Ouch

[Sirrahsim]

A little background.. Ginger is around 10 weeks or so now and obviously still a puppy. The last few days she has been getting worse about nipping. We have been handling it by either squirting her with a water bottle or screaming in pain when she nips at us.
This afternoon she was sound asleep next to me on the floor and my 9 month old son was playing at our feet. My son got his fingers stuck in a toy and started to scream so I hurried down to him and pulled his fingers out. When I got up, Ginger got up as well and came barrelling towards my son. I knelt down and blocked my son with my body but Ginger jumped up on my back and grabbed a handful of my hair in her mouth! I told her NO and pulled my hair from her mouth but she grabbed it again and when I went to take it from her a second time she put her mouth on my hand. She didn't bite down but it certainly wasn't comfortable. I put her outside immediately so that I could tend to my son but she has been racing around the back yard whining and growling to herself since then...
Is this normal puppy behavior? Did she just get over excited by being awakened by the sound of my son crying? It may be silly to be scared of a 14lb Golden Retriever but I seriously don't want to go out there right now..

How do I handle this behavior?

[Ginger's Mom]

Yes, it sounds like normal puppy behavior to me. When she grabs your hand, say no turn your back to her. Ignore her while she is jumping up and down trying to get your attention (and she will jump up and down). As soon as she stays down for even two or three seconds, turn around and give her something appropriate to play with (stuffie, for example) and spend a few minutes playing with her with and appropriate toy. You are going to have to do this several times over a several week period before she understands; as a matter of fact, I may even increase the time that I ignore her while each time. When Ginger was a pup, I would even walk out of the room for a few seconds to let her know that her behavior would result in a loss of attention. Do not be afraid of your dog. Put on gloves and long sleeve shirts if you have to, but do not let her set the rules. She will learn. You will also need to set some time aside several times during the day to spend time with just her, teaching her how you want her to behave without any interuptions (just 10 minutes at a time at first). Teach her sit, touch her ears and feet gently, teach her how to be a nice gentle dog. Follow each session with some play time, to make it a pleasant experience. She will be fine, and so will you.

[bckrazy]

PERFECTLY normal puppy behavior! ; )

You need to consistently use whatever method works for you... what worked best for Fozzie was a stern "Nooo!" and ending any and all attention/play at that time. Whatever makes her stop in her tracks is the method that you need to use, and you need to do it every time. Puppies are new to the world, and they do not understand strange human customs. It's your job to teach her that you are not a chewtoy, nor are you another puppy that she can rough-house with. Manners do NOT come naturally, to any puppy. It sounds like she has a lot of excessive energy, too. Make sure you play with her several times a day, in the yard, and with a variety of toys and games, so she isn't so hyper.

Bite inhibition is also taught by other puppies and adult dogs. How often is she around other dogs? I suggest getting her into a puppy play class ASAP, and find vaccinated, friendly adult dogs for playdates, too. Gonzo did a lot of the work for me, as far as teaching Fozzie to be gentle, when he was a puppy.

[pitc9]

I agree with it being normal puppy behavior. Especially because she was woken up and startled by your son’s screams.

[Sirrahsim]

We have noticed that she becomes agitated and excitable every time my son cries (not often) so I guess we will just have to try to desensitize her to that and have her spend more time with him. We will also try to be more diligent and consistent about ignoring her when she gets nippy. Thanks for the advice
Oh, she IS in a puppy class every Saturday afternoon but tomorrow is only her second class. We have pups living all around us but at this point I haven't brought her to play with anyone except the pups at her class.