Help!!

[owlie]

I'm a newbie/lurker. We have a puppy that will be 2 months old on the 17th, we've had her since she was 3 weeks old. Early, I know, but her previous owner was getting rid of the puppies and told me she was 6 weeks and weaned, but, looking on the previous owner's timeline on Facebook, she was born on 10/17. She has a bit of biting problem. It started out as playing, but then escalated to getting a little vicious. She growls and shows her teeth. We've tried yelping loudly and ignoring her, putting her in her kennel to calm down am when she starts getting riled up (that doesn't work, makes her worse) and just plain ignoring her. Nothing is helping. We have 3 children, and they can't walk through the house without her nipping at them. Any suggestions??

She is a sharpei mix, not sure what breed her father was.

Thanks in advance.

A pic of her adorableness for reading this far!

[cmeon]

Hi! She is super, super cute, but, OMG- that is insanely early to get her (learning bite inhibition from her siblings and mother is one of the big reasons she should still be with them).

It's going to be very important to work on bite inhibition/soft mouth with her- it's unfortunately, a process that takes time (any 2mo puppy will use their teeth enough to annoy). It's in your best interest to get her into a good puppy kindergarten class as soon as possible (most will take pups by 8-10wo if they're up to date on vaccinations).

What we do with new pups (and dogs who need work) is spend a LOT of time with hands in their mouths. The more you practice, the faster they "get it". Keep a jar of kibble handy and a clicker if you want to go that route (or use a verbal cue when you reward her). You initiate this- plop down next to her, gently put your hand in her mouth, expecting her to use too much force- and give a good yip when she does. This time, click-treat when she lightens up (remove hand and ignore her for a few seconds if she doesn't). Gradually, we react to lighter and lighter pressure, until the pup doesn't apply pressure at ALL when there's human in their mouth.

I know you're already implementing this to a degree- just start working on it as a training exercise, do it often (20 times a day isn't too often- it's why we're just using kibble instead of something "yummier"- but, feel free to do higher rewards as necessary).

I do want to stress that you *need* puppy class(es) with this one- the socialization you can get there is invaluable. Shar-peis are not an easy breed, add the "too young" factor and you could easily have a dangerous situation with kids in the house (who will presumably have friends over).

[dexteroni]

3 weeks? Oh man. That's way, way too early and can cause some really bad problems for the puppy, including both behavior and health problems. That former owner is an asshole, both for doing this harm to an entire litter of puppies, and not neutering his adult dogs. This is a really good example of why you should only get dogs through qualified channels like reputable rescues, shelter, and breeders, and not just someone you know.

As far as what to do now - get her in with a good trainer (i.e. not Petsmart) right away. This time right now is crucial, so don't wait. Our dogs' trainer likes to start training before 10 weeks because they take it in so much better. I would start calling trainers today and explain that you were sold a puppy who you just found out was taken from the mother way too early, and do they know what to do to help a puppy in this situation. There's a lot a good trainer can do, but you have to start right away and be vigilant. Good luck! She really is adorable.