Help my 6 week old puppy bit my 2 year old

[akittrell]

My 6 week old puppy chopped down on my 2 year olds hand after he pulled his hair and i mean the puppy was angry not playing he also had a growling and snapping fit after my 10 year old picked him up when he was sleeping ,i really need some adivce on how to handle this. I know puppies play bite but he was not playing at this time

[Vinnie]

6 weeks old?

It's very typical of puppies to bite.

[akittrell]

This was not play bitting as he usually does he was growling and drew blood.

[Tihannah]

Hey Neighbor! Welcome to the forums! Where are you at in MS? I'm relatively new to the breed and with my first pup, so I will let some of the more experienced members guide you on this one. I will tell you that your breeder let that pup go about 2 weeks too early. Others will be better able to explain why... Good luck!

[HeidiW]

Oh my never had a pappy act like that and raised around my small children, 6 weeks is too young to be away from his mom, where did you get him?

[doggiedad]

don't let the puppy near your 2 year old.
don't let your 10 year old handle your puppy.

[middleofnowhere]

Handle it first of all by teaching your children 1. not to startle the puppy when he is sleeping (such as do not pick the puppy up when he is sleeping) and 2. not to pull it's hair, ears, tail, poke it's eyes etc.

At 6 weeks and away from it's "family of origin" the pup will have fewer lessons on bite inhibition than had he stayed with his litter mates and dam a week or two longer.

A GSD pup will stay quite mouthy for at least the first year even with the additional time with Mom & sibs. Really really really teach your children how to behave around the dog and to expect the pup to be mouthy.

[HeidiW]

Please made sure your pup has a vet check and all is ok and healthy. Might not be feeling well. My kids were not exactly gentle with our puppies but none growled ever.

[sagelfn]

Originally Posted by akittrell

My 6 week old puppy chopped down on my 2 year olds hand after he pulled his hair and i mean the puppy was angry not playing he also had a growling and snapping fit after my 10 year old picked him up when he was sleeping ,i really need some adive on how to handle this.

1) why do you have a puppy at 6 weeks of age? if you bought it from a "breeder" you should take it back and pick it up when its a more appropriate age at least 8 weeks old but since you've probably had it for at least a few days I would leave it there for longer so it can learn things like bite inhibition and important dog behaviors and signals.

2) You should supervise all contact with your children and the puppy. You should teach your children acceptable behavior around the puppy..pulling its fur, ears, etc..are all unacceptable. When the puppy is asleep let it sleep. I'm guessing that the puppy is growling and snapping because you or your children are yelling at it and possibly smacking it for its behavior thats the only reason I can see a 6 week old puppy behaving that way.

Puppies bite, they use their mouths to learn. A 6 week old puppy is a baby it doesn't know any better. FYI I dealt with a bitey pup all the way up to teething around 5 months of age. I strongly suggest you start learning about dog training and behaviors and enroll in a puppy class as soon as possible. Make sure the whole family participates in the training.

[Vinnie]

Last edited by akittrell; Today at 08:28 PM.

I responded at 08:24 PM.

I love it when people edit their posts AFTER someone responds. Nice.