Biting dog

[CynthiaKetwaroo]

My 6 month old hound/pit mix bites everything, especially me. He likes to bite my arms, hair scalp and is now progressing to legs and feet. He has tore up all of our older dogs toys. How can I get him to stop? I've tried ignoring him, and replacing my arm with a toy but nothing works.

[MrJorge]

Hi Cynthia.

 

You have to train bite inhibition. And this involves a few things. I will detail the steps bellow. The dog needs to understand that “biting” on us is unacceptable but you need to replace this behaviour with something else. So, my approach would be as follow:

 

- when he is playing with you give him a chew toy so he can actually bite on something. If he is biting on you immediately make a desaproval sound (“ouch”) and move the dog to a “boring” area free of stimuli, free of toys etc... ignore him, don’t give him eye contact. And leave him there for a small period of time. 5minutes/10minutes. so he starts associating the bite to the end of fun. Bring him back and start over. You will be doing this a lot initially. So don’t loose hope. If you use a crate be careful using the crate for this so they don’t use a negative association. An ex pen is ideal for this. Or a fenced/confined area where he can’t wonder off and find fun doing something else.

 

- train bite inhibition.

In one hand show him a treat he likes and immediately close that hand. He will probably start biting on it. Let him go on funtill he starts giving up. Back to just sniffing or licking your hand. When this happens immediately mark the behaviour (verbal mark/clicker) and give him a treat with your other hand (helps if you keep the other hand hidden behind your back).

If you see he is making progress you can start introducing the command “gentle” so you can use it in future if he bites on you.

 

- having a good basic obedience training foundation helps as you can also use other cues (like a solid sit) when this is happening to shift his focus.

 

- having a black kong toy (for heavy chewers) helps. Let him chew on something he is allowed to.

 

Let us know if that helps. And see what Adrienne says about it

 

Jorge

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Cynthia,

At 6 months, we really need to curb this behavior. In an ideal situation we aim to have reduced puppy nipping to a good extent by the age of six months and your dog is already at this milestone. You are at beginning of doggy adolescence, a time when dogs may be get more stubborn and things a tad bit more challenging to overcome. Here's a read about doggy adolescence and what to expect:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

I may need a bit more info on your specific situation. Can you please describe the context in which this behavior occurs? Does there seem to be a particular pattern? For example, does the biting typically start when you are watching TV, when on the phone or when you sit down to read? Do you ever play "wrestling games" with your dog? Does it happen on walks? Or does it just seem to happen randomly during the day when you move around?

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about the destruction of the toys other than the fact it may be upsetting to see them destroyed and it may cost money to replace them. This is overall normal behavior. Some dogs simply have stronger jaws and destroy toys more easily. If the toys contain squeakers or stuffing, it's natural behavior to want to destroy them to remove the "innards. " On a side note: be careful with squeakers as too many dogs swallow them and risk a blockage (expensive surgery).

 

You should keep easily destructed toys out of reach and if he happens to approach or get one, make sure he's fluent on the "leave it" and "drop it" cue and trading it with some tasty treats or another toy stuffed with goodies that is stronger (yup, the black Kong Jorge mentioned works great!). Another favorite of mine is the Kong Wobbler. We have one that is 10 years old and it is gone through both my Rotties' teething stage up to now (and it was used by loads of other dogs). It's full of teeth scratches, but still holding up well. Goughnuts also provide quite some sturdy toys, and if I recall well, they come with a guarantee.

 

Here are some reads on leave it and drop it and trading.

 

Leave it and drop it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

 

Teaching a dog to trade (scroll to the bottom of the article)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

Edited July 21, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[DebraL]

My 12 week old English Bulldog puppy is biting my arms, hands, legs, and feet. I can't walk without her dragging along. She had a temper when I tell her NO and bites more aggressively. If I try Leave It she bites too hard to ignore. I've tried everything I should and should not do. When she bites she hangs on. What can I do?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Debra L,

Welcome to the forum.You need to intervene before she has an opportunity to latch on. The good news is that this is a young puppy and this is the prime time to start training a puppy. Saying "no" unfortunately doesn't teach the pup what to do instead, and some dogs may get more aroused either playfully or defensively.

 

You will need to train a replacement behavior and make it extra rewarding so that your puppy chooses that behavior over the biting your arms, legs and feet as you are walking.

