Does this work? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

LibbieLu08 · 03-11-2009, 06:52 AM

So my brother has a little puppy. As soon as she gets on my laps she starts biting my clothes, my fingers and my toes. I want to be paper for when my baby comes 'just in case she does the same thing' and I came across this online.....

STOP YOUR PUPPY FROM BITING YOU

I've had success in stopping puppies from biting with the following method.

I believe that if you communicate with your dog or puppy as another dog does, you will achieve much greater success in a shorter period of time than with any other method.

Part of normal puppy behavior is rough and tumble play involving mouthing and biting its littermates as well as its parents. When you bring a puppy home he will play with you the same way. Since your skin is much more delicate than that of a dog, this will hurt. This is especially true since a puppy's teeth are like little needles. They cause pain because they are so sharp and can, on occasion, puncture the skin.

In my experience, yelling in pain may stop the dog, but rarely works more than a few times. The puppy is startled by the sharp loud noise and inhibited for a moment. But after a few times of this occurring, the puppy learns that nothing bad or uncomfortable happens and he learns to ignore it. However some, very soft dogs may respond to this and if they do, you're done.

Some advocate leaving the puppy alone and stop giving him attention for a short period after this occurs. This may work for some puppies but some will just find something else to do.

Feeding a piece of food, is excellent for starting the "off," "no bite," or "leave it" command but that method will sometimes take a couple of weeks of training before you can expect the puppy not to bite. I don't have a couple of weeks to train a puppy and they can cause a lot of pain and do a lot of damage in that time.

THE METHOD

I believe that the best way to stop a puppy from biting too hard is the way his mother does. When a puppy is nursing and bites down too hard, she will take his whole head in her mouth and bite down, slowly increasing the pressure until the puppy goes limp, exhibiting submission. She will hold that pressure for a moment and then release it. After a few repetitions of this, the puppy becomes conditioned to the amount of pressure that is appropriate when using his teeth. He learns that a little pressure is OK but that a harder bite brings an unpleasant situation.

No, I don't want you to take your puppy's head in your mouth. The puppy's head is probably be too large for that, and besides, there’s all that puppy hair on your tongue!

I advocate that when you are playing with your puppy and he bites too hard, you should immediately engulf his head with your hand, come in from the top of his head, not from the nose. Slowly increase the pressure of your hand, squeezing HIS lips into HIS teeth until he stops moving and becomes passive. Hold that level of pressure for just a few seconds and then release the puppy.

Don't yell, unless it's involuntarily, as a result of the pain from the puppy's bite. Don't scold, don't shake the puppy. His mother does not do any of these things and she manages to get him to stop biting too hard in short order.

Sometimes this needs to be done with each family member so that the puppy learns not to bite every one of them. If this involves small children who don't understand how this is done, an adult can supply the lip pinch when the puppy bites the child too hard. Sometimes this needs to be done with a visitor to the home as well. The owner should do this, rather than relying on a novice visitor to get it right.

I have never had to do this more than three or four times before the puppy learns what is and what is not, an appropriate level of force when playing. It is usually done in one afternoon with a reminder or two the following day.

Some of the readers of this may say that it is cruel or may cause the puppy to bite even harder or that it will cause hard feelings between the puppy and the owner. I will counter that it doesn't do any of those things when the puppy's mother does it and it won't with you either.

What do you guys think? Does it work or is it too harsh? I'm so unsure of what to do in this situation so if anybody has any ideas or suggestions I would love to hear it!

Yorkiedaze · 03-11-2009, 10:59 AM

What happens when the puppy "doesn't" go limp, but instead he yells, twists, and fights to free himself? Not all puppies respond to the same corrections.

MollysMum54 · 03-11-2009, 11:52 AM

That sounds harsh to me,I wouldnt use it. Also, i wonder if it wasnt done correctly, if it could go wrong and hurt the pup. You are not the pups mum, so your way of training has to be different i think. Having said that, im not really sure what method i would use!

DanielleAllen · 03-11-2009, 12:16 PM

i don't know. What works for someone might not work for someone else. I'm sure that some people might be able to do this. I am not so sure I would be one of them. To each his own!

