Question: How to stop biting?

[Cirlonde]

My four month old puppy just cannot seem to learn that biting is a bad thing. I've never let her get away with chewing on my hands since Day One. But still...her number one FAVORITE thing to do is take a running leap, run up my chest and nip at my chin/nose/lips, whatever she can reach. And she's FAST! I've tried just getting up and walking away/ignoring her when she does it, after telling her no. But she doesn't seem to care...just finds something else to chew on. So I've tried telling her no and then replacing my face/fingers/toes with a toy. But when she feels like it, she's still back at chewing on me.

Any suggestions? Or is this just something she'll have to grow out of?
Thanks!!
-C

[BellaRose08]

Some have used Biter Apple but Bella didn't mind the taste of it. For awhile I was walking around with bruises on my feet and one day she made me cry. I tried everything soooooo, I decided to start putting her in her playpen for 5 min then walk away, everytime she would bite. It took a week or so but she decided she didn't like the game of biting. She hasn't bitten since. That worked for us and the only draw back is if you plan on using a play pen when you leave she will think it's a bad thing. We had to end up buying her a nice crate where she has a nice kitty bed and she is ok with that (it isn't the play pen). Hopefully some will have some better ideas but I was at the end of my rope trying to get her to stop.

[Nikitta34]

Here's what worked for Meg:

1. Bully sticks! Get them from Westbrookdog.com (AMD on YT) and let your pup chew. This was a lifesaver for us. THey are on sale right now, so I'd stock up if I were you. Replace your hands with bully sticks, and if she wants to be near you, hold the bully stick so she can chew on it.

2. When your pup bites, pin her down on one side. Hold her down (lightly) under her upper arms. Say "NO" firmly and don't let her move until she stops resisting (ie: lays quietly) and won't look you in the eyes. This reinforces that you are the alpha dog, and it is similar to what the mother dog would do to an unruly puppy. I usually never have to hold Meg down for more than maybe 15 seconds. When she bites again, pin her again. This will reinforce the "biting means you don't get to play" mentality. Obviously don't use a lot of force when you pin her. The point is to stop her from being able to run and play, not to hurt her or scare her.

Good luck!!

[maddiepie]

I was told do to one of three things by a trainer (who I really didn't like and discontinued seeing her after 2 sessions) but thought I would pass it along anyways:

1. Firm "NO BITE" and use a squirt bottle of water with ONE squirt to the face
2. Firm "NO BITE" with a light bop on the nose
3. Firm "NO BITE" while pulling firmly, yet gently, on the scruff of her back

Luckily Maddie doesn't do this so I haven't had to use any of these techniques.

[Cirlonde]

Thanks so much! These are all great ideas!

BellaRose, question about the crate/pen...we do use a crate as her "den" and like you mentioned, I don't want that to become her punishment. However, I have two crates of slightly different sizes and make, but still pretty similar. Does anyone think Chloe would be able to tell the difference in these? You know, if I used one for "time out" and one for her bed? Or will she just see both places as "bad"? Unfortunately, I live in a very small one bedroom apartment and if I got a pen, there would be no place for me!

Nikitta, if I can wrestle her to stillness (the little wiggle worm) I think your idea might work for Chloe. Usually if I get her feet off the ground by picking her up under the belly/chest with one hand and lifting slightly, she'll go still pretty quickly. I'll just try to reverse this strategy. I'm struggling to find a balance between being in charge without making her timid. I love her attitude and personality, I just need to rein it in a little.

MaddiePie, thanks for the advice! I know the tap to the nose doesn't work because she just sees it as me playing back. However, the squirt bottle may work if I can remember to keep one handy.

-C

[Sunny Alex]

Originally Posted by Nikitta34

Here's what worked for Meg:

1. Bully sticks! Get them from Westbrookdog.com (AMD on YT) and let your pup chew. This was a lifesaver for us. THey are on sale right now, so I'd stock up if I were you. Replace your hands with bully sticks, and if she wants to be near you, hold the bully stick so she can chew on it.

2. When your pup bites, pin her down on one side. Hold her down (lightly) under her upper arms. Say "NO" firmly and don't let her move until she stops resisting (ie: lays quietly) and won't look you in the eyes. This reinforces that you are the alpha dog, and it is similar to what the mother dog would do to an unruly puppy. I usually never have to hold Meg down for more than maybe 15 seconds. When she bites again, pin her again. This will reinforce the "biting means you don't get to play" mentality. Obviously don't use a lot of force when you pin her. The point is to stop her from being able to run and play, not to hurt her or scare her.

