....

[Jules]

Another thing that struck me...I mean, don't get me wrong...I learn about dogs through reading a lot...so I don't even nearly know as much as the other people here...so maybe my thought is wrong or simply doesn't really matter

But you said your tutor was over and your dog was all over you and the tutor...can't you crate her..maybe still in the same room? If your puppy knows that he/she can do whatever pleases her/him (sorry I forgot), it may be harder to get rid of that biting and training her.

My puppy was a biter, too...but I did the same thing Pixie suggested, leave the dog alone and ignore her for a while. Then return and play...if it happens again, leave again.

 

[Tugger's Mom]

We got Tugger at 8 weeks old......he was such a baby. He's just turned 6 months old and we're finally feeling the "a-ha" moments! Puppies are going to be trying on you......that's their job! LOL!!! And the biting.....that has been our biggest and only problem with Tugger. HOWEVER, we have learned from him that the biting is his way of telling us three things...

1. It's poop time. He gets overanxious....and doesn't know how to go to the door to tell us its time to go outside. Instead, he comes over to us and bites us.....and continues to do it until we get him outside. We've asked behaviorists and trainers how to curb him of this habit....and they have shared that they don't know whether or not it can be--because he's communicating and it's his only means at the moment.

2. He's playing and doesn't realize how rough he's being. Tugger is a beagle and while his baby teeth were in, we had more cuts and scrapes on our hands/arms/faces due to his playfulness. We learned that by wearing him out (play time, socialization with other big dogs, long walks outside)....the need to bite had cut down immensely.

3. He's tired. Yup......he could be perfectly normal one minute....and then --bam--he bites us for no good reason. It's typically when he's been playing or outside the crate for a long period of time. He's like a little kid--who is allowed to stay up late while company is at the house. He refuses to go to bed, but gets nasty as the night goes on because he's now overtired. That's Tugger. Let me say, for those times, when we put him in the crate, he's out like a light in 30 seconds!

Finally....keep a leash on him at all times!!!! It's the only way you can pull him off you and you need to enforce a loud "NO!" when you pull the puppy off you.

It's taken us the 4 months now that we've had him to figure Tugger out. But we're getting there...and the days are getting much, much better.

Don't give up...........it's going to be worth it in the end! (Believe me, I'm the one who shed many, many tears since getting this dog, but I love him regardless!!!)

 

[Agility23]

Its an 8 week old puppy.....

8 week old puppy play bite.......

If you dont except an 8 week old puppy to play bite then dont get a puppy. Any happy healthy 8 week old will be play biteing its a fact of it.

If you even considering hitting an 8 week old puppy then it just shows what kind of person you are.

 

[Doggish.Obsession]

If you dont except an 8 week old puppy to play bite then dont get a puppy. Any happy healthy 8 week old will be play biteing its a fact of it.

If you even considering hitting an 8 week old puppy then it just shows what kind of person you are.

Nah I dont expect him to not bite me. Roughhousing with dogs is in my everyday schedule. =)

And... I dont hit him... (?) But I was watching tv, and it says that if you flick your dog on the nose, it can learn. (Not that it helps me. He jumps and squirms all over the place so its impossible to try and flick his nose)

 

[corsomom]

I dont think flicking his nose is a good idea, it can make him scared of your hands, you want your pup to have complete trust in you. Also I would cool it with the roughhousing.Play fetch and other games with him.

 

[Doberluv]

I absolutely agree with Corsomom. If you play rough with him, that only encourages him to bite more. Find some games which are not so wild, like teach him fetch or hide and seek. Do you have some really good chew toys you can replace your hands with? Just walk away and end all playtime when he gets too rough. He'll learn that all the fun and attention from you ends when he gets like that. But it will take time, consistancy and patience from you. Don't do anything to make him frightened or nervous of you. Good luck.

