9.5 week old puppy regressing?

There are lots of threads here about this... but bottom line is you have a normal puppy.  This is part of puppyhood.  Hes not aggressive, not mean, not *really* mean intentioned growling at you... just having fun, being silly, play fighting.  YOU have got to teach him gently, lovingly, and slowly what is ok and not okay, and until then he doesnt know any better.  Puppies can get pretty wild and then crash.  Your not alone, Ill go look them up and try to post some of the others for you... you have a normal pup... good luck.

Thats 100% puppy behavior, nothing odd there.
You are correct in only trying to engage him in 15 minutes of training, his attention span is still limited. Just like kids, when they get tired, they get fussy and puppy classes are SO stressful mentally for them. Not only are they under pressure but they are in a different unfamiliar environment and there are other dogs as distractions too! And when Rory was little, if she felt any frusteration or impatience from me she would lock up and fight me the whole way, ooh she used to be so stubborn. Its a battle of the wills, no doubt about it.
The icky runs he has been having could very well be do stress. I'm not implying that you are stressing him out but they can be stressed very easily. Please visit this site to learn about the stages they go through, fear, and stress....
[linkti=PN&qi=2314]http://www.iams.com/en_BI/jhtmls/nutrition/sw_NutritionQuestions_qanswer.jhtml?li=en_BI&sc=D&bc=I&ti=PN&qi=2314[/link]>http://www.iams.com/en_BI/jhtmls/nutrition/sw_NutritionQuestions_qanswer.jhtml?li=en_BI&sc=D&bc=I&ti=PN&qi=2314]http://www.iams.com/en_BI/jhtmls/nutrition/sw_NutritionQuestions_qanswer.jhtml?li=en_BI&sc=D&bc=I&ti=PN&qi=2314[/link]
It helped me so much when Rory was a pup to understand what might be going through her head.
As for the biting, you need to show him that it actually hurts. When he bites, yelp, yelp loud like a puppy, act startled and turn your attention away from the puppy for about 30 seconds (no longer, remember short attention span) that will tellyour puppy, "hey, that hurt, I dont wanna play when your mean" yelp loud enough to startle him, they first couple of times he may look at you like your crazy but eventually he'll see that he gets no attention if he acts like that.
Oh and sorry to be such a party pooper but this inst the las regression he'll go thriugh, you have the terrible post 1year teenager phase to go through where he'll pretend to forget everything you've worked so hard to teach him
After all that I would like to say congrats to you, it seems as if you are very mindful and caring of your pup. Dont get too discouraged, its how all puppies are and after the proper training you'll have a loyal, lovable companion who will greet you everday at the door with nothing but love, regardless of what you do or say!
The more time and training you put into your dog now, the better life the both of you will have. If he comes when he is called, then you'll be able to take him more places. If you teach him not to beg, you wont have to throw him outside everytime you eat or have dinner friends over. Keep us updated on his progress and good luck!

Thanks sooo much for the replies!!
 
I know some of you had to read this and say "regression...at 9 weeks?"  But that is how bad it has gotten.  Its almost like he is a different dog.  Just so mean.
 
I will take all of your suggestions and encouragement, be sure that we are doing most of that already (yelping, ignoring, etc).  I'm just so frustrated right now, but I will never give up and never lose my "cool."  I want this dog to be my loyal best buddy so bad, I'm willing to go the distance for him, I just want to check in with you "experts" to make sure I am doing everything right and that my pup is ok and not sick or crazy .
 
Thanks again...

Hi and welcome,
your puppy was very young when you got him.
So you have to take over the part that usually his litter mates and his mother would do and that really is showing him when he`s gone "too far" cause how should he know?
 
Ignoring doesn`t help you`ve said, then do something that his brothers and sisters would do: bite back! Don`t do it too hard of course but any other pup would do the same thing when yelping and turning away doesn`t help.
And what your little doggie has already learned is a lot. It´s not that he`s being mean to you or that he has forgotten everything, dogs need to hear and do a command hundreds of times before a command is really, and I mean really, established. As the others said, it will be even more...mhmm...challenging when he gets older but really: don`t give in or up. When he`s grown up and a good obedience is established it will be far easier for you.
And when you get too frustrated, remember, your pup is just a little baby and hehas complete confidence in you that you will care for him and show him the world.
 
Ah, and show some pics!

This puppy is still a baby. Don't bite him, just be more patient. It's like asking a two-year-old child to be a model citizen. The best behaved two-year-old child (or 9 wk old puppy) in the world is still going to misbehave and be wild sometimes. There is NOTHING to do about it but keep training and be patient. Time will pass. The puppy will grow up.

I have a suggestion that might work, especially with a hound... Shorten the training sessions...5 minutes tops.  It sounds like he's bored with the training.  He knows it already.  Hounds are fiercely intelligent, but notoriously stubborn.    Make every training session a game.  Invent little games for him.  He's a hound, teach him houndy things like "where is it?" "hide and seek" these games build up his natural abilities and tire him out mentally.

He's a normal puppy, he's doing what any pup this age will do...testing limits for play.  Encourage and reward the training behaviors with his favorite games.

Also...Don't play "rough" with the puppy.  No slap boxing or wrestling.  This teaches the pup that it's ok to use the mouth on people.  If he plays with you and bites your hand in an unacceptable or uninhibited way you can mimic what his litter mates would do...yelp and turn away.  Or you could end the game right there, like an alpha would do.  Just get up and leave.  Leave for 2 minutes or 3 tops.  Long enough for him to settle.  The dog learns "if I bite down hard the game is over."

