My dog bites randomly without reason, what should I do?

Question

I have a very lovely basset hound, who is cute and adorable and sweet - most of the time. Sometimes she randomly snaps at me and has left a few scars on my hands. She shows no reason for doing it, and at times before hand, she has often greeted me in a welcoming way. Is there something wrong with her, or is there some training that needs to be done so I don't have to put her down?

She is already two years old and hates anyone but her general family, the people she sees everyday. She tries to hurt and tear apart anyone else.

Answer 1

No Bite!

Puppies play with other puppies by biting each other! It is a very natural thing to do. It can be very confusing to a pup if you scold him for playing the only way he knows how, and then encourage him to play again.
I have taught puppies and stray dogs to stop nipping and biting "people" by doing what "mom dog" and "littermates" do. Next time he bites or nips you "yelp" in a noticeably loud and high-pitched voice. Usually, the pup will look at you kind of funny, like he doesn't understand, and then proceed to bite you again. This time you "yelp" louder and in a very high pitch, maybe jumping back at the same time as if you're really hurt. Whenever you do this technique, you must always immediately furnish an appropriate chew toy for him to bite and play with. After a half dozen times of this, the pup usually gets the message. But, he is still a puppy, and he will "forget" next time he wants to play and bite again (after all, that's the only way he's played for his whole life!) It will take a week or two until this pup finally "gets it." Some learn much faster, and others more slowly, but this technique has never failed me as long as every person is consistent. That means every time the pup bites, "yelp!" Tell children and visitors to do the same. (Yes, really tell them to do the same, and make sure they do it; maybe they'll learn something in the process).  If your puppy or dog reacts in a frightened manner of your yelping, then try it again in a softer, less frightening manner.  You do not want to frighten the dog, only let it know that biting too hard hurts.
As the pup gets older, if he is not 99% reliable not to bite, after you "yelp," put your hand over his muzzle gently but firmly (sometimes referred to as a nose-hug) immediately after you yelp and when you say "No Bite!" Then immediately give him a chew toy and say "Good Bite!" You always want to end a lesson being taught with praise, that way, your dog will be more willing to learn. This will also teach your dog to go get a chew toy when he gets so excited that he just must bite something.
If these methods fail to work another option you have is to get up, turn your back to your dog and walk away whenever he bites or nips you.   No reprimand, no emotion, simply turn your back to your dog immediately after he bites you (the *first* time) and walk away.  After about 10 minutes, approach him again.  Be sure that you are praising him when he is biting appropriate things and not you.  This will teach your dog that he will not receive the attention he desires unless he behaves appropriately.
But if none of these things work?  The problem you are experiencing is one of the hardest solutions to describe via the Internet that I have come across. That is because, if the old standby's (yelping and no bite, and walking away) don't work, then the problem is usually based on a lack of communication in general: Meaning, the dog does not understand what you are trying to communicate, so it becomes frustrated at your attempts at getting it to stop biting and in its frustration, bites more. This can actually make the problem worse.

The first thing to look at is if your dog is getting enough physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis. Your puppy or dog should be able to be off-lead (off-leash), running around quite a bit to expend some of energy.  Depending on the age, size and breed of your dog, she may require up to 2 hours per day of vigorous activity.   Playing fetch and going for walks does not suffice for all dogs.  Both of these activities are quite mindless and can be done for very long periods of time without much mental concentration. 
Next, teach your dog the Settle command.   Begin teaching your dog at times when she is already resting so it is easy for her to succeed. You can also teach her an "easy" command by holding a treat within your fist and allowing her to gently take the treat. When she is forceful, she does not get the treat, as she becomes gentler and more "easy" she gets the treat. You will be rewarding her for inhibiting her bite and her aggressiveness.

This takes many, many repetitions. If your dog is biting and nipping continually and getting consistent attention for it (negative or positive) she may have already learned that she can get what she wants by using force.  You need to change this so that she receives more and better rewards for being "easy," for "settling" for "leaving it" etc.

When you reward, be use a two and three-step approach. At the instant the good behavior is initiated (she lightens up just a little) give her the verbal reward "Good Girl!" This is her cue, so that she learns exactly what behavior pleases you. After the verbal reward, give her a food treat. (step 2). And while she is eating the food treat (or after she inhales it) pat her on the sides for the physical-touch (step 3) reward. The food treat (step 2) can and should be omitted periodically.
You need to convince her that it is beneficial and in her best interest to behave the way you want her to. Setting her up to succeed so that she can be praised is the best method to do this. Using times when she is more relaxed in the first place... and then giving her a chew toy to chew on and praising her for a good "easy" as she leisurely chews on the chew toy may also help.

Right now, your focus may be on all her biting and rough-play antics. You may be giving her the most attention during these times. Turn this around, so that you are giving her more (and better) attention when she is behaving appropriately. This can be quite difficult with puppies and young dogs, and her appropriate behavior may disappear quickly - but it is important that you recognize it and praise it in the instant that it is there.