Good luck!!

Oh, does this bring back memories of exactly the same age with Emily. I had already tried #1 above and my vet had me use #2. A couple of months later the trainer had me use a long down every evening with my hand on her back. It did work. It's all just part of puppyhood I guess.

[Cirlonde]

Originally Posted by Sunny Alex

It's all just part of puppyhood I guess.

I'm really hoping that being a puppy is 90% of the problem. Chloe rarely seems aggressive when she bites, just playful. But that doesn't make it any more pleasant when she manages to catch my nose between her teeth!!!

-C

[speleogirl37]

Madison is 8 months and still bites. She has a fascination with hands. I'm starting to think it's never going to end. I have tried EVERYTHING, everyone has suggested on here and nothing works. Same thing with the freaking barking at EVERYTHING.

[Cirlonde]

Originally Posted by speleogirl37

Madison is 8 months and still bites. She has a fascination with hands. I'm starting to think it's never going to end. I have tried EVERYTHING, everyone has suggested on here and nothing works. Same thing with the freaking barking at EVERYTHING.

Oh wow! I consider myself SOOOO lucky that we haven't encountered the barking problem yet. So far, Chloe only barks when we're playing with her and encouraging her to bark. My previous dog, Zach (a toy poodle), barked at every single strange noise he heard...people on the stairs outside the apartment, anyone coming, doors shutting, a pot dropping, etc. Anything that startled him got a barrage of barking.

-C

[JoeyP]

Your little girl somewhere along the way got the idea that its fun to run up on Mommy and bite her on the nose

It might be that she never learned the social interaction from her mom when she was a pup or that she gets attention somehow good or bad when she does it

you need to take away the attention

best id to catch her before she nips ... if she is running up on you
Body block her
and it's NO!

and that's it ... no talking to her
no scolding
no laughing

Puppies live for our attention
and it's better to them to get bad attention than no attention at all

[Cirlonde]

Thanks so much for all your replies! Chloe seems to be slowly getting the hang of the whole "no biting" thing...at least insofar as noses are concerned. We're still having trouble with fingers. Lately, it is only when we get her super-excited so I'm trying to cut back on that a bit. Holding her down lightly seems to be working the best; unfortunately, she doesn't care if we ignore because she just finds something else to play with! But forcing her to quit playing and submit has worked wonders. She calms down quickly (over-excitement being her worst problem) and yet still seems to want to be near us...I was a bit worried she'd grow to hate me!

Thanks again!!
-C

[Nikitta34]

Originally Posted by Cirlonde

Thanks so much for all your replies! Chloe seems to be slowly getting the hang of the whole "no biting" thing...at least insofar as noses are concerned. We're still having trouble with fingers. Lately, it is only when we get her super-excited so I'm trying to cut back on that a bit. Holding her down lightly seems to be working the best; unfortunately, she doesn't care if we ignore because she just finds something else to play with! But forcing her to quit playing and submit has worked wonders. She calms down quickly (over-excitement being her worst problem) and yet still seems to want to be near us...I was a bit worried she'd grow to hate me!

Thanks again!!
-C

I'm glad she's learning! You basically are just establishing yourself as the alpha dog, and she will still love you! How can she not? You're her mommy!!

[Ginnie Lou]

I have done the exact same thing with Abby Rose, I know she is only 11 weeks old, but she gets in these attck moods where she bites really hard, and all over. so as soon as she starts to be to rough, I yelp and put her in her box for a few minutes, if I put my hand in and she bites it, I take my hand out and ignore her, but if I put my hand in and shes nice, she gets to come back out, it seems to be working.

[Lula-Mae Famous]

Mine does the same thing!

I normally put her in her crate for a couple minutes and she calms down a bit but she isnt as obedient as I'd like. If i ignore her she will find something else. she doesnt seem to care. I need to establish the alfa dog role more than I have, the holding idea seems like a great way to disipline her. Thank you!

[Cirlonde]

Well, Chloe is still learning but she does seem to be picking up on the dominance thing slowly. Unfortunately, it only lasts for a few minutes!! Then she's back to biting again. At least she has begun to stop if I tell her no. Then she starts licking my fingers like "What? This was all I planned to do, really!"

Also, she gets her last set of shots on August 23rd (and then her rabies shot separately a couple of weeks later, I think). After that, we're going to start taking her for walks and hopefully that will help burn some of her energy. I worry that because we are crate training her, she's just not getting enough exercise!
-C