Biteing

[Jay Pearce]

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Hi Everyone.

Can anyone help? Rosie are 15 week old puppie is brillant , but when we play with her ie her toys . when you try and pick them up she tries to bite your hand.

All replies gratefully recieved :cheers:

 

[kim & Tilly]

Hi Everyone.
Can anyone help? Rosie are 15 week old puppie is brillant , but when we play with her ie her toys . when you try and pick them up she tries to bite your hand.

All replies gratefully recieved  :cheers:

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Bean who is 8wks and Tilly 10 months are a bit like that (tilly not so much now) but they bite each other

 

[lalena]

Hi Everyone.
Can anyone help? Rosie are 15 week old puppie is brillant , but when we play with her ie her toys . when you try and pick them up she tries to bite your hand.

All replies gratefully recieved  :cheers:

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usually a rap on the nose along with a sharp 'NO!' does the trick. for persistant trouble, ignoring pup can help. puppies crave attention, so theyll learn offensive behaviour is to be avoided if they want you to play with them. my 6mth old is a stubborn little sod and even now when he gets too excited tends to chew, though he knows not to do it.

another tip is to make a point of taking away food and toys mid-play/meal. make them used to you doing this. though rare,children have been bitten by a dog when going just near a dogs bowl when feeding, so a dog used to people 'interfearing' isnt likely to snap or growl :thumbsup:

 

[Lynn-Alexandria]

Shes at a really good age for learning right now. What she is trying to do is show her dominance over you by biting you when you go for what she sees as her posessions. What I would suggest is when she does try to bite you, a very firm NO! Do not rap her nose, hitting a dog doesnt solve the problem. It makes the problem worse, instead, after a sharp no remove the toy and do not give her any attention. When you are playing with her especially when it is a game of tug of war it is vital that you win. If she wins then she slowly begins to think that she is in charge over you. At this age it is imperative that you show her who is the pack leader, aka you. When she does give up her toy without trying to bite praise her.

Another thing I would suggest you do is start training her to drop her toy or give it to you. When she brings to toy over to you she is wanting to play, if she does not give up the toy then ignore her, she will eventually drop the toy as soon as it leaves her mouth give her lots of praise and commence with the game.

I hope this information helps. Good luck with her )

 

[lalena]

Shes at a really good age for learning right now.  What she is trying to do is show her dominance over you by biting you when you go for what she sees as her posessions.  What I would suggest is when she does try to bite you, a very firm NO! Do not rap her nose, hitting a dog doesnt solve the problem.  It makes the problem worse, instead, after a sharp no remove the toy and do not give her any attention.  When you are playing with her especially when it is a game of tug of war it is vital that you win.  If she wins then she slowly begins to think that she is in charge over you.  At this age it is imperative that you show her who is the pack leader, aka you.  When she does give up her toy without trying to bite praise her. 
Another thing I would suggest you do is start training her to drop her toy or give it to you.  When she brings to toy over to you she is wanting to play, if she does not give up the toy then ignore her, she will eventually drop the toy as soon as it leaves her mouth give her lots of praise and commence with the game. 

I hope this information helps.  Good luck with her  )

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i didnt mean HIT! i mean one finger, rap on the nose! i try to train my dogs to respond to vocal and visual commands together 'just in case' ie stay is finger pointed at the dog, wait is finger pointed up, sit is finger moving from up to down, heel is whole arm, hand and one finger straight down etc. and find the tap on the nose helps to focus them as it were. believe me, i abhor 'people' who think it fine to shake, beat and basically use violence to chastise an animal :rant:

anyway...can we see some pics?

 

[bardmand]

I do not think this has anything to do with dominance. She is simply young, and does not know that her teeth can hurt you.

My advice is: Squeal to let her know it is painful (exaggerate). Stop playing with her until she has calmed down a bit, start playing with her again until she bites your fingers again, squeal and so on. At first, you might want to reserve your squeals for those times when her biting really hurts you, as she progresses, and does not bite so hard (should not take too many days), you can start squealing when she is biting slightly less hard, and so on.

That way, she will learn that fun stops if she bites too hard, so she better not. That is the way puppies and mom dog teach each other to control their biting.

This is also why some experts now recommend that puppies are not taken away from their mothers before 10-12 weeks. I am not sure that is necessary, as teaching them to stop biting on your own using the above mentioned method is really easy, in my experience.

