# Sprocker Puppy keeps Nipping



## Jellybatt (Sep 30, 2011)

Toby is now 10 weeks old, we have had him a week. 
I always thought spaniels were supposed to be soft mouthed but he certainly isn't, I know he is teething but he will go from one minute working quite happily on a toy with those sharp little needles to suddenly giving you a good nip.

In the mornings when we get him out of his crate (and after a quick trip into the garden to toilet) he goes wild with biting and will go for hands clothes or anything he can get his paws on. 

I have tried the yelping method but he ignores it and continues to bite, I've also tried saying ouch and moving away as I saw suggested somewhere else but then he just follows me and thinks it's a game. 

Is there anything else I can try? I don't want him hurting someone


----------



## Hanwombat (Sep 5, 2013)

Hes a puppy - they go through this. Mine did it and now she is 5 months old and will only get a bit nippy when playing.

Yelping didn't work with mine, it made her worse!

Keep trying to distract her with a chew toy, if she starts to play with that then praise praise praise!

Another thing I used to do, which did work BUT don't expect it to work the first time, I found myself leaving the room every 20 seconds for a while.

If they nip you, ignore them and leave the room for 10 seconds. Come back in and if they do it again, repeat until they don't and then praise.
Only leave the room for 10 seconds though, they don't have a very long attention span and if you leave it too long they forget why you left and they may go onto to chewing something else i.e. furniture.


----------



## Mumtomaddog (Sep 17, 2013)

Max gets very giddy on a monring and will 'chibble' (nibble and chew all in one, getting tiny amounts of skin) its very painful!.

I move away from him totally so that he cant have access to me, if trying to distract him with a toy doesnt work. 
When distracting does work, make sure he knows he's done well!, praise and treat. Keep at it. 

If distracting doesnt work, i will walk away totally, make sure he cant follow me and then return and just keep doing this until he calms down. 
Sometimes if i can get him to lay down, quite firm strokes on his shoulders helps to calm him, but he's not a puppy so irrelevant to you really.


----------



## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

Soft mouthed is nothing to do with puppy nipping and mouthing. A sprocker won't have a 100% soft mouth anyway it depends on how much spaniel behaviour comes through rather than a collie. Only purebred retrievers and spaniels can really be classed as soft mouthed


----------



## Mollyspringer (Aug 16, 2011)

Sooooooooo know how bad this stage is-BUT it does get better, I promise. I asked for the same sort of advice on here with my Springer pup-she's now 2 and a half and lovely (don't panic-it didn't take all that time!) We've got a tall 'baby' gate into the kitchen and if we needed time out-either she went in there or we did!
Like the others on here 'yelping' at her only wound her up, only thing is to ignore pup, or remove him or you from the equation.
It does pass, although I bet at the moment you're thinking it never will. Hang in there!


----------



## SarahBurns (Jul 19, 2019)

Jellybatt said:


> Toby is now 10 weeks old, we have had him a week.
> I always thought spaniels were supposed to be soft mouthed but he certainly isn't, I know he is teething but he will go from one minute working quite happily on a toy with those sharp little needles to suddenly giving you a good nip.
> 
> In the mornings when we get him out of his crate (and after a quick trip into the garden to toilet) he goes wild with biting and will go for hands clothes or anything he can get his paws on.
> ...


My puppy doing exactly the same also concerned,had a staff before don't remember him being so nippy x


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Perfectly normal. This is just an extension of the boisterous play he had with his littermates but he needs to learn this is not how to play with humans. Some people find a sharp 'ouch' works but it can just ramp up the excitement. Some people find putting a toy in the dog's mouth works, others find the puppy is still more interested in nipping hands. My preferred method is to teach him that teeth on skin equals end of fun. So as soon as he makes contact, walk out of the room for a few moments. As long as the whole family is consistent - do it immediately and do it every time - he will learn. You could use a house line to draw him away, which keeps your hands both out of reach and also keeps hands for only good things.


----------



## SarahBurns (Jul 19, 2019)

Thank you have been doing exactly that withdrawing fun and cuddles when he bites and giving him chew toy instead


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

That's two things - withdrawing AND giving toys. It's clearer if you do one thing, and stick to that.


----------



## SarahBurns (Jul 19, 2019)

Thank you yes that good idea x


----------



## Guest (Jul 23, 2019)

Try having a toy ready to put in his mouth.


----------

