# Help! My pup seems out of control.



## Mom28kds (Mar 8, 2013)

She is about 15 weeks old. I have been trying to follow all the things you all suggest on this forum but it doesn't seem to be sinking in at all. The nipping is getting worse. She actually growls and nips at a couple of my boys. We have told them to be like a tree but that can't work because she nips their legs and it hurts them. We have been trying to give her something to chew on also to replace our arms. We are trying to teach her "off" to not jump on the couch by each time saying "off" and putting her on the ground. She isn't getting it at all. It's actually getting worse. My husband has been trying to be patient but he is reaching his limit with her. She has learned to sit and stay but she is regressing on stay. Will this pass with age or is it failure in training?


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

She is a baby. Remember, she is experiencing the world around you for the first time. 

Enroll in a puppy obedience class. Not at Petsmart- a real training facility. She needs boundaries and to learn how to interact and learn from you. At this age, she should be a sponge and know several commands. Stay is not a realistic thing for a 15 week old to know or understand, let alone be reliable with. If you can't get to a training class every week, you need to hire someone to come in and work with you at home. You need to make a commitment to this puppy and put the time and effort into laying a good foundation. Things will be immensely easier for you in a few month during the teenager phase I you have a good obedience foundation. 

What type of exercise does he get? At this age, I would be seeking out a park or open field and let her drag a long lead. Let her romp and run, sniff, and play. You can work on "come" at this time and have a tasty treat. If she doesn't listen, reel her in by the long 15-20 ft lead. A tired puppy is a good puppy. One or two fetch sessions in a yard isn't enough IMO so evaluate your exercise plan to see if she needs more. 

I use kibble dispensing toys to keep a puppy mentally engaged during meal time. It may take a few tries before they totally get it but it is a must. I use the Starmark Bob a Lot, Linkables, Tug a Jug. 

You can also train with her kibble while she is hungry. So, skip breakfast from a bowl. Do half training and reinforce sit, down, watch me, loose lead walking. With the other half of the kibble, put it in the dispensing toys. 

Remember to utilize your crate when necessary. Puppies get cranky like babies IMO. They need to have a break from the family. It is ok to put her in her crate so you can have a break and so she is not Into trouble unsupervised with the kids. 


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Also remember the pup feeds off the energy of the kids. If they're running, squealing & wiggling--it's just going to feed your girl's energy level. Exercise & training! Put the time in now & you're going to raise a wonderful golden.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

It is absolutely totally normal for a puppy to behave this way. This is how they would play with littermates or other dogs. She sees your kids as playmates and reacting in a totally normal way to them.

Be consistent redirecting her to toys instead of skin or clothing, and keep working with your kids on not exciting her. If she is particularly wound up and persistent separate her from them with a baby gate or a time out in her crate. If you need to remove her from furniture, make a loop with your leash slip it over her head and lead her off instead of grabbing her. Reward her for doing the right thing so she knows what you want, more so than correcting the wrong thing.

This will get better, but it does take time, weeks, months before they learn and don't react instinctively in play. 

What do you mean your husband is reaching his limit?


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I'm sorry you're having problems, been there, done that. It will get better but it takes LOTS of time, patience, training, love. 
I'm concerned about your husband reaching his limit at 15 weeks. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but Bentley's WORST period was from about 7 months to 9.5 months. Now that he's 10 months he's turning into a great dog but he didn't come out of the box that way.
Good luck.


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## lynn0624rj (Mar 27, 2012)

*Pup is out of control*

Do you or anyone else play tug of war with the pup? Tug of war will actually encourage nipping/biting behavior. I had this problem when Isabella was a puppy. These two things that helped the most. Not playing tug of war and letting out a high pitched ouch when she nipped. It didn't seem to work with my husband at first cause he didn't know how to really fake like it hurt. The idea is when you say ouch that your pup will thing it really hurt. Everyone must do it for it to work. Make sure it really sounds like your pup hurt you when you yell ouch. I hope this helps.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

It might help you to understand a little bit by thinking of your pup at this stage as a 2 year old toddler who is going on 3. If you're like me (I have 3 daughters ages 6 - 16) you have friends who you hear say things like "gee, I can't wait till my son gets out of the terrible 2's" and all you can think to yourself is "Just wait, 3 can be even worse because they are really developing a mind of their own and trying out their independence more and more." Your puppy is in the same stage.

She is a baby who has been alive just over 100 days. She is learning so much about the world and pushing the envelope, developing independence and about choices and consequences. I know it's hard, keep practicing and hang in there. Keep reminding your kids about their noise level, if your house is anything like mine, it is just plain noisy most of the time, your pup will feed off the energy level. It can be tough but you will get through this, keep a 2 foot long drag leash on your pup at all times if you need something to control her with. It helps.


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## Mom28kds (Mar 8, 2013)

We do not play tug of war. My husband loves her he just isn't as patient as me. Thanks for the encouragement that it will get better. 


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## USAFWife74 (Jan 13, 2013)

It will take time! A tired puppy is a good puppy! They have so much energy! Exercise in the form of good play sessions will help a lot! ?


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## swildt (Jan 23, 2013)

I will say that mine also didn't get the OFF command at that age. No matter what I did, he just didn't seem to get it. I was just consistent with it and now at 6 months, he knows what it means and obeys.. most of the time. 

The nipping thing is harder. Mine also was a bad nipper, especially with our 4 year old. The tree thing didn't work because of the same thing.. nipping at the legs. When he would nip at our 4 year old I would step in and grab him by the scruff and give him a little shake and a firm "No." That usually worked. If it didn't, I would roll him over on his back and put my hand on his throat and say no. I didn't squeeze or hurt him or anything. It was a dominance thing. Worked like a charm most of the time. If he was so wound up that he wouldn't calm down, I crated him until he could behave. Time Out.

My son also learned how to deflect the nipping on his own. He would see the puppy coming and grab a toy and throw it the other direction, which distracted the puppy who would then run after the toy. My son spent a lot of time up on the couch away from the pup. 

Now Barley is 6 months old and he's not very mouthy anymore. He DOES have his moments, but he isn't really nippy too much like he used to be. He has some new teenager behaviors that aren't too fun though:

1. An obsession with paper. If it is paper and he can get it, he will shred it into 10000000 bits and then roll in it. He can get paper from any surface no matter how high. It's like magic!!

2. Counter Surfing for food. He just started this. If I catch him and yell off.. he will get off. That doesn't stop him from trying to sneak food off the counter though when you aren't looking!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

What everybody ahead of my post said  .... Plus... Your puppy *is* out of control, because she has a puppy brain. When she gets wacky, sometimes the best thing is to pick her up and crate her or put her behind a gate. Just like little children, they sometimes can't calm themselves and what they really need is a nap.


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