# Have I ruined my puppy? I feel awful...



## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

For the past month or so, I have patiently dealt with my 12 week old puppy's normal biting. I am covered with scratches, scrapes and bruises. My family has been given strict instructions never to hit, & to kennel him when he gets too out of control. This morning, when I went onto the porch with my hands full, he bit my bare ankle so hard I almost dropped. I kicked him hard.  It was an awful reaction and I cried immediately. He is now laying quietly on his bed in the kitchen refusing to come out and play with me 

I've been so careful. We have training planned and I've taken this so seriously. I've been waiting for so long for this puppy and now I feel like I should find him a better home. I can't believe I lost my temper. He is such an awesome smart boy and I blew it. I'm terrified that I've completely ruined him. And I'm also scared I could have somehow physically hurt him. I had on slippers, but I connected with the side of his jaw/ neck area when he lunged back at me for a second bite. He is a big 12 week old.. over 30lbs...so his bites are getting nasty and I have 2 that are really sore days later.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for here. I already know. But feel free to call me a jerk. I guess I'm hoping soneone will have had a similar screw up and still wound up with a normal dog that didn't hate them.

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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Get some help....pups are impressionable and from your comments, he was either physically or mentally affected. You need to think about your interactions and guard against putting this pup in a situation that is a no-win for him! Reflex or not....having on jeans and socks when you are around him, knowing he is in landshark phase, should be a given....

He should get over it....but you should now think 2 steps ahead of yourself so you don't do further negative reactions to him.

Lee


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

I have a trainer lined up that I consult with and plan to start with in 2 weeks. Until this, I'd been handling it pretty darn well I think. I learned very early about jeans and closed-toe shoes, but this was entirely a brain fart moment on my part and I know that. Combined with not having my coffee, not sleeping well last night and having a sore finger from last nights bite, I reacted. Very badly. 

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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

Did you really kick him kick him? Like sent him flying? Did he yelp or cry? Does he seem physically hurt? It may have just been a knee jerk reaction to the pain to kick out your foot. But that's not the same as kicking him on purpose in anger. Not that it's ok, but I've seen some people pretty rough with puppies. I saw someone scruff and toss a puppy pretty rough for something puppy did. Puppy rolled. Was def overly submissive for a few mins but otherwise was fine. So it depends on how hard you really kicked him. If you are worried he might be injured take him in to the vet. 


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

He doesn't seem hurt now. He just came back outside with me and tried to bite me twice. It was all I could do not to say "Good Boy "  He still seems a little "tame" to me but maybe I'm overanalyzing. I guess I worry about his inner ear or neck? Something not noticeable immediately? Or am I going overboard because I feel like a putz?

As far as the kick, he didn't go flying. The first bite I pushed him away with my foot and as expected he lunged back and I connected as he was lunging to me. He rolled away. He is clumsy and does this sometimes when I just barely push him off me when he is excited, but it was more roll than usual, if that makes sense.

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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

give him something he has to chew and make sure he is not ouchy....and flex his head and neck a little to see if he reacts...if he does, get him checked out

Lee


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

I'm sure he's fine. Go do a little fun positive training session with him with treats and praise. 


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

I understand your remorse. Our previous dog was a GSD/Aussie mix and she used to "herd" bite our ankles and pants' legs frequently before she matured. On one walk it was just too much and I gave her one big spank. I immediately felt terrible, and never did that again, she forgave me. She was an excellent dog.

As for you now, keep toys all over the house, within an easy reach to stuff them in your pup's mouth in place of your skin. Yes, your house will look messy, but its only for a couple months.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

belladonnalily said:


> He doesn't seem hurt now. He just came back outside with me and tried to bite me twice. It was all I could do not to say "Good Boy "  He still seems a little "tame" to me but maybe I'm overanalyzing. I guess I worry about his inner ear or neck? Something not noticeable immediately? Or am I going overboard because I feel like a putz?
> 
> As far as the kick, he didn't go flying. The first bite I pushed him away with my foot and as expected he lunged back and I connected as he was lunging to me. He rolled away. He is clumsy and does this sometimes when I just barely push him off me when he is excited, but it was more roll than usual, if that makes sense.
> 
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Beat yourself up over this awhile. Let it sink in real good. I know this sounds sarcastic and with lack of compasion, but it's a learning experience and in a few days, you will be somewhat over it but you need to keep it right there in the front of your thoughts so that next time, you can positivley correct the issue properly. 