 

At the same time, you want to make the nipping at your feet,arms legs extra boring. When you are walking and you see your puppy approach, stop in your tracks and become boring like a tree. Movement triggers more biting and the more we resist by moving the more a puppy will latch on and treat us as tug toys. Now, ask for a replacement behavior (that you have trained prior to the point of a certain level of fluency). You have several options as to what replacement behaviors to use. Teaching these replacement behaviors requires you to carry a treat bag on you during the day so that you are a ready to redirect at a moment's notice when you walk around.

 

I like to use targeting as a replacement behavior for nipping. You first sit down and train your puppy to target a target stick stick in a low distraction area (you can use any long object like a ruler) and make it an extra rewarding activity by clicking (or saying yes) when your puppy targets it with her nose. You can toss the treats rather than handfeed them so to make the activity extra fun and burn excess energy. You can then start asking your puppy to target the target stick as you are standing and then as you are walking (remember to stop in your tracks as your pup approaches) and can end the session by tossing several kibble/treats on the floor in various areas (fun treasure hunt!) as you walk away.

Here a guide on targeting:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

 

Alternatively, you can use 'sit." You need to train sit prior in a low distraction setting and then progress to asking it when you are walking (remember to stop in your tracks as your pup approaches). As your puppy approaches, say "sit" and then reward by tossing the kibble/treat the opposite way as you walk away. If your puppy eats quickly and then catches on with you as you're walking away, stop walking and rinse and repeat the exercise of asking the sit. This works great because you are adding obedience training, giving your puppy a workout and preventing her from rehearsing the troublesome behavior. Win-win!

Here's a guide on sit:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/

 

This thread has several suggestions for a case similar to yours:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?17-Puppy-biting-feet-for-attention

 

Here are some great exercises to do to teach better bite inhibition:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

 

What to do in the meanwhile, prior to your dog learning the replacement behavior well? As you work on training a replacement behavior, you may wish to redirect her when she approaches and you stop walking to some toy such as a tug toy or a flirt pole to prevent rehearsal. You can also try tossing a ball the opposite direction.

 

Not responding to your leave it can occur if you are saying it too late (once your puppy has already latched on) or it hasn't been trained for long enough or the pup isn't understanding its meaning. It good to start with inanimate objects, and then progress to food and then to animals crossing etc. and other stuff we don't want the pup to get close to and interact with. I am not too fond though for using it for telling the pup to "leave the owner" because it's a bit of an odd concept considering that we want the pup to interact with us instead and things can gets confusing. In the posts above, when I suggested training "leave it" it was mostly to prevent the dog from accessing certain toys that the dog was destroying.

 

Hope this helps!

Adrienne

Edited July 25, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[rebeccamonchon]

When my dog was 6 months old she bit me until i started crying, nothing worked. And i tried everything like giving toys to her to bite on, which she denied and went to bite on me, then i tried to yell no and she got even more excited to bite me. After a while i tried method to leave the room every time she bit me and stayed in the other room for about 30 seconds, going in and out until she stopped with the biting and calmed down. This worked wonders for me, also i could see when she got more excited and would start biting so i tried preventing this by trying to do tricks. Also she was very active so she required alot of exercise so i also made sure she got enough. Now she would only bite if she really really needs to pee, and this dont happen often anymore (now she is 11 month). So dont give up and keep strong. Its a difficult phase!

[clairebear_ces]

Hi, We have a 16 week old cattle dog mix from the humane society. We have had her about a week. She is crated while we are at work but gets a solid 4-5 hours a day of play, training, and exercise time when we are home in the mornings, at lunch, and in the evenings. She is very big on biting. Triggers for her biting: when we are playing fetch with a toy she stops with the toy and bites our whole body, when playing by herself with toys she'll stop after a minute or two and bites us all over, she bites when you try to take her toy, she bites after a cuddle session when you stop petting her, she bites a lot after walks, and she bites our legs and feet when we walk around the house. This has escalated every day that we have had her so far. She also jumps up and bites our clothes when we get home, even if we ignored her. The only time she never bites is when we are doing something related to food- such as cooking dinner, prepping her food, or getting her water dish filled- and then she just follows us around and stares at us.

 

Things we have tried:

1. She is very smart. She knows "leave it", but will only leave it if there is a treat for her. She will also just go back to biting the second she gets the treat.

2. We have also tried the "yelp", stand still, and ignore her when she bites us hard. She used to stop biting and stare at us, but now she just ignores the yelp and bites more even when we stop moving and ignore her.

3. We try to ignore her and remove ourself from the situation whenever she bites us, but she just bites harder and harder.

4. We try to leave the room, but she follows us and bites us more. Or, then when we leave she goes and chews on the curtains or something, even if we're gone 10 seconds.