 

[mojozen]

if you play rough with him now as a puppy you are setting him up to not learn how to behave as an adult. the whole point of this time is teaching your puppy how to behave as an adult - so this means no biting in play, no jumping up on you, etc. Dealing with those issues when the dog is an adult is much, much more difficult than if your dog is a more malleable puppy. I say this with authority because my dog as a 4 year old jumps up on people and still will try to play bite when we play with him. Still!

Hitting him, or flicking him will make him head shy and distrustful of you. This isn't somethign you want in a dog that will have to get used to be handled - not just from you but also by vets, vet techs, groomers, anyone who wants to pet him/her, your parents etc.

What you do now, will affect your puppy for the rest of his life. I'd follow everyone's advice here regarding ending playtime when he gets rough, and stop listening to the harmful advice of using force, and pain to get your puppy to do what you want.

 

[Agility23]

Play rough and he will bite. Dont play rough and he will still bite.

I teach 11 dog training classes a week 2 of those are puppy training classes and this is like the most common things most puppys aged under 8 months sort of age play bite. then after 6-8 month kind of age it just goes on its own.

Dont worrie about it.

If it bothers you that much then yea you can try to stop it but to be honest its something that will stop on its own eventually anyway.

 

[mojozen]

Agility as I treid to say in my own post -- it doesn't always stop. I have a 4 year old dog who still bites and mouths in play. I adopted him at 2 years old and he came like this. I have been trynig to train him on my own to get him to stop, but he is very mouthy when he's excited. He will even try to use his mouth to grasp my hand to guide me to a place he wants me to go - the door, where his food is stored, etc.

One of the many things I plan on bringing up to my own trainer when we start classes again.

 

[Agility23]

If you have an older dog doing it why does it bother you? adults teeth are so blunt

 

[mojozen]

If you have an older dog doing it why does it bother you? adults teeth are so blunt

You have to ask? It can be dangerous. And no his teeth are not blunt, they are still quite sharp, and while he does not break skin it still hurts. Adult teeth are not "blunt" they are still meant to be able to rend flesh and tear muscle off of bone... My own dog, while not a hunter, can be very determined to maintain his grip if he doesn't want to let go.

Thus the danger involved if he tries this kind of "play" with anyone else. Playing with teeth is unacceptable in my house, adult or puppy. I just can't seem to get that through mojo's skull sometimes.

 

[Dizzy]

From day one I made sure Bodhi was not aloud to play bite. If there was any contact with teeth, I would just "ah ah" and stop for a second. She picked it up very quickly, and even now pretty much knows her limits. And we DID play rough.

I think the problem begins when someone gets a puppy and lets them bite at first. Just because some people have not realised that they may continue to bite - all totally innocent. Then when pup gets a bit bigger or just more confident and playful you have to then change the rules!

 

[Agility23]

I know there still a little sharp but nothing compared to puppy needle teeth.

 

[mojozen]

I know there still a little sharp but nothing compared to puppy needle teeth.

People are rarely mauled by puppies. People are mauled by adult dogs. When you combine the no manners a dog learns as a puppy - by teaching a puppy it's okay to bite when playing - with the determination of an adult you can have problems.... regardless of how sharp the teeth are or not.

 

[Violet21]

What kind of dog do you have??

Your dog needs more excersize. Take it to the dogpark, or dog daycare.
Our puppy likes to bite us too, if hes bored out of his face and is completely pent up. You need to carry a toy at all times to shove in his mouth.

When your puppy really bites hard, you need to YELP. Not just, a weak, auhgh.. but like SHRILL and crazy YELP. Then stand up, and ignore him for about 2 minutes.

If your puppy is attacking you when you get on its level, simply do not get on its level. He will not think you are another puppy if you do this.

If he bites your ankles, shove the toy in and praise. If he bites hard, YELP and get somewhere he cannot get you, and ignore.

Trust me, it will work.. do not hit or spank your dog, it will do absolutely nothing. He is a tiny baby and he will only fear you and feel awful.

Anyways. Good luck with your dog. Please get him more outside time, and don't give up it will get easier. Your dog needs stimuation tho, please do take him places and get him outside for a good hour everyday. I assume you can carry your pup if he gets too tired.