At the same time, I'm sure he will be just fine. If he's eating fine, walking fine, and now biting you again, he's fine. It's not one instance that ruins animals, it's constant mistreating over a period of time that changes them. One incident isn't in my opinion going to affect how he will be down the road.


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## ten3zro (Jul 13, 2013)

jafo220 said:


> Sent from Petguide.com Free App
> 
> Beat yourself up over this awhile. Let it sink in real good. I know this sounds sarcastic and with lack of compasion, but it's a learning experience and in a few days, you will be somewhat over it but you need to keep it right there in the front of your thoughts so that next time, you can positivley correct the issue properly.
> 
> At the same time, I'm sure he will be just fine. If he's eating fine, walking fine, and now biting you again, he's fine. It's not one instance that ruins animals, it's constant mistreating over a period of time that changes them. One incident isn't in my opinion going to affect how he will be down the road.


 
Dogs have an amazing ability to move on. With that said, I agree, beat yourself up over this for a bit. If you lash out because you get frustrated this will only get worse. Pups are a lot of work and require PATIENCE. If he's nipping at you then fix it. There are constructive ways to correct this and threads on this site devoted to that.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

I know how you feel . I have done it ( swat on the rear because he bit my foot HARD) . I knew it was the wrong thing to do and regretted it immediately. He was shocked , he sulked , and was over it in 20 minutes. I wasn't. 

I agree , be way harder on yourself than the dog will be on you..not because you need punishment , but keeping that regret fresh in your mind will help you control the snap reaction next time. 

It is the same with kids . You always swear you won't scream at them , won't raise a hand to them , then they do something jaw dropping and you lose it. Not a good pattern to make.. and if it is a recurring reaction to misbehavior you WILL ruin the dog or the child, but we all lose it once or twice. Just learn from it , paste some good positive training and quality time over it , and don't repeat the human error 

Have you read the articles on bite inhibition training in the puppy section ? I found it a very helpful refresher for me ( first pup for me in maybe 15 years ) .

Good luck with your training . I think the fact you cared this happened , are remorseful and do not want it to happen again , and are smart enough to get the help of a trainer means you are going to have success and a great relationship with your dog


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Thank you everyone. I will definitely not forget this. I do feel like I need to correct him more firmly now as I realize that he will only get bigger and stronger and I don't want to get frustrated and react badly again. Tucker was a pup I picked out but my husband surprised me by contacting the breeder privately. Because I thought he was sold to someone else, I was surprised to see him sleeping in my kitchen one day when I came home. A FULL week earlier than I thought he'd be ready. My husband has no clue and while it bothered me, we've done okay. I'm just wondering now if his biting isn't a little worse than normal as a result of this.

Either way, thanks again for your advice and encouragement. 

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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Please remember he is just a puppy and doesn't know better.


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## Pmcman14 (May 12, 2013)

Anger Management MsMaria? Seriously?? It was an accident, I'm sure many people here have accidentally hit or kicked their dog when they bit them too hard. I know I have done it once when my dog almost took one of my fingers off, it's a common reaction to pain. I'm sorry but you need a reality check, there's no reason to tell someone they need anger management after something like this.

To the OP, I know how you feel I felt just as bad when I hit my pup in the mouth, but as long as you continue to love them and play with them, they will love you know matter what. Good luck with your pup!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm trying to figure out why the OP would need anger management. The family has been given instructions not to strike the puppy and to crate him if he gets to be too much. nobody said the OP had anger issues. 

