Please, please, please get a good puppy manual-- I have recommended getting one by Dr Ian Dunbar. Please do this!! All of these activities are really normal. Puppies growl to try out the various sounds they make. They are normally just playing -- my Jaspar has been a growler all his life and still is and it is all only in play. The only reason she would be seriously growling is if people are simply fussing way too much over her and she is getting unhappy with the attention -- if so, listen to what she is telling you and back off -- give her some crate rest or put her in an exercise pen -- especially if there are kids around, kids can TORMENT a small puppy and under 9s in particular should never be given unsupervised, full access to a puppy (or a dog for that matter!). One final option is that she is experiencing some kind of pain if she is growling in response to being handled. In this case she needs a vet check right away.
But please -- it sounds like you really need to have an informative book that would explain all these basics. You would feel far more confident in dealing with these totally normal behaviours.
Growling and nipping is NORMAL. It is going to go on for some time. Soon she will also start chewing things as well. This is what puppies do! I'd also really, really recommend getting a few private sessions with an APDT certgified trainer who will come inand explain what is going on and how to manage her. This would be a worthwhile investment if you want to keep Lexie. Ypu can find APDT trainers in your area at
www.apdt.com. Or, you can directly contact Dr Ian Dunbar's Sirius dog training in Berkeley (they have 19 centres around the bay area:
http://www.siriuspup.com/index.html);these are superb dog behaviouralists and trainers.
Please do some of these things if you are serious about keeping this puppy.
On the other hand (and very important for your happiness and Lexie's!!): If these things are really, truly disturbing to you, and you are finding this overwhelming, you might want to sit down and talk with the whole family and seriously consider whether you want to keep a puppy -- it may be that returning her to the breeder or placing her through breed rescue in your area (I can give you contacts) and considering an adult dog instead would suit your family much better? Puppies are VERY HARD WORK for the first year of their lives and really do not suit everyone. People usually only discover this after they get the pup or the dog. A lot of the dogs that come into rescue are puppies at about 6-12 months of age where people are just exasperated and cannot cope. It is much better to realise this might not be the right choice now, rather than later, as puppies are always easier to home (or the breeder can place her elsewhere and refund the money for her). It is a difficult choice, I know, but from several years of doing rescue, a lot of unhappiness on all sides can be prevented by taking an early and honest decision.
