Puppy Biting HEEEELP!!

[Shevelle]

Hi All,

As my other threads stated I recently adopted a Shepard/Rotti mix puppy. She is 10 weeks ago.. We've had her 3 weeks.. Her training has gone excellent and she is a fast learner.. So far she tackled and mastered house training/the sit command/staying in her crate all night without crying and if you tell her to be easy when taking a treat out of your hand she will take it nicely..

Our only problem.. The biting people!! We have done everything from loudly saying "OUCH" and then getting up and walking away.. When we have returned after 5-10 minutes she will go after us again.. We have done 5 minute crate time-outs and that is not helping either.. She seems to bite hardly with me and my mother making us totally bleed and holding onto our arms and legs with her two front paws and grabbing us to bite down.. Males she nips after but does not bite down hard.. But with my brother she will latch onto his arm and thrash her head tring to make him bleed.. Once she goes for time out she will even sometimes nap for the 5 minutes but come out biting again!!

Would anyone know of anything to do? My mother is at the point that she wants me to get her a muzzle.. I can not do the muzzle thing.. That kills me seeing puppies like that..

Shes short of aasking me to take back the puppy.. And I could never do that..

any help would be a great help!
Thanks
Dawn

 

[wookie130]

You seem to have kind of a serious situation on your hands. It isn't uncommon for puppies of any breed to want to chew on and nip at their owners...but what you're describing sounds like you may have a slightly more aggressive puppy on your hands, and if you don't get this under control now, you could end up with an even more serious scenario ahead of you.

May I ask where you acquired your puppy from? I know it doesn't seem important, but it really is...

Time-outs in the crate mean nothing to a dog. In fact, I don't believe in using a dog's sanctuary or den as a punishment EVER...a crate should be a place that your puppy loves and feels safe. Using it as a punitive measure will do nothing positive for your pet...

First of all, it's very likely your puppy is teething. You need to redirect any and all biting/chewing behavior to something acceptable...such as raw hides, marrow bones, chew toys, kongs, etc., so that she can get relief from the discomfort of teething appropriately, rather than biting one of you. If she bites a person, you need to immediately give her a command (use the same one each time, such as "No biting!"), and give her the appropriate chew toy. Once she begins to chew the toy, instead of you, lavish her with praise.

She may also enjoy playing games such as tug-of-war, which will allow her to chew and bite something, while you interact with her. She just needs to learn that you can't be the tug toy!

Good luck, and if this continues, you may want to seek out professional help in training her...you do not want to end up with a dog that thinks it's okay to bite! I would definitely NOT re-home her, because you're basically giving up on the behavior, and allowing her to bite someone else...which unfortunately, could make it difficult for her to ever have a permanent home...this is entirely up to you and your family to correct. Let us know how she's coming along!

I also want to just remind you that your pup is still very much a baby, and will be for quite a long time...she's adorable, by the way. There will be a lot for her to learn along the way, and getting frustrated will only impede her progress, and frustrate her in return. This is the commitment to raising a puppy...there will definitely be lots of challenges, which you signed up for, when you made the decision to bring a young pup into your life...I'm not saying that you don't realize that, but hopefully your mother does too.

 

[Doberluv]

She is 10 weeks ago.. We've had her 3 weeks..

So, how old is she? It looks like she's still a puppy. Growing and maturing from a baby to an adult doesn't happen in a couple of weeks, just as going from a human baby to an older child or adult doesn't happen over night. Having these high expectations of a baby won't speed the process. Perhaps your Mother should have considered getting an adult dog.

5 or 10 minutes is an eternity to a puppy. The more chances she has for success and reinforcement for good behavior, the sooner she'll repeat that good behavior. Therefore, 1 or 2 minutes is plenty for ignoring the puppy. Many puppies respond to your voice as though you are giving them attention so yelping doesn't always work for all puppies. I suggest you immediately end all playtime and ignore for a minute or two when she bites too hard. If she mouths gently, stay and pat her. Teach her that biting hard ends all the good attention from you...all fun, and that mouthing ever so gently keeps you paying attention and even getting a treat. Replace your hands with a good chew toy when you walk away. Return again in a minute or so and try again. Repeat again and again. The more times she mouths gently or not at all, the more reinforcement she gets. This is what teaches her. But it is important to realize that maturity and time also plays a role. Consistancy and everyone doing the same thing is important. Keep it up. You've only had her a few weeks.