 

[clairej810]

A squeal, or growl or "ow" and then ignore her for a little bit (only like 30 seconds to a minute) helps but it takes a while - my gh pup still nibbles occasionally and he is 17 months old, although he was 9 months when I got him and he is a bit slow on the uptake! (w00t)

 

[kim & Tilly]

I do not think this has anything to do with dominance. She is simply young, and does not know that her teeth can hurt you.
My advice is: Squeal to let her know it is painful (exaggerate). Stop playing with her until she has calmed down a bit, start playing with her again until she bites your fingers again, squeal and so on. At first, you might want to reserve your squeals for those times when her biting really hurts you, as she progresses, and does not bite so hard (should not take too many days), you can start squealing when she is biting slightly less hard, and so on.

That way, she will learn that fun stops if she bites too hard, so she better not. That is the way puppies and mom dog teach each other to control their biting.

This is also why some experts now recommend that puppies are not taken away from their mothers before 10-12 weeks. I am not sure that is necessary, as teaching them to stop biting on your own using the above mentioned method is really easy, in my experience.

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I did that with Tilly and it worked really well, she did look cock eyed at me as if to say what the hell, but she stopped biting. Now it starts again with a new one here

 

[Lynn-Alexandria]

I didn't mean to offend Lalena, I was just giving advice. Apoligies if I offended you in any way.

 

[lalena]

I didn't mean to offend Lalena, I was just giving advice.  Apoligies if I offended you in any way.

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no offence taken i can see how misconstrued :b and far too many people do seriously hurt their pets

 

[oakmoorehill]

A squeal, or growl or "ow" and then ignore her for a little bit (only like 30 seconds to a minute) helps but it takes a while - my gh pup still nibbles occasionally and he is 17 months old, although he was 9 months when I got him and he is a bit slow on the uptake! (w00t)

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Sounds familiar I had my greyhound when he was 8 months he doesn't so much bite now as mouths your arm when playing .Greyhound doing manwork!!!! He's 2 now and is definitely very slow on the uptake struggles to understand NO sometimes

Oh well obviously a greyhound thing being slow that is

 

[Lynn-Alexandria]

i agree with you on that one Lalena...i see it too often when im training :rant:

 

[clairej810]

A squeal, or growl or "ow" and then ignore her for a little bit (only like 30 seconds to a minute) helps but it takes a while - my gh pup still nibbles occasionally and he is 17 months old, although he was 9 months when I got him and he is a bit slow on the uptake! (w00t)

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Sounds familiar I had my greyhound when he was 8 months he doesn't so much bite now as mouths your arm when playing .Greyhound doing manwork!!!! He's 2 now and is definitely very slow on the uptake struggles to understand NO sometimes

Oh well obviously a greyhound thing being slow that is

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No? What's that? Tiny definitely doesn't understand "no", well sometimes he does but on his terms!! (w00t) My poor boy still can't cock his leg he is that thick (bless him), but it means a lot of leg washing!

 

[oakmoorehill]

A squeal, or growl or "ow" and then ignore her for a little bit (only like 30 seconds to a minute) helps but it takes a while - my gh pup still nibbles occasionally and he is 17 months old, although he was 9 months when I got him and he is a bit slow on the uptake! (w00t)

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Sounds familiar I had my greyhound when he was 8 months he doesn't so much bite now as mouths your arm when playing .Greyhound doing manwork!!!! He's 2 now and is definitely very slow on the uptake struggles to understand NO sometimes

Oh well obviously a greyhound thing being slow that is

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No? What's that? Tiny definitely doesn't understand "no", well sometimes he does but on his terms!! (w00t) My poor boy still can't cock his leg he is that thick (bless him), but it means a lot of leg washing!

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William falls over if he cocks his leg unless there is a handy tree root for him to put his foot on

 

[*Lesley*]

All mine have done it as babies I say "NO BITING" in a firm voice then take my hand swiftly away, then I put my hand back and repeat it until they stop, by the end they usually either lick my hand or do nothing to it, they forget quickly later they'll do it again I do it all again and eventually they stop, it's worked with all mine and I'm just going through the process with Kane. o

I've also tried the squealing thing and that will stop them initially but I found after a bit they thought it was quite amusing, so did my family for that matter :lol:

As for the toys I would just keep taking away the toys then giving them back I probably wouldn't say anything to her i'd just do it so it is a normal thing, that way she doesn't think she is being punished for something, she has to learn that if you want to take something away then you can, but knowing that she will get it back, as she get older you need to be able to take away things because she can't be allowed to try to bite you then (w00t)

But I think it's just a matter of finding the thing that works for you :thumbsup:

Good luck :luck: :luck:

 

[Millie]

These training methods have been modified from information from Dr. Ian Dunbar in his puppy training seminars and from his excellent video 'Sirius Puppy Training'.

