Puppy pitbull biting hard

[Mihail]

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Hello i have pitbull pupy 8 weeks old and she is biting a lot in trying to correct it, i stip playing when she bites but she keep chasing me and biting my ankles and toes, i really wanna teach her not to bite me because if this continues she will start biting when she grow give me any advices im open for anything. Shoud i use somethink to scare her or that will just escalate the situlation

 

[JoanneF]

Don't try to scare her, why would you want to do that? She is a baby, just trying to play with you. And with any age of dog, your aim should be building a strong bond, not making them afraid of you; that's no relationship.

For the mouthing, some people find a sharp 'ouch' works but it can just ramp up the excitement. Some people find putting a toy in the dog's mouth works, others find the puppy is still more interested in nipping hands.

My preferred method is to teach her that teeth on skin equals end of fun. So as soon as she makes contact, walk out of the room for a few moments. As long as the whole family is consistent - do it immediately and do it every time - she will learn. You could use a house line to draw her away, which keeps your hands both out of reach and also keeps hands for only good things.

 

[Finsky]

Hello i have pitbull pupy 8 weeks old and she is biting a lot in trying to correct it, i stip playing when she bites but she keep chasing me and biting my ankles and toes, i really wanna teach her not to bite me because if this continues she will start biting when she grow give me any advices im open for anything. Shoud i use somethink to scare her or that will just escalate the situlation

Unfortunately pups do bite..and their puppy teeth do not help the situation neither because they are needle sharp...but it is the nature of puppy 'beasts'. Do not try to run away as then you are turning this biting to a fun game and she will be encouraged to do it even more.
Scaring is no good neither, any kind of correction or teaching should not be based with scare tactics as those can leave emotional issues to dealt with.
The good thing is as those puppy teeth drop off and new adult teeth come in, it usually tends to calm the nipping down but in meanwhile she will still need to learn to behave too.
So, stop running away...instead of as soon as she does it, give her your chosen command (maybe a 'off' or 'leave') that you will be using for rest of her life to instruct her to leave something be.
Be ready to carry some small treats in your pocket as that moment she pulls back from the nipping, no matter how little movement, give her straight away a treat with 'good girl' reward as well. You can also take this little further and teach her to sit which she will then be rewarded with a toy/chew and/or play to go with it.
Lot of pups nipping is down to that they want your attention ..so play with her. When her teeth are around a toy, they are not in contact with you...yes, it is tiresome (putting it mildly) but they are not puppies forever.
When she goes to bite your hand....ball it into a tight fist...tight skin does not feel same and it doesn't hurt same.

If she draws blood...you could teach her a lesson by turning your back to her and whimpering/crying....if she gets baffled what is going on and come to investigate, point out the blood to her. If she attempts to lick it stop the crying and and make a sigh noise giving little touch on her back...'all forgiven'.
You need to show her what behaviour you like and you don't. Good behaviour is rewarded with various actions and 'bad' with ignoring her by turning away or even just lifting your arms up in the air and looking up too.
All fun stops when she is doing something what you don't like.

Accidents do happen when we play with pups, but when they do it on purpose....they need to pointed out and instructed not to do so. Calming excited nipping pup when their behaviour is calling for it (tired puppies can get extra nippy) or giving them something else to do by play/walk and to keeping those teeth busy with chews.
What ever way you show your dislike...you will need to keep your reaction constant each and every time and show others too how they need to do it.
It is about teaching your pup your 'language' and sticking to it.
Some pups learn quicker than others and more willing to behave and others..well, they can be really really stubborn..but given time and owner being even more stubborn, they will give up and behave.
If it helps....EVERY SINGLE puppy owner goes through the same and it can be very intense time to work it out...but at the same time you are creating that magic bond with your dog. More you put effort to interact, play and distract her from her puppy jaws..the better your bond will be. At the moment they are cute and all that, but when they get over this stage and their brains mature a little, one day you realize how lucky and proud you are about your girl...she is 'all there'..all clever and responsive...you best friend..

