Puppy Bite! - What To Do When Your Puppy Bites You
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Puppies are sweet fuzzy bundles of joy. They are also mouths on legs. Many puppy owners soon find that the little sweetie they brought home from the breeders does little more than mouth them, the furniture, and anything it can get its sweet little teeth on. This is all very well and good, and to be somewhat expected, after all, you did bring a dog home, but what do you do when puppy actually bites YOU?
What to do will depend a lot on the age of the dog, and the reason for the bite. Play bites are common accidents, and while you should let the dog know it hurt you, punishment is generally unnecessary unless the biting continues. Always be careful around a puppy's sharp teeth, they can very easily catch on the skin and leave you a bleeding mess. For this reason, it is recommended that no matter how cute your puppy is, keep your face away from his when he is excited, trust me, this advice can save you a bleeding nose, cut lip and damage to the other facial protrusions that you might like to keep intact.
A aggressive bite is quite a difference matter however, and it is a habit that must be nipped in the bud before it becomes an ongoing problem and you end up afraid of your dog, or having to have it put to sleep.
It is worth noting at this point the 'dominance' issue. There is a prevalent school of thought that almost any doggie misbehavior is down to dominance. If the dog barks, it's because he's dominant, if he bites, he's dominant. Dominance can be a cause of bites, but it is not the end all. Overly submissive dogs can also bite out of fear if they are frightened, or the dog can simply be being obnoxious.
A few suggestions from the experts:
'The Alpha Roll' This involves rolling your puppy onto its back and holding it there until it submits ie, lies there quietly. Some people swear by this trick, others find that it whips the puppy up into more of a frenzy. The expert jury is very much out on this trick as well, some feel that it causes power struggles where there previously were none, others believe that it shows the dog you are 'pack leader'.
'The Submission Shake' This involves shaking the puppy by the scruff of the neck, personally this sounds like a great way to get bitten again and frighten the living hell out of your puppy, but some do it. Personally not recommended.
'Withdrawal/Time out' The most important thing to do is not to give the dog any further attention. Put him in his crate, a spare room, or anywhere else you can find a good spot for him to be alone. Alternatively simply ignore the dog, do not give him any attention, or treats, and don't allow him on his favorite spots, like the couch or the bed.
This is intended as a brief guide for dogs that may be a little rambunctious. A dog that regularly bites, growls, and is aggressive towards you needs training and professional help. Obedience school is always recommended for any dog, as it enables you to communicate more effectively with him, and helps to strengthen a bond of friendship and trust.
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We have a fifteen week old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. We're fortunate in that he really hasn't bitten out of aggression, but we have had some mishaps due more because of his need to mouth.
In terms of the biting we tell him "no" in a stern voice and/or distract him with one of his chew toys. This has produced terrific results and in just a few short weeks we have it mostly under control.
I'd like to comment more broadly on the matter of laying them on their back (or side), shaking them or calling a time out by putting them in their crates.
We have laid our puppy on his side and held him (and his head) down for a few seconds. It is not aggresive or difficult to do and produced for us a very agreeable pup.
I can't understand how one could shake their puppy. It's very bad for young children, no doubt it's not any good for puppies either.
I also highly commend against using the crate as a disciplinary tool. We are crate training our puppy and use the crate (his den) only as a reward. We've made it an exciting activity called "crate time" and quickly reached the point where he jumps at the opportunity to spend time in his "den". I can only imagine that using it to reprimand a dog makes the crate an unfriendly and tense place as opposed to his safe place (which is what it's supposed to be).
that is very good advice
I just got two Germen Sherphers (boys) they are 9 weeks!! Help all they want to do is bite me this is the third day, my arms are getting all marked up and it hurts. I just tell them no and give them there chew toys.
I have a 11week old German Sheppard and i cannot find a way to make him quit running up to a childs high chair and stealing there food?? Any Ideas?
Ashley, you need to be VERY firm with that dog. German Shepherds are intelligent, big dogs. If you let him do that now, imagine what he will be like in a year or two's time. Get someone who knows what they are doing with dogs in your neighbourhood to help you out. Internet advice isn't going to cut it on this one. If you don't know any large dog owners, contact a professional. In the mean time, scold him thoroughly and put him out of the room (at the very least) when he tries that.
i have a six week old blue cattle dog and she wont stop biting got any tips?
very good advice thanks alot
very good advice thanks alot
Been around many dogs , have not had one of my own yet although i am getting a blue heeler this year. From all the articles and videos the most effective would probably just to hold his mouth closed with your fingers gently , move in on him and say no while still holding and keep holding for about 10 20 seconds ...put your arm in his range again and if he doesnt bite hes learning and if he does do it again try the rolling the dog on its back and keep it down for a while until he realises whos the alpha. Keep alternating and he will eventually get it , especially if hes a heeler ( geniuses ). Let me know how it goes.
