Attackin

[sarahfryberg]

Oh yes. Its ME again.... when i take my 13 week puppy outside to play fetch she loves it!! But.... she grabs the balls brings it back 2-3 times great.. then she literally starts attacking me.. like full on feet legs body hands everything. It becomes where i cant get away from her. She doesnt listen to anything. And she starts growling... this only usually happens when we r playing fetch? Its so weird. But its scary 😬

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Sarahfryberg,

That does sound scary! Although rough dog play in puppies and dogs can often look scary, especially when they're playing tug with our pants with a wild look on their faces. Can you provide more details on when this exactly happens? Like is it when you're still holding the ball, after you have tossed the ball or like when she picked up the ball and then gets tired of playing? Are you standing, walking or bending down when this happens?

[sarahfryberg]

So i throw the ball and she comes right back to me. Usually spins around drops the ball. And then im standing. Its like that for 1-2 times and then all of a sudden when she runs back to me with the ball. She just starts attacking me. Like i cant even use the ball as a calmer unless i just throw it? Which i stopped doing cuz i didnt want to reward her? And then i stand there. Dont move. She sits. I wait 10 seconds start walking and boom shes at my geet and pants and hand. Its only when we are playing fetch usually that she does this? But its so good for her and her energy. She cant realy go anywhere yet for 6 more days until she gets her last series shots.. thank u.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Sounds like she's perhaps overly excited or frustrated or trying to engage you in a different form of play (tug). A bit challenging to tell without seeing the behavior. In any case, I like that when you stand and don't move (your movement is what triggers the biting) she seems to calm down and sits. That's what we want. I would reward that sit with a toss of the ball if she's eager to play fetch. It would be great to shape this and make it a habit. Toss ball, bring ball, sit, toss ball, repeat. It's a lesson in impulse control, the Premack Principle to be exact; where "you can get your ice-cream (ball tossed) only after you eat your broccoli (dog sits)." Once you are done playing, you need though to outsmart her though and find a way to go back inside the house without her attacking you. Here are some options that you can try:

 

-Wear tall boots (like Wellington boots): many puppies lose interest when biting boots also because when wearing boots we are less likely to get hurt and move. Movement is what mostly attracts puppies so lack of movement makes feet/legs lose their big appeal. Wait for her to calm down and toss the ball only when calm.

-You can try holding several balls in a bag and every time your pup returns the ball rather than bending down to get the ball (and making yourself vulnerable to being bitten) you can just toss another ball from your bag before she has the chance to come to bite.

-Redirect her biting to a long tug toy or flirt pole. Keep these handy so that you have them ready to redirect at a moment's notice. It sounds like your pup may enjoy playing tug or chasing a flirt pole. When it's time to go back inside, try to let her chase this toy wiggling it on the floor rather than focusing on your legs. If she focuses on your legs, stop, turn boring and wait for her to tire/redirect to the toy.

-The main goal in getting a puppy to stop attacking feet/hands/arms is to teach the puppy that it's boring playing with body parts because there are far better forms of play out there. Move less and make your toys move more. Wriggle them, toss them, provide toys that contain food. With their strong urge to bite and play satiated with better forms of play, soon, puppies should outgrow the habit of chasing feet/legs just as they outgrow the habit of chasing their tails.

-Provide your puppy with a structured program involving games, training and mental stimulation during the day. A 10 to 15 minute session every 90 minutes should help in channeling a pup's urge for playing and discharging pent-up energy during the day. If the behavior you see is after staying indoors all day, it could be she has excess energy.

-Finally, and I know this is the opposite of what just mentioned above, but it happens at times that puppies are provided with too much excitement and stuff going during the day that lead to considerable tiredness and over stimulation. Young puppies as yours need to play, be socialized and trained, but they also need to sleep and they can get cranky and bitey when they are tired. Sometimes puppies are just misbehaving because they are tired but can't self-sooth. Maybe she's tired of chasing the ball and is looking for a less "intensive" form of play and is trying to switch to tug. If all your puppy's needs are met, give your puppy a safe chew to gnaw on his/crate in a quiet dark room. Your puppy should find his/her off switch and should soon fall soundly asleep.

 

The good news is that biting is often just a temporary phase (some call it the "crocopup phase") that passes if the pup is provided with structured games, training interactive toys and of course brain games (check out the treasure hunt game, muffin game, ball pit game, the bottle game -supervised if she tends to ingest parts- which you can find in the brain game section of the course) and things tend to gets better as the puppy matures.

Edited March 5, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[sarahfryberg]

Thank u! Such great advice! And for my previous post about targeting?.. i took the advice u gave and she is now using her paw! With targets on the floor! And u might be happy to know she shakes now too! In 4 days! Thank u! Thank u!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome. Kudos to you for getting her to use her paws in such a productive way! Your pup must be adorable!

Best,

Adrienne