Puppy biting

supermezzo

And although it sounds far too simple to be effective, wear jeans, shoes and long sleeves until he grows out of the nipping stage. Try giving him a piece of carrot from the fridge to chew on. Just a thought, what sort of reaction do you give him when you come downstairs during the day?

Raksha

I can't add to what Sarabe has said, except to say have none of your trainers told you about 'extinction burst' - when something has always worked and stops working, you try harder. Think of a car that has always started first time. When it doesn't you'll keep turning the key won't you? If that car was an old jallopy which had a history of poor starting, you wouldn't be surprised when it didn't start and you'd soon give up.

Your puppy is like the person with the new car - biting has always got the attention he wanted (maybe you weren't consistent because of all the different advise you had). Now he's begining to realise it's not working, so he's trying 'more'........

manda1205

Londonwriter wrote: »

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.

It really does take time. Its only now that Molly is 6mnths old I can realise that. A lot of what you describe is exactly how Molly was. We shut her in our utility/porch area, she prob spends a lot of the day in there(although she was not in there so much at 11 weeks) she has a good 30mins walk and is let in the garden for toilet and sniff around, but she doesnt generally come into the living room until after tea, then shes in for the evening. From others Ive spoken to they dont see any problem with this and a few do this sort of thing too.
It does seem that things arent happening or working, and as the weeks go by you suddenly realise that things are changing and he's getting better. But at 11 weeks he is still very young.

giantmutantbroccoli

Seconding what sarabe said. A puppy might make a high-pitched yelp when hurt, but a dog will also make a high-pitched noise to invite other dogs/pups to play with him.

He's behaving exactly as he would if you were another puppy or dog - this is him playing with you. You need to find other ways of playing with him that don't involve you being a chew toy. Tugging games are good, you can also begin teaching him to fetch and begin the rest of his training. Just throw something, tell him to get it or fetch it, and then offer him a treat to get him to drop it for you - don't snatch it off him though, or he won't be so keen to give it up next time.
You need to take control of play time, so that all the most exciting things that happen to your pup are your idea. You mention that he starts playing vigorously with his toys on his own when he gets excited - so you start playing with his toys, too. If it helps, think of him as a toddler. He only wants something if you want it - so if he has something you don't want him to have, don't snatch it away from him. That makes it seem more attractive - it must be good, because you want it! Instead swap it for something he would normally want - like a treat, or a toy - and make a big fuss of how exciting the toy or treat is. Be careful though, if he's got a good retreiving instinct and you praise him to omuch for giving you stuff he shouldn't have in the first place he'll start going out of his way to get it for you.
The same principle applies to him biting you. Biting you should be the least interesting thing he can do with you. Direct his biting on to his toys by making the toys more exciting.

Sitting on the floor is a great way to excite your dog or puppy. Suddenly you're at his level - he can reach your face, one of the most interesting bits of you! He knows that's where all the food goes, and where all the noise comes from Part of the biting at your face is an instinct to lick around your mouth. It's a submissive gesture, but also a request - puppies do it to encourage the mother to regurgitate food for them. He can find out what you've been eating, and see if he can get some of it for himself.

The problem is that although this behaviour is innocent and completely natural for the pup, it's a bit dangerous for the humans involved! Especially as he gets bigger. Get him used to the idea that not biting you is more rewarding than biting you.
First, out of sight of the pup, get a tug toy and hide it on your person somewhere he can't see or reach it (not near your face though!) - a back pocket or tucked under the waistband of your jeans is ideal.
Sit or crouch down to his level, and when he lunges hold him back. You don't need to be forceful, this isn't an issue of dominance, you just need to restrain him from biting you. The best way is to just hold him with the palm of your hand on his chest. If he has a collar be wary of using it as a handle to hold him by while he's still getting used to it as you coudl put him off wearing it.
Hold him calmly for a minute - by calmly I mean you should be calm, he probably won't be! Praise him, but don't use a squeaky excited-sounding voice. When he's stopped lunging to get at your face (or inbetween lunges, if he doesn't stop), get the tug toy out. Wave it in front of him enticingly - but keep it on ground level becasue you're trying to encourage him not to jump up. Have a game of tug with him, with you on the floor still, and keep at it until he tires out or gets hungry/needs the loo.
If you do this regularly he should learn that not biting you on the face means he can play with you. Just be sure to never start a game immeadiately after he's bitten/lunged at you - always make him wait a minute. It's a good oppourtunity to teach him to sit as well.

I don't think playing hid-and-seek with your pup is a good way to get him to calm down. It sounds like a good game, though! You could teach him to seek you out onpurpose - get one person to hold him back while you hide, then say "Where's Lodonwriter?!" in an excited voice. Give him some treats or a quick play with a toy when he finds you and hey presto, you have a game! I taught my labs this game when I was a kid and they still remember it - now we've played it with the whole family, they know everyone by name. There's something very satisfying about being able to say "Where's such-and-such a person?" and having the dog root them out (less satisfying having someone else set the dog to find you, especially if the dog's covered in mud and you're having a lie-in). Useful on walks too, especially if you have kids who like to wander off.

You need to seek oppoutunities to reward him for being calm and not biting, as well as punishing him by ignoring him for biting. Always praise him once he's stopped.

suki1964

Lordy this takes me back to when this monster of mine was that age - I used to sit and cry in frustration because everytime I or anyone went near him - he bit

I got to thinking that perhaps he really did have rage as he really was demonic at times ( or so it seemed)

Sara has given great advice, the only time a hand went near him was with a toy in it - minute the teeth went for the hand it was replaced by a toy. Over excitement and time outs came into force - put in down and ignored.

You have to be VERY FIRM with cockers, very very firm. It does feel for a while that you dont have any cuddle times but they will come - once the teething and biting stage has been got through. That wee demon dog I cried tears over is now my shadow and cuddle monster.

Do go to https://www.cockersonline.co.uk it really is the best online rescource I have come across for cockers.And it really is a friendly forum and I know that they often have cocker meets around surrey - great way of making new friends and sometimes even meeting some doggie reletives

Londonwriter

The squeaking worked! I'd been making shrill yelps, but I tried making noises like puppy makes when he's frightened. First, he looked surprised and then he licked me. He's still biting, but it looks like I've got a way to stop him before he gets carried away.

I also decided to stop stroking him like a human (along his back) and act like a fellow puppy. So, when he licked my hands, arms and feet, I stroked his neck and under his legs. He really liked this and kept rolling onto his back with this blissed-out look on his little face. He also stayed calm and kept coming back to be stroked. Normally, he just starts getting impatient and bitey.

Furthermore, I played with a tug toy every time he started biting me when I was doing something else. This worked. At lunchtime, he suddenly brought me a tug toy in his mouth and sat looking at me - something he hasn't done before.

I think I just had to get into the 'he thinks I'm a puppy mindset'. I thought he saw me as a giant warm mound that had kidnapped him from his mum. Recognising I'm alive seemed a big conceptual jump for him to make.