Our male german king sheperd is over 4 months old now. He is a very nice dog, but sometimes, he just wants to get agreesive and bite, what can we do.
My puppy is a labrador and all it wants to do is bite! I hold his jaw together but it doesnt work! Help me!!!
im scared for my bf.. coz my 3months old lhasa apso accidentaly slice my bf finger. what should i do?
i have a 9 week old staffie and he knows who the boss is, i used the pinning technique and a tap on the nose, also completely ignoring him works, if they are really naughty once u have told them off stamp your foot on the floor, they will start to accoicaite this noise and movement with being in the wrong
my staffy pup is 7 weeks old and she constantly tryin to chew on my hand toes or anythin else she can get hold of she gets hold and it hard to get off especially if she gets ur only free hand ave tried the holdin mouth closed she so wiggly i cant hold her like it for more than a few seconds! I ave 3 children 9 n unda do not want the puppy to take a serious nip at them. Help!!!
i like cheese.
help! my german shepherd is 4 years old and he keeps on biting me! he almost broke my arm once!
help my 9 weeks old chi is agressive and bites and growls at me most of the time she is getting wors by a minute I do anything for her but I am so disapointed now .
I have tried to ignore her and that did not work I held her mouth shut for a sec this not worked I yelp in pain she keeps on biting I cry she bites dont know what to to please help me
I have a 15 week doodle. Its a girl. We have had her for about 2 weeks. She has snapped at my little sister and now me. I have no clue what to do. My parents said she can't stay here if she keeps it up. I tell her no and then give her no attention at all. I hope this works
I have two lab/springer spaniels/chows (sisters). One of them is a very hyper dog and not in a good way. So I tried the laying down trick and all she did was bite my thigh and scratch my stomach which left a scar. So in a stern voice I told her no but she then growled at me. So I put her in the shed for a qiuck timeout and when I took her out she was still hyper and I walk her everyday.
My other dog is a calm and gentle dog and they are together 24/7 so I dont understand why her good behavior dosn't rub off on my hyper dog.
i have a dog 4months old ,but accidentally bites my finger,and im scared ,what should i do ?
i just bought a Goldren retiver ... under 2months of age. He was very cute at first, but now he dont stop biting me and growling and wen am laying down he bites my face...is it play or not?
I just got a 10 week old malte-chon (maltese, bishon friese mix, more maltese tho) and he is soooooooooooooo sweet but about three times a day he goes on these biting benges and he bites everything in his path. which sugesstion should i use on my puppy?
thanks
i have a 13 week old maltese and she likes to bite on you when you hold her and her teeth hurt, how do you stop them from doing this?
HELP!!!! My puppy is a 13 weeks old and is biting VERY hard. He just bit me really hard and I'm bleeding. He won't stop and nothing seems to work. Any tips? Please help!
We just adopted a rescue dog. We think she is about 10 or 11 weeks. Part Brittney spaniel/hound? She is great at night in the crate, doing well with paper training(has been sick so no vaccination yet) However, she can be very sweet but barely licks and bites quite a bit. I feel as if the last 5 days we have been holding her snout and saying no. She has bitten the kids as if they were another puppy. What do we do?? We want to train her right but can't be afraid of her around the kids.
Great advice Hope. I'm fairly new to Hubs and will be following you :) Wish I would have had this advice when our lab was little!
Thanks for the tips! Our new puppy Marley (golden retriever, 8 weeks) doesnt really bite anyone, but loves to see me as a chew toy because im the smallest in our family and she sees me as a fellow puppy. I didnt know what to do when she got exicted then attacked me, but ill try a few of these tips out (except for shaking, i cant imagine doing that to a sweet little puppy) thanks again!
My little beagle puppy is 6 months old and we just adopted him from the shelter yesterday, his name is Ozzie. He's as sweet as can be, but he can get a little too aggressive with my older 3 year old beagle Sissy and my parents and I. We locked him in a cage about an hour ago and left the room. He hasn't tried even nipping since! He obviously came here with some bad habbits but hopefully they will soon be erased.
lab puppy 9 weeks old i let i chew on my finger once and now thats all it wants to do 2 me it doesnt do that to any1 else but its starting to even bite at my face ideas?
Sybille Yates 4 years ago
Another tip would be to put your fingers/ hand around its snout WITHOUT covering the nostril and keeping it shut this way, shaking it very, very gently a bit and saying in a strong voice "NO!" Then go away and ignore the puppy. SY