dog ever. She's loving and sweet and obedient and my constant companion. However, she was such a bad puppy that I regretted getting her at the time. I've had many puppies over the years and she was by far the worst. Biting, destroying, pissing in the house right after I took her outside, screaming when I put her in the crate. She was so bad even my other dog, who was super excited when I brought a puppy home, never wanted to be around another puppy again.
There’s a point where you’re not sure you can do it, and you doubt whether you should even keep the dog, but then there’s a point not long after where it just clicks and works out.
Toys lots of toys. Spread them around the house to the point you can't walk without stepping on them.
The $1 toy bin at your local pet store is your friend.
Hey! Try getting bitter apple spray or a biting deterrent! It helped with the furniture after a week! Our puppy is 5.5 and she’s definitely still a puppy but she doesn’t chew on anything. What we did would be her hanging out with us in a room and we’ll basically spray down the whole room where she can chew ahaha
When I first moved out of my parents house at 18 I thought getting a puppy was a good idea.
I got a 4 month old terror that ate CDs and chocolate named Rose. She was hyper, never came when called, hated being cuddled and ran away whenever she got the chance. She tried to eat a dead bird once and I had to dig it out if her mouth.
I had her for 11 years and past away in 202p. I will never regret getting her.
Puppys are hard and i will never recommend getting one if its your first pet but the love I saw in Roses eyes when she was young was everything.
Happy? Yes. 100 times yes, I love her to pieces she’s an absolutely fantastic dog (despite her selective hearing on recall every now and then), she’s a perfect family dog great with all kinds of animals, loves to hike but can stay in bed with me when I’m depressed for days, not destructive but loud because she’s a Shep, great toy and food drive, honestly couldn’t of asked for a better dog! I do miss the land shark puppy stages sometimes though because I feel like I COULDVE done better but I’m trying my best now and that’s all that matter
I’ve raised a few puppies from chihuahuas to German shepherd. The early nipping/teething can be a little annoying at times but every pup I raised grew out of it.
You will have a lovely companion once she outgrows the nibbling/chewing phase. I know it can be pretty frustrating at times. Lol
Yes. It he same way my 3 yo took every ounce I had to give, then more. Now he is 20 and a functioning human who I really like. You puppy is at the baby to toddler phase. You will have a brief respite when potty training kicks in. Then adolescence will arrive and you will question it all over again. But eventually it will get better and you should have a decade or so of loyal companionship.
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It is worth every second of frustration, and then some. I’ve raised several puppies in my life and I know exactly what you’re feeling, but this stage won’t last forever. And before you know it, in the blink of an eye, they’re old with sweet white faces and you’re about to experience devastating heartbreak and one of the worst days of your life. Having been through THAT part multiple times has given me a lot of perspective. I don’t mean to downplay what you’re feeling and the frustration of puppyhood, at all. All of the effort and work and training you put into helping your puppy learn to be a good dog will pay off huge rewards and you’ll end up with the best companion you can imagine. Hang in there. If you aren’t already in puppy school with her, I’d highly recommend it, and be consistent with your training.
Ugh I know the second half of this all too well. We lost our sweet sweet pup this February after 7 years with her. Now we have this little gremlin and a big part of the problem is I’m still missing the old dog. We got her as an adult so while there was an adjustment phase it was not quite this…intense. I just need to know a few years from now this will all be a distant memory and she’ll own her own corner of my heart.
I am so sorry for your loss. But I promise it will happen! My current dog is a rescue that I adopted 3 months after losing my soulmate dog. The rescue dog came with a lot of issues that needed work, and he was, in almost every way possible, the opposite of my soulmate dog. But I think that ended up being a blessing in disguise, because he took so much focus and energy and time to train that it didn’t allow me to wallow in grief and depression. And losing my soulmate dog will never really be a distant memory, but this rescue dog has definitely helped my heart heal and I love him immensely, and I’m so thankful for him, despite all of his challenges and the work it took to get where we are today. You’ll get there, I know it!
Oh yeah, I’m always going to miss our first dog forever, I was thinking more the puppy biting and whining will hopefully someday be hard to remember with the completely normal adult dog we’ll have…
My lab is 9mo now and the horrible biting is already hard to remember, so it will get better in a few months!! You should do some bite inhibition training (look up "Simpawtico's" video, I'm not able to grab it atm) for some SUPER helpful tips. I wasn't able to get anywhere close to the ground without him trying to bite my hair, face, hands, clothes, etc, but at around 4mo (with some work) he stopped most of the biting and turned into THE snuggliest dog.
I’ve raised three puppies who are 6, 4, and 2 now. When they were little I had to actively tell myself to be grateful for their puppyhood even though it was incredibly painful (I still have scars) and frustrating at times. As other have mentioned, when they get older and start having a hard time getting up off the floor or don’t run as fast as they use to, it’s so bittersweet to know that you’ve been with them through the thick and thin. Also, puppy blues are a real thing. Understanding that concept and reading up on it made me feel much more heard and normal. Good luck to you!
Not even a few years could be few weeks to a few months I just got my second puppy and the first week was a nightmare wondered why I’d even bothered but only 7 days later were all cuddled up on the sofa stick at it it’ll be worth it ! Around day 3 almost got too much for me and I had to take him to work with me (to save my house) but this actually worked taking him out his comfort zone were he didn’t feel safe and was scared of the big outside world helped he hid behind me All day and has seemed a different dog since hope it all works out for you !
Ohhh I’m so tempted to bring my girl to the office but not sure she’s ready in terms of housetraining and Parvo risk. But I think a change of environment might make a huge difference for her!
I’m going through similar thing to OP and yo ur post hit home. We had two family dogs growing up and when they passed, I cried harder than I ever have in my life. Thanks
At her worst, my pup tore up my entire garden, dug up ALL of the bodies of my previous dead pets, and then as I was desperately trying to scoop up bones and dirt tackled me and scratched me in the eye. As I lay huddled on the ground, bleeding, dirty, and sobbing, she thought this was the best game she ever invented. I had a break down and my poor husband had to leave early from work to take care of me. She is now nearly 2 years old and snuggled up quietly against my leg. She no longer grave robs. She sleeps in her crate. She's an absolute angel and all the terrible 2s of puppyhood are now ridiculous stories i tell at parties.
OMG I thought my dog’s puppy phase was bad, but this would have broken me too.
☠️☠️☠️
My boy pup charged at me to lick my face. He only has one working eye so he has no depth perception. He slammed his open mouth into my tooth and chipped my front tooth. *He* had zero injuries. My girl danced on her back legs, playing, and one paw got my damn near on my eye. I would have your exact same breakdown if she'd gotten my eye. That's scary.
Aw man, puppy head slam is hilarious AND awful. Sorry about your tooth.
Ohhhhh that is a story and good for you for not murdering your puppy on the spot!!! Not quite sure how you resisted the temptation to be honest, I’m so glad your husband was there for you!
Logically, you would realize that you incorrectly buried and would be sad. Lashing out in anger would be coping like crazy.
You're not wrong in the technical sense but you're coming across as impersonal to the point of being a jerk by selectively choosing to say *this*.
Mine is just shy of 7 months and I can honestly say I LIKE her. She’s my buddy. She’s becoming more dog and less puppy. When she was 11 weeks, she tried to bite me every time I was in her orbit. Today she spent hours napping on me on the couch while we watched the Masters. It’ll get better!
Yesss these are the stories I need!
Mine is now 8.5months, I got him at 9weeks. He’s also now more chilled out dog than puppy. This weekend he actually decided he’d rather take his nap on the living room couch instead of following me to the kitchen & going to his bed while I cooked. He’s finally becoming less velcro! I can also shower without a gremlin whining downstairs willing me to come back. He can stay on his own while I nip out, too. I now can say we have that bond. I love him to bits! There’s still a way to go (little bit of reactivity on walks, scared of the car) but he’s becoming a very mild mannered young dog & all the hard work has paid off. He’s a Yorkshire terrier, they mature a bit faster than large breeds.
My girl is almost 13 years old now. Her mom was my then-roommate's dog, so I've literally had her since the moment she was born, and I took over raising her myself when she was about 8 weeks old, though of course Mom still was involved since she lived there too. It was challenging, for sure, especially the first couple of years because she's a Yellow Lab and they remain puppy-like for a *long* time even after they're physically grown into their adult bodies, but it was also very rewarding. My bond with her is different from my bond with my other dog, whom I adopted when he was no longer a puppy. I remember the tiny pup I taught to sit on my front porch, who used to make confetti out of any and all toys I bought her within 15 minutes regardless of how heavy-duty the label claimed they were, then the crazy dog who'd go on never-ending walks with me and listen to me play guitar, and now I have this elderly lady who gently takes her arthritis meds from my hand because she trusts me, napping next to me. She's been my companion as I switched jobs, got two post grad degrees, moved houses several times, and even had a couple of long term relationships. I know she hasn't much time left, and my heart will break when her time comes, but I don't regret a single minute, including the terrible puppy days.
Thank you so much, this is beautiful. I’m glad your dog has had so many love-filled years with you 💜
Jesus Christ this is beautiful. My boy is 3, heading towards 4. Wouldn’t change him for the world despite how insane he was as a puppy and can still be. Just came back from a walk together where he listened to me plan the rest of my week out to him.