 

[Finsky]

Hello i have pitbull pupy 8 weeks old and she is biting a lot in trying to correct it, i stip playing when she bites but she keep chasing me and biting my ankles and toes, i really wanna teach her not to bite me because if this continues she will start biting when she grow give me any advices im open for anything. Shoud i use somethink to scare her or that will just escalate the situlation

Oh something else came to my mind that I did with my pups and I still do now that they are older, we both enjoy it..
I go on floor, lying down with my dogs holding on to their chews and they love it that they get help and can have really good chew. Often their jaws like to really go for it but their paws are not able to hold tight enough for their jaws liking. Good chew session tires them out too and is mentally very satisfying for them...they get totally 'in zone' during that 'exersize'. You can use it as a way to calm it down after a play session or way to settle before the bed time..it is good for bonding too. So next time you prepare yourself for a for a good movie night....get a long lasting chew out and have some quality time with your pup as well. It could soon learn to bring you that chew..."come on mum...lets chew!"

Edit to add; this is not exactly about your enquiry but in relation to it..
about teaching your pup about your 'language'. Not only about letting her know that when ever you are not happy with what she does..eg. nipping. It is really helpful that you let her know you likes and dislikes about anything and everything she might do. She is unlikely to understand what you are on about, but eventually she will start figuring it all out and differentiate all you 'whims'. Like if she licks you and it is acceptable to you.."ooh, that's nice"...or 'ah..leave'..etc. When she learns to read you and knows her boundaries...you won't need many words and just by tone of voice or a certain kind of look is enough to guide her with you or with different situation. But to get to that level of communication you will need to really interact with her a lot.

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

How have you got hold of a pitbull pup.

 

[JudyN]

How have you got hold of a pitbull pup.

If the OP isn't in the UK, they may well not be banned in their country

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

If the OP isn't in the UK, they may well not be banned in their country

That's true

 

[lurcherman]

If he is in the uk it’s a scary thing and too come on a open forum and ask for advice!!! If I was getting a pit pup I’d want to understand the breed 100 % first .

 

[JudyN]

@lurcherman, pitbulls are very common in the US and from what I can gather from reading online, are usually total cuddle monsters. They just have a bad reputation, like Staffies and Rotties in this country. Of course, any of these dogs if brought up badly can be dangerous as they are large and strong, but you're more likely to get savaged by a dachsund. So there's no reason why the OP shouldn't ask for advice on puppy biting.

 

[lurcherman]

Geez that’s why I said uk, I know a fair bit on pits and my brindle was best friends with one, my point was asking on a open forum if In uk, dosnt seem to know a lot about the breed, if he did he wouldn’t be asking on a forum would he, lately some posts on this site have been nothing short of senseless owners getting a dog and saying oh hell what do I do next.

 

[Mihail]

im from Europe and i asked because i wanted to educate myself i dont see anything wrong with that its my first dog and this is the main reason and also checked some sites but i still wanted to ask people with experience

 

[JudyN]

@Mihail, when I got my dog I was clueless - I had a book, a pretty good book, but my puppy didn't seem to have a clue what he was meant to do so I spent half my time scouring the internet and asking questions, so ask away! Mine was a land shark too, but what worked for me (eventually!) was to give 5-10-second 'timouts', either leaving the room and shutting the stairgate (stairgates are really useful), or putting him on the other side of the stairgate, whenever he bit. I'd then let him back in without comment, carry on with playing or whatever we were doing, and as soon as he bit - timeout again. It's exhausting, you can spend your whole evening this way, but eventually, with 100% consistency, he will realise that it's more fun if he doesn't bite.

I also found it helpful to teach 'impulse control' so the dog has the self-control to stop himself - have a search on YouTube for the video 'It's Yer Choice'.

 

[Ari_RR]

Pit bulls are very common here (US), most are rescues, some are super sweet, playful with humans and dogs, 3 of Miles' favorite playmates in the woods are pit bull girls. Others are quite scary.

 

[lurcherman]

Agreed ari,, I enjoyed watching the show pitbulls and paroles, even they said the good ones are great but the bad ones are too far gone for rehoming,