 

She has many toys she is allowed to bite and play with, but they just wind her up.

 

Any suggestions for how to help??

 

I also wanted to add that we have given her treats and praise whenever she is NOT biting us or when she STOPS biting us. But that winds her up and then she just bites us more to get more treats (again, she's very smart).

 

Also, also, as I said she is from the humane society, and she is very anxious and seems like she might have been abused (she cowers back when you lift your foot up or hand up like she has been kicked or hit before). She also might not have had proper socialization as a young puppy.

Edited January 17, 2019 by clairebear_ces

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello, and welcome to the forums,

Sounds like you have a handful! Not surprising though considering the cattle dog portion of this pup's ancestry, considering that these dogs have been selectively bred to herd cattle and nip at their heels. These behaviors can be quite ingrained and these dogs are attracted by movement and nipping is their second name. Hang in there, I will be posting some tips based on your descriptions shortly. You are on the right track in rewarding when she is not biting or when she stops, but we need to be careful with some smart dogs in not creating a behavior chain (the dog resumes biting, to then stop to get a treat, resume biting, then stop to get a treat etc.)

[Adrienne Farricelli]

OK, I am back, sorry busy day :)

In direct response to your queries: (please read all this info thoroughly before attempting anything to get a better grasp of what these exercises entail, their goals and some important warnings and disclaimers)

 

1)"Triggers for her biting: when we are playing fetch with a toy she stops with the toy and bites our whole body, when playing by herself with toys she'll stop after a minute or two and bites us all over."

 

It sounds like she is seeking engagement with you, and your movements are more reinforcing than a toy which is static. Most likely the toy is a boring one from your pup's perspective if it is one that the pup has seen over and over and is lacking an important element that many heeler pups seek: continuous, unpredictable movement. Back to this pup's ancestry, if the heeler portion of her genetic mix is dominant, consider that heelers seek movement, and when stubborn cattle stop moving, heelers are nipping their heels to get them moving. Even though this is a puppy, play involves often re-enactments of activities dogs were selectively bred to do or that are instinctive. In such cases, it helps to provide nipping pups the best of both worlds, a toy that involves movement and engagement, and on top of that, reinforcement too!

 

So next time your pup nips, skip redirection by giving her a static toy or feeding a tiny treat, and give her instead a food-dispensing toy that will keep her mentally stimulated and occupied for some time. Good choices are the Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube, or any IQ treat ball (previously stuffed with kibble or treats) that you can easily keep in your pocket and use for redirection as needed.

 

Providing interactive toys is important because they, not only provide a mental workout and an outlet for instinctive behaviors, but also because pups gain positive associations with these toys so playing with humans by nipping eventually becomes boring (especially if you freeze like a lamppost when your pup approaches and redirect to these super appealing toys instead).

 

Most puppies fortunately at some point outgrow nipping just as they outgrow biting and chasing their tails because they find more reinforcement from other activities in their environment. Failure to provide these other activities, may lead though to problematic behaviors persisting because the puppy has nothing better to do and there are no outlets for pent-up energy and lack of mental stimulation.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

2) "She bites when you try to take her toy."

 

You puppy must be taught how to trade. Left untreated, this can lead to serious resource guarding in the future. Here is a read about trading:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

 

3) "She bites after a cuddle session when you stop petting her."

 

I tend to see far more puppies who bite as they are being pet rather than after the petting has stopped. However, it sounds again, like in the case of her biting after tossing a toy, that she is seeking more engagement and doesn't seem to come to terms about things stopping. She bites when she grows bored of a toy, she bites after chasing a tossed toy. It appears that she goes into frustration mode when activities or movements stop and goes on to biting to seek re-engagement. It's important to break this chain and find ways to prevent this biting. There are several ways to accomplish this:

 

-When done petting, cross your arms and make a point of not moving one inch. This may be possible with puppies who do not bite hard. Now, with a determined puppy like a heeler, there is a chance the heeler will bite persistently just to get you moving or to provoke any reaction. Now, if your puppy was used to you or any other family member playing or interacting with her despite her rough biting and now you suddenly decide to stop moving, this inconsistency may pave the path to a phenomenon known as an extinction burst.

 

An extinction burst is not really a bad thing, actually, it's a good thing, but you really need to know what to do about it to prevent the biting from getting worse. Here's a closer insight into what happens: When puppies play with our hands, and they bite hard and we keep playing, their biting is reinforced because they associate it with continued attention (puppies may enjoy even attention of the negative type) and play. What happens the day though when we suddenly stop playing and ignore the behavior? The puppy may feel compelled to bite stronger and with more intensity just to get us to play or interact with them again (extinction burst).