OP, it was an accident and a normal reaction to pain. Just remember to control your reactions better next time because there WILL be a next time until your pup learns to control his chompers. You'll get there. Patience and time.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

i dont understand why people let puppies bite them all over in the first place and then when the pup bites too hard they get angry? the pup is having fun and think its a game. the day before biting was fine and mommy didnt care too much but then todqy i tried to play and mommy kicked me in the face. talk about one confused puppy.

if my pup bites my hand softly thats fine. but if he is over energized and just running around trying to clamp on my ankles, i immediately give him a very stern NO followed by waving his tug in front of him in a happy excited voice. most of the time he'll lock onto his tug. if he still goes for me i just block with the tug and stick it in his mouth. if hes stilll too amped up then i just leave the room/put him in timeout. everyone loses their temper. the op is human, not a robot. everyone loses their temper and she most certainly does not need anger management but correct your pup. dont put him in a situation where he could hit the right spot and send you over your threshold. you dont just put on body armor aka jeans and shoes and let the pup bite you. thats ridiculous and not teaching him anything


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Thanks again all. I must have missed msmarias post about Anger Management lol. I have raised 3 well-adjusted teen girls so I'm pretty confident I handle anger fairly well on most days  but it couldn't hurt as far as hubby goes. 

I've never taken the approach with Tucker that biting is okay. Normally I redirect, and keep a leash on when he is biting a lot so I keep control. Time-outs usually work when he is out of control, but if I miss the cues and don't have his leash on, getting my hands on him to do so can be a little tricky. He does get reprimanded with stern Nos and sometimes scruffing when warranted. This week has actually been better, probably because I haven't let my guard down. Now that he is enjoying the pool more, I've been using that to channel some energy.

His out of control times seem to be geting fewer and farther between so here's hoping we have made progress.
















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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

oh how I remember that phase, I have awful scars on my wrist still. It was all worth it!


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Do some people really let their puppies bite them to the point of leaving scars??? Surely not :crazy:

Your puppy is really cute......I have belladonna lilies all over my garden.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Sparra, Belladonna Lily is my wonderful mare I raised from a foal. She is 13 now and has packed 2 of my 3 daughters around the hunter ring. Hopefully she will take the youngest for a spin too, but first daughter has to get her "anger" under control lol. Mare is a red-head and does not suffer fools. Daughter likes to be the boss too so we opted to buy her a patient gelding to move up on. Cheaper than frequent ER visits  (exaggerating, but only slightly )

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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

That is a really nice story......I love my lilies....they are beautiful and handle the hot Australian sun with ease!!
Sounds like your daughter and your horse will be good for each other.....maybe you can take her to the anger management classes you were told to go to  Good luck with your puppy.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Tucker is adorable!!!!! You look like you are really enjoying him 

Wow , 3 teen girls ( shudder lol )


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Sparra 

Oisin, thank you!

Thanks all for not tearing me to shreds. All of your posts have been helpful and made me feel better. Tucker appears to still love me and I've promised him I'd do better next time. This forum has been a wealth of information (although I admit to feeling like I have to decide between 10 "right" choices at times). I made so many mistakes with my heelers and am determined to not make the same ones with Tucker. Thats one reason I've waited so long to have him. When my daughters were young, I just didn't have the time or energy to do it right. I was simply lucky to have heelers with spectacular dispositions.



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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

As far as the teen girls, I'm lucky there too. At 15, 17 & 19, they all still appear to like me. Although with the 15yo, she's on the fence about it some days 

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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

sparra said:


> Do some people really let their puppies bite them to the point of leaving scars??? Surely not :crazy:
> 
> Your puppy is really cute......I have belladonna lilies all over my garden.


Yes. Me. Lol Because I had read for a dog that would be working in the future, not to squash it's drive. I have scars. And then I met my ring club. And they all looked at me like I was insane, and told me they correct their puppies right away for biting them. There is no, oh he's a puppy, re direct. My pup also tried to chase my daughter and bite her. Hard. I managed it for a long time, but a club member suggested I correct for it. One correction ad she never did it again. (She was a little older here) and her and my daughter got to actually enjoy each other. If this was only pet dog I would never have let t get that far. She was my first working dog and I was afraid any corrections could mess her up. So she was psycho puppy for a long time. 