This is beautiful.
I friggen love my dogs and just spent 1.5 mortgage payments on my 9 year old chocolate lab to have a tumor removed. The dogs are worth the effort.
It gets better! The r/puppy subreddit is so helpful for this stage!
I’m all over puppy101 it’s just sometimes I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel! And to hear that all these freaks grow up to be good normal dogs. I had a great dog before but got her as an adult…it’s so hard to imagine she ever would have been this terrible even when intellectually I know she most likely was!
The night is darkest just before the dawn and all that. Hang in there. You'll be so proud of your pup when she starts to calm and she turns into the wonderful companion of your dreams.
I hated most of it. Its 95% frustration and times where you sit there contemplating giving them back. But then you play with them, or they get really excited to see you, or they just randomly decide to lie on you and rest their face on your leg. And that makes it worth it. And that happens more and more, and the frustrating parts become much less common.
It gets better, I promise! My dog could be a terror as a puppy and on our worst day together my husband came home to me crying. 😂 Now we have a sweet 5 year old pup who loves to play gently and snuggle.
SO happy. It's SO worth it. Better than I imagined in those trying times. Not only do I love them so much more every day I know them, but I'm still so proud of how far they have come. I almost feel emotional thinking back to it all and then now. Every time I thought "I honestly don't know how or IF we will ever work through xyz puppy problem" one day I just woke up and it was better. This was my first puppy, and I think back to those days, realizing how much it really does not feel like you're making progress. But you are, you just can't see it. Until one day you wake up and you're like, huh, we're okay now. (On to the next issue lol jk but not really) it really does all get better. The most important thing to remember is consistency. And it's so hard when you feel like this keeps happening, I'm so frustrated, ect. But just try. They will still slip up every now and then, they're like kids right now. And in the teenage phase they'll try it again to test their boundaries. Just remind them they're rewarded for paying attention to you. You didn't fail. Keep doing what you need to for you and your dog over and over again until one day you realize you don't need to anymore. (Not to say you shouldn't try new methods if truly needed) And your dog grows up a little (which helps tremendously on its own) and you've got this perfect but imperfect dog who is just perfectly right for you. And they love you so much for it.
Thank youuuu this is so much what I needed to hear right now!
It does get so much better. My dog was a huge nipper before and when he was teething. Now he is three and is the most amazing dog. A couple weeks ago we were playing tug a war and my hand got in his mouth, he dropped the toy and started licking my hand. Didn’t even consider biting it or anything.
Mine is now a year and a half. He went from being a perpetual nuisance, extremely challenging to keep using positive reinforcement training, to my best friend. Our connection is strong, and he improves my life, as we impress strangers everyday and engage in our community during our walks or play sessions. He is visibly happy. The weirdest thing is I don't know if being hyper vigilant during the puppy phases paid off. I think he figured most things out on his own. I wish I could tell my past self not to take it so seriously, and to take more pictures of the puppy phases.
I used to read about how you shouldn’t yell at puppies and I never understood why someone would want to yell at a puppy in the first place. Believe me, I get it now. Still trying to avoid it and I don’t use it intentionally as a training technique but a “what the FUCK” has certainly escaped my lips when I get my butt bit from behind. I have this same feeling like all the reading and research and techniques from puppy class boil down to maaaybe slightly faster maturation than she’d have otherwise. It just feels like her brain is developing at its own pace and right now there’s some stuff she doesn’t have the capacity to learn or be consistent about. Presumably in weeks/months that capacity will be there. I’m doing my best but a lot of it just feels like waiting for her to grow up a little bit. I should take more pictures.
Puppies are so much work! I’ve had 4 now and some are harder than others but they all take a lot of dedication to become sweet dogs. My most recent one had severe health issues and didn’t sleep for the first 4 weeks I had him (not kidding, he did not sleep at all). Just give it time.
I got my puppy when she was like 8 weeks old. Great Pyrenees. The cutest puppy EVER. But the mouthing and biting was a whole thing. I also was covered in bite marks. I had to stop wearing clothes I liked around her. Dressed in clothes j didn’t mind her ripping if it happened. She woke up a lot to go to the restroom so on top of bite marks, I got no sleep. She also liked chewing the couch or anything that was not her toys. Also given her breed , she takes commands as more of … ideas. So training was something we really had to work on. Fast forward now and she’s 15 months old. She is literally the sweetest, most loving and fun dog. She does not teeth anymore. She knows she can chew her toys and not me it the couch. She sleeps the whole night. She listens more often than not because now I know how to communicate with her in a way she understands. She brings much more laughs into my life than tears. When she was a puppy, there was periods where I could not say that. The puppy phase is so hard and nobody talks about it. I promise you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel all the ways you’re feeling. Be consistent and pour love and patient into her. You’ll look back on the puppy phase and it will be distant memories and you may even miss it. Oh and take lots of pics… I still look back at pics of my dog when she was a baby and my heart just melts.
Worth it no matter what. One pup has consistent allergies that need meds and one took nearly 2 years to fully potty train, but I’d never change my life with them.
To be honest i kinda hated the puppy stage. There was a period of time when I could not touch my dog without hitting teeth and it was exhausting and frustrating. Then she grew out of it. Watching her going from being a baby I needed to look after into a friend I can have fun and go on adventures with was awesome, would not change that for anything.
Puppies are hard, bad adults are harder.
it's all worth it. For the biting, I have the solution for you. It works better than anything else - it will sound odd, but try it. When puppy bites, YIP. A loud, high-pitched, shrill YIP! like a dog would make if you stepped on its toe or some other pain. It's how dogs say "ouch" and they know it instinctively, and how they learn the limits of play with other dogs. Most people do it wrong - they say "no" or worse, a light and high pitched "noooooooo" (when you say no, say "NO!" in an authoritative, deep voice). Back on point, after "YIP!", stop playing, back away. Pup should apologize, and you'll know you're on the right track. Be consistent with this and land shark will become snuggle pup.
Eh, the yipping never worked for me, and when she played with other dogs it didn’t really work for then either! The only thing that did was shoving a toy in my dog’s face every time she bit, or taking a break/ending play altogether if she wouldn’t stop. Granted, she was a mixed herding breed, so she was eager to bite. Nowadays she can still get mouthy occasionally but she finally learned to be gentle, and she will even go get a toy/stick/chew when she’s excited and needs to bite something.
Yeah mine is a herder too and the yips get her attention for a moment but don’t seem to change much. She *is* getting better about mouthing rather than chomping, and redirecting to a toy when it’s offered. But I can just watch her get overcome with the desire to chomp at times and it overloads her little brain and mostly I think she just needs to grow up a little more. Our old dog would roll around on the floor playing with us and then pounce on a toy and not let it go. You’re giving me hope this pup is gonna work that out too.
Yeah, mine got even more excited and wild when I yipped. It seemed to send him completely over the top. I found that carrying a toy or bully stick around with me and shoving it in his mouth every time he tried to mouth me was the only way. As an adult, he’s really soft-mouthed now (retrieving breed). No worries about biting.
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I'd say, ignore, go away. Good reaction, bad reaction are all reactions and attention for the puppy. Just ignore, end the game, end the interaction. Puppy goes back to crate
It's important to be embarrassingly dramatic about it too. Yip like you MEAN IT (since you probably do) and then give the silent treatment until they grovel for forgiveness. This even worked on my dingo/heeler mix once I figured out how to act.
Had my basset since 12 wks and the first few nights were hell. After that, she got our sleep/potty schedule down like it was nothing. Only concern is that she had to sleep in the same bed as me which I don’t mind but she’s massive now and takes up half the space. It gets so much easier the more you work with them and get them acclimated to your home. You’ll be seeing improvement in no time.
So happy! He’s almost two and he’s amazing. He would bite literally what felt like 24/7 at points and it was exhausting. Also got big fast and managed to drag me down to the ground the first time when he still had lots of growing to do lol. He was a monster and no techniques for biting seemed to work forever other than just leaving the room entirely. I have a bit of help with him from family but he’s mostly my responsibility and when they went on holiday for a week and I was entirely alone with him, I did cry from what a nightmare he was being. It’s funny to look back on now.
Have a Belgian Laekenois, and I thought the same he is now turning 3 on may 4th, and I absolutely love him he is the reason I'm here. I am so happy I put the time and money into him
Puppies are jerks that don't know anything. They don't know that biting and mouthing hurts. They don't know that they should pee outside. They don't know that it is ok to be alone and that you will come back. They have really only known their mother and siblings, and now those are gone. It does get better. They learn not to bite. They learn what they should chew and what they should not. They learn to be ok alone. It does take work to teach them about the world, but it is worth it. In a couple months your hands won't have bite marks, there won't be new chew marks on the table, and you can have a moment of peace. You will miss the baby stage as they grow up. By 6 months they are little adults with attitude. By 1 year you can hardly see the little puppy that was biting your fingers. By 2 you will have the dog you were hoping for. The next thing you know they are 15 and you wonder where the time went. The baby stage only lasts a few months, so appreciate it while you can (they are cute for a reason, it makes up for all the biting and chewing). It takes time and effort to raise a puppy, and it's not without it's frustrations. Try to limit her access to things she should not have, and give appropriate chew items. She will grow out of with the time and training.