 

The phenomenon is similar to what happens when you always buy candy to a toddler when he cries for candy and then one day you decide to become strict and refuse to buy it (let's say a dentist reported too many cavities). Next, watch the toddler cry even more, and possibly, progress to the worst temper tantrum you have ever witnessed on earth.

 

Now, what happens next is very critical: if you give up and buy the candy, you will have just rewarded persistence. The toddler has learned that crying longer and louder will gain the candy and will keep using this strategy at full intensity. But what happens if you don't give in? Chances are high that if you stick to your plan, you may witness perhaps a couple more extinction bursts, but then the behavior will eventually extinguish, pufffff... just like a fire without oxygen to fuel it.

 

Therefore, it's important that you stick to your plan when training your puppy to stop nipping when you stop petting her. Crossed arms, no talking, no looking at her, no scolding, become the human personification of a lamppost. Perhaps some planning in advance wearing extra layers of clothing and gloves to withstand any harder nipping may turn helpful if possible hard biting is an issue. Your objective is getting her to give up and understand that when you stop, you stop. You want her to lose interest and move away or find something else better to do.

 

Several of these "lamppost sessions" should be held, and at some point, it is possible to even add a "that's enough" cue to inform your puppy when you are done, cross your arms and zero interaction.

 

If there are chances for rough bites or it becomes too difficult to implement this consistently with all other family members on board doing the same, alternatively, you can try a different training strategy altogether. Please note: if you have small children or your puppy ever exhibits or has exhibited aggression consult with a behavior professional for guidance.

 

An alternate option is trying this: When you are petting, give a signal that it is ending. Say something like "that's enough" remove your hand and simultaneously with your other hand toss an interactive toy from your pocket before your puppy has a chance to realize you have stopped petting . Anything to break this "stop petting and biting" cycle from repeating and prevent building a strong rehearsal of the problematic behavior (the more the dog practices certain behaviors, the more they become habit-forming and ingrained).

 

With a working breed, I find it important to to instill a strict "say please" or "learn to earn" program from early puppy hood. So have your pup sit before petting, sit before placing the food bowl on the floor, sit before opening the door, sit before tossing a ball.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

4) "She bites a lot after walks"

 

Something to consider is that young puppies sleep a lot and it's important for their development that they receive enough sleep. Sometimes when puppies are acting out by nipping, they are just cranky and need some rest or they just need to chill out a bit. Putting these pups in a crate or behind a baby gate to enjoy a safe chew toy in a quiet room can allow them to relax and after chewing, most likely they will fall asleep and catch some z's.

 

5) "She bites our legs and feet when we walk around the house."

 

When your puppy is moving towards you and you know she's coming for nipping ask for a replacement behavior as suggested below. You will have to have trained these replacement behaviors prior using positive reinforcement methods (as outlined in the obedience 101 section of the course) to the point of fluency before applying it to a nipping scenario when a puppy is excited by people walking around.

 

Replacement behaviors provide the puppy the opportunity to perform a behavior that is incompatible with biting. Asking these replacement behaviors requires you to carry a treat bag on you during the day when you are home (you can fill it with a portion of you pup's allotment of kibble in lieu of treats if you are concerned about extra calories or digestive upset.) so that you are a ready to redirect at a moment's notice when you walk around.

 

For example, you can ask your puppy to target your hands (or a long target stick) and then upon targeting, praise and reward by tossing a kibble across the room (which also gives a workout to burn excess energy). Hand targeting is a great game to play because the goal is to get the puppy to touch hands with her nose rather than nip them. With enough training, rather than coming to nip, your pup should return to target again. You can find how to train targeting here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

 

Other examples of replacement behaviors include asking as your puppy approaches to "sit" and then reward by tossing the kibble/treat the opposite way as you walk away or asking your puppy to do some steps of attention heeling (dog walking next to you looking into your eyes) inside the home. Every time she makes eye contact with you, you praise and toss a treat across the room. Here is how to train attention heeling: (please note: don't expect lots of steps of this with a pup's low attention span (just one or maybe two steps) but if your pup can focus on nipping, she has the potential to learn how to focus on eyes: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

 

But what should you do in the meanwhile, prior to your puppy learning to perform the replacement behavior well to the point of fluency? As you work on training a replacement behavior to the point of fluency, you may wish to redirect your puppy when she approaches (if you are walking, stop walking as movement encourages nipping) to some food dispensing toy or an interactive game such as tug (played by the rules) or play with a toy attached to string. Keep these toys in your pocket so they are ready to use at a moment's notice.