Teeth

Why does my puppy keep biting me?

Many puppies nip and bite their owners when they are very young. This is normal, natural and an essential part of their development. They must learn what teeth do or they may not learn how to inhibit their bite when they are older. Depending on your breed or type of dog along with your dog’s individual personality type, the intensity of biting may vary.

How should I deal with the biting?

First look at the environment. Is the puppy getting appropriate and constructive mental stimulation? Is the puppy getting plenty of attention for biting the correct things (toys and chews)? Is the puppy getting enough physical exercise? Is the puppy getting enough sleep?

There are some factors that can increase the biting problem in the household and these are:

· Rough games with members of the household.

· Rough games with other dogs.

· Too much excitement and over stimulation.

· Lack of sleep and suitable confinement.

· People squealing and pulling their hands back.

· Any attention (positive or negative) for biting.

· Lack of exercise.

· Unsupervised access to children.

· Physical punishment. (or threats such as pointing)

Punishment usually does not work and can make the biting worse. Bright and reactive puppies may respond with increased levels of aggression; sensitive puppies may become fearful; stoic puppies may become withdrawn; insecure puppies may become bullies; demanding puppies will bite more to attention seek.

If your puppy bites, we recommend that you have a command that means ‘enough’. Whatever that command is, it is imperative that it is not used to nag the puppy. The simple rule is that the puppy is given the ‘enough’ command once, calmly but firmly. If biting doesn't’t stop then the puppy must learn a consequence. The consequence must be applied consistently and immediately and must be the same every time. Some consequences we suggest are:

· Time out in an indoor kennel, another room or outside for no more than 2 minutes.

· Everyone walks out and leaves the puppy in the room for 1 – 2 minutes.

· Do something dramatic like shouting really loudly and slamming a door.

· Tethering to an object in the room (while supervised) for no more than two minutes.

These are just a few suggestions. The important thing is that your puppy learns what happens every time he bites. Do not allow yourself to become emotional or angry when doing this as the puppy may become anxious and anticipate something dreadful. Just be calm and collected. Be aware that this is an uphill struggle. It may take hundreds of repetitions in all sorts of situations to resolve the problem. Just make sure that you do not allow visitors, relatives and friends to undermine your hard work by encouraging the puppy to play biting games.

There are a number of taste deterrents on the market. Some are much better than others. Your vet will probably be able to provide you with a good one. These can be sprayed regularly on shoes, clothing and even hands to deter biting.

Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping and Rough Play

When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. Therefore, puppies usually want to bite or "mouth" hands during play or when being petted. With puppies, this is rarely aggressive behavior in which the intent is to do harm. Because puppies are highly motivated to exhibit this type of behavior, attempts to suppress it or stop it are unlikely to be successful unless you give your puppy an alternative behavior. The goals of working with this normal puppy behavior are to redirect your puppy's desire to put something in her mouth onto acceptable chew toys and to teach her to be gentle when a hand is in her mouth.

Encourage Acceptable Behavior

Redirect your puppy’s chewing onto acceptable objects by offering her a small rawhide chew bone or other type of chew toy whenever you pet her. This technique can be especially effective when children want to pet her. As you or the child reach out to scratch her behind the ears (not over the head) with one hand, offer the chew bone with the other. This will not only help your puppy learn that people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep her mouth busy while she’s being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has the chew bone. At first, you may need to pet or scratch your puppy for short periods of time, since the longer she’s petted, the more likely she is to get excited and start to nip.

Discourage Unacceptable Behavior

· You must also teach your puppy to be gentle with hands, and that nipping results in unpleasant consequences for her. Teach your puppy that nipping "turns off" any attention and social interaction with you. After a nip, look your puppy right in the eye, and yell "OUCH" as though you’ve been mortally wounded, then ignore her. Leave the room if you must, but ignore her until she’s calm, then try the chew bone and petting method again. It’s even better if you can coax your puppy into a sitting position using food. It may take many repetitions for her to understand what’s expected.

· Nipping and mouthing hands can also be discouraged by loosely holding your puppy's lower jaw between your thumb and forefinger after she’s taken your hand in her mouth. Don't hurt her by squeezing too hard, just gently hang on so that wherever her mouth goes, your hand hangs on. This will quickly become tiresome and she’ll eventually pull away. After several seconds, release her jaw, but continue to offer her your hand. If she licks or ignores it, praise, pet and offer a tidbit. If she closes her mouth on your hand again, repeat the procedure.