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

sparra said:


> Do some people really let their puppies bite them to the point of leaving scars??? Surely not :crazy:
> 
> Your puppy is really cute......I have belladonna lilies all over my garden.


yep, nothing at all worked with our pup, some are just worst case scenario. We had trainers laughing of how bad he was, but it was just a phase.

We tried:

• Re-directing
• Timeout
• Being a tree
• Ignoring and tolerating
• Yelping and screaming
• THE COIN JAR! (yep my pup has no fear in his bloodlines.....)

What stopped all this? teething to adult teeth. It hurt him to bite me hard at 5 month. So when he tried to mouth I would say "NO BITE" and redirect to something soft. It is now finally over and at 6.5 month I have a cuddly teddy bear.


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Capone22 said:


> Yes. Me. Lol Because I had read for a dog that would be working in the future, not to squash it's drive. I have scars. And then I met my ring club. And they all looked at me like I was insane, and told me they correct their puppies right away for biting them. There is no, oh he's a puppy, re direct. My pup also tried to chase my daughter and bite her. Hard. I managed it for a long time, but a club member suggested I correct for it. One correction ad she never did it again. (She was a little older here) and her and my daughter got to actually enjoy each other. If this was only pet dog I would never have let t get that far. She was my first working dog and I was afraid any corrections could mess her up. So she was psycho puppy for a long time.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Haha.......yes I remember that thread about your daughter.....must admit I thought you a bit loopy for not correcting it .
I guess I am more on the side of your ring people......no way a puppy is going to scar me......Sometimes I think the "land shark phase" can be used as an excuse for a plain old bad mannered puppy......but that's just me.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Read this and instantly thought of one occasion of one of my "reactions" to Titan and I too feared I ruined him. He was older, like 2, but I still thought I did enough damage to change him. At 100 lbs, he went after my new puppy for walking by his crate, I was right there and she didn't go in it she just stopped and looked at him in it and he went after her. NEVER has he ever been dog aggressive EVER, but it all happened so fast that she squealed (likely out of fear more so than anything) and my first reaction was to pull him out of the kennel and spank him on the rear.. That was never my reaction before, but for some reason that was what I did. He sulked for so long after that because Mom had never done that before ever! I was so mad at myself.. I wrote on here about it and got eaten alive.. so I am glad that you didn't have that experience  I can tell you though he did not change at all.. he is still the same goofy loveable protector I raised. I just watch myself now. Sometimes I have to walk into the other room when he has done something that really really pisses me off. Everyone gave awesome advice here and I'm glad that you felt comfortable in coming here.

LOVED the pictures btw. He is absolutely adorable! Gonna be a handsome boy when he grows up


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

sparra said:


> Haha.......yes I remember that thread about your daughter.....must admit I thought you a bit loopy for not correcting it .
> I guess I am more on the side of your ring people......no way a puppy is going to scar me......Sometimes I think the "land shark phase" can be used as an excuse for a plain old bad mannered puppy......but that's just me.


LOL I kind of agree now also. Ring people pretty much say if I can ruin or squash a puppy by a simple correction for biting it wasn't going to make it in ring anyways. I wish I would have listened to the advice when I first got it. Rogue has PLENTY of drive. 


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Pmcman14 said:


> Anger Management MsMaria? Seriously?? It was an accident, I'm sure many people here have accidentally hit or kicked their dog when they bit them too hard. I know I have done it once when my dog almost took one of my fingers off, it's a common reaction to pain. I'm sorry but you need a reality check, there's no reason to tell someone they need anger management after something like this.
> 
> To the OP, I know how you feel I felt just as bad when I hit my pup in the mouth, but as long as you continue to love them and play with them, they will love you know matter what. Good luck with your pup!
> 
> ...