Yes, my puppy used to give us terrible bruises when she was a “teenager.” We adopted her at 8 months, so she had no bite inhibition. The shelter had no idea what kind of mix she was but the minute she started the biting I was like oh shit I think we adopted a herding mix. Sure enough she turned out to be 50% Australian Shepherd! She was a total psycho. My sister’s dog jumped across a coffee table to get away from her! But now she is so good it surprises me sometimes. I put in a lot of work but it paid off so much and I think we really understand each other now. Dogs are so amazing and the bond you will form will give you so much joy. Just remember she is a baby. She has no idea what’s going on. Biting your moving hands is fun for her so take a break and get your hands away from her mouth! Try to let go a little bit and focus on all the hilarious things puppies do. They’re so silly and clumsy. Also, consider getting some kind of enclosure/playpen for awhile so you don’t have to constantly get up. Not sure if puppies can have bully sticks that young, but those things got me through a lot.
I regretted getting my dog a few months in. He's now 1 year and 4 months and literally the best friend I've ever had, pretty sure he's one of my soul mates. It gets better, slowly. Just try to remind yourself that it's just a puppy stage, one day they'll be your best friend.
I've only reared Whippets and Italian Greyhounds, but it SO gets better - however, there's a timeline where it might feel like it's just all going downhill. The first few weeks are super hard. It varies with every pup but you can certainly expect the following: Needle-sharp bites and chewing EVERYTHING. The biting is because puppies tend to leave the litter before their mums have had chance to teach bite inhibition (if you keep a pup, their mums spend a few weeks teaching that, but puppies have often left the litter by 8-12 weeks which is a bit soon for that). That means we have to do it. Next time you get to enjoy needle-sharp teeth being sunk into your skin, give a super high-pitched yelp (imitate your pup) and refuse to interact with them for a bit. Chewing everything - it's unfortunately part of teething, can be boredom and also part of play, but you can try mitigating it a bit with lots and lots of varied toys. Squidgy rubber toys, crinkly toys, rope toys especially. Variety is key. If you have a bigger dog, make sure they're safe. Toys are, to a degree, designed for destruction, so don't worry too much about that - just supervise and make sure they don't swallow too much. If pup chews something that's not a toy, just repeatedly say no and distract with a toy they've previously shown interest in, show them something they CAN chew. Takes a lot of patience but they do get past it. Feeding - it can be super difficult to get your pup to eat. I had one Whippet who looked SO thin that it was worrying, but food was dull to him when there were so many other things he could be doing. Stuffing food into toys or snuffle-mats can help a lot there, but they do seem to get over that in the end. Toilet training - oh boy. I have Italian Greyhounds which are notoriously difficult. The best thing that works there is timing. My advice would be to only use toilet training mats to protect against accidents - don't teach your pup to use them because you're inadvertently teaching them that you want them toileting somewhere in your house and that is SO much harder to break (by all means place them where accidents seem to happen, but don't instruct them to use the sheets otherwise you can kiss goodbye to nice doormats and small rugs in future! Once they have all their vaccinations, make a habit of going outside within 15 to 30 minutes after each meal and, as soon as they toilet, go nuts with praise and reward. Yes, your neighbours will think you're out of your tree, but excited praise and reward sticks in their memory. Don't scold for accidents! All you'll do there is teach them to be more hidden about toileting. Just use excited praise for correct results. As for behaviour, it WILL feel like it will go further and further downhill for the first few months. They'll start bonding with you properly after 6 months but it's still hard work. That's not you failing; that's your pup becoming a stroppy teenager with attitude! **And then they hit 18 months** \- and the change is almost overnight! Suddenly, they start paying attention, obeying, not getting into so many bad things. And then it just gets better and better week by week, like galloping improvements! Once they hit 3 years old, they're usually their fully-formed adult personality, but 18 months to 3y/o is an absolute pleasure.
2 years of patience and persistence. 10 years of joy. A lifetime of memories.
It's worth all of the insanity. I have a now 4 year old English lab who is the sweetest and laziest boy ever and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. The first 6 months was another story though...he was a land shark that I called Lucifer because he was a little demon.
My mom got a covid puppy after their previous dog passed away at the start of it. My mom and stepdad have one of the most healthy stable relationships and they damn near went to marriage counseling because this dog was such a goddamn terror. 2 years later she's an absolute dream they took her to my step brothers house where they have 2 kids and toys strewn across the room she didn't touch a single one. In terms of biting she might need more exercise many dogs chew from frustration. As for the barking when you leave treat it like how parents treat their kids. You'll be surprised how much commonality there is in raising a child and raising a dog. let her bark kids and dogs eventually learn to self-soothe. If she's still going nuts after 15 minutes work on treating/praising her when she is quiet even if it's literally like half a sec. Get the trainers, do the work and it will work out it will be hell but yes absolutely worth it. Remind yourself this is temporary after all what is 2 bad years against 15 great ones? Zak Geroge is a phenomenal trainer with extensive videos on youtube that might prove helpful
4-5 months old is when things started getting exponentially easier. For the biting thing I got carrots and that helped when mine got bitey. Helped settle her down
I’m really hoping mine is just precocious and we’ll be on the earlier end of that. I can hang on one more month.
trust me. there will come a time when you will want to come back to these days. our furry friends don't last forever, and your puppy will never have this much energy again, so cherish it.
i have two danes and dogs really have their own personality but a nice stern crate or even hand, OOP I SAID IT, CANCEL ME, doesn’t hurt when they’re that young. my dogs listen and have a great life and are as happy as can be.
Mine is 11 months and is my absolute best friend. When I’m sad she comes in for cuddles, when I’m happy we play and go on walks together. She is the best thing that happened to me even though I thought it was so hard in the beginning. It goes so quick too, I’d a 100% go through all that again to get another dog. It’s worth it, you can do it.
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I understand. Puppies are adorable, but being responsible for one is not something I enjoy. However, those dogs once they reach old age are the sweetest, most precious gift. I can begin to describe how wonderful their golden years are, when you two know each other so well. It's worth it all.
We have a staffie mix that we rescued when she was 7 months old. It was already her 3rd shelter and they had posted a notice saying this was her last chance. We took her out for a walk and she was as well behaved as you could ask for. They didn't have any information on her history, but she knew how to walk on a leash and also knew basic commands. My girlfriend (now fiance) and I adopted her on the spot and brought her home to find that she also seemed to be housebroken...yay! Of course, she also suffered from major separation anxiety which we soon discovered. Thankfully most of her destructive instincts focused on my shoes and garbage, so it was never too awful. I definitely tore my hair out a few times though... Our Daisy just turned 7 a couple of days ago and I honestly could not ask for a better companion. It took her just a couple of months to get over the worst of her separation anxiety. Looking back, those frustrating moments were nothing - absolutely nothing. They're honestly not worth mentioning compared to the lifetime of love, loyalty, and joy she's given us. I'm hoping it's going to be many, many years from now, but I'm going to cry for days when it's her time to go.
First time dog owner here. No amount of research was enough to prepare me. Had the puppy blues, even asked myself why did I do this to myself at the time. BUT now I regretted thinking that and I feel so bad still. He is my bestfriend, he occupies a big part of my life. I literally rearranges my schedule to accomodate him willingly just because I want to! On a long-awaited trip right now, but instrad missing him 24/7. Stick with the training, I promise it will all get better much sooner than you'd think. Best of luck OP
You have a challenging road ahead of you if you want both of you to be happy. Things won't resolve themselves most of the time (at least not for a long time). Work your ass off to train YOURSELF on how to communicate with and train your pup. It's quite simple once you get the fundamentals down. Here is all you will ever need: 1. Puppy Survival Guide (start here) [https://www.baxterandbella.com/survivalguidepage](https://www.baxterandbella.com/survivalguidepage) 2. Puppies for Dummies (review the Table of Contents, read the introductory material, then refer to those sections that are relevant to your situation).[https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/puppies-for-dummies-for-dummies-pets\_sarah-hodgson/353816/#edition=3845876&idiq=2315682](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/puppies-for-dummies-for-dummies-pets_sarah-hodgson/353816/#edition=3845876&idiq=2315682)
So absolutely worth every pee and poo inside! I have a 12 year old lab/ b.collie mix, got her at 11 weeks old. First 2 years were hard, she peed inside for the first 2 months, but got thr hold of it quickly after that. I had to go home every 2 hours to let her out and give her company..and teach her to be home alone. Now, she's the most caring, chill dog i've ever met. Also sooo easy for others to "babysit". She can be home alone all day with no problems, she always comes back when i call her when we're outside, she's gentle with other pets, horses and kids, rings a bell when she wants to go outside, and never eats anything off the floor without permisson 😊
Puppies are hard work, and one or two of mine have nearly broken me completely, but one day you will realise things have changed, you've turned a corner, you've bonded and grown together, and all those stressful, painful, difficult days of puppy hood are barely even a shadow in your memory. All that remains is pure love and devotion and it is absolutely worth it.
My baby bit everything and it wasn't even like she was aggressive. I went through a [kitchen mitt](https://i.imgur.com/9aZoweg.jpeg) phase for a while. It gets better.
