PLEASE - need help with new puppy nipping/biting!!!

[Anonymous]

We have a new puppy, 10 weeks old. He's been home since he was 8 weeks old.

He is doing pretty well with house-training and also with walking on the leash. I have been trying to take him for long-ish walks, like 30 min twice a day, in addition to other playtime outside, to use up some of his energy. He is a little guy (5 lbs now, should be less than 15 when grown) so I think he's getting a good amount of exercise & the walk seems to tire him out. He usually walks pretty well on the leash for me, following close behind or beside me most of the time, though he does stop to sniff/explore. I do not let him pull me around or lead where we are going; if he tries to lead, I change direction and most of the time he follows me. Someone is home most of the time, so he is not crated all day. The most he is ever home alone for is a few hours at a time.

I've read Cesar Millan's book and am trying the whole "pack leader - calm, assertive energy" thing, but I don't know if I'm really conveying the right energy (or if that method actually works for anyone but Cesar!). It does not seem to be working for me. A lot of the time, the puppy is biting the heck out of everyone, including my toddler. Like, grabbing a pant leg and growling and refusing to let go, or biting the kids' ankles and feet when they walk, or flat out going after my toddler when she is down on the floor, including dominance behaviors like mounting, even if she is ignoring him and just playing by herself. For both of their safety, I'm always right there with the two of them and have never left them alone together. If I have to leave the room or I can't give the two of them 100% of my attention, I take my daughter with me, or the puppy goes back in his play area. To my toddler's credit, she is very gentle, has not been rough with him at all, and usually gives him some space. As I said, I supervise closely and do not let her provoke him.

I don't know if this is normal puppy play/nipping or if he's really trying to bite anyone (he doesn't bite down hard on flesh, but he does bite down and hold onto clothing and then tug at it and sometimes growl) - but either way, it has to stop asap.

I have tried the loud "Ouch!" and then leaving him, i.e., if he bites, then no more playtime with me. I've also tried redirecting him by offering one of his chew toys when tries to chew on me. Neither method is working ver well. Other suggestions?

He is a sweet little guy and we love him, but the biting is a big problem and I don't want it to get out of hand! My kids are starting to get annoyed and frustrated by him and that is the last thing I want! I know it is not his fault and he's really just a baby, but he has to learn - preferably immediately - that his mouth does not belong on a person's body or clothing. I have a ton of patience for him and do not mind spending lots and lots of time working with him so we end up with a happy, confident, obedient dog, but I don't know if I am doing the right things to get him there.

[Anonymous]

I could of written the same post! We are having awful biting issues with our 12 week old PWD! Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Seriously, SOMEONE must have some ideas! I got home tonight (after posting about how he's doing such a great job walking on the leash for me) and the little bugger flat out refused to walk with me. Tried before dinner and after dinner and he just would not do it at all.

[Anonymous]

They just want to play! Here is what worked for me.... stern No. If you can't do it in a deep authoritative voice try putting some pennies in an empty can and shake it when they start doing this. They learn from other dogs what is acceptable. So try to socialize them with an older dog. Once, I actually nipped my dog back, immediately after she nipped me and she quickly learned to stop. She is a pug and can't do that with all dogs so you need to find what works for you. Also they need bones and chew toys. Good luck and be patient they learn quickly but it takes time.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the nipping/biting you speak of is not aggressive biting, it's play energy. You need to get toys for the puppy, and make sure he has plenty to play with.

[Anonymous]

Our trainer advised that when the puppy was nipping/biting us as opposed to a toy that we should give him a firm no and place our thumb in his mouth holding his toungue to his bottom jaw. The rest of your hand is wrapped around his bottom jaw for a few seconds. They hate that but they get the idea very fast.

[Anonymous]

It happens and they will stop once they loose their teeth. be firm, don't give in to that cute face.

[Anonymous]

What kind of dog PP? While this is going on I strongly urge you to keep all high heels at a high level. I had a puppy once that opened the closet door and chewed at least one heel on every pair I owned that I was not wearing that day. Then magically it stops.

[Anonymous]

Your puppy is probably trying to play, however, nipping at the heels is a herding instinct (like what the sheep dogs do in the movie Babe) and it probably sees your toddler as another puppy. Also, sometimes small dogs feel intimidated with larger dogs or people looming around.

Find some good chew toys at the ready and put the toy by it's mouth when it tries to nip.

The puppy is essentially teething and milk teeth hurt:
http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/A_Dog's_Teeth

Also regarding the mounting--get your dog fixed. That will help curb the urge.

[Anonymous]

[quoteAlso regarding the mounting--get your dog fixed. That will help curb the urge.

We are definitely doing that, but 12 weeks is too young. Breeder recommended doing it at 4 months old but our vet says they normally do it at 6 months. So it will be a while.

