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Originally Posted by daimbert My little nemo is finally acclimated to the house and us. One thing thats been really bad has been the biting. He really loves to play with us but is biting too hard for it to be comfortable. I've tried the shoulder pinch...no luck. I have tried yelping and not playing with him...no luck. I've brought him multiple toys plus bull sticks which he loves but unfortunately we are the best chew toy. It's getting a little annoying and I don't want it to develope into a habit considering there are always many kids in my house. I don't want a repeat of my previous dog.
What do you suggest? Thanks
John |
Hi! Glad to hear he's settling in and becoming a part of the family.
Having lived through this puppy biting five times since I was tiny myself, I can say that I don't have any good answers!
The good thing is that it doesn't last. At least, it never did with ours. There could be a problem pup here and there that would take it beyond the puppy biting and that is why it should be dealt with in some manner. I've used a number of different things and I think startling them is what you want to do to get it to stop. Some people use pennies in a tin can. They usually stop instantly. However, there is that one every once in awhile that it doesn't startle and he keeps biting. They are teething and it takes a long time for them to get past it. I will say that helping to provide lots of toys helps them to keep their little mouths busy and off of your toes and fingers. When there are children in the house, they need to be taught to never get in the face of a puppy.
Some people go as far as spraying Bitter Apple spray on their hands to keep them from biting them. They usually don't like the taste, but there will always be a few who could care less and continue.
I found the following and hope it helps you. Good luck and keep us updated about Nemo and how he's doing.
How to stop biting - There are any number of ways to get a puppy to stop biting. One fashionable technique requires that you yell "ouch" as the pup clamps down on your finger, ear lobe, cheek or ankle and then stop playing with the puppy for awhile. This is supposed to let the puppy know that he has injured you and allegedly imitates the way pups teach each other to bite softly. Having seen a few thousand pups go by, I think this is mostly wishful thinking. A closer look at the way pups REALLY play will set the record straight.
Pretend that two puppies, Baby Fido and Baby Rover are romping and playing. In the middle of the frenzy, Baby Fido bites Baby Rover pretty hard. Baby Rover does indeed let out a whoop. However, Baby Rover's reaction is slightly more pointed than merely cutting off play-time for awhile. About a milisecond after the yip, Baby Rover will haul off and bite the heck out of Baby Fido. This effectively teaches Baby Fido that biting Baby Rover too hard has a very serious consequence. If Fido has a similar experience when he plays with Baby Fifi and Baby Spot, Baby Fido is likely to carry the lesson along for life.
The most likely reason dogs learn to not bite each other is because when a dog bites another dog, the bitten dog bites back. The best way to imitate the natural way dogs learn is not to yell "ouch", but to metaphorically "bite back" in the form of a safe and effective punishment for biting. The particular type of punishment you use must be appropriate for the puppy. If you have a tiny Yorkie that weighs less than a pound, a spritz from a small squirt gun is probably all you will need. If you have a 20 pound, 12 week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, you may need to use a standard size throw pillow. The purpose of the punisher is to teach the dog one simple statement -- biting people causes unpleasant consequences. In order to make the connection between the biting and the spritz or bonk, you must use a signal that connects the two together - a signal like "No." Here's the sequence to stop the biting - make sure you do it in exactly the order listed, or it won't work.
1) Place the spritzer of bonker in a place where it is not easily noticeable. If you make the "punisher" an obvious part of the environment, your pup will only be good when the spritzer or bonker is visible.
2) Start playing with the puppy in a manner that would normally cause a bite.
3) At the instant you see the pup's mouth open, say "No!" with some emphasis. (It isn't necessary to scream it, merely to make it a little punchier than a normal conversational tone.)
4) Spritz or bonk the puppy. Whether you are using a spray bottle, water gun or throw pillow, hide the punisher behind your back before you start playing with the pup.
5) Wait for about 10 seconds and repeat steps 1-3 again. Repeat as necessary until the pup will still play, but completely stops trying to bite you.
http://www.clickandtreat.com/pagedf1b.htm