Lol initially read it has the OP kicked her puppy hard enough to hurt it. Then later saw that she said it was more of a push. I understand a push. So I changed it. In regards to anyone accidentally kicking a puppy? Anyone who kicks a dog hard enough to hurt it physically because a puppy bit it's ankle needs some anger management ( guess i have to specify in general, on this forum since some people take it so personal) As for your comment that its common to accidentally hit or kick when in pain. No it's not commoin. I have two great college age and older kids and 3 dogs I've never lashed out , lost it and physically hit any of them because they playfully bit me ( yes my daughter did bite me once when she was 2l lol) or got on my last nerve.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

VERY cute pup! by that look on his face you can already tell he's a trouble maker. take that life vest off him and let him swim! 

msmaria maybe you just have a VERY VERY slow reaction time? i too think its a common reaction to fight back when in pain. when your body feels a sharp pain, you dont think, you just react. your brain wants to immediately push away/block/eliminate the pain. if a bee bit me on the arm my first reaction would be to immediately swat at it. sometimes with a pup, you can just be not aware and when that sharp pain comes, your body reacts before your brain can even process it. anger management is when you kick the pup twice after its stopped biting. not when you react to sudden sharp pain.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

boomer11 said:


> VERY cute pup! by that look on his face you can already tell he's a trouble maker. take that life vest off him and let him swim!
> 
> msmaria maybe you just have a VERY VERY slow reaction time? i too think its a common reaction to fight back when in pain. when your body feels a sharp pain, you dont think, you just react. your brain wants to immediately push away/block/eliminate the pain. if a bee bit me on the arm my first reaction would be to immediately swat at it. sometimes with a pup, you can just be not aware and when that sharp pain comes, your body reacts before your brain can even process it. anger management is when you kick the pup twice after its stopped biting. not when you react to sudden sharp pain.


 
agree. nature is to fight off and get away from what hurts. you don't always think rationally when your brain gets that sudden PAIN shock.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

boomer11 said:


> VERY cute pup! by that look on his face you can already tell he's a trouble maker. take that life vest off him and let him swim!


if he is scared of the big pool, life vest can prevent injury. Our pup will fly out of the pool so fast and hit steps really hard, but when the vest is on he swims nice and slow with no panic, way better for his muscles and he does not jump out like he is on fire. He also swims and plays longer with the vest. 

I say keep it on! =) + it's safer if you turn around or run in for a glass of water and he falls in.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Dogs will "correct" each other when play gets too rough, and that's probably how your pup interpreted getting kicked in the face after he sunk his teeth into your ankle.  He will bounce back and be biting your ankles again in no time. Who knows, maybe some good came of this and he'll think twice before biting you, but I doubt it.  

I'm going to go against the advice of some of the others, and tell you NOT to beat yourself up. Stuff happens, accidents happen, you had a moment of reflexive action. You are not in the habit of kicking puppies, I am sure! It sounds like you are doing all the right things with raising this pup, and if he has any kind of sound temperament at all, he probably forgot about getting kicked within 45 seconds.

I know how you feel, though. I once opened a car door right into my puppy as she came barrelling toward me--I didn't see her coming, opened the car door and WHAM!! She nailed herself on the corner of the door. She screamed bloody murder and I thought I was going to have to rush her to the vet with a broken jaw or something. Nope. She was fine, just knocked out a puppy tooth, but she steered clear of the car for a few days after that. I felt absolutely awful, but she got over it, and so did I.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Rest assured I didn't drop kick him, msmaria  but it was slightly more than a push I thought. But as others have assured me, he seems no worse for wear and is back to tormenting everyone in his loveable way, but slightly more respectful.

Planning to have a go without the lifevest soon. The pool was a little scary to him at first, but he couldn't stand me being in there without him, so after his plunge into the pool going completely under, we decided to give him a little insurance. I didn't want him to have any more bad experiences. I worried that he would do it in the deep end and then I'd have a panic struck biting scratching monster to save. He also loves to step onto the float and will do it with or without us if it floats near the edge. I think we have a future surfer on our hands  He has great balance! Anyway, it also helps to have a "handle" while he's still figuring out where the exit is.

And we are taking him to the beach in a few weeks and I'd strap life vests on my daredevil girls if they'd let me! 

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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Dogs get over that sort of thing quicker than we do, if we do not over-react to the scenario after the fact. 

