Puppy biting

Londonwriter

My 11-week-old Cocker Spaniel puppy is going through a biting phase that started about a week ago.

We've been told (by puppy trainers) to treat him when he stops biting, to say 'off' firmly, to give him timeout, to walk away, and/or to gently remove and restrain him until he calms down (depending on which we spoke to).

None of these things seem to be working. The biting is getting worse. This morning, he bit my toe while I was having breakfast (no reason for this - he just came over and did it), and then bit my arms and hands constantly while I was trying to wash his feet when he came in from the garden. I'm covered in bruises. He rips a pair of tights a day.

I daren't even sit on the floor near him now because he'll leap into my lap and start biting my clothes, arms and leaping up to try to bite my nose/ears. He behaves exactly the same with my husband. He's biting properly, not just trying to lick/soft-mouth.

He's lovely when he's just woken up or if he's been quiet in his main living area (cordoned off part of our kitchen). However, when I let him into the living room when he wakes up, he'll have tonnes of energy he wants to vent off. So we'll do some dog training and then he'll race about either playing with me or start playing in a vigorous way alone with a toy (grabbing, tearing, tugging, biting, growling). After about 15 minutes, he'll be transformed into 100mph hell hound that rolls its eyes, chases his tail, rolls onto his back constantly, grabs at anything I'm holding, looks for stuff he's not supposed to have (usually running upstairs and trying to raid the bin for tissues), bites everything in sight and behaves badly.

I'll then put him back in his playpen area where he'll promptly fall asleep. About two hours later, he'll be awake again and I'll let him back out - rinse and repeat.

viktory

Have you ever watched how puppies play with each other while they're still with their littermates? They love to bite each other, often on the face. If one puppy bites another puppy too hard, the "victim" will yelp and run away to play with a different pup. In essence, the biter gets a time-out for applying too much pressure with those needle-sharp puppy teeth. If he makes this mistake a few times, then he learns that biting too hard while playing makes his buddies run away from him. Little by little each puppy learns to bite with less pressure to keep his playmates from putting him into isolation.

You need to teach your pup bite inhibition. This doesn't mean that your puppy learns not to bite (although he will learn this), but to control the intensity of his bite. This way, when he's an adult dog, if he is ever put in a position where he feels he must bite (and any dog can be in this position), he will not do serious injury. Bite inhibition absolutely must be learned by 18 weeks of age.

There are a whole host of articles and suggestion on how to teach this on the net on how to teach this. Google bite inhibition and find a method that suits you.

manda1205

As Viktory says above. This really is the best way. My lab was a major biter and our trainer told us that every single time we felt her teeth on our skin to snatch hand away and make a high yelp/ow noise, this would then startle Molly and 9 times out of ten she'd come back and lick where she'd bit you. It does take a few weeks for them to realise but you will get there in the end. Make sure everybody does it too.

Hintza

You need to get firmer, don't hurt the pup but make sure you get his attention and when you say NO; say it as if you mean it.

Puppies still have to be puppies though but as has been suggested if he gets too rough pop him away. Have you got a crate for him? Might be an idea (helps in a host of other ways too; feeding, toilet training, den for the dog etc)

Londonwriter

manda1205 wrote: »

My lab was a major biter and our trainer told us that every single time we felt her teeth on our skin to snatch hand away and make a high yelp/ow noise, this would then startle Molly and 9 times out of ten she'd come back and lick where she'd bit you. It does take a few weeks for them to realise but you will get there in the end. Make sure everybody does it too.

It makes him worse. He thinks it's a game, and just starts leaping up and down and biting. If we walk away, he chases us, biting. He follows so closely (being a Cocker Spaniel) that it's not easy to hide from him to end play. If he thinks we're about to hide, he puts on a burst of speed so he can follow us into the new room and bite us there. I've got him stuck in a door (poor thing) a couple of times by trying to shut the door of the downstairs loo so I can hide from him there.

He starts biting about 10 - 15 minutes into a play session and, eventually, I have to put him away in his long-term confinement area (where he usually falls asleep). He takes a while to calm down again so I can't just confine him for a couple of minutes and let him back out.

I really want him to be out longer without getting too excited and, also, to feel his long-term confinement area is a nice place where he wants to go - rather than somewhere he's punished. Otherwise, he doesn't want to go there when I can't have him running around me.

I posted before about keeping little Toq entertained and someone said he was shut away too long in the long-term confinement area (because I work upstairs). I have been trying to let him out longer so he can follow me about the house if I don't need to be in my attic. Unfortunately, he starts biting and then I end up locking him back away.

I don't think he's trying to get attention from me because he'll bite whether or not I was playing with him. He can get really riled up playing alone or with me.

patchwork_cat

Really can second what has been said - you have to mimic litter mates a high pitched yelp, really does work. Also dogs are very body language aware so a high pitched yelp folded arms head turned away absolutely no attention. Then if he comes after you every time you feel teeth yelp and and turn away. It may take some time, but like children be consistent.

Again like children some take longer to get the message, but think about the school playground if Jimmy throws a ball at Johnny and it hurts, Johnny will walk off, some Jimmy's will follow and carry on, but other Jimmy's realise quickly.