 

6: "She also jumps up and bites our clothes when we get home, even if we ignored her."

 

I would need some more specifics on this. Is she crated and when you open the crate she jumps and bites? Do you need to take her immediately out to potty upon your return, or is there somebody at home taking her out every now and then? What kind of crate does she have? Wire heavy crate, travel crate?

 

7: "She is very smart. She knows "leave it" but will only leave it if there is a treat for her. She will also just go back to biting the second she gets the treat."

 

You may need to skip the treat and try with some longer lasting activity, an interactive toy, a game of tug played by the rules or a game of jazz up and settle down once your puppy knows a solid sit. Here's a link to the game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/jazz-up-and-settle-down/

 

Also remember: if your puppy knows there is a treat for her, you need to find a way of not letting her know. Keep the treat hidden behind your back or in a pocket. Don't keep the treat in plain view or she'll come to perform the behavior only contingent upon the sight of the treat.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

8: We have also tried the "yelp", stand still, and ignore her when she bites us hard. She used to stop biting and stare at us, but now she just ignores the yelp and bites more even when we stop moving and ignore her.

 

When playing, it is easy for puppies to nip because that is what they have done with their littermates up until they are welcomed into their new homes. One popular strategy for correcting nipping is, yelping (or saying ouch!) and turning around (and even leaving the room if the puppy persists) stopping any interaction with the puppy to give puppies the idea that, when they bite too hard, they lose their playmate.

 

This strategy is based on what littermate puppies do; however, I hear you, for some easily aroused dogs or dogs particularly attracted to movement, it may not work too well as it does with milder puppies. Movement triggers more biting, and the more we resist by moving upon feeling those sharp teeth, the more a puppy will latch on and treat humans as giant tug toys.

 

For some dogs, yelping can be perceived as a hurt animal and increase arousal (the owner is perceived as a fun tug toy that now also squeaks!) and for some movement oriented pups, just turning the back and walking to leave the room may encourage further engagement with the pup chasing and latching on.

 

Now, it is possible that the pup may get the the idea that she has lost her favorite playmate once the owner leaves the room, but she might have had a blast of fun in the meanwhile by latching on and being transported around, so there is no guarantee whether the withdrawal association is made or not.

 

With puppies as such, if walking away becomes impracticable and leads to having a land shark attached to a leg, then it may be best to try another different method altogether such as teaching some constructive replacement behaviors as described in the previous paragraphs (sit, target) or in the meanwhile, just toss kibble around as you walk.

 

9: "We try to ignore her and remove ourself from the situation whenever she bites us, but she just bites harder and harder."

 

This sounds like an extinction burst when you ignore her, so the options are two: either remain total immobile and wait it out until she loses interest and leaves, finding something better to do. If the biting is not tolerable maybe wear tall boots for this exercise or horse back riding chaps) or catch her before she has a chance to bite and redirect to an interactive toy, tug toy, flirt pole.

 

Please note: Trying to remove yourself with your pup latched on will only reinforce the biting because you have become a fun tug toy and the behavior will persist if not corrected. Again, prevention of rehearsal of the problem behavior is important.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

10: "We try to leave the room, but she follows us and bites us more. Or, then when we leave she goes and chews on the curtains or something, even if we're gone 10 seconds."

 

Sounds like other signs of frustration intolerance. She loses access to you and your activities and vents off by performing a displacement activity (chewing curtains). She needs to learn to settle. Place her in a crate when left alone even fr a few minutes or behind a baby gate with a safe chew toy. It is also for safety as she may chew things that may be problematic and cause bowel obstructions. Puppies need to learn to cope and stay away from their owners without engaging in problematic behaviors. Practice brief absences and make sure to create positive associations with the crate:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

 

11: "She has many toys she is allowed to bite and play with, but they just wind her up."

 

It is normal for toys to cause puppies to play wildly with. I don't see this as problematic and it's a good outlet for her if she's biting a lot. I would encourage play with toys that keep her mentally stimulated like Kongs, puzzle toys (if she can stay focused on these) and if play with toys involve you, use the toys to reward calm behaviors. Let her sit before tossing a ball, sit before giving any toy.

 

A great game to train her would be a beginner version of the sport of Treibball. Treibball is a new doggy sport where the dog must “herd” several large inflatable exercise balls into a soccer-like net. Start by training (with the use of a clicker) your puppy to hand target first, then to target a sticky note placed on an opened cabinet, then to target the sticky note on the cabinet with enough force to close the opened cabinet, then place the sticky note on a large ball. Take care in not letting puppies bite the ball but rather encourage your pup to push the ball with her nose, gradually adding distance. The sticky note can be removed once your puppy grasps the concept.