Just my 2 cents.

Wow, your expectations for this puppy are way too high.  You've gotten some good advice here.  This is a very young puppy and if you don't relax your expectations the next year is going to be very frustrating for you.
 
15 min is way too long a training session.  At this age I'd do 2-3 minutes tops and then have fun play time.  Make him be successful in training and always end on a good note and end it sooner rather than later.
 
I may get flak for this but...I've had success with stopping mouthy, biting uppies by sticking my fingers/hand in their mouths, back into their throats.  Just a quick jab and not too hard but enough so that after a couple of times they start to realized that biting my hand does not lead to good things.  After this correction I am neutral toward them for a minute or two and then I continue on like normal like it never happened. 

Oh I remember those bitey days only too well. Mookie was left at the Humane Society at 5 wks, too young to be away from his litter. He was 11 wks when we got him and had no idea about inhibited bite. When he got over the top too rough, and our "yelps" didn't deter him, we'd put him in a puppy time out. (NEVER in his crate though) Usually just a couple of minutes being deported to the bathroom was enough to do the trick. Be patient, its a stage they all go though; I remember our vet telling me that when he's out, he can always spot the person with the new puppy by the scatches and bites on their hands!

you might want to read a few books about the stages of puppy development, they can be reasurring about your puppy's normality, and give you some idea of what to expect in the future. There is a "fear period" that usually runs from around age 7 weeks to around 11 weeks; many folks think puppies should not be re-homed during this period, because even a mildly frightening experience at this time can cause major permanent damage to the puppy's mind. I'm amazed an obedience class is allowing you to bring a 9 week old puppy to a class-- he's certainly not at all safe from parvo and distemper until he gets his second set of shots. Anyway, you should expect several dramatic personaliity changes: going into the first fear period, coming out of the first fear period, and just wait, when he's around 13 weeks old he'll go into his first "I'm a bratty snot" period of development.

Once again, this is how puppy shots work.
 
Pups loose their mommas immunities somewhere between 8-15 weeks.  Shots given before those immunities leave, are wasted.  Vaccines do not need to be "boostered", they are given in a series so that pups are "caught" as they loose immunities.  ONE shot protects them, but it's impossible to determine if they have immunities from the vaccine or are still carrying MOM's immunities.  Two of those three shots are basically wasted, but no one knows for sure which one will be the magic bullet.
 
Dr. Jean Dodds recommends parvo/distemper ONLY at the age of 9, 12 and between 16-20 weeks, with modified live virus and then boostered a year later, with rabies NO YOUNGER than 24 weeks.

exactly Glenda. Most pups will not "take" on their first shot, whether it's given at 7 or 9 weeks, and will lose their mother's immunity, and be at risk for parvo/distemper for at least a few days before they get their second shot at age 12 weeks. Best to avoid taking the pup out to ublic places where lots of dogs also go (i.e. an obedience class) until that second shot. Some unfortunate pups may not "take" on the second shot and will be at risk before getting the third shot, but the behavioral consequences of not extensively socializing a pup between weeks 13 and 16 far outweigh the slight risk of picking up parvo.

Thanks for the replies everyone.
 
As for the shots cycle, my Vet (very well respected) has him on an every three weeks for the shots.  Right at 7 he got a distemper.  Our next shot(s) is due at 10 weeks (appt already made) the next shot(s) will be at 12 weeks and finally at 16 weeks.
 
Some of you seem to have misintepretted my post.  I understand puppies will bite...and bite...and bite.  And I understand they are not going ot be pefect model dogs for quite some time.  My post was regarding some regression.  He was starting to understand that biting was bad and that Mom and Dad didn't approve.  Earlier this week, he started acting out, very aggressively as we had not seen this type of behavior in the previous two weeks.  He seems to have calmed down a little, but I still worry.  My wife is in tears way too much from skin breaking bites.
 
Another thing, and I would LOVE some advise on this.  My wife and I are home ALL day.  So the pup get sto spend a lot of time with us...probably too much.  We cater to his every need, but never let him out of crate/area if he is barking or whining.  Could this be leading him on to thinking he is the DOMINATE one in the house?
 
Thanks for any and all replies and please excuse my ignorance as I am a first time puppy owner (29 years old).
 

He's so cute!

You have to understand, though, aggression in puppies is SO rare... but first time puppy owners mistaking normal puppy behavior for aggression is SO common. [] Trust me, I went through the same thing. I had the same thoughts you are having... I felt I could just tell that my puppy was being too aggressive and rough - guess what, he turns out to be the gentlest little mushball in the world, I just didn't understand puppyhood. That's what so great about going to a good puppy class (not one with an alpha rolling trainer) - you realize how normal your puppy is, not to mention how normal your frustrations and concerns are.

I highly, highly doubt your puppy is aggressive. But he is probably being a little bratty. Big difference between aggressive and bratty. Yes their teeth can break the skin - puppy teeth are really sharp and he doesn't understand proper bite inhibition yet. Really, at less than 10 weeks this dog is the developmental equivalent of a human toddler.

Thanks Jones for the reply!  I'm sure I will look back at this time and laugh, but it's hard to at the moment.
 
We are looking into hiring a trainer to do some one on one training, and we will still attend our class if just for the socialization.  I understand that consistancy is everything when it comes to training!
 
Thanks again!