UPDATE: My poor hands 😭 - it DID get better

[his_delight]

Oh man, back at the end of May 2023 I posted this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/s/qeNy4MkwoM

My guy was around 10-11 weeks old at the time and a total land shark. I bled every day!

Today he is nearly 10 months old. I was reminded of my old post as I watched him finish his chew, get a drink, and settle himself down for a nap on the floor just now. Back in May this was a literal DREAM of mine. The idea that he would just chill? BY HIMSELF?! It seemed impossible.

Now that he’s older i hope I can offer comfort to the next girl or guy with a 10 week old puppy/gator. I did NOT yelp (this did nothing except encourage his bloodlust) but I DID leave. At this time in his life he was confined to one room in our home and he got the idea that too many chomps = me leaving. I did a lot of redirection (many carrots, frozen kongs, and teething rings were used).

I also just exercised patience- it takes time and learning as you go. Training helps too. Once, he got me really good playing fetch, but really he just wanted his toy. So we practiced stay/wait, and leave it.

But honestly? The real magic happened around 7 months when that final puppy canine popped out. My god. What a difference time and 0 razor teeth makes.

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice months ago, even if it was just to commiserate. We survived the puppy teeth, thanks in no small part to this community!

 

[chirpyluna]

@his_delight Thank you- I needed to hear this! Logically, I know it’s true, but still good to hear from someone on the other side.

My poor hands are scratched to heck. She even got my nose when I was carrying her outside to potty (carrying is a necessary evil at the moment- she has a tendency to get distracted and then just pee on the first trip outside in the morning).

I know she’s just being a puppy but it’s hard to feel zen about it when she’s snapping at my legs while I try to do the dishes. I didn’t even get a herding breed- she’s a bird dog!

Puppies are so much fun, I love her so much, but my goodness I can’t wait for this nipping stage to pass

 

[his_delight]

@chirpyluna I can relate! My pup once grabbed at my shirt and caught my nipple. Not fun. 0/10 do not recommend. I promise it DOES get better.

 

[taar715]

@his_delight mine has gotten my nipple and recently tried to (I assume) pierce my ear. Absolutely do not recommend.

 

[farrell]

@taar715 My puppy actually pierced my lip, it was not a fun trip to minor ailments to explain, it's kinda funny now but I never want it to happen again

 

[taar715]

@farrell Omg, lip had to have been way more painful than ear!! It’s a good thing they’re cute when they’re puppies!!

 

[namith]

@his_delight I am also a member of the 'puppy bit my titty' club.

 

[his_delight]

@namith I truly cannot believe how many people have had this happen!!! Sorry you’re all here but glad I found you!

 

[ivans]

@his_delight One of ours used to jump up to try and get the back of my coat when she was excited because I'd just got in. I'd be trying to hang my bag up with my back to her.

Because of the length of my coat she managed to nip my bottom on a couple of occasions. Thankfully she grew of it quite quickly.

 

[cosmicnotes]

@his_delight I get the nipple bite a lot

 

[cozimokid]

@his_delight I thought mine was a freak. the nipple bites are some other type of pain

 

[ac83]

@chirpyluna Mine has currently discovered my sweatpants and every day goes CRAZY on them and it's the one thing that I cannot get him to unlatch from .

 

[jamoke2014]

@his_delight I am the human chew toy for our 3.5 month old pup. She has plenty of chew/teething stuff and I play with her constantly. But something about my skin throws her into Cujo mode. Lol. Patiently waiting for this to all pass. But I know that one day soon I'll miss this time in her life. Except for the biting. Lol. Thank you for the hope.

 

[his_delight]

@jamoke2014 If it makes you feel better, I don’t miss tiny puppy stage. I miss how cute and small he was but I have to say big puppy/young adult has been a lot more fun!

 

[rlbeers]

@his_delight So true. Our girl was seen as a "weird choice" by trainers and vet staff alike. A border collie mixed with an American Lab as our actual first dog!? For a family dog?

But she is almost a year old now and is absolutely the smartest girl ever but also tends to have the energy of a labrador. Throwing the ball for 5 minutes can deal with her energy woes. Mentally we work hard on keeping her stimulated which was what we needed to adapt at first. Walking your dog for an hour only does so much if they are bored like mine was. Fact is your babies have their own personality and they need to learn who you are but you also learn who they are. That takes time.

By the way babies are assholes, even human ones. Thank god they are cute! Fun fact the animals that have cute babies are the ones where the mothers care for them. It's a natural evolution so we don't abandon them. Because even evolution knows that babies are hard. Congrats on a successful childhood for your puppy and I hope they have a great adult life!

 

[christopher627]

@rlbeers What do you do for when she is bored ?

 

[rlbeers]

@christopher627 Her all time favorite game is tug of war. When she is bored she comes up to us with her toy and won't leave until we engage in play. With time she herself is able to self regulate more. Per example, now when there are strangers in front of the house, she grabs her ball and squeaks it, I guess it gives her the same satisfaction as barking.

We also make sure to feed her every single time in a way she has to work for it. Sometimes when we are being uncreative we just throw all her food on the kitchen floor and she goes wild for half an hour trying to find every last kibble. Most of the time we use those donut feeding bowls. We do have some puzzles but it's hit and miss. You can pay 40$ and have a great feeding time or wasted money and a frustrated doggo.

Finally, teach your dog to be bored. It's an art. We work from home so our dog always has attention but we still teach her that there are times we can't be there for her needs even if we are right next to her. She either sleeps or tries to wack herself silly with her rubber duck. Her labrador side is so precious haha and I feel it also helps with how easy we can introduce these activities but the key is just to be consistent like everything else.

 

[christopher627]

@rlbeers Thank you ! I already done all these except teaching her to be bored. How do you do this ?

She isn’t even a working breed so I’m exhausted to try everything so she can be a normal dog aha

 

[rlbeers]

@christopher627 I'm sure other people here would have better tricks than me, but what worked for us was dedicating a corner for her, the one her crate is in, and when we need to, we leave her there, especially if we are cleaning or doing renos on our house. Why not just her crate? It's so she can still move around and see where we are.

The few times we have left the house for a few hours, this is where she goes. This is also her spot when she is trying to steal diner from us or when strangers show up and she wants to welcome them too eagerly. In this corner she has space to walk around with a bowl and she has her crate with her blankets and pillows. That's it. The rest is gated off, the lights are low, and it's a low traffic area. There is no stimulation. So she just eventually learned to lie down in her corner even if we are 6 feet away preparing dinner.

Important to ignore the barking at first. Don't let them out if they are actively barking. Eventually they realize they won't get your attention when they are there and to be calm. Our girl is 11 months old so it's definitely not something that worked overnight but now it does. Just takes time

 

[christopher627]

@rlbeers Thank you !