For example, I have had stray puppies come into the house that have never been in a house before... they run around all the furniture and bounce off the walls, and run into me biting and snapping out of pure joy and excitement. If they refuse the chew toy (a soft stuffed animal) I give to them and persist on biting me instead, I give them my calm, but firm "uh-uh" (meaning: I am not happy with what you are doing). The instant they (or I) put the chew toy in their mouth, I praise "Good Girl" and as I try to pet them, they usually try to bite my hand out of their excitement. So, I say, "Uh-uh" again. If they persist, I turn my back to them. If they climb up on my back, I get up and walk away. When they follow me biting at my heels... I throw a toy for them in front of me (they usually don't even know where it came from) and this, or something similar, usually takes their attention off me and they chase the toy. Sometimes I dangle a toy above their heads to entice them to bite the toy.  When the toy is in their mouth: "Good Girl!" and I try to play with them using the toy again.

This type of scenario is repeated many, many times. Consistent positive reinforcement for biting appropriate items, and no reinforcement of behaving inappropriately. After an afternoon some pups settle down, others take a few days, and some take a week or more. They will periodically "forget" the rules (very often at first), but will begin to understand the communication at hand, and comply after repeated and consistent "lessons."
Think about "What am I communicating to my dog?"  And "What is it like to be trained by me?"  Puppies and dogs that continue to nip and bite relentlessly, usually do not understand you.  For another helpful article, point your browser to: http://www.stbernardrescue.org/behavior/bite_inhibition.html and learn how to teach your dog bite inhibition.

Answer 2

Dog Bites For No Reason

Answer 3

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/gHn00

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
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Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My dog bites randomly without reason, what should I do?
I have a very lovely basset hound, who is cute and adorable and sweet - most of the time. Sometimes she randomly snaps at me and has left a few scars on my hands. She shows no reason for doing it, and at times before hand, she has often greeted me in a welcoming way. Is there something wrong with...

Answer 5

If she's barking after being pet then she's not snapping. Snapping would be your friend removes their hand and your dog lunges to bite and what you hear are the teeth snapping shut. If this is not what she is doing then she's not showing aggression nor is she snapping. If your friends are petting and then they stop and she barks, then this is an attention seeking behavior, she is saying HEY PET ME AGAIN. I suggest that when she does this behavior you ignore her. Don't yell, she isnt apologizing when she licks, she's submitting to you out of fear, this is her response to you yelling NO. Tell your friends that they are to ignore her, no talk, touch or eye contact. Affection is on their terms not your dogs. Another method is to get up and walk away, they should only pet her when she's quiet and well behaved, if they pet her after she barks then you've reinforced this behavior and she's learned barking gets her petted. Barking at someone is not snapping, you need to make sure you know the difference between an attention seeking bark and a snapping dog. It's always best not to overwhelm any dog is to have your friends ignore your dog until she calms down.

Answer 6

When my children were small, for protection I had a Spitz that would bite anyone that came close to any of us. When people came over, we would put her in a room and close the door. One day a stranger, a man came over and his reasoning was harmful. If we had not had the Spitz, we would have been harmed. She was our protector. The biting is bad. Have you tried snapping her on the nose? You must get her trained to stop or she can even hurt you. A dog that bites his owner truly needs training.

Answer 7

I would first take the dog to a vet to find out if there is anything wrong with the dog. Sometimes, when dogs are sick or in pain they bite. Once any health issues have been ruled out, I would seek consultation with a certified pet behaviorist. I would also look in to dog training schools. A dog who bites this way is a huge liability.

Answer 8

She sound stress for some reason you can talk with the vet or a trainer but I would keep a diary and pay close attention to what was going on before she bit me. It could be you are not in charge and she is just putting you in your place if that is the case you need a dog class asap.

Answer 9

How long have you had this dog??? Has he/she had a major head injury??? How old is it? The problem may be neurological or physical. But the best bet is to take you bassett to the vet and have some tests run. My daughter has a dog that has suffered some head injuries while with my daughter's father. He was kind of quirky. But she loved him and he started to trust her and even me at tmes. He is now old and in pain from some physical complications and next momth he will go to Rainbow Bridge.

Answer 10

you can try a behavioralist but that is severe aggressive behavior. Any dog that bites for absolutely no reason or randomly should honestly be put down for your safety and your financial safety. If she bites someone else they can sue you big time.... I am an animal lover and do alot of animal rescue but a dog that cannot pass behavior tests doesn't go to homes because of reasons like this.

Answer 11

next time she snaps think hard if you did something the same as last time she snapped..my dog used to bite us when we got home cuz she was mad we left, but if you want it to stop take her to a trainer and write down everything when she snaps and put hopefully 2 and 2 together good luck