LilMissy · 03-11-2009, 12:31 PM

To me it sounds cruel, but I'm a big softie. I've never had a problem with just saying "no bite" and ignoring them.

JJC · 03-11-2009, 12:35 PM

What worked for me was to say their name followed by the word NO (firmly but not overly loud) then I would redirect them to biting on a toy instead. If that didn't work then they would be told NO again and into her pen they went. They know the word NO now and we don't have this problem anymore. They only chews on her toys and does not bit our hands or clothes. We never played with them allowing them to chew, or bite at our hands either. Now whenever we say '_______ NO' they will stop whatever they are doing at that time. They really are smart so just be consistant with them and they will catch on. Both of mine are about 15 weeks old now.

I forgot to mention that what I believe the above will teach them is that hands hurt especially at a very young age so I would not do it that way.

DanielleAllen · 03-11-2009, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJC

What worked for me was to say their name followed by the word NO (firmly but not overly loud) then I would redirect them to biting on a toy instead. If that didn't work then they would be told NO again and into her pen they went. They know the word NO now and we don't have this problem anymore. They only chews on her toys and does not bit our hands or clothes. We never played with them allowing them to chew, or bite at our hands either. Now whenever we say '_______ NO' they will stop whatever they are doing at that time. They really are smart so just be consistant with them and they will catch on. Both of mine are about 15 weeks old now.

I forgot to mention that what I believe the above will teach them is that hands hurt especially at a very young age so I would not do it that way.

I have to say that I agree with this. I think that the other is a little too harsh! but like I said before...to each his own!

snoopymom · 03-11-2009, 02:04 PM

I don't think this method sounds too good. Too many things could go wrong. I would at least try a milder method for a while.

shannonroselive · 03-11-2009, 02:46 PM

We just say "NO bite!" and turn away from her and she settles right down. Sometimes I say, "Be nice!" and that works just as well. She gets all sweet after that.

LibbieLu08 · 03-11-2009, 06:26 PM

yeah I agree with you guys! this does seem very harsh. I was just curious becaues I've never heard of this method before.

Britster · 03-11-2009, 06:49 PM

I guess I got extremely lucky because Jackson was not a bad biter at ALL. He did it to me a few times during rough play but that was that. And he's got a ton of his adult teeth now @ 5 months so I think he's mostly through the main teething stage. He was just not a biter luckily!

I remember my dads Jack Russell/Shihtzu mix bit SO hard. For the first 3 months, she would just bite. It was impossible to play/pet her, she was always biting.

journey826 · 03-12-2009, 03:55 AM

I have one that to this day that bites but only when excited .I have tried all the other approaches mentioned but when she becomes excited she will still play bite.I don't like it to say the least.I think I will try this method it sounds insightful and well put together.I don't think its cruel.You have to decide for yourself maybe try it for a day.from what I read you would be done in two days training.I'll let you know how it works for me.

LibbieLu08 · 03-12-2009, 04:43 AM

jorney862 - Yes please keep me posted! I would love to hear how this works! If it works then I might try it but I'm so soft hearted. I guess I'll have to 'train' myself to be consistant with my training.

Elizabeth Rayne · 03-12-2009, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJC

What worked for me was to say their name followed by the word NO (firmly but not overly loud) then I would redirect them to biting on a toy instead. If that didn't work then they would be told NO again and into her pen they went. They know the word NO now and we don't have this problem anymore. They only chews on her toys and does not bit our hands or clothes. We never played with them allowing them to chew, or bite at our hands either. Now whenever we say '_______ NO' they will stop whatever they are doing at that time. They really are smart so just be consistant with them and they will catch on. Both of mine are about 15 weeks old now.

I forgot to mention that what I believe the above will teach them is that hands hurt especially at a very young age so I would not do it that way.

I agree. Lizzy used to play bite, however, she too now knows the word "NO".

LibbieLu08 · 03-17-2009, 06:37 AM

I got my puppy and I tried the dog wisper way.

I know some people might think its wayy to early to start training but I feel that I should start training her right away so she won't build up any bad habit..