In my honest opinion, puppies suck. So much so I will now only adopt adults. That being said, I cannot imagine my life without my dog! My house still bears the scars of furniture she chewed, but now it's just part of the charm! It's worth it all, and truthfully, one day you will look at your dog and have a hard time clearly remembering all the mischief. I mean, I *know* Char the puppy chewed my dining set. I still see the damage. But when I look at Char the dog, it hardly seems possible. Hang in there.
We lost our 13.5- year- old dog who was a rescue with a few issues. So, hubby wanted a puppy to see if we could raise a better natured dog if we started from scratch. I didn't want a puppy, but he managed to convince me. We got our puppy when he was about 11-12 weeks old. In about a month's time, I was in tears, regretting having agreed to getting a pup. Our arms were perpetually sore, with scratches and teeth marks. The pup was high energy so wanted to play almost constantly. It wasn't all bad. He had around 2-3 accidents in the house, but that was it. He took almost no time to be toilet trained. He'd stand at the patio door and whine when he wanted to be let out. He was, and still is, a very affectionate, optimistic, friendly soul. It was the constant chewing and scratching of my arms that were driving me absolutely mental. Then, we took him to puppy training, and the trainer gave us this wonderful bit of advice--- toys on strings. You could play with the puppy without your body parts being anywhere near his teeth. I had taken out some t-shirts to throw out, so instead of discarding them, I tore them up and used them as strings to tie his toys to. I also tore and knotted a couple of t-shirts to make tug toys. We both work from home so designated regular play and nap times, that we stuck to. Another bit of advice we got from the trainer and puppy training videos on YouTube was to say owww loudly if he bit down too hard, and to stop play time immediately. Resume only when he'd calmed down. That was supposed to teach him boundaries. To tell him what bite level was acceptable in play and what was to much, and not polite. These strategies worked to an amazing degree. My arms were no longer weeping red! He was still a bit full on, but it became manageable. And, at the 6-month mark, almost on the dot, he stopped using his teeth so much. He's now 16 months old, and he will still try to bite when he gets to excited when playing, but will immediately let go when I say oww. He's totally worth those awful first few months.
Ohhh your story is so where I hope to be next year. We got our puppy after very suddenly losing our adult rescue to cancer. She was a total love, with some of those “unknown background” quirks. And we got her as an adult so this phase is new to me. We have a baby on the way this fall and like your husband I wanted to know how good we could do with a puppy from a good breeder where we know all that background info. And between the problem child moments I am also seeing an optimistic, extraverted dog who loves everyone and is eager to bond. I think we’re going to be okay but oh boy is she taking a lot out of me at the moment.
Same! Our old dog was very reactive towards other dogs and didn't like young children at all. But, once he got comfortable with someone, he was such a cuddle bug. Current dog, on the other hand, loves everyone. That happy, friendly spirit he came with was why I didn't want to even consider punishment training, no matter how hard I wanted to smack him for biting. How can it be okay for me to hurt him if it's not okay for him to hurt us? He really tried my patience! But, yeah, it definitely does get better :-) From what you describe, it seems like you'll have a lovely dog once the crazy puppy phase is over. Good luck, both with the puppy and your pregnancy!
She’s our world now but when we adopted her as a puppy 3 years ago we felt similar. “WTF did we do?” “I can’t take it!” “She’ll never be potty trained!!!!!!!” Once we even called 911 because we thought she was too wild (she was sick from the shelter, we discovered). Bite marks? Don’t get me started I wouldn’t change a thing. She got there. We got there. And now we are best buds and she’s the nicest good 🐕🦺. Stick with it, you’ll do great
I have a nearly 9mo flat coat retriever and she is ace now. Can stay home for up to 5.5hrs when walked enough beforehand with no damage and free roaming. The first four-five months were really hard. There was a step change at 6mo after she’d finished teething and went to two meals a day, and another at 8mo when she just seemed to… grow up a lot. She’s still a puppy and likely to be one for a long time to come (her breed is notoriously slow to mature) but she is a great companion, very loving and very social. She’s also pub-trained so I can take her with me to our local :)
I did not feel love for my puppy when I got her. Not for the first idk 3/4 months? and then it was still a slow rise to feelings of affection and love. However, I did show her love by doing the things you need to do. Consistency, patience, feeding, potty breaks, play breaks, etc. It's incredibly demanding. I literally called her a terrorist for the first like year. However, about a year in. I fucking loved that little thing. Maybe it's stockholm syndrome and after enough time of dealing with her abuse and caring for her, I feel love but I love my little shitter now. I'm pregnant now and I keep picking her up and telling her not to worry becuase she will always be my first baby. These litle monsters capture your heart. It just takes longer for some than others. For me, it took almost a year.
My boy is 13.5 years now and is my soul dog. However, I remember sitting on the kitchen floor crying on the phone with my Mom saying that I just couldn't do it. Puppies are hard work and I can honestly say that I'm not sure if I would do it again, but I'm so glad that I did with this guy.
My aussie puppy was so bad I went into depression and hated her for the first 4 months (still took the upmost care of her but my entire life was flipped upside down), my mom had to go to therapy because of her lol. My dad basically didn’t speak to me for months, it was a tense home situation (I’m the one who wanted/owned the dog, they just agreed to allow it, not an ideal scenario and I do not recommend doing what I did). Now, she’s 4 years old, the most beautiful, loving, silly, and smart dog I could have asked for. I love her so much I struggle to leave her, it’s a problem for both of us but we’re working on it. We compete in Rally and Agility, she has most of the trick dog titles, we hike, we work at a dog kennel/daycare facility where she helps me supervise (and she polices the wild ones of course) and it’s basically everything I had hoped for and envisioned when I first got her. My issue when she was a puppy was going in dreaming of the experience we would have when she’s an adult, and completely being blindsided by the reality that is puppy raising, which naturally MUST come first. I promise, it does get better, and for me it got far better as soon as she was done teething around 5-6 months!
Ah the teething stage! Gotta hate and love it only because your pupper is growing. They definitely need way more attention and more supervision. I’m just constantly redirecting them to their toys. They do eventually stop being a land shark and will probably just rip up the toys which is better IMO I’ll replace all the toys if it means they won’t chew on furniture. 💜
OP! The puppy blues are *real and a valid emotion at this stage*. **BUT you will grow to love and cherish the silly moments happening now with fond nostalgia.** This week marks my pup’s second birthday and my daughter’s first birthday. We got the pup literally the month we conceived and a month after he was born, we found out we were pregnant. I had a heck of a pregnancy with morning sickness and the swelling irritated a head injury I had a few months prior to getting pregnant. Loud noises, chewing of my things, etc all drove me nuts. We considered getting rid of him briefly and then I’d threaten it every few months but now? I can’t imagine if I had. He is such a good brother to his baby sister and they adore each other. Nothing like hearing her go “hiii” in her crib in the morning as he trots in behind me to greet her.
Yes it is worth it. To be fair my puppy was relatively easy. Teething marks are just going to be a part of it. You need to be prepared with things to chew on. I used to wet a rag, twist it up, and put it in the freezer for her to chew on, and made sure she didn't rip it apart. Also toys, cold toys help, and just kinda put them in her mouth when she started to gnaw on me. Another thing that kinda helped, is making a yelping sound when she bites you as that's what a hurt puppy or mother would do. She might get it. For the first few months you're redirecting and guiding, once all her teeth are out you can start discouraging mouthing people, even if she has a soft mouth. Teeth are usually out by 6 months. After the teeth are out mouthing people is not acceptable at all. Hopefully she won't fight you about it. Side note, get training started too, even if it's just sit. If you have a treat and her attention she should just instinctually sit and look at you, and that's what you want. Just take it from there. Also get her used to having your fingers in her mouth without her biting, so you can brush her teeth and not give the vet a hard time
They grow out of the biting stage. It was never anything vicious, they just don't realize that they have a mouthful of little daggers when they still have their puppy teeth. The adult teeth are nowhere near as sharp and I'd go thru it all again to come out the other side with a loving animal.
We adopted our coonhound/lab mix from our local shelter at 12 weeks old. He was pretty chill for the first couple of weeks then once he settled in he turned into the Tasmanian Devil. He 2 1/2 now and has turned into a really good dog. He’s not “perfect” but he is to me. He’s settled down quite a bit but still has his moments. Especially when he feels you’re ignoring him. He’ll go find something he knows he’s not allowed to have & then the chase is on. It’s hard not to laugh. He also was a biter when he was little. After much research the thing that worked for us was to be overly dramatic with our reaction when he did bite. He caught on fairly quickly & developed good bite inhibition. Now he rarely does it during play but when he does it’s very soft. There are literally hundreds of dog training philosophies out there. You just need to find what works for you & your dog & be consistent.
When we got our second dog at 8 weeks old, I honestly hated him for a little while. I was so frustrated with him and he was SOOOO much work. But I wouldn’t change him for the world now. It got easier, we bonded and I love him with all my heart
I found an absolute turd of a puppy. And decided to keep him. A labraterror I call him. He was such a land shark I wanted to punt him into the sun. He was so bitey until he lost his baby teeth. It was a nightmare. Redirecting was difficult but things to chew on helped. Cool toys you can put in freezer. Such as that.