I would put it out of my mind and treat the puppy as if nothing happened. The puppy has to get out of MY way. Sorry, but I am carrying something, and the puppy gets in the way, and gets stepped on or moved with a shoe -- that's on him. I do not go out of my way to kick a dog or step on a dog. In fact, if I do step on a pup's paw, I feel downright awful, but they do learn to stay out from under-foot. 

Mine don't scar me up either. They go through a short phase when they are willing to chew on anything, but I keep my hands out of their line of fire during that. It just usually isn't an issue. I kind of wondered if some lines are just more bitey.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

boomer11 said:


> i dont understand why people let puppies bite them all over in the first place and then when the pup bites too hard they get angry?


Anger is a normal reaction to pain. 

The reason some of us "let" our puppies bite us all over is because you teach bite inhibition before you completely eliminate all mouthing.
Ie. let the puppy mouth you and yelp when it's too hard.

I'd rather my puppy break skin when he's young so that he can learn how to inhibit his bites, then to try and teach him that when he's older. 

You may say "Oh, but I'm teaching him to never bite!" Well, any dog can bite, especially a dog that's confused, scared, or in pain. It's how hard they bite during these times that counts.


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## wdkiser (May 7, 2013)

Capone22 said:


> I'm sure he's fine. Go do a little fun positive training session with him with treats and praise.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Agreed!


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Tbarrios333 said:


> The reason some of us "let" our puppies bite us all over is because you teach bite inhibition before you completely eliminate all mouthing.
> Ie. let the puppy mouth you and yelp when it's too hard.


You don't have to be "scarred" or "bleeding" in order to teach bite inhibition.....


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

sparra said:


> You don't have to be "scarred" or "bleeding" in order to teach bite inhibition.....


Eh... Beg to differ.
When Denali was a pup going through her landshark phase I bled and it left scars on my ankles and hands. I would do something as innocent as try to brush her and she would think it was great fun to bite that brush (and anything that got in the way). I also hand fed her and when she was learning, I bled.

And no, she wasn't a misbehaved pup, she was just a pup. That's what baby GSDs do. To scold them when they don't know how much pressure to apply with their jaws would be silly IMO.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

hahah in my opinion anyone who lets any animal chomp on their ankles while continuously yelping like a dog has no idea what their doing. do you know how ridiculous that sounds? if a dog has any drive worth a lick, yelping just amps them up more. 

you teach inhibition by allowing a pup to mouth you but the moment it gets rough you pull your hand away and the mouthing stops. when i give my pup a belly rub i let him mouth my other hand. the moment he bites hard i stop and walk away. the pup will learn that biting hard means no more mouthing. you dont just let your dog bite the crap out of you HOPING it will eventually catch on that its hurting you. i couldnt even imagine yelping while my pup bit my calf or thigh over and over. those places freaking hurt!


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Tbarrios333 said:


> Eh... Beg to differ.


No worries.....we can agree to disagree on that one.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

boomer11 said:


> hahah in my opinion anyone who lets any animal chomp on their ankles while continuously yelping like a dog has no idea what their doing. do you know how ridiculous that sounds? if a dog has any drive worth a lick, yelping just amps them up more.
> 
> you teach inhibition by allowing a pup to mouth you but the moment it gets rough you pull your hand away and the mouthing stops. when i give my pup a belly rub i let him mouth my other hand. the moment he bites hard i stop and walk away. the pup will learn that biting hard means no more mouthing. you dont just let your dog bite the crap out of you HOPING it will eventually catch on that its hurting you. i couldnt even imagine yelping while my pup bit my calf or thigh over and over. those places freaking hurt!


That does sound ridiculous actually. I don't recall any of those things happening while I was raising my pups or saying I did that, I used a general example, but eh.

I read somewhere in here that someone scolded a young pup with a loud no when the puppy bit. I disagree with that part. I don't want to eliminate mouthing until about 4 months old. 
Inhibition before elimination is just what I do and my dogs have always had soft, trustworthy mouths.


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## Plutomama (Mar 4, 2021)

Just want to pop in and say thanks to the OP for posting and thanks to the people who had balanced, reasonable responses. I agree, let it go as the pup definitely has. Youre doing a great job! The fact that youre here means that youre doing your best


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

2013 post


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