 

Now a word of caution is needed in overexercising puppies. While exercise and mental stimulation is helpful, puppies should not be overly exercised until their growth plates have closed. This means very long hikes, repetitive jumping, jogging, the sport of agility etc. should be avoided at least until a veterinarian has provided approval for these activities.

 

12: "I also wanted to add that we have given her treats and praise whenever she is NOT biting us or when she STOPS biting us. But that winds her up and then she just bites us more to get more treats (again, she's very smart)."

 

Heelers are very smart indeed, and sounds like you pup has quickly learned a chained behavior. So if your puppy bites and then stops and you reward her for stopping her biting with a treat, there are chances she has learned that biting and stopping earns her the reward, so soon you are stuck with this vicious cycle of chained behaviors. There are several ways to tackle this. Inserting some behaviors can help distract your smart pup from the chain, but a better approach may be preventing the biting from occurring in the first place.

 

For instance, your puppy bites and then stops biting and you want to reward that? Promptly praise and reward that by tossing a handful of kibble on the floor, and then as your puppy is busy consuming those, take steps to prevent more biting to occur. For example, call your puppy to join you in the yard for a treasure hunt of more kibble scattered around the yard to keep her mind busy and away from your hands. This should help break the chain. Even better, catch your puppy before she even has the chance to bite in the first place and redirect her to another behavior such as targeting your hand several times in a row.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

14: "Also, also, as I said she is from the humane society, and she is very anxious and seems like she might have been abused (she cowers back when you lift your foot up or hand up like she has been kicked or hit before). She also might not have had proper socialization as a young puppy."

 

So sorry to hear this. At 16 weeks, the socialization window is closed or about to close and this is very important especially for a puppy of this breed. I would highly suggest puppy classes. Puppy classes are a good way to allow puppies to interact with other pups, refine their bite inhibition and social skills further, while also continuing their socialization. Look for puppy classes that require proof of vaccinations and that put great emphasis in preventing infectious diseases.

 

Here is an important read about socialization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

 

For hand shyness here is a read: the same exercises with hands can be done with feet.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-of-hands/

 

Pheeww.. that was quite a lot of info! I hope you are not overwhelmed, but it sounds like a whole lot is going on. Fortunately, this pup is still very young and a lot can be done to pave the path for a well-trained dog. Also, this is a new puppy, so some things may get better as she adjusts and becomes more confident, especially if several of her behaviors are triggered by anxiety. A DAP diffuser may help her adjust. I highly suggest puppy classes run by a knowledgeable dog trainer using positive reinforcement methods so he or she can also asses her behavior. Also, if there is aggression seeking a behavior professional may be important to ensure safety and correct behavior modification.

 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks, if your dog bites or is showing signs of aggression, please consult with a behavior professional for safety and correct behavior modification implementation.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[clairebear_ces]

Thank you so much for all the info! We will read through and see what we can do!

[JMFS]

14: "Also, also, as I said she is from the humane society, and she is very anxious and seems like she might have been abused (she cowers back when you lift your foot up or hand up like she has been kicked or hit before). She also might not have had proper socialization as a young puppy."

 

I have two rescue pups and one rescue kitty. Momo came from a no-kill shelter! and Monkey (the cat) came from a kill shelter. Gertie came from the Humane Society in April 2018. I got Momo at 16 weeks so I have been in your shoes x 4 (okay, 3 if you exclude poor Monkey for being a feline). It gets better! I wouldn't have gone back for a 2nd and 3rd rescue if it didn't. :) As much as I'd love a purebred pooch from a breeder my heartstrings are totally pulled by the rescues every time (where it's still possible to find purebreds).

 

Anyway, one thing that helped us was having play dates with my best friend's dog (if Adrienne already mentioned that then ignore me - I haven't made it through the entire post, yet). I knew he was current on shots so I didn't have to worry, and they were about the same size and energy level and played well together.

 

I thought I'd poke my head in to give some encouragement from another person who's still learning about all this dog psychology and force free training. :) FYI, Gertie had No manners, whatsoever, when she came home, and she was so very timid. I was a bit overwhelmed initially, but after working through things one-by-one she's found self-confidence and is growing into a fine young lady. She even gets to accompany me to the granite store to meet clients sometimes (the owner of the store is an animal fanatic and has a handsome Rottweiler, Max, who loves Gertie's visits).