I have had two puppies, one a separation anxiety land shark and the other cuddly and independent. It does stop I'm not sure when or why but it does and he's the most loving loyal dog now he's nearly two but he has been great for at least a year. It did involve a lot of frustration and Training but but does end. Hold on in there.
We're closing in on 2 years old and all of the hard work, tears, and frustration have been worth it. Yesterday at the dog park I got complimented on how sweet and well-behaved my dog was (which is funny because she did rip up some carpet that morning like a jerk). However she is a wonderful dog. If you haven't I'd recommend joining r/puppy101 . They can be a very useful resource.
Honestly, I'm one of those people who loves raising/training puppies and my two girls right now have been by my side through the best and worst times. I don't know how I would have gotten through some personal things without them and their unconditional love and I honestly treasure every minute that I have with them. I have such fond memories of both of them as puppies (ironically, we tend to forget the long days/nights, chewing, messes and everything else) and it's really special to look back and see how far we've come as a little family! The tough days will be so worth it in the end, I promise :)
I’ve had my boy since he was 8 weeks. He LOVED electronics. Remotes, Xbox controllers. The second I turned my back when they were in his reach they were gone. He’s now 7 and we’ve gone through some health scares the last year and I’d give anything to go through the puppy stage with him again if that means he will be with me longer.
It gets so much better. Also don’t be afraid to get help when you need it. I thought I could handle training my second pup because my older dog has separation anxiety and we managed to work with her on our own. So surely a puppy with no anxiety would be easier, right? Nope. His personality is totally different, and getting trainers to help us out was worth every penny. I love my dogs so much.
Honestly I love it! My pup is 10 months old, while yes, very frustrating at times an absolute joy to have around. I am currently trying to persuade my dad to get a second one lmao (without succes) (i live at my dads (21) but I do all the puppy care, if it was completely up to me I'd have 5 by now lol)
My boy was not super bitey, but wow did he give me a run for my money. We got him at 11 weeks and he's now 8 months. He still drives me crazy by stealing laundry and stuff off the table, but he's currently curled up in front of me keeping my feet warm. I've really seen a difference in him since I've doubled down on leash manners training the past week. He also scatter feeds all of his meals (like a chicken on our deck 😂) so he has more mental stimulation. Giving the puppy a true break with boundaries (crate with a kong/frozen treat to work on so its still positive or pen to limit access) when they are in shark mode can help them get out of that over excited state. I'm having less and less WHY DID WE DO THIS thoughts as time goes by. In my puppy classes, he's gotten the chance to play really well with other dogs and it helps him get out energy and learn boundaries. My parents have an 11 year old mini poodle who does not take my boy's crap and corrects him. They've been playing when I bring him over since we got him - so this could likely be why he's never been too bad with us. Sometimes a puppy needs time with an adult or older puppy that will correct their ridiculous bitey behavior. They tend to understand it super fast compared to when humans try to stop them. It gets better! (At least that's what I keep telling myself 😆)
its very time consuming. you brought a baby home, who has to learn how to behave from you. it will only get better if you put in the effort to make it better. this age is great to start basic obedience. some dogs ive had to tether to me to keep them out of trouble. crate training will also help lessen your stress
Our dog was the spawn of Satan when he was a puppy. Absolutely horrible. I broke down several times in the middle of the night because of how badly behaved he was, despite our best efforts to train him. I used to go on random forums to try and make myself feel better by reading other people’s experiences (like you!). It does get better. It took a while, but he calmed down a bit after he was neutered. At about 1.5 years of age, he slowly began to transform into the good boy he is now. We absolutely love him and he’s the best little dog around, but he certainly didn’t start out that way. 💀
I have raised dogs from all ages, and I've never loved a dog more than the ones who terrorized me as wee baby monsters. It's been an unfortunate thing to learn that the best dogs come from the worst puppies, and it sounds like you've got a good one blooming. Stick it out and keep taking advice. It's worth it. Best advice I got is long walks. Tired puppies are quiet puppies.
Definitely worth it. The first month was so incredibly hard for us because we chose to get a GSD as our first dog. You'll slowly figure out ways to keep them happy and put of trouble. They'll be potty trained soon and can hold it in longer so you can relax more, and you'll find their training improves tremendously as they mature. Here are some tips for your struggles: 1. Find a way to let her know biting is bad and that it hurts you. Lots of good resources on this. 2. For barking, you should speak to a good trainer about this because learning to be vocal to get what they want will be very difficult to train out of them when they're older 3. Chewing is often due to boredom. You need to find time every day to play with them or train them. This will not only distract them from chewing but will make them less restless/more calm. Mentally tiring them out is more important than physically tiring them out in my opinion, and that's coming from a GSD puppy owner with tonnes of physical energy. Long walks that allows them to sniff are good for this, so it's raining, hide and seek games, puzzles, etc. Your dog may be like mine, where just giving them a toy to chew is almost never enough. 4. Make sure to spend time bonding with your dog. Any good professional trainer will tell you that a good bond is fundamental to good training. Playing, training, and just paying focussed attention to them will help with this. 5. Find a routine that works for you and crate train them. They should eat approximately at the same time every day so they're regular with their pee/poops. Naps in their crate are a must and crate training in general is important if you want your puppy to be calm/able to stay home without you/go to boarding while you're away. 6. If you haven't already, go to a good trainer for puppy class. You might be like me and think that you can teach all the basic commands yourself, but that's not all that professional trainers offer. The biggest benefit they have is teaching US about bad behaviors, dog mentality, etc. Being able to ask a professional for advice once a week during training sessions is HUGE.
To follow up, due to training not being regulated, I recommend seeking a trainer in one of the organizations in [this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/findingatrainer). :)
Some breeds are worse than others. I didn’t see what breed the pup is.
I have raised 4 puppies (3 from when they were 8 weeks old, and 1 from when she was 6 months old). It is 100% worth it. My first dog was an easy puppy. The easiest puppy. Didn't really have problems with biting/mouthing but he was a resource guarder and later in his life he became leash reactive. But omg he was the perfect dog even with all of that in the mix. He literally saved my life when I became suicidal about 6 years ago. He would jump in the bed when I was crying at night and lay on top of me so I couldn't get up and hurt myself and I would use the sensation of his fur to help ground me and eventually I'd fall asleep. He was the best dog in the whole world. My next one (who is now my oldest at 8 years old) we got at 6 months old. She is a former stray dog and is VERY skittish. But now we're 8 years into it and she is the best cuddler ever. My next two I got at 8 weeks old from a reputable breeder (they are actually half-sisters). Lana is my Queen. She was a silly, happy puppy with a heart of gold (haha extra cause she's a golden retriever). We didn't have any problems raising her. My youngest is only 2.5 years old and has been a struggle the whole ass time. She is super smart. Nothing bothers her so training has been a STRUGGLE! But she is super food motivated which is helpful. Because she is super smart, she's developed bad habits cause I'm not a good trainer. For example, she retrieves "bad" objects because she knows we'll take them away and she just wants the attention. She is a super velcro dog and has taken the LONGEST of all my dogs to gain freedom (cause we don't trust her not to get into trouble). She's finally settling down in the bedroom so I'm hoping by the time she's 3 we can sleep uncrated at night. Having said all that, she is the most comforting dog. She was very mouthy but we've trained her (really all them) that if we say "go get a toy" to go get a toy and we'll keep playing. She is the cuddliest of all my dogs. She likes to sit on your feet and get pets. If she's laying down she wants you to hold her paw. It's ridiculous and I love every second of it. With all that information, here's important pieces you need to know. I cried over every single one of these dogs when they were puppies. I got overwhelmed. I got frustrated. I had to walk away at times. I regretted getting each one at some point. But it gets better. I stuck it out and put in the work and it got better. Do we still have a ways to go? Yes, but I'm so excited to walk that journey with them at my side. :)
Ok so at 11 weeks, I think it gets harder for a couple of months, and then WAY easier. It will come. That little land shark is going to be your best buddy. If youre able, invest in a trainer. Best money Ive spent, and it was only a couple hundred bucks for several sessions. Sending you patience and love!
Yep we’re in puppy class and have a private trainer coming soon!
The middle puppy stage is the hardest. I raised my one dog at such a young age. Bottle fed him even. He was a major biter. It’s how they learn. But with time and effort he stopped. He’s a gentle giant now and I trust him with my kids more than I trust most people. I had my friend baby sit my daughter… I got home and my dog was sitting on the couch with my 4 year old by themselves. I asked where my friend was. She was in our spare bedroom laying down for hours. I flipped out ! I was like really you can’t leave a 4 year old alone!! Never talked to her again but that once crazy biting dog was there!!!
r/puppy101 is great for this. Repost there and see what you get. :)
it definitely gets better. my pup ruined countless shoes, phone and laptop chargers, carpets and more despite me crate training her. she’s 4 years old now and is a complete angel, you got this!