Look for some teething toys specifically made for puppies...things you put in the freezer.

Are you enrolled in a puppy obedience class? Find a trainer who uses gentle, motivation and reward methods. This dog will need a job and needs lots of short, fun practice sessions. Give her commands here and there throughout the day; sit, down, stay, come. And more exercise. She sounds like she's got a lot of pent up energy. Teach her to retrieve and you can play fetch and ti her out more. Get her body and brain working a lot more.

 

[wookie130]

I just read your other posts about the puppy, and I guess I'm really not that concerned any more...seems to me like you've got some really normal puppy behavior on your hands, and Doberluv has offered some excellent advice.

I guess it's most important to keep in mind that you're raising a young puppy...they come with a lot to learn, and need your help in becoming the polite adult dogs we all want them to be.

Consistency (albeit hard) is the key here. Just when it seems like the puppy will never learn her manners, you need to keep doing what you're doing, and then do it some more...because in her own time, she'll get the idea.

 

[Shevelle]

Thank you as always for the advice.
Doberluv as always you are my Training GOD
All the advice you have given me, I have tried on Bella and it ALWAYS works.

Heres whats going on. Bella a GSD is 10 weeks old. She doesnt have all her shot so I cant take her for the long works yet at the park that is right across the street because there are several dogs that go there everyday. This also means I can not go for the puppy kindergarden yet. She should receive her last set of shots tonight. I adopted her from NorthShore Animal league and they only gave her the first set of shots.. I think theres only two sets of shot am I right?..

As far as the crate "time out" or sticking something in her mouth when she is biting it never works. She will bite on the toy for a few minutes and then "pounce" right back at us.. If you tell her "NO" or "No biting" she starts barking back. She is perfect in every other way but this biting.. It also doesnt seem like shes "Just" teething.. It seems like shes taking her attitude out on us.. Like I said she argues back LOUDY at us..

 

[Doberluv]

Your too generous in your kind words Shevelle.

Try not saying "no" or "no biting" because sometimes with a dog so sassy like yours, they think you're just talking to them which is attention. She may be a little less sensative than some and since "no" doesn't really have any meaning to her, (she doesn't understand English like we do) it's just noise and even an angry voice just goes in one ear and out the other. She gets hardened to it unless you were to pair it with a severe aversive, which you don't want to do to a young pup.

That "arguing" back and being sassy is just her practicing to be a dog...at this stage. LOL.

Just make it so when she pounces on you to bite, nothing and I mean nothing comes of it for her. There is no attention at all, no reaction....no glance, no words, no nothing. Remove yourself or her calmly, matter of fact, but not angrily... so that even your company or presence is unavailable to her. Give her another try after just a minute or two. IF she is successful and doesn't bite (try to catch her before she does) pop her a little treat and some low key attention. If every time this happens and it happens many times, she will soon choose which behavior it is she is doing which is getting her a payoff. But at this point she's still guessing...hasn't made the connection. So that is why you can see....why it is important to make the ignoring moments pretty short so you can show a contrast and the (mathematical) probability of her good behavior is increased when you create more opportunities. Just keep at it.

If you can get her out in the yard more and tire her out a few times a day, that will help and again.....brain work. Get her mind on something else. Give her outlets for her drives. If she likes pouncing and biting, instead of having it be you, give her something else to stalk, pounce on and bite and make it really rewarding to do that. All dogs have drives, which are usually all based on instincts for hunting, fighting etc....see what behavior the dog is doing which may resemble what particular drive and try to find an alternative outlet at other times so that doesn't get too pent up. Those drives don't go away. They're there to stay. LOL. They just need to be re-directed to something more constructive.

She'll be fine. Don't worry.