Did your pup have littermates he wasn't a singleton was he? How long was he in a litter? They also realise that they have hurt you and remember what that feels like, but only if they have had littermates and been with them long enough to have started playing.

Some link for you - http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/ccp51/cc/dog-training/bit-inhibition.shtml and http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html

Our trainer did tell us to use the roll over dominance thing mentioned in the second link with our overly excitable Golden Retriever . I do suggest you get a good training book and some training sessions.

Londonwriter

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Really can second what has been said - you have to mimic litter mates a high pitched yelp, really does work. Also dogs are very body language aware so a high pitched yelp folded arms head turned away absolutely no attention. Then if he comes after you every time you feel teeth yelp and and turn away. It may take some time, but like children be consistent.

You think we just need to persist, persist, persist and he'll get over it eventually? Ok, will persist! I'll also try yelping very high pitched rather than just yowling generally.

At the moment, it's feeling like we're not getting anywhere Turning away means the back (rather than front) of my legs is getting bitten. It feels like once he gets going, I could play a kazoo while riding on a unicycle and he'd still carry on biting.

We're having some success training him the 'off' command, but I'll spend whole mornings going 'off, off, off, off' because he'll understand to get off, but then will immediately come back and start over.

patchwork_cat

http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/traincockerspa_spgc.htm found this link specifically about cockers. Also this forum for them http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/cms/

Mutter_2

Congratulations on your Cocker, I envy you.

There is a long article in the link on how important biting is in a puppy, and when to stop it.
If you have not visited Cockers Online before, I apologise for introducing it to you, as you'll get no work done today. It's addictive stuff.
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=64170.0

Paparika

Just stick with it, he will get the message,
Imagine he is a little over excited toddler.

I've even bitten Perry back, (not hard) just held his ear in my mouth and held his ear with my teeth.. and pressed down slowly until he realises i am about to bite him, then let go (he doesn't cry or yelp because i don't actually clamp down)

I've bought loads of chews cow hide - dental chews, and puppy kong toys.

Perry is older now and when we play with him he wants to bite sometimes but groans instead, it's so funny, he knows he's not allowed to bite so just holds your arm with his mouth, but puts no pressure there, and groans

I didn't want to stop him biting to the extent that if he was ever in a fight with another dog that he would just stand there and be attacked, (luckily he's not been in any fights)


But he does know that he cannot bite any of his pack (us)

Like any child / puppy they can get over excited, and need time out, this biting faze will stop... he's just found his teeth.


I hope that makes sense i'm having a fibro fog day

sarabe

Squeaking when your puppy bites you will often have the same effect as giving them a squeaky toy.

You aren't a litter mate. Their communication is far more complex than a squeak.

Puppies use their teeth to play because they don't have hands. Instead of trying to teach him what you don't want him to do, (which often leaves a puppy wondering what they should be doing instead and with nowhere to go with all of that energy) teach him how to play appropriately.

You need a tug toy or two or three. They need to be long - tie rope to them if necessary - so that a/ you have a reasonable distance between dog's teeth and your hand. b/ you keep the toy low so as not to encourage jumping up and c/ you can use the toy to attract the dog like it is a prey animal by having it bob along the ground.

You need to invite your dog to play before he invites you to play by biting you. Animate the toy and give him the cue 'getit' (or whatever you are comfy with) put as much into the game as you want him to get out of it. After a few seconds, longer if he is a bit reserved and less if he gives it his all, let him win the toy on a big tug and then produce another toy and make yours more exciting than his and start again.

Then start to add more cue words. 'Are you ready' to my dogs means hang fire, be like a statue and wait for the word 'getit' or come out of that hedge, an exciting game is about to happen.

You can also do pretty much all of your pup's training during this game. Sit, down, come, whatever.

Once your pup is going out then you should be doing all of the playing outside and this will ensure that your pup learns to be calm and relaxed indoors eventually.

You can teach your pup to inhibit their biting on you by letting them gently mouth on your hands when the are calm and relaxed and sleepy. When they are excited and have loads of energy then they should be biting on a toy.

Be aware that if your dog has the tug toys to play with on his own they will soon become boring and you will be the new and novel thing to bite everytime you walk into the room.

Human hands with toys in should be exciting. Human hands without toys in must be boring otherwise the dog will want to bite them. Anything that moves will attract the dog. If he is attracted to your flapping trouser leg then you have to make a tug toy more exciting than your trousers.

If you are busy getting ready for school or work and rushing around getting the dog all excited then you could scatter a handful of the dogs food across the floor to occupy him.

Your dog will make mistakes and bite you occasionally because he is a puppy and he is learning and you may not have noticed that he needs something to bite.

If you ignore him or tell him NO or worse reprimand him then your puppy will eventually learn not to bite you. He'll also learn not to bother to try to engage you in play and just go off and have fun on his own somewhere which is great when you are at home and you want a bit of peace.

However when you are out with your dog and he goes of looking for some fun on his own that is when your next problem will start.

Use this opportunity to create a fantastic relationship with you pup that will last throughout his lifetime.