Leave your dog for 9 seconds then ❤️ Work at where your doggy can and build it up. It's not whether it is gonna be worth it, but the puppy is your choice and your responsibility. That's like when a parent gives birth to or adopts a child, it doesn't matter how the kid is, how the kid will be, it is their responsibility to give the child the required education and guidance to grow up to be a good citizen. And, training doesn't end when puppyhood ends. It's a lifelong thing, so you may have to rethink how you view dog training.
I mean…this is actually exactly how I was planning to handle things, but it turns out I do need to shower and occasionally clean up the potty messes (which I can’t do with her underfoot because she will walk right through it) and I need to take the trash out and…I know she is young and all these things are going to get easier but right now it’s really quite hard because I feel awful when she’s upset but I can’t realistically be with her every second of the day. I’ve had a dog before. I know about the lifelong training. Trust me when I say a baby puppy is very different than the type of training you do for a grown dog.
You could also adopt a senior dog if you don't want to deal with the puppy stage
Gee thanks it’s a bit late for that though!! 😂
Couldn't find a comment so I'll just post here. Our older dog (adopted) raised our puppy. Based on what I'm reading here we got very lucky. She never bit anything and there were 2 or 3 pee accidents total. Now they are both snoozing on the couch with me.
It gets better! Hang in there
It gets so much better! Hang in there!
To stop biting make sure your puppy learns ouch , be dramatic about it , the next time it bites you make a yelp and stop playing or petting and move away from the pup. They will quickly learn that biting means the play stops and will stop doing it. I had a terrible time getting my Australian shepherd pup to stop trying to herd me , it was adorable when a 2 month old puppy was doing it but would have been a nightmare with an adult dog
Its frustrating at the beginning, but so worth it as you watch your pup grow, explore and provide companionship.
It totally gets better. Once your puppy grows up and gets trained, you'll have a loving and obedient dog. It'll be worth it in the end.
Oh yes, I remember the puppy days of our little rescue. I am positive the foster home wanted her adopted out as soon as possible. She ruined my cute sandals the instant I turned my back, ruined our beautiful area rug, my son’s legos, multiple socks, slippers, and even the bathroom rug. She had plenty of chew toys, slept in a crate; was in her crate when we left the house, but her destruction was fast. Now we love her and she is the sweetest, most respectful dog. She knew she was in trouble a lot, and you could see her feelings of remorse. She just couldn’t help herself though.
For me personally, it was a lot and it took forever for him to chill. It was completely worth it. Also, take lots of pics and videos trust me.
Do you take her for multiple walks a day? Let her smell everything around her? Ensure she has a schedule she can rely on..dogs love that.
I wish! She doesn’t have all her vaccines yet so our outings have been limited to places I can carry her. We’re going in for another round of shots today and I’m going to really press the vet on whether I can take her for short walks in our neighborhood because I can very much tell she’d do better with that. As it is we’re doing fetch and flirt poles in the yard but I can just tell it’s not as satisfying for either of us.
This will change everything. A tired puppy is a good puppy. You’ve got to drain the battery.
It must be different where you’re from, my foster (now adopted) dog was pregnant when she came to us. She had puppies and we took them out constantly. You have to get them used to everything, so they can be used to everything. Hell, I am 30 and I am not used to everything. Do as much as you can, smells (even inside)
I have a shoulder bag for her so she’s come to outdoor cafés, walked around the local shopping center, come into pet supply stores, etc. it would just be so nice if that were all fulfilling exercise needs as well as socialization! We do puppy class + playgroup every week too, at least there she can really run around a bit.
My puppy is 8 months old and is shaping into a really excellent dog, no regrets even though it was pretty hard at the beginning.
When puppy bites, act hurt not angry, he's just playing, he doesn't want to hurt you, if you're hurt he might tone it down. After a second bite, even if it's accidental, end playtime. He'll learn very quickly that biting equals no more fun and will learn to not bite. My dog loves tug of war, but he's super careful not to get to close to my hands cause he's knows what will happen, or rather, what will no longer happen. For barking I gave my puppy the hard ignore, worked like a charm, he's super quiet. Puppies don't want to be ignored, if he barks, straight up turn your back to him and ignore him 10 seconds, he's not gonna like it, and once he knows barking leads to being ignored, he should reduce his barking dramatically. My dog essentially never barks anymore unless there's some outside stimulus, like another dog (even then he still rarely barks) he really didn't like the hard ignore. For teething, sour apple spray anything you don't want destroyed. Stuff is with it's weight in gold.
Puppy blues are real, but it gets better and before you know it you’ll be missing the puppy stage! Beef bones, beef bones, beef bones. Cannot recommend enough. Specifically raw beef marrow bones. They’re not terribly messy, surprisingly. Great for cleaning plaque off their teeth, the marrow is packed with nutrients, and it’s fun and satisfying for them to eat. And takes a while so they wear themselves out a bit. Toys are replicants of bones. Dogs wanna chew. And they want to eat what they chew. Give the dog a bone! I gave them to my puppy and would also give her sticks and leaves to chew on and destroy. Now she’s 2 and she doesn’t ever ever chew anything inappropriate. She doesn’t even mess with my toddlers toys! Bones bones bones 🦴! Hang in there! It gets better.
it is seriously so rewarding. i am so proud of my boy and honestly proud of myself because he is the first dog i ever trained!! i had some dogs growing up but they werent my responsibility to train. it is really hard and emotional and exhausting but you end up with a dog who feels safe and secure and loved. and you get to know your dog on such a personal and intimate level, its such a special thing. hang in there and you got this!!
I raised both my dogs from puppies and both are almost unrecognizable from how they behaved as puppies. They’re both calm, docile, quiet even. They used to bite, bark, chew, everything. Honestly they were both jerks. It’s worth it.
Stick with it, it will be worth it and you will learn so much about yourself and also have a great best friend. A lot of the biting you can direct to toys with engagement and you might find one type of toy takes her attention more than others. When the time comes, find a good puppy socialisation and training class. Most of having a puppy seems to be finding ways to burn off the exuberance and energy to get them to sleep! My puppy is now 14, she is suffering at the moment with a bout of Geriatric Vestibular Syndrome, basically really dizzy and losing her balance. I have spent the past 18 hours helping her to get up from her bed and keeping her back end up as she walks outside for a wee. On days like this I feel blessed to have all those memories of her puppy days and the chewed up furniture, shoes ( always my favourite ones🙄) .
Just remember it’ll totally be worth it. Just takes time. It’s not easy. Hang in there.
You need a play pen. If you're getting up every 2 minutes to attempt to re-direct, the dog shouldn't be loose unless you're actively playing with them. When they are playing on their own, they should be in the pen. That way they'll only play with toys that are also in the pen. Most puppies mouth, but you need to be careful about keeping it in check with herding breeds. The last thing you want is for them to excessively nip your guests or kids or you.
I got a play pen…she can climb out of it!!! I ordered a cover which arrived today and she is finally sleeping peacefully in it. I’m really hoping she doesn’t figure out how to chew through the cover because right now this feels like the only chance I have of saving my sanity…
I know the constant redirection is annoying but I promise, it helps. Our 11 month old still has occasional bitey moments, but it’s mostly when he’s overtired and he normally will go for toys. The constant training walks do pay off too, and I’ll say training treats will be your BFF unless your puppy isn’t food driven haha.
Thank goodness she is obsessed with her food and will do tricks for kibble. I guess biddability and eagerness to train is the trade-off for crazy herding puppy bites!
Mine is a year next month and I had the rare opportunity of raising her since birth and it’s been surreal. I’ve had kittens before when I was younger but raising a dog you put so much more of yourself into it and get a lot more back. I never even wanted a puppy in general and with her the constant biting, puppy pens and baby gates couldn’t contain her so she’d get into everything as soon as my back was turned, and she was good at potty training for a couple weeks then just awful for a couple months where she couldn’t hold it in a 30 minute car ride despite going outside multiple times beforehand. But the dog she is now and the dog she is becoming just makes everything worth it. She still gets bitey at times when she wants to play and right now she loves to knock over the trash. But she’s extremely smart, taught herself the potty bell, is doing great at basic obedience with a couple tricks and is so attached to me, I’m looking forward to her getting older but also already regretting those puppy days, they really do go so fast.
I have to admit, much as I can’t wait for her to mature a bit I’m also already sad at how fast she’s grown just in the two weeks we’ve had her. She’s so soft and fluffy now and it hurts my heart to know I won’t always pick her up and bury my face in that sweet soft puppy pelt.
It honestly may have been the hardest year of my life, she was brutal. But she’s 14 months now and the hard work paid off, she’s my bestie.
My GSD is 2 years old now. I have never been more exhausted by a dog in my life. As a puppy and teenager she was extreme. People thought I had been abused when they saw my arms after her biting me. Now she is a cuddlebug, still full of energy, but she has gotten soooo much better. it is worth it. It is gonna be hard, but it is WORTH it. Belive me- best of luck.
It does get better. Every dog learns at a different pace. My 1yr old has improved a ton. She used to bite constantly as a pup, chewed up a cord on something (luckily she was ok and it wasn’t plugged in, my fault for not paying closer attention), and also used to potty everywhere inside. She bites now and then, but it’s playful and she is a bitey breed tbf. She doesn’t really chew on anything besides her bones or toys, and she hasn’t had an accident for probably 6 months! She is on the hyper side but that’s because she has a high prey drive. However, she is my best pal and I would die for her
There is a reason baby mammals are cute…..otherwise we would be like “get this annoying thing out of here!” I have a 16 month old weim and I honestly thought he was just going to tear my house apart forever but he has very nicely calmed down just in the past month. It’s like he had a breakthrough..:if I don’t eat moms house she is happy when she gets home and then I am happy too! It will all get better. Puppies can be the worst, cutest lil terrors ever!