[clairebear_ces]

Thanks again for all the good suggestions. I just wanted to follow up with what has been working for us in case anyone else reads this.

 

Mostly we just spent a lot of time learning her patterns of when she bites and take action to prevent it from happening.

1. she bites when she's tired so once she'd had a walk or play session, we make sure to give her a treat, crate her, and let her take a nap.

2. When we play, she can get wound up and start biting, but it's because she wants us to throw her the ball or play tug. So now we make her sit before she can get what she wants and the reward is the toy.

3. If she starts getting too wound up and bites during play we will stop and have her do some training with treats. That almost always works to redirect her energy to something constructive.

4. Lastly, we put all of her toys on rotation so we mix them up every couple days so that she never gets tired of them. Then she is more interested in biting the toys rather than us.

[JMFS]

Nicely done! Observation is a handy tool. I rotate Gertie's toys, too, and she gets those perky ears and does the head tilt while I'm moving the toys from one container to the other. I'm glad you posted because I forgot to do that this morning!

 

It's great y'all figured out her triggers and were able to come up with solutions. That puppy energy can be a chore to work with sometimes and it sounds like you're getting it under control. :)

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks so much for the update and sharing what has been working for you. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job, kudos to you!

Best,

Adrienne

[lesleyj1227]

Hi, I have a 14 week old Tibetan Terrier, who bites and plays very aggressively with us. She bites, latches on, shakes her head and makes a type of growling noise. It's like she thinks we are a toy or something. The more we try to stop her the more she comes after us. I try holding still when she bites, but that doesn't stop her, plus the bigger she gets the more it hurts and it's impossible to ignore. we've had her since she was 9 weeks old and she started doing this a few days after we got her. We've tried saying ouch, she doesn't seem to care and usually gets worse. She attacks my hands as I try to put the leash on her. She sometimes just goes from nice and calm and loving to "Killer Attack mode" as I call it, instantly. She goes for the face a lot of times or anywhere else she can reach. I don't think she Is vicious, I hope its just play, but she seems to get mad when we try to stop her by picking her up or trying to restrain her at all. This is really starting to get dangerous, as she has bit several people in the face. I think one issue may be pent up energy, because she always seems to be very excited when she does this, though she sometimes is very calm when it starts.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Leslseyj227,

Welcome to the forums!

 

Your puppy is still young, but we sure want to tackle this issue (especially the face biting) to prevent it from getting out of hand and persisting into adolescence (generally starting around 6 months) which is when things may get more challenging to tackle with the added exacerbation of stronger jaws. Based on your descriptions here are a few tips to tackle the face biting.

 

For face biting:

 

-Consider that many puppies get overly excited (and more nippy!) when you’re down at their level such as sitting on the floor, on a low chair or bending over. You will need to gradually teach your puppy to stay calm at that level. You can therefore start practicing the training suggested below by first sitting in a chair, then on a low footstool, then on the ground.

-Try initially sitting down on a chair and offering your hands to interact with so that your pup is less attracted to your face. When you see your puppy approaching you and you are sitting down at her level, stretch your arm out and offer your hand. Hands are fortunately less risky to interact with compared to faces. You can initially wear heavy duty gloves if your puppy is very rough. The gloves will allow you the opportunity to train without withdrawing your hand quickly which can trigger more biting considering that puppies are attracted to movement.

-Work on training an alternate behavior. Teach your puppy to touch your hand with her nose and toss a treat every time your dog does these nose touches. This exercise is known as "nose targeting." You can find more info about it in the Brain Training section here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

By tossing the treat rather than hand feeding, you also provide your puppy a fun workout.

-Once your puppy does this exercise well while sitting on the chair, start practicing while sitting on the footstool and then sitting on the ground.

-Teach your puppy to play interacting with toys rather than body parts. Use caution to not inadvertently encourage jumping and biting the face area when you play with your puppy. Try to play with your puppy using a tug-toy or flirt pole making sure to keep the toy as close to the ground as possible.

-If you have long hair, keep it up to prevent your puppy from being tempted to play with your hair.

-Please be careful with guests or any children in your home (which are most at risk due to their height and tendency of putting their faces near dogs). Don't let the pup near them if this has lead to face bites until your pup learns better ways of interacting through training. The more your pup gets to practice the problem behavior, the more it puts roots.

 

For general biting, read the several tips provided in this thread, here are a few more:

 

-Ensure your puppy receives ample of opportunities for mental stimulation and exercise, encouraging fun brain games and games that incorporate training such as teaching the puppy to sit before a ball is tossed.

