Biting Problem

[TDprange]

Help!  I have a feeling that the correct answer is "she's 3 months old"  However, by girl can get into a mode where she is nips and bites pretty hard.  She is better with me but is a lot worse with my girlfriend.  I have tried a lot of the techniques that I have read in various books.  I've tried yelping, I've tried holding her mouth closed, and turning my back to her and ignoring her.  For the most part these don't seem to have a big impact on her. 

This biting thing seems to have too levels... a low intensity level that is manageable and then a hi intensity mode that happens at about 10pm ever night when she wakes up from here nap or in the morning when she wakes up.  In those hi intensity moments she is a little psycho where the normal corrective actions don't seem to work and only spool her up even more.  When she gets real spooled up she will bark, bite and growl at me. 

Do you guys have any suggestions about the biting and maybe more importantly about how to calm her down.  I have enough pain tolerance to try and hold her in check but I am worried about how to correct her if she gets in this mode around others.

[kotchfam]

Hi there!

You're not alone, this has happened to other folks as well. There are a ton of questions other folks have asked that you've encountered/will encounter here under Training & Behavior: http://rr-forum.com/forum/index.php/board,6.0.html

Here are two threads that specifically dealt with the issue you're having now:

http://rr-forum.com/forum/index.php/topic,4316.0.html

http://rr-forum.com/forum/index.php/topic,3789.0.html

I hope they help! If not please ask more questions.

Take care,

Kelley

[kitoyogi]

I'd say it is fairly normal but still not appropriate.  This was my girl's most annoying habit, and she did outgrow it.  I found redirecting her behavior on to other things (toys, treats, games) seemed to help, in-addition to the other things that you are already doing.  Perseverance will prevail. 

[Nick1150]

It seems the last few days we have the same problem too. If I understand correct you mean GAME BITTING and not actual bitting. I am trying, when he is game bitting, to avoid him and stop playing with him. He understands this way that when bitting none will play with him, so he terminates the bitting. But then again after a few minutes he starts again.

Any hints ?

[SarahandNala]

Same problem here...I think it's a 3 month old thing LOL

Nala would rather play with her toys...but if my hands cross her line of sight...she will definitely try to mouth me. I've learned (at least with her) that she is more interested in my fingers -- If I see her eye'ing my hands, I will make a fist and keep my hands still. Usually she will divert her attention to something else when she no longer sees 10 wiggling "play things". If she does go after my fists, I will cross my arms Indian style, stand up, and turn my back to her. This has worked for me on and off....the last time I stood up and turned my back on her she started tugging at my pant legs LOL One step at a time...if I find this stops working, I will leave the room all together.

I too tried ALL the recommended approaches to mouthing, but there was no textbook answers for me. I've just had to try different approaches and see what she reacts to. If I pull away, or try to force her snout closed she gets 100 times worse...I've tried to redirect her attention to a toy, but the action of me reaching for a toy with my hands, almost intensifies her nipping, since my fingers are moving, I'm pulling away from her, and I'm going after a toy. So right now, the stationary fists are the best I've come up with.

We are slooooooooowly getting better with the mouthing, however, if I try to hold her in my arms (when she wants to play) she will leap up and try to eat my hair....which sometimes gets mistaken for my chin or nose...if you think hand nipping hurts...try the nose!  LOL. I correct her with a toy, but it's usually hard to divert her attention until I put her down.

One day at a time 

[TDprange]

Looking back on it I think that it was mostly a "3 month old" thing.  Perhaps we could have done something different to speed her out of the biting phase.  Lucy is nearly 5 months old now and is such a lover of a dog.  She rarely bites anymore if ever.  She has started chewing a lot more but I think that has more to do with her getting ready to teeth than anything else.

[Louise n Shumba]

There is hope then. We have good days and bad days, if we are tired Shumba definitely takes advantage and turns the biting into a game. He has taken to nipping my thighs and forearms and sometimes when we say no and redirect him he is fine, I find he is worst when I am in the middle of the garden and he just starts going for my ankles and I have no where to go, if I turn my back he jumps and nips my back, if I try to make it inside, it turns in to a game where I cannot get him off me, I get frustrated and the whole thing escalates. He is now 16weeks old and has just lost his first two teeth, and I expect the chewing because he is teething, its the nipping I find upsetting

[sylvie83]

Upsetting, yes and unacceptable ..... What about a good slap and loud NO ?

[Deniseeb]

Uggh.  I remember this stage.  Beau was worse than Finn.  We did the yelping as well as the taking the skin of the neck and giving it a quick, but gentle, twist.  We also woiuld remove our hands, arms, etc from the pup's mouth and offer a toy.  We alos employed the loud "NO".  It's just something they will grow out of.  I believe they do need to be corrected when they do it, but nothing seemed to work. 

Oh.  And this will last until they are done teething.  Probably until 6-7 months old. 

Denise

[Nick1150]

Oh.  And this will last until they are done teething.  Probably until 6-7 months old. 

Lets hope it does Hug.... Just a few minutes Ermis has destroyed my daughters new shirt !!!!!

He seems not to listen to anything... he stopes bite playing after NO, and the next second he begins again!!!

[Louise n Shumba]

I think sometimes they just want to play rough, and there isn't anyone for him to play rough with. If he goes really mad, like he has just done, trying to bite my arms and thighs, I send him out into the garden, and he has just gone bananas, taking it out on the plants, plant pots, his toys. He then comes and sits calmly by the back door, I've let him in sent him to his bed and within 30seconds he is asleep ahhhh!!!! Must be a puppy thing.

[TDprange]

There could be something to that.  Lucy's biting calmed way down after she started day care.  She is a much lower energy dog when that happens.  Now that she is playing with the big dogs at day care she really gets all of her agression out of her system during the day. 

I've also read that the socialization that they do with other dogs also teaches them not to bite that much.  It seems that other dogs don't like to be bitten either. 

[caro]

I would definitely employ the spray bottle.  You can get a small one that you can carry quite easily.  Fill it with water and when he starts attacking your ankles, give him a sharp spray and a loud "no".  Another thing I have heard works, but never tested is to get a tin can and fill it with stones so that when you rattle it at him it makes a very loud noise.  It's definitely an unacceptable behavior and should be stopped, even if it is because he has more energy than he knows what to do with.  To this day I still have a spray bottle with water not very far away for times when they lose control.  They don't like it but it doesn't do them any harm.  Just don't aim for the eyes.

Caroline

[Nick1150]

Hi again,

I need your help 

My RR, Ermis is now 4 months and 4 days old. He is getting a long walk every afternoon or instead of that, few hours at the local puppy park. I thought with so much energy loss, he could stay calm in the house. Instead of that he wants more and more games. Thats no problem for us, as long as he does not start game bitting, and believe me I tried everything to stop this, but without any success. In fact when he recieves a BIG "NO" he starts barking at us. The good news is that bitting is less day by day, but it is annoying enough to post for help.

Any hints ?

[machem]

Count to ten and take a deep breath!

Seriously, it seems like it is taking forever, but in a couple weeks, he will be much better and you will think "that wasn't so bad".  Consistency and patience now really pays off.  Have a toy to shove in the little piranha's mouth.

If you want a challenge, get a PWD through this phase!!!   

Cheers

Mike