So she started to bit and I did tried the dog wisper way. Pin her down on the side of her body everytime she bite me and said "no bite!" a few times. After a few times it worked. So now everytime I dont' want her to bite something...somebody...or whatever I just say "no bite" and she stops. Its amazing how it works. I'm so happy with my baby girl!

03-11-2009, 06:52 AM	#1
LibbieLu08 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Milwaukee,WI Posts: 331	Does this work? So my brother has a little puppy. As soon as she gets on my laps she starts biting my clothes, my fingers and my toes. I want to be paper for when my baby comes 'just in case she does the same thing' and I came across this online..... STOP YOUR PUPPY FROM BITING YOU I've had success in stopping puppies from biting with the following method. I believe that if you communicate with your dog or puppy as another dog does, you will achieve much greater success in a shorter period of time than with any other method. Part of normal puppy behavior is rough and tumble play involving mouthing and biting its littermates as well as its parents. When you bring a puppy home he will play with you the same way. Since your skin is much more delicate than that of a dog, this will hurt. This is especially true since a puppy's teeth are like little needles. They cause pain because they are so sharp and can, on occasion, puncture the skin. In my experience, yelling in pain may stop the dog, but rarely works more than a few times. The puppy is startled by the sharp loud noise and inhibited for a moment. But after a few times of this occurring, the puppy learns that nothing bad or uncomfortable happens and he learns to ignore it. However some, very soft dogs may respond to this and if they do, you're done. Some advocate leaving the puppy alone and stop giving him attention for a short period after this occurs. This may work for some puppies but some will just find something else to do. Feeding a piece of food, is excellent for starting the "off," "no bite," or "leave it" command but that method will sometimes take a couple of weeks of training before you can expect the puppy not to bite. I don't have a couple of weeks to train a puppy and they can cause a lot of pain and do a lot of damage in that time. THE METHOD I believe that the best way to stop a puppy from biting too hard is the way his mother does. When a puppy is nursing and bites down too hard, she will take his whole head in her mouth and bite down, slowly increasing the pressure until the puppy goes limp, exhibiting submission. She will hold that pressure for a moment and then release it. After a few repetitions of this, the puppy becomes conditioned to the amount of pressure that is appropriate when using his teeth. He learns that a little pressure is OK but that a harder bite brings an unpleasant situation. No, I don't want you to take your puppy's head in your mouth. The puppy's head is probably be too large for that, and besides, there’s all that puppy hair on your tongue! I advocate that when you are playing with your puppy and he bites too hard, you should immediately engulf his head with your hand, come in from the top of his head, not from the nose. Slowly increase the pressure of your hand, squeezing HIS lips into HIS teeth until he stops moving and becomes passive. Hold that level of pressure for just a few seconds and then release the puppy. Don't yell, unless it's involuntarily, as a result of the pain from the puppy's bite. Don't scold, don't shake the puppy. His mother does not do any of these things and she manages to get him to stop biting too hard in short order. Sometimes this needs to be done with each family member so that the puppy learns not to bite every one of them. If this involves small children who don't understand how this is done, an adult can supply the lip pinch when the puppy bites the child too hard. Sometimes this needs to be done with a visitor to the home as well. The owner should do this, rather than relying on a novice visitor to get it right. I have never had to do this more than three or four times before the puppy learns what is and what is not, an appropriate level of force when playing. It is usually done in one afternoon with a reminder or two the following day. Some of the readers of this may say that it is cruel or may cause the puppy to bite even harder or that it will cause hard feelings between the puppy and the owner. I will counter that it doesn't do any of those things when the puppy's mother does it and it won't with you either. What do you guys think? Does it work or is it too harsh? I'm so unsure of what to do in this situation so if anybody has any ideas or suggestions I would love to hear it! __________________ LibbieLu

03-11-2009, 10:59 AM	#2
Yorkiedaze My hairy-legged girls Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: lompoc, ca. Posts: 12,228	What happens when the puppy "doesn't" go limp, but instead he yells, twists, and fights to free himself? Not all puppies respond to the same corrections. __________________ AZRAEL RAZAEL JILLI ANN

03-11-2009, 12:31 PM	#5
LilMissy Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 3,421	To me it sounds cruel, but I'm a big softie. I've never had a problem with just saying "no bite" and ignoring them. __________________ Shaunna with Missy (my princess) & Dora (my tomboy)