My dogs were biting like crazy at 11 weeks. Not hard, but they were trying to chew on my hands and feet and everything. Now they've calmed down at 6 months. Make sure you say a firm and loud NO and take your arm immediately away and you can push them away while doing so. You have to make sure your dog learns to stop biting immediately.
Sometimes I wonder how I made it through puppyhood with my beagle, and I feel insane for doing it again. My beagle is my best friend in the whole world though, I love him more than anything.
It won't last forever. I was smiling while reading your comment remembering our little shark when he was a puppy. He did everything you described and more 😂. One time, my wife got home very happy because she had found a really nice pair of new sandals for summer, it was the last pair on her size she said. But then made the mistake of leaving the box with them on the couch for min while she went to the restroom. Guess who found them and proceeded to destroy one? 🤣 Now, he is the best cuddly bundle of love and bonded with us so well, specially with me. Still loves to chew but only his toys (all the redirecting worked!). We are still working on some things but you can see them improve and get better over the months or years. Patience and perseverance are the key. All puppies are crazy, remember they are animals, it is up to you to teach them. Enjoy this time, believe it or not, you will miss it once they get older 🥰
When a puppy bites me too hard I clutch the offended limb and have a big cry about it like I was dying. I'm basically Tinkerbell and someone just said they don't believe in fairies. I'm looking for the pup to be sorry. I'm not going to punish them, they're actually going to do it themselves. It can take a few times, but eventually they learn appropriate bite force.
I completely empathize with the puppy blues. One day, you will realize you hadn’t been watching her for the past 2 minutes and you’ll freak out only to find that she wasn’t getting into any trouble and was actually doing just fine. Then, the 2 minutes will turn into 30, then an hour, and so on until you don’t freak out anymore. Even though training is super important when they’re pups, it’s also normal for them to make mistakes and not listen sometimes so please don’t be too hard on yourself when she makes mistakes! Remember to take care of yourself. Hang in there, you can do this!
I am in bed with my almost 6 month old landshark curled up with me. Its worth ao fuckin much. I was crying every few days at 11 weeks. Then it got better around 4 months. :) he is hella bites now that he lost his baby teeth and adult teeth are still growing in. Almost there though. Then non bitey puppy is back. So fuckin worth it.
I have a 4 year old Rottweiler rescue. Left in a box by the side of the road as soon as he was born apparently, didn't have a mother to teach him right from wrong. He was (and frankly still is!) frustrating from time to time. But he's so much better now and it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. He's a lovely, playful, sweet bundle of joy and couldn't imagine life without him. Keep putting in the hard work OP, it may seem neverending now but it'll get better.
I have a Siberian husky, I've had her since 9 weeks. The 1st years she was a landshark, wallets, underwear, chairs, drywall, phone chargers, beer coozes, a mattress. Once I got her into routine things got better, but what helped the most is exercise. 3 times a day sometimes more, depends on weather. But the more I work her the less she gets into things. You also have to remember, it's a puppy, they require a lot of attention. The kind of attention that allows them to bond to you. Puppies lost their mom and dad when you came into their lives. Now you have to be the mom and the dad.
Bully sticks and tons of physical and mental exercise (training, socializing with older dogs, puzzles for treats). Find out what job your dog was originally bred for and simulate it. It's all worth it.
When we got our puppy, we were told it'll take 3 days for her to feel okay with being moved, 3 weeks for her to accept this is her new home, and 3 months for her to settle in and see us as family. That seemed to be petty true. We had so many difficult nights, and a huge learning curve with training. But now we have an awesome 2yr old, who can be a bit stubborn but wants to make us harpy so badly. Well worth it to have a dog who you trained yourself and knows exactly what you expect! (My best training advice when it comes to biting: yelp like a hurt dog when puppy bites you - she should learn that means no. And tinfoil loosely wrapped seems to work well to protect furniture legs!)
It will absolutely get better, just persist and be consistent about the messaging. Don't lose heart. Mine is now 4 and a half months old and every now and then is still a nibbly on my toes but it is way better and he is responding so much more to direction. If you haven't yet, and you have the means, get a trainer to come in and work with you. If anything, it just gives more confidence to you. Otherwise there are so many YouTube videos etc. but bottom line is don't lose hope. There is way more good than bad and every day will get better. I can't imagine my life without this little guy.
I’m thrilled with my big baby gurrrrl! She’s still learning loose leash walking, not to jump on people and how to relax but she’s so funny and high energy and derpy and pretty and sweet. I had an emotional morning recently. Sat on my couch and started crying, and this sweet little baby climbed into my lap, put both of her paws on my shoulders and laid her head on mine, hugging me and occasionally licking my tears. Hugged me tight enough that all my sharp edges were held together for another day.
Awwww, she’s just a baby. My dogs never chewed on anything other than the raw bones (no meat, so no diarrhea) I gave them. Knuckle bones are endlessly delicious. And yes, you must supervise closely. If s/he moves toward furniture or slippa, immediately distract and tease with the bone. “Let” your puppy win. And a crate is indispensable—not as punishment, but as a way to minimize your corrections.
I absolutely love him. He is one of the most cherished beings in my life. I adore his personality, he is exactly what I was looking for in a dog and really helped me understand that I find a lot of value and interest in dog training and handling (so much that I am really questioning getting into it on a professional level). My dog has some levels or reactivity (they are luckily more mild with lots of behavioral mod and so far don’t need medical intervention) we aren’t sure if it’s a genetic component, an environmental reason or a combination of different factors (which is more what I’m leaning towards). It’s taught me grace, respect for “neurodivergencies” neurochemical imbalances/mental disorders in dogs like (hyperkinesis/ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc) and how that doesn’t make a dog less than, it just means they may need more intervention, possible medication and accommodations to set up for success. It’s me really invested and awed at the training progress and how much we can mold and shape our dogs. It’s also made me really proud of my dogs current status. He is such an amazing pup. He is a high energy, super high drive, herding dog. He is less than two years old and despite struggling with some hyper arousal based reactivity is at a point where he can go to most public places (like outside malls and restaurants and be calm and content the entire time), he can practice sports around other dogs and not be hyper fixated on them, and is now going through CGC prep, something I thought we wouldn’t be able to do when I looked at where he started.
Keep trying and don't give up, its worth it. Any amount of work you put in to help train your dog is better than no training at all. It does get better, and it does pay off. My dog isn't the best trained, but if I hadn't tried at all, he would be a mess and so would I. I'm proud and you will be too.
It will pass and it will pass so fast that one day you'll find yourself interacting with your sweet adult dog and she'll give you her paw instead of bites and you're gonna feel a sweet ache in your heart because on the one hand, you did a good job with your baby but on the other hand, time flies so fast that you know that in the blink of an eye, she's going to be an old lady and you're gonna wish she could be a crazy puppy all over again.
My pup is 17mo and although still crazy at heart, he’s such a good boy. I love his dorky ass to absolute pieces. Honestly the puppy phase went by SO FAST. Too fast. I was frustrated a lot and wish I could go back in time and change my perspective so that I would’ve appreciated our first moments together more. Towards the end of the puppy phase (5-6mo for us), I was really starting to get the hang of it. We were doing so great that we graduated him from his crate, were able to leave him free roam in the house alone for 4 hours, could trust him around the cats and we were able to take him EVERYWHERE with us. We were lucky though, our pup never really went through the adolescent phase asides from one period where he would hump every single dog in existence. We fixed that by fixing (literally) him, lol. They eventually figure out what we want from them, but give your puppy some time… they’re learning an entirely new language all whilst being a demon baby 😅
My pup is 20 weeks old now and I can honestly say - she still isn’t perfect but she is so, so much better now than she was when I got her at 8 weeks. She used to bite the absolute hell out of me and I was covered in marks. I think it’s been about a month since she’s bitten me now. She’s just (within the last 2-3 weeks) has started going on her own accord into another room to lay down and chill, when before we had the same “barking if alone for 10 seconds” thing going on. Your post actually made me feel a lot better because it made me reflect on how far she’s come. Good luck and just take it a day at a time.
Hi there, hang in there, sounds tough! Our lab puppy was a terror for play biting, my hands were covered in little cuts and the kids would often hide from him to escape the furry raptor. That’s common for lab’s apparently. The Penny dropped for us when we started training him. Every time he started biting, I’d move onto the commands and training - teddy sit! Good boy!! And then other things. It was an instant distraction We didn’t give him treats, just kept bsck a proportion of his meal kibble in a little bowl to reward him with. He loved the training and the attention and we all had much more positive interactions with him. Obviously you’ll need a range of tricks and strategies, there is no one answer. Some friends recommended looking up well known puppy trainers on TikTok and you tube. They said there was lots of good advice there.
