New puppy

[Sunny33]

We just got a new cocker spaniel puppy, he is so cute but he is chewing everything and tries to nip at my kids when they pet him.... any advice?

 

[Polly]

Puppies do love to chew, always have puppy chew toys available for her, and have the kids give her a chew toy when she wants to nibble on hands.
Puppies do this.. it's just a matter of training. A puppy class is perfect, not only for the pup but also to train the new parents and family. Great to go to after she's had all her shots.

 

[dizzy]

When he nips the kids, have them yelp like a puppy and stop playing w/him. He should stop since that is something one of his litter mates would do if he nipped too hard.

And yes, you need to find things he likes to chew on that won't hurt him. He's at the stage where he'll chew on anything he can. Get some bitter apple spray to spray on stuff you don't want him to chew on.

 

[manuel]

Puppies are perpetual balls of energy. They're exploring everything in their environment and want to play 24/7. Like the others have said give your pup an acceptable substitute when he wants to chew on the children.

 

[karenwalksthedogs]

Giving your puppy plenty of exercise is also a good idea. A tired puppy is a happy puppy. I second a puppy class but I didn’t have to wait until my puppy had all his shots. The training facility I chose had a puppy class for puppies who were enrolled in a puppy plan with a vet. We had to bring the paperwork from our vet showing they were enrolled and the facility was sterilized before the puppy class.

I actually don’t recommend having your children Yelp like a puppy to get your pup to stop nipping at them. I recommend your children giving a firm NO and a redirect to something suitable like a toy. You don’t want your puppy to get the idea that he and your children are all puppies together. You want your children to be able to give commands to your puppy and your puppy to listen to them when needed.

 

[cockermom]

Congratulations on the new puppy. One question is how old is the pup..that matters. If left with the mom and litter longer they learn a lot but if he is very young you are his litter and parents. A sharp no and redirection is good . If he keeps it up quit playing, puppy time out. If he chews on stuff tell him no and give him something appropriate. I was lucky, we got most of our cockers when they were adults, except our current boy Chase. I was also blessed because our breeder had young children and he was already trained, he loves kids. He has never been a chewer.