Puppy biting

rae123

Hi all,

I have a 4 month old black Labrador male puppy who in so many ways is incredibly well trained and clever. He is toilet trained, can sit, give his paw and is amazing on and off the lead. There is one thing that he is really struggling with and that is learning bite inhibition. I have tried everything online including saying ouch and leaving the room when he bites to replacing my hand with a toy, but he doesn't seem to put them both together and realize the reason I have left the room is because he has bitten me. He has also started grabbing my legs and arms which really hurts, and my hands are in bits with quite a few puncture marks. He is such a loving dog, who absolutely loves cuddles but his biting is getting out of control. I know he is teething so he has tonnes of toys to chew on but I just don't know what else to do to control his biting before he gets older and gets bigger teeth that may hurt even more. I have spoken to a few trainers but they all cost an arm and a leg so was wondering if anyone could help me before I have to spend hundreds of pounds on a trainer. Any advice would be great - thank you.

Katiehound

First of all do you have puppy training classes in your area? (I don't mean puppy parties) That would be my very first port of call as someone experienced may have good advice. Don't know if this is of any help - from Dogs Trust:_
Y
Training your puppy should start straight away to avoid him developing bad habits.
Teach him what is acceptable. Make clear and simple commands and show him what you want
him to do. Lessons should be short and at regular intervals. Remember
-
always reward
good behaviour, and ignore ‘bad’ behaviour.

Play is essential and can be used to reward good behaviour. It will also give you the
opportunity to build a good relationship with your dog.

Most puppies are anxious to please; therefore rewarding good behavi
our is far more
effective than punishing him for a poor performance.

I have a feeling that replacing your hand with a toy may be encouraging him to bite.
I wouldn't now be saying 'ouch' personally I would be saying NO. very loudly- this is one behaviour you can not ignore.
Is he getting enough exercise and play? Sounds like if he is very bright that he needs a lot of stimulation.

I am sure someone else will be along shortly to give you probably more constructive advice

rae123

Thank you Katiehound for that link and taking the time to reply, I've emailed dogs trust to enquire about getting him enrolled on their puppy training classes. We take him on 2 walks a day and my partner runs with him for quite a lot of the walk. If for some reason he doesn't go on a big walk like usual we do notice a change in his behaviour and he does bite a lot more so I think his walks do help.

He's very boisterous and excitable but I love that about him because he's always so happy to see people and other dogs. He's so well behaved in other aspects and loves other dogs but it's just this one behaviour which we really need to sort out.

sheramber

Take care that he doesn't get too excited. Think of him as a toddler. Whe he gets excited he loses some control.

But puppies do bite.
By leaving the room until he calms down he learns that that behaviour is not rewarding. But you must be consistent. Do not wait until it escalates. Move away as soon as he shows signs of going to bite.

bmthmark

I have a cocker spaniel who is now 14 months old. When he was young he loved to bite, I think most do as this is part of them growing up. They use their mouths to explore the new world.
Part of the reason why mine loved to bite was that he was teething. I made sure he had lots of chewing toys, he especially liked a natural root wood block. You can buy them from local pet shops.

Now at 14 months he still play bites/fights with me but I just have to say 'nicely' if he goes in too hard and he then licks instead of bites. Also he completely stops if I stop playing with him. So now its more of a fun game between me and him, but more on my terms.

Your puppy is still very young, i'm sure he will be fine. Especially as you are dealing with the biting now.

rae123

Sheramber - I think that's half the problem, he does get really excited and trying to calm him down can be tough. When I leave the room and come back he just starts biting again.

bmthmark - He's got a natural stick chew toy from pets at home that he loves, that's one of his favourite toys! Thank you, I think I'm just worried incase he doesn't stop it but I know time will only tell. I think sometimes he actually knows he is biting too hard but is kind of testing the boundaries to see what he can get away with. Thanks for the reassurance though! It does make me feel better to know that other people had similar things with their pups.

Katiehound

You haven't mentioned but I assume you don't play rough games with him such as tug o'war with a tugger- that would certainly get him over excited.

My hounds play dragons- a lot of silent snarling , racing around & chasing each other. I always mutter 'it will end in tears!' & it does- suddenly there is a yelp . one gets a nip, game over!

I'm thinking some interactive games might help.
If your dog is food motivated you can play 'hide the treat' -hide one treat under 1 of 3 flowerpots for starters (out of his sight) and then let him use his nose. Increase no. of pots.

Do you have a kong? They come in red (normal) & black (extra tough) They bounce unpredictably which is fun and you can stuff them with food which will need to be licked out. A great time waster!! Also come in different sizes- don't leave unattended. Some you-tubes show this to good advantage

Personally I love the buster cube! The newer one isn't as hard (they have padded the corners I think), so doesn't bang the skirting boards so much! You fill it with kibble (reduce meals accordingly) and the cube dispenses food spasmodically. My dogs learned very quickly that a cube that doesn't rattle is not a good toy!
This you-tube shows it well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21tQi1NRLnQ

Soot2006

Lots of great advice for stuff he can sink his teeth into ... He probably has some teething pains. You can soak a small towel in low sodium stock water, twist it up, freeze it, and give it to him to gnaw at.

My Google search history for the first 9 months of terrier's life gives away my fear that he would be a biting dog. He bit so much and so hard! But then he stopped. And then he restarted at 9 months ... and then he stopped for good a few weeks later ...

Beware too much physical exercise. You want to drain his brain not his body at his age. Puppy classes are awesome and not too expensive usually. Also: tracking, fetching, tricks, brain games! All those things will also teach him where to direct his attentions and how to interact with you without involving teeth.

I did redirect to a toy when mine was biting. Ignoring him worked to a point but also upset him in unhealthy ways (anxiety); saying ouch made him bite harder to finish the kill; but redirecting worked very well. Now when he wants to sink his teeth into something, he gets that awful Crocopuppy look in his eye and then rushes off to find a toy to rag.

elsien

rae123 wrote: »

Sheramber - I think that's half the problem, he does get really excited and trying to calm him down can be tough. When I leave the room and come back he just starts biting again.
.

Yep, been there. Turn round and go out again if you need to. Maybe stay out a bit longer. I spent the first couple of months with my over-mouthy bull terrier rescue going in and out like a flipping yo yo but we got there in the end.
That and a combination of doggy time out to calm down and diverting to chew toys finally did the trick.

rae123

Thank you all for your fab advice!

Katiehound - I'm going to look into a Kong, I think he'd really benefit from one as he is so clever and loves playing games. I notice a huge difference in his biting if he gets a good time off the lead, so I think it's a mix of being bored and having too much energy.

Soot2006 - That makes me feel so much better that I'm not the only one! I have got him booked onto a puppy class starting mid feb - it's with the Dogs Trust, super affordable! Hoping that will help and at least socialise him a bit more too!

Elsien - That's how I feel, our whole downstairs is open plan so I'm constantly hopping over the babygate, I'm hoping that he'll soon put 2 and 2 together!

Gilead

I've had two Springer Spaniels from pups at different times and while they have different personalities their 'biting' development was very similar. Up to about 6 months they would sometimes have a nip, but only really when they were trying to play. Just say 'no' and even a firm tap to reinforce. After 6 months it would be rare, and would only happen by accident.

However, they do like to play, and sometimes will have a gnash without actually biting. Both mine would softly take your hand in their mouth and would not clamp down, but lick or gum (for want of a better word) you.

I daresay your lab will grow out of it.