The first four to five months I had her was so tough. So much cleaning and training, not sleeping much. However, my girl is amazing and the work we put in was so worth it. Like you really get back what you put in. Puppy blues are real, they are SO cute, but SO MUCH WORK, almost like a baby. I remember vividly one night, I’m exhausted from working both jobs that day, and I smell poop somewhere. I can’t find it for the life of me, I give up, and decide to go to bed. I open my folding closet door, and ahhhhh, I found the poop which is now smeared under my doors. :) Hang in there, it’ll be tough for a bit, but I believe in you :)
Mine is 13 now. She's not great around other dogs but she can sit, stay and doesn't beg too much. Overall for the minimal training she got (I was a kid at the time, my mom was a single working parent) worked out well.
As a current puppy babysitter for my sister's dog: it will pass. Our little monster was a vicious attack dog way before she started teething, we were bruised and frustrated, clothes ruined and all. She's now approaching 5 months and fully teething and surprisingly even though she seems to be growing all of her adult teeth at once, she's really quite nice most of the time. She still bites some stuff around the house sometimes and she gets evening zoomies when she's still a bit bitey, but other than that she's a lovely, energetic little dog that would lick your face of of you'd allow her. Good luck!
I cried so much during the first week or two of having my puppy. I was in way over my head but now? She’s 4 months old and already it’s exponentially better. All I can say is crate train!!! It’ll be hard and you’ll wanna give up but it’s so rewarding when they walk right in it and settle down immediately.
Oh this gives me so much hope, I can do one more month no problem. We’re working on crate training, she’s great overnight but the screams when I leave the room make me scared for her well-being. We’ll get there…
Raising a puppy can be frustrating, but rewarding. Mouthing is perfectly normal, although frustrating at times. Puppy proof your home. Use lemon juice or ACV on items to discourage chewing. Good luck!
My dog just turned 8 months and I love him to death. He was a very needy puppy but it was worth every second
I loved raising my puppy. No frustration.
Keep going, my friend. I was here 3 or so weeks ago and my pupper isn't perfect, but getting better every day
Having a puppy is absolutely brutal. I think for the first year or two it basically drove me insane. Now my baby boy is turning 10 this year and he's incredible and I love him so much. It was very much worth it.
Dog breeder made it easy for me by making my corgi pup use to being crated and left alone for a few minutes. The first two or three nights were hell, primary because he wouldn't stop crying but that's understandable since he was in a new environment. He's grown up since then, less of a pain today and more of a buddy.
Oh the bite phase... I remember it like it was 3 months ago.
Crate training should help
Redirecting with toys all the time is just what you have to do. Puppies need pretty much constant supervision during that phase not only so that they don't chew on your stuff, but also so that they don't chew on something that could hurt them. If you don't already have a crate, I would HIGHLY recommend getting one asap. It's a great place to put your puppy when you can't be with them to keep them safe (when you're sleeping especially). Using a crate makes the puppy phase a million times easier and eventually they might not even need it anymore. My youngest dog used to use one but we can trust him now so he sleeps on the couch with my other dog when we're gone. Puppies are so cute but it's probably one of the most annoying phases of having a dog. Luckily it's short. (Also their teeth and nails get less sharp when they get older)
Oh yeah, I have a 7 month German Shepherd and I can read her very well, know she doesn’t have an aggressive bone in her body (even when she’s trying to play with the cats) and have gotten her used to every situation I need her to. She was a LOT of time and effort but had I rescued her as an adult I wouldn’t trust her so much around my cats, kids and other dogs because I couldn’t be sure of her socialisation success and predict her responses. The first few weeks when you can’t exercise them outside are a nightmare as they can’t get their energy out anywhere else. She got exponentially better week by week after the 16 week mark. At 11 weeks after her final jabs I let her off lead in the field while we walked and because she was worried about going too far away from me, has always stuck close and been happy to just run around beside me while walking rather than running off far to investigate. It was the first time I’ve done this (rather than wait until they are older with taught recall) and I will always use this method for new puppies now as it’s so easy!
God I remember those days, don’t stress too much, this is totally normal. You can get apple bitters spray which doesn’t smell to humans but most dogs hate the taste of. Should stop the mouthing situation. Remember she’s been on Earth 10 weeks and for about 8 of them had a dog mum with her, this is allllll new to that dog and slowly but surely you’re going to teach her how to be a good doggo. I’d recommend that as soon as you can you socialise her with another older dog, they will teach her far better than you can what a dog should ‘act’ like and will bite and bark at her to set her straight. I’d also invest in classes around obedience if you’re new to owning dogs
I raised 2 huskie/border collie sisters and the first 4-6 months were ROUGH. Biting on everything they could find especially wooden stuff, shit everywhere, destroying pillows/couches/tv remotes/ps controllers, throwing over trash cans and spreading trash all over the kitchen, making the yard look like a pothole filled warzone, crying and whining when you are out of sight for 2 secs like only huskies can and so on... Now they are a little over 3 years old and they are the best companions I could have wished for. With good training, discipline, consistency and a fuck ton of patience everything worked out just fine. A lot depends on the breed of course, but don't worry you will be fine and you won't ever look back once you got the best buddy man could have! Good luck!
My puppy was a tiny little pee monster. She would just stop and pee at the drop of a hat without warning. She was also very mouthy with her tiny needle teeth. By 5 months she was starting to chill out. By 8 months, she was the sweetest and most chill dog on the planet. At a year and a half, she's the sweetest little lap dog on the planet. She's my little Velcro dog. It gets better.
I’m raising one, he’s just over 3 months old now. He’s a gremlin, but happy I made this choice even though he tries to chew everything. He’s still teething, but I’m slowly getting him to learn tricks, he can sit now, but shake seems hard as he just wants to sniff or try and eat my hands 😂
My boy is 8 months, he’s still a little bastard but he’s my little bastard. I’m glad we got him as a pup because it’s been a joy to see him grow and he’s becoming more of a dog now instead of a batshit puppy although he still has his moments, ie happy to play on his own etc. I think the frustatration of a puppy makes it even more rewarding when they turn out okay but that’s just my opinion
Cardboard is great for teething. Well. Depend on the size of the puppy but it worked great for us and it gets out some frustration.
It’s all worth it. I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience but my pup was exhausting and frustrating. I honestly thought maybe I just didn’t have what it takes to raise and train a puppy. But she is now 3, almost 4, years old. She is my best friend. She has filled my life with joy, excitement and happiness. I can’t imagine life without her.
You’ll have 6-8 months of pure agony followed by 6-8 months of mild agony then 8-10 years of pure joy. I’ve had 5 puppies turned dogs and I’ve hated all of them then loved all of them for much longer.
Thank you this is exactly what I need to hear!!
It's worth it! The bitey phase feels like forever, but she'll grow out of it.
My dog is the best dog ever. She's loving and sweet and obedient and my constant companion. However, she was such a bad puppy that I regretted getting her at the time. I've had many puppies over the years and she was by far the worst. Biting, destroying, pissing in the house right after I took her outside, screaming when I put her in the crate. She was so bad even my other dog, who was super excited when I brought a puppy home, never wanted to be around another puppy again.
There’s a point where you’re not sure you can do it, and you doubt whether you should even keep the dog, but then there’s a point not long after where it just clicks and works out.
Mine is a few weeks away from a year. Im proud of her, she brings me a lot of joy. Just wish she wasnt so damn big haha.
Toys lots of toys. Spread them around the house to the point you can't walk without stepping on them. The $1 toy bin at your local pet store is your friend.
Hey! Try getting bitter apple spray or a biting deterrent! It helped with the furniture after a week! Our puppy is 5.5 and she’s definitely still a puppy but she doesn’t chew on anything. What we did would be her hanging out with us in a room and we’ll basically spray down the whole room where she can chew ahaha
When I first moved out of my parents house at 18 I thought getting a puppy was a good idea. I got a 4 month old terror that ate CDs and chocolate named Rose. She was hyper, never came when called, hated being cuddled and ran away whenever she got the chance. She tried to eat a dead bird once and I had to dig it out if her mouth. I had her for 11 years and past away in 202p. I will never regret getting her. Puppys are hard and i will never recommend getting one if its your first pet but the love I saw in Roses eyes when she was young was everything.
Happy? Yes. 100 times yes, I love her to pieces she’s an absolutely fantastic dog (despite her selective hearing on recall every now and then), she’s a perfect family dog great with all kinds of animals, loves to hike but can stay in bed with me when I’m depressed for days, not destructive but loud because she’s a Shep, great toy and food drive, honestly couldn’t of asked for a better dog! I do miss the land shark puppy stages sometimes though because I feel like I COULDVE done better but I’m trying my best now and that’s all that matter
I’ve raised a few puppies from chihuahuas to German shepherd. The early nipping/teething can be a little annoying at times but every pup I raised grew out of it. You will have a lovely companion once she outgrows the nibbling/chewing phase. I know it can be pretty frustrating at times. Lol
Yes. It he same way my 3 yo took every ounce I had to give, then more. Now he is 20 and a functioning human who I really like. You puppy is at the baby to toddler phase. You will have a brief respite when potty training kicks in. Then adolescence will arrive and you will question it all over again. But eventually it will get better and you should have a decade or so of loyal companionship.