Another Puppy Issue - Biting

K

kathy32726

Forums Regular
Okay, my little guy is 12 weeks and we, of course, play with him a lot. However, he really is getting into biting and nipping on you when you are playing with him and/or down on the floor. I don't think either of my other shelties were this bad with this issue. What is the best way to curb (stop) this issue without constantly having to scold. I have been stopping the play and say "no bite" when he starts, but I'm not sure it is working or the right way to handle this problem.

Thanks!
 
Everytime he bites scream bloody murder like it was the most painful thing that ever happened to you. I screamed Oowww and pulled my hand away....and Dandie was so scared, startled, and upset that she hurt me, she never did it again.
 
Also, consider that your pup might be in the beginning stages of teething. Try using the "ouch" method, and even providing her with good chew toys that relieve her mouth. We used a frozen washcloth, and it seemed to soothe our pup some.
 
danisgoat said:
Everytime he bites scream bloody murder like it was the most painful thing that ever happened to you. I screamed Oowww and pulled my hand away....and Dandie was so scared, startled, and upset that she hurt me, she never did it again.
Click to expand...

I agree. I did the same thing with Bailey. She nipped me once when she was 10 weeks old. After I immediately screamed "AWWW", she didn't try again until she began teething at 4 months old. I did the same thing and she hasn't nipped since. She is now 11 months old.
 
12 weeks is still very young. Try redirecting the behavior first. Any time he's biting you or chewing on something he shouldn't be, distract him with one of his toys and praise him for chewing on the right thing.

If the biting continues, when he bites your hand say 'ouch,' loudly, end the game and turn your back. Eventually he'll learn that the fun game ends and he's ignored when he bites you, and he should stop biting.
 
I'd just about tried every concievable method when Romeo was a pup coz he would mouth REALLY hard and painfully!! My hands were bruised blue and black at one point.

I couldn't squeal or yell out in pain coz that seems to egg him on more. Sigh. What worked in the end was giving him a cue (mine was "Pain!") and stopping play. But I always reinitiated play after counting to 30 again. And then repeat the process. I found you have to be very consistent so you must go No Bite! the instant them teeth land on you. And this training takes some time and patience to see results. Mine took a bit longer coz I was ok with biting just not hard, and it's harder for a dog to learn what's the appropriate level of hardness than it is to learn not to bite at all.

Oh and it's important to praise your pup when he is chewing on appropriate things like toys! This way he knows he has an outlet which you approve of. To train effectively you need to teach the pup what it can do as much as what it can't do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top