-Enroll your puppy in puppy classes. These are great to provide your puppy socialization (the window closes at around 16 weeks) and further refinement of bite inhibition through play with other puppies. Make sure the class is run by knowledgeable trainers that put a great emphasis on preventing infectious diseases. More on the importance of puppy socialization here:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

-Ensure your puppy is receiving enough sleep. Young puppies need to sleep a lot a day and just like human children, they may get cranky when they are tired. If your puppy is misbehaving, chances are she just needs a nap. Provide a crate in a quiet area and let your puppy have a safe chew toy in there. Cover the crate with a blanket if your puppy finds it difficult to sleep.

-Avoid harsh physical corrections (rolling the puppy, grabbing by the scruff holding the mouth closes) as these may encourage defensive aggression (puppy biting due to fear/negative associations with hands).

-Consider that dealing with puppy biting takes a multifaceted approach. Puppies need to be provided with outlets for pent-up energy, lots of positive feedback for performing desirable behaviors and lots of chew toys.

-Here are some games for teaching alternate, desirable behaviors: perhaps skip the game done on the floor for now if she bites faces. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

-Be patient. Biting in puppies may last even up 9 months (or more in some cases) from birth. It won't be fixed overnight, but you should generally see a decrease in biting after the age of 5 months. Consistency under the form of clear feedback and repetition is required throughout this puppy nipping period.

-Seek the help of a professional for an in-person assessment if you have any doubts. Puppy play biting is an innocent game most of the time, even though it may seem rough (and puppies may get quite vocal). However, sometimes there may be more going on. If you are dealing with a stubborn case or you suspect that the face biting may stem from fear or aggression, please seek the help of a dog behavior professional using force-free behavior modification methods.

 

More tips for the other issues in the next post.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

"She attacks my hands as I try to put the leash on her. "

 

Please read this thread on methods to tackle this behavior:

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?170-Grabbing-and-biting

 

 

"She seems to get mad when we try to stop her by picking her up or trying to restrain her at all. "

 

I would avoid picking her up or restraining her for now, until you can change her emotional response. She may be learning that hands cause negative things to happen (it stops her from playing and she might not like the sensation of being picked up/restrained) which can exacerbate the biting. So let's say you want to stop her from biting (or perhaps interrupt any other undesirable behavior), you can do one of these things:

 

1) Redirect her to chasing a toy (keep a toy always handy in a pocket like or a ball). Toss the ball the opposite side and leave the area as she chases the ball. Even better, ask her to sit before you toss the ball. She how to train sit in the obedience 101 section of the course.

2) Redirect her to chasing a piece of kibble or treat (keep kibble in a treat bag or pocket). Toss the kibble the opposite side and leave the area as she chases the ball. Even better, ask her to sit before you toss the kibble.

3) Have a helper call your puppy and provide a chew toy or stuffed Kong to enjoy in another room, in the yard, behind a baby gate or in a crate. This is not punishment. We are just giving a timeout to chill and maybe give the pup the opportunity to chew and then fall sleep if cranky and in need of a nap.

4) Have a helper wiggle a tug toy and make silly noises to distract her from biting and redirect her to another more appropriate activity.

5) Train a positive interrupter.

 

However, we want to teach her to not dread being picked up and restrained and handled. Being a rather small dog, this is important. This can be done with patience and lots of positive associations. More about this here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/growling-when-being-picked-up/

Once she she seems fine with the part of being picked up, it helps feeding her treats as you carry her from one point to another. Once you place her down, no more treats (all the great stuff ends).

 

Hope this helps!

Best wishes,

Adrienne

 

Disclaimer: dog training and behavior modification come with risks. If your puppy or dog is showing signs of aggression or manifests any form of threat of hurting you or others, please consult with a behavior professional for a hands-on assessment and implementation of behavior modification.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[lesleyj1227]

Thank you! I will try this and let you know how it goes.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome, keep us posted!

[MRSMO]

Hello, i have a zuchon and he is 14 months old , recently he bit and drew blood from my Son aged 16 .He has never given him any reason to do this .At the time Jasper ( the dog ) was in the lounge behind the door asleep, when my son opened the door , jasper went for him all teeth and tried to really hurt my son.At this time i intervened and jasper didn't even know me , eventually after a couple of minutes he calmed down.Unfortunately my son is now scared of jasper and wants us to get rid of him.Any suggestions would help, but i think that my son disturbed Jasper's sleep which he has never liked !!