Biting problem at 7 weeks..

We have a 7 week old pug named Dax. He has a great personality and is generally a very good pup for his age. But Dax has a major biting at our hands and face problem. We have tried to tell him NO when he does it and we are currently trying time out but he still goes wild with the biting. He will cry and pout until we pick him up again and continues with the biting. We love to have him on our lap and even in the bed, but he cant seem to stay still and NOT bite at us. He has many various chew toys but seems to prefer people as his chewy of choice. Puppy ADD maybe lol?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

Sounds like an absolutely normal 7 week old puppy to me! Seven weeks is very
young for him to be away from his mom and littermates, and the
socialization and bite inhibition training is one of the reasons why,
actually. At that age, they're supposed to be learning puppy manners, it's just that they're usually learning it from mom and siblings, rather than their new family.

What
most people suggest is that if he bites too hard, you yelp and then
immediately separate him from you. An ex pen set up in your living room
may make this easier than anything else, because the negative feedback
to Dax (biting makes me lose the thing I want most, my new mom) needs
to be immediate, but he also needs to stay safe.

Sorry Im a newbie I posted it in the wrong topic and couldn't find a delete option.

Daxthepug wrote:Sorry Im a newbie I posted it in the wrong topic and couldn't find a delete option.

We're usually pretty nice to newbies, so I think you're safe! I just moved my response to your other post over here, where it fit better. You'll probably also get some good advice from those who have had younger pups than I. You may also want head over to the main section for introductions (can't think of what it's called right now!) and tell us about you and your family. Dax in your avatar really is a cutie!

We got him at 5 weeks he was given to a 5 year old for christmas and she was scared of him ( like he is sooo terrifying ) so the family stuck him in the tub for a week. We got him from a women who rescued him from that situation. he has a great personality despite his week long ordeal plus being away from his mom and siblings. I wasn't sure if the biting was a puppy thing or a trauma behavior because of the lack of attention during his stay in the tub.

Bless you and the women who got him out of that situation! It's probably very much due to living by himself in a tub for those weeks when he'd normally be getting that important socialization. But he's still very young-- I'm sure with the right advice, you can help him get past this. Have you talked to your vet about their ideas?

Thank you! We love him like he's our own child. We got some advise to use a time out and so far it seems to be working but he pouts and makes us feel like arses lol. So we gotta stick to it without giving in I suppose. Now that you mentioned it I am sure it is from being away from his mom to early and his week long ordeal in the tub. Why the breeder sold him so soon I'll never know but It doesn't seem like the best thing for the pups. My guess is that the family talked them into giving him to them in time for christmas. Well that turned out to be a traumatic ordeal for poor Dax. But he is safe and loved in our home and we are enjoying his his funny little personality. Thank you for the reply.

Biting is a puppy thing and it will take months and months before he 'gets' it. Right now, he is still essentially too young to be away from his siblings so has lost the chance to learn bite inhibition from his litter mates. Remember he is a tiny, tiny baby--about the equivalent of a 3 month old human. He won't understand fully why biting is not okay for a long time. It's how puppies explore the world--with their mouths. He will learn, it just will take time.

I'm Blanche and I run a pug rescue in Canada and do alot of other work with other dogs that aren't pugs. I would bet this poor little guy was a pet store purchase--obviously taken away from mom and siblings WAY too young. 8 weeks is the absolute youngest and I prefer 10 to 12 weeks.

I want to give you a word of caution. You mentioned in your introduction that you have an akita. Please be VERY careful with you akita. While I understand that you feel he has a gentle temperament, he is an enormous dog compared to Dax and he could very easily hurt Dax without ever meaning to. If you are not right there with them both, please keep them separated. Your akita may be very forgiving of Dax right now, but puppies usually run out of "puppy license" (where adult dogs tolerate quite a bit) by about the 6 month mark. At that point, most adult dogs begin to lower the boom on puppies and your akita could lower the boom in a way that could seriously hurt Dax. Not that Bullet would mean to, but the size differential is enormous and akitas are powerful dogs not always known for their tolerance.

Oh no, we never leave them in the same room alone and there interaction is supervised at all times. We know the akita breed pretty well and are aware of what could happen so we have to watch him and make sure he doesn't lay on him or step on him. So far so good but we are always watchful and watch for signs of Dax pushing the limits with Bullet. Bullet has always been good with other dogs but like you said Akitas aren't known for being very social with other dogs most the time. We are always watching just in case : ). I will feel better about it when Dax is bigger... Thanks for the advise.

Daxthepug wrote:Oh no, we never leave them in the same room alone and there interaction is supervised at all times. We know the akita breed pretty well and are aware of what could happen so we have to watch him and make sure he doesn't lay on him or step on him. So far so good but we are always watchful and watch for signs of Dax pushing the limits with Bullet. Bullet has always been good with other dogs but like you said Akitas aren't known for being very social with other dogs most the time. We are always watching just in case : ). I will feel better about it when Dax is bigger... Thanks for the advise.

Good to know. It makes a HUGE difference that you know akitas well--that's half the battle. I'm sorry if I came across as snotty--I've seen some real tragedies with akitas and small dogs--mostly with folks who didn't know akitas well and got their akitas from less than stellar circumstances. An akita killed a chihuahua in one of our local dog parks last year--just grabbed it by the head and snapped it's neck. The owner had never had a dog before much less an akita and got the dog from a "friend". I felt badly for everyone and the akita was euthanized.

Enjoy your little pup. Pug puppies are very funny little creatures. He will give you hours of laughs and some frustration (if he's like any other pug puppy!). Glad you got him out of the tub. You do have to wonder what people are thinking sometimes......

It seems like perfectly normal puppy behavior to me, and will probably continue until about 8 months or so. Your biggest problem with a puppy that age is that because the puppy was removed from his litter so young, it will be your job to teach him bite inhibition (which is something puppies usually learns from the mother and litter). I've never had a puppy so young so I don't have great advice for that age. Our youngest came to us at 12 weeks and there was still a great deal of biting due to teething and general puppyhood.

We did the yelp thing when he bites too hard, as well as try to replace/distract by giving him a white marrow bone or a toy in place of the hand/foot, etc. To entice the puppy to take the sterilized white bone, we would store it in his kibble overnight to soak up some flavor.

LOL!!!! He is a funny little guy... He seems to be doing well in our home and has found his security in lots of blankets. He is currently building himself a nice blanket cave and taking great pains to get it just right LOL. So funny : ) Although it is now midnight and he has decided it is time to be up and rearrange the lair . But you cant get to upset at something so cute!

OOOPS! I posted in your intro thread about being wary of interaction between your two furkids 'cos I hadn't seen this thread then.
Sounds like you have it all under control, though, which is great!
As soon as all his puppy shots have taken properly, try and get him out and about to help socialise him, babies taken from the nest too young can have horrendous problems later - if you google puppy socialisation you will find a heap of info, most of it sensible, I'm quite sure you will be able to pick the garbage in there!