I do not think our puppy is aggressive but the play biting still hurts (has drawn blood on me twice b/c his teeth are so sharp!). When he isn't biting, he is a total sweetheart. I am setting up some "play dates" for him with some older, calmer dogs in the neighborhood that I know pretty well (one of my neighbors has two beautifully-behaved therapy dogs and she's willing to bring them over to play with him). I am hoping that will help too.

[Anonymous]

That is completely normal behavior for a puppy; it's just play biting and all puppies go through that phase especially while they are teething. It does sort of hurt because they have their sharp little puppy teeth, but it's important to realize that this will pass. We always just pushed their nose down and said firmly "no biting." I promise it won't last forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a new puppy, 10 weeks old. He's been home since he was 8 weeks old.

He is doing pretty well with house-training and also with walking on the leash. I have been trying to take him for long-ish walks, like 30 min twice a day, in addition to other playtime outside, to use up some of his energy. He is a little guy (5 lbs now, should be less than 15 when grown) so I think he's getting a good amount of exercise & the walk seems to tire him out. He usually walks pretty well on the leash for me, following close behind or beside me most of the time, though he does stop to sniff/explore. I do not let him pull me around or lead where we are going; if he tries to lead, I change direction and most of the time he follows me. Someone is home most of the time, so he is not crated all day. The most he is ever home alone for is a few hours at a time.

I've read Cesar Millan's book and am trying the whole "pack leader - calm, assertive energy" thing, but I don't know if I'm really conveying the right energy (or if that method actually works for anyone but Cesar!). It does not seem to be working for me. A lot of the time, the puppy is biting the heck out of everyone, including my toddler. Like, grabbing a pant leg and growling and refusing to let go, or biting the kids' ankles and feet when they walk, or flat out going after my toddler when she is down on the floor, including dominance behaviors like mounting, even if she is ignoring him and just playing by herself. For both of their safety, I'm always right there with the two of them and have never left them alone together. If I have to leave the room or I can't give the two of them 100% of my attention, I take my daughter with me, or the puppy goes back in his play area. To my toddler's credit, she is very gentle, has not been rough with him at all, and usually gives him some space. As I said, I supervise closely and do not let her provoke him.

I don't know if this is normal puppy play/nipping or if he's really trying to bite anyone (he doesn't bite down hard on flesh, but he does bite down and hold onto clothing and then tug at it and sometimes growl) - but either way, it has to stop asap.

I have tried the loud "Ouch!" and then leaving him, i.e., if he bites, then no more playtime with me. I've also tried redirecting him by offering one of his chew toys when tries to chew on me. Neither method is working ver well. Other suggestions?

He is a sweet little guy and we love him, but the biting is a big problem and I don't want it to get out of hand! My kids are starting to get annoyed and frustrated by him and that is the last thing I want! I know it is not his fault and he's really just a baby, but he has to learn - preferably immediately - that his mouth does not belong on a person's body or clothing. I have a ton of patience for him and do not mind spending lots and lots of time working with him so we end up with a happy, confident, obedient dog, but I don't know if I am doing the right things to get him there.

A puppy test for me is if I can wear sandals and flip flops. Do I need boots or can I wear open back shoes like ugg clogs around the house in winter? If I can't walk around in this stuff or need gardening gloves to play with the puppy it's a problem. Shake cans and NO ? I had a puppy that chewed furniture legs and shoes. Wood got rubbed with tabasco and I left a old shoe out rubbed with tabasco. That puppy was a large breed and redirection always worked. If redirection isn't working - would rather bite you than play with a toy- I'd return the puppy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the nipping/biting you speak of is not aggressive biting, it's play energy. You need to get toys for the puppy, and make sure he has plenty to play with.

Agree...this will handle the biting/nipping at clothing, etc. For biting hands or flesh, I used different techniques. If he bites at my hand, I let him and then close my hand over his lower jaw (or nose if my hand is upside down relative to the puppy) and hold. The puppy will hate this and will try to shake you off. I hold on for 2-3 seconds, then let go. And I'll repeat if he tries to bite at my hand. If he bites other places, then I grab his full snout when the mouth is closed and hold it for 2-3 seconds. Again, you'll get the head shaking bit. After a few weeks of this, the puppy will learn not to bite. It's worked for me for several puppies going through the biting stage. Then redirect the puppy to bite at toys and not people.

[Anonymous]

My 8 week black lab is biting/nipping too. Tried the can thing with coins in it hoping that would work, but it did not. Would appreciate any other suggestions! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Look. The biting is a fantastic time for you to teach your pup about its mouth. Yipe and freeze when he bites you. If he uses less pressure, praise him.