Help! My Puppy Bit My Little Girl

[xuxa]

Hello all,
I have a huge problem! I just got a baby male (black and white) Boxer puppy - 2 weeks ago. He is extremely couragious, and often fiesty.

My little girl was going to give me "kisses" when he snipped at her and caught her on the nose. Needless to say, she is now a little fearful of him, even though he is so calm and patient with me.

I know not to have her put her face near his anymore!

How can I ensure that this does not happen again?
When is a good age to neuter him?
When is a good age to start obedience training?

He plays rough with my 11 month old female boxer, and I think that this is building his confidence. He jumps off of four foot beds, runs up and down the steps like its nothing, and even off the arm of the couch (on purpose).

I love "Tank" and would like to educate him on the things that are good and bad.

He is 11lbs, and 8 weeks.

Thank You so much!

 

[Boxer_21]

Since Tank is only 8 weeks, I can say that as of right now you really don't have anything to worry about (in terms of aggression). Right now he's to young to know biting is wrong. It's all up to you to teach him that this unacceptible.

**** 1. How can you ensure that this won't happen again??

I don't know if it's possible to say with 100% certainty that this will never happen again. However, with the proper amount and type of training you can be assured that you're drastically dropping the chances of this happening again. You'll need to train him not to bite and you'll have to be very consistent using positive rewards.

**** 2. What is a good age to nuteur him??

Most vets won't perform this operation until at least 6 months of age. You can check with your veterinarian to find out for sure at what age they do this.

**** 3. What is a good age to start obedience training??

You should definitely start training now. Training should begin as early as possible and should continue throughout his life. Don't let him get away with anything now that you won't want him to get away with when he's full grown. A cute little puppy nibbling on your finger may be cute, but would you want a 70lb doing it??

You could check into signing up for a puppy obedience class after he's had his shots. This will help teach both of you basic obedience commands as well as give Tank the chance to socialize with other puppies.

My last bit of advice would be for you to utilize the search on Boxerworld. Try searching for "biting inhibition" and "boxers with children". There is actually a whole forum dedicated to this topic. It may be worth your while to check out some of those threads.You'll be able to find several good threads that may further help you out.

Good luck,
- Mandy

 

[Natter]

I am with Boxer_21 on this. Tank's just a puppy, he's gonna do these thing's. He's gotta learn that biting and chewing are wrong. Anywho congrats on the new pup.

 

[tanya22]

Ava was also a very confident puppy. Stay on top of him. Get enrolled in puppy kindergarden ASAP. It is great fun for you and him.
My vet spays/neuters when the adult teeth come in. Ava was 4 months.
Good luck.
Did your other boxer not nip when she was young?
Ava is 10 months and can still forget to be gentle.

 

[dukie's mom]

Chloe is 6 months and I remember when she was that age it was quite a bitey time. We fixed several socks with other socks knotted inside them and kept them handy when playing and when she got bitey quickley gave her a sock to bite instead of people. We woyuld say "no biting" and give her a sock and then play with her with it. As she got bigger, we graduated to more substantial toys.
I don't know how old your daughter is, but when Duke was young, he was quite a handful and tried to dominate our youngest daughter. We had her take him through obedience classes and that took care of the problem. She was 5th/6th grade at the time I think.