· A third alternative is to wear cotton gloves coated with a substance with an unpleasant taste such as "Bitter Apple." In this way, your puppy will learn that "hands in mouth taste bad." For this method to work, every time she nips your hand she must experience this bad taste. The possible disadvantage to this method is that your puppy may learn "hands with gloves taste bad and those without gloves don’t.

· Remember that any of these three methods will probably not be effective unless you work hard to teach your puppy the right behavior by offering her an acceptable chew toy.

Puppy Growth and Development & Behavior between 12 and 16 weeks

§ The first of the permanent teeth will work through

§ Ensure the puppy has plenty of attention and toys to play with

§ At this age a puppy might demonstrate Pack Leader Behavior and test who is the Boss. A puppy will challenge your authority

MOUTHING (puppy biting)

contributed by Joel Walton

Author of Labrador Retrievers for Dummies which contains positive management and training information for all breeds of puppy/dogs.

Founding Member Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Walton Family Dog Training LLC

Prince Frederick, MD

Joel's WWW Page

E-Mail: wfdt@email.msn.com

Voice 301-855-0355

If you watch a litter of puppies playing, you will notice that they spend much of their time biting and grabbing each other with their mouths. This is normal puppy behavior. When you take a puppy from the litter and into your home, the puppy will play bite and mouth you. This is normal behavior, but needs to be modified so you and the puppy will be happy.

The first thing to teach your new puppy is that human flesh is much more sensitive than other puppies and that it really hurts us when they bite. This is called bite inhibition. A puppy has very sharp teeth and a weak jaw. This means that the puppy can cause you to be uncomfortable when mouthing or puppy biting you, but can not cause severe damage. An adult dog has duller teeth and a powerful jaw. This means that an adult dog can cause significant damage when biting. ANY DOG WILL BITE GIVEN THE RIGHT OR WRONG CIRCUMSTANCES ! If a small child falls on your adult dog and sticks a finger in the dog's eye, you should not be surprised if the dog bites. If you do a good job teaching your puppy bite inhibition, you should get a grab and release without damage. If you don't, you may get a hard bite with significant damage.

It is simple to teach a puppy bite inhibition. Every time the puppy touches you with its teeth, say "OUCH!" in a harsh tone of voice. This will probably not stop the puppy from mouthing, but over time should result in softer and gentler puppy biting.

The commands necessary to teach a puppy NOT to mouth, are easy and fun. Hold a small handful of the puppy's dry food, say "take it" in a sweet tone of voice, and give the puppy one piece of food. Then close the rest of the food in your hand and say "off" in that same sweet tone of voice. When the puppy has not touched your hand for 3 to 5 seconds, say "take it" and give the puppy one piece of food. We are teaching the puppy that "off" means not to touch. You should do this with the puppy before every meal for at least 5 minutes.

After a couple of weeks of the above training, here is how you are going to handle puppy biting or mouthing:

a. Unexpected mouthing (you don't know the puppy is going to mouth,

until you feel the puppy's teeth):

"OUCH!"

b. Expected mouthing (you see the puppy getting ready to mouth you):

You say "OFF" before the puppy can mouth you.

c. The puppy is mouthing you because of a desire to play. You have

to answer the question, "Do I have time to play with the puppy now ?"

If you do, then do "sit", "down", "stand" or other positive 'lure and

reward' training.

If the answer is "No, I don't have time for the puppy, right now." then you need to do a time out (crate, or otherwise confine the puppy, so the puppy can't continue to mouth you and get in trouble.

I believe, you will find the above much more humane than yelling at the puppy all of the time.

 

[Millie]

Just to let you know that Jason and family are first time puppy owners, Rosie being litter sister to Sophie and JJ. I think they have been doing very well so far. They have just started training classes with her as well. But any other suggestion from others to help put their minds at rest, that this is normal puppy behavour and she will eventually grow out of it will be a great help.

She has also decided that walking on the lead is not fun no more and is pulling backwards............ any suggestions on this ?

Here's a pic of the Angel Rosie o

 

[Millie]

and the devil Rosie :devil:

 

[Jay Pearce]

and the devil Rosie  :devil:

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Thanks Wendy. :cheers:

This web site is Very good . We are so glad we choose to get a whippet. I guess we just want a perfect Puppie :thumbsup:

Glad you put pics on . Im having trouble putting them on.

Rosie was trying to eat a snail this morning ! Must be the French background!!

:cheers: Jay.

 

[OEH]

I've been having this problem with my little devil Esme, I just take my hand away and shove something more appropriate in instead. Seems to be working, and now she knows what no means I say that as I take my hand away.