03-11-2009, 12:35 PM	#6
JJC YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 261	What worked for me was to say their name followed by the word NO (firmly but not overly loud) then I would redirect them to biting on a toy instead. If that didn't work then they would be told NO again and into her pen they went. They know the word NO now and we don't have this problem anymore. They only chews on her toys and does not bit our hands or clothes. We never played with them allowing them to chew, or bite at our hands either. Now whenever we say '_______ NO' they will stop whatever they are doing at that time. They really are smart so just be consistant with them and they will catch on. Both of mine are about 15 weeks old now. I forgot to mention that what I believe the above will teach them is that hands hurt especially at a very young age so I would not do it that way. __________________ - Jennifer Joshua Jenna Kissy Natasha Last edited by JJC; 03-11-2009 at 12:37 PM.

03-11-2009, 02:04 PM	#8
snoopymom I ♥ Snoopy and Sally! Donating YT Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 780	I don't think this method sounds too good. Too many things could go wrong. I would at least try a milder method for a while. __________________ Snoopy, Sally, and Mommy

03-11-2009, 11:52 AM	#3
MollysMum54 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: England,UK Posts: 1,176	That sounds harsh to me,I wouldnt use it. Also, i wonder if it wasnt done correctly, if it could go wrong and hurt the pup. You are not the pups mum, so your way of training has to be different i think. Having said that, im not really sure what method i would use!

03-11-2009, 12:16 PM	#4
DanielleAllen YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Phillips, ME, USA Posts: 273 Blog Entries: 1	i don't know. What works for someone might not work for someone else. I'm sure that some people might be able to do this. I am not so sure I would be one of them. To each his own!

03-11-2009, 02:46 PM	#9
shannonroselive Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Where ever the wind blows! Posts: 612	We just say "NO bite!" and turn away from her and she settles right down. Sometimes I say, "Be nice!" and that works just as well. She gets all sweet after that.

03-11-2009, 06:26 PM	#10
LibbieLu08 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Milwaukee,WI Posts: 331	yeah I agree with you guys! this does seem very harsh. I was just curious becaues I've never heard of this method before. __________________ LibbieLu

03-11-2009, 06:49 PM	#11
Britster Action Jackson ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 17,814	I guess I got extremely lucky because Jackson was not a bad biter at ALL. He did it to me a few times during rough play but that was that. And he's got a ton of his adult teeth now @ 5 months so I think he's mostly through the main teething stage. He was just not a biter luckily! I remember my dads Jack Russell/Shihtzu mix bit SO hard. For the first 3 months, she would just bite. It was impossible to play/pet her, she was always biting. __________________ ~ Brit & Lights! Camera! Jackson! CGC ETD TKP ~ Follow Jackson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacksontheterrier

03-12-2009, 03:55 AM	#12
journey826 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: yorkie town Posts: 876	I have one that to this day that bites but only when excited .I have tried all the other approaches mentioned but when she becomes excited she will still play bite.I don't like it to say the least.I think I will try this method it sounds insightful and well put together.I don't think its cruel.You have to decide for yourself maybe try it for a day.from what I read you would be done in two days training.I'll let you know how it works for me. __________________ YURI and SARAH Sassy,Rocki,and Ginger NEWBIE'"S

03-12-2009, 04:43 AM	#13
LibbieLu08 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Milwaukee,WI Posts: 331	jorney862 - Yes please keep me posted! I would love to hear how this works! If it works then I might try it but I'm so soft hearted. I guess I'll have to 'train' myself to be consistant with my training. __________________ LibbieLu

03-17-2009, 06:37 AM	#15
LibbieLu08 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Milwaukee,WI Posts: 331	I got my puppy and I tried the dog wisper way. I know some people might think its wayy to early to start training but I feel that I should start training her right away so she won't build up any bad habit.. So she started to bit and I did tried the dog wisper way. Pin her down on the side of her body everytime she bite me and said "no bite!" a few times. After a few times it worked. So now everytime I dont' want her to bite something...somebody...or whatever I just say "no bite" and she stops. Its amazing how it works. I'm so happy with my baby girl! __________________ LibbieLu