I HAVE A PUPPY SAINT BERNARD. HE IS ALMOST 5 MONTHS OLD. I ALSO HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD NEPHEW...AND FOR SOME REASON THE PUPPY KEEPS TRYING TO BITE (AND HAS BIT 3 TIME) MY NEPHEW...I LOVE MY LITTLE PUPPY BUT I CANT HAVE HIM BITING BABIES..ITS SO WEIRD THOUGH BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER LITTLE KIDS (AGES 4-10) AROUND HIM AND HE NEVER TRYS TO BITE THEM..JUST MY NEPHEW..I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO! WOULD YOU GET RID OF THE PUPPY OR JUST KEEP PUNISHING HIM WHEN HE BITES OR TRIES TO BITE?
2006-10-12 11:23:58 · 11 answers · asked by ragdoll 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Since your dog is only 5 months old, I would work to correct this behavior. I would also say that your nephew HAD to have done something to this dog for him to bite. It could be something as simple as stepping on the dogs toe.......accidentally grabbing his fur........even maybe grabbing his testicles (St. Bernards have some big ones), but there is some reason your dog feels that this child is going to harm him, and he is protecting himself by biting. I would NOT (as others have said) get rid of your dog because this is totally correctable.
2006-10-12 11:36:48 · answer #1 · answered by stolibabe2003 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You state you love your little puppy, from experience of owning a saint bernard they are not little at 5 months old, they weigh at lest 50-60 pounds by this age.
Saint bernards are very smart and can be trained if trained the right way. They are very stubborn and i do not think the dog is trying to hurt your nephew, but it feels that your nephew is an easy person to play with. When a saint bernard plays they do bite, mine always has, but it is not a vicious bite he is just playing.
DO NOT hit the dog................. If you take your fingers and thump it on the nose and in a stern voice tell him no he will get the idea. Also when he bites take ahold of his muzzle and firmly hold shut and tell him sternly no. Hitting the dog will provoke more bad behavior and make him hate your nephew. Tell your nephew not to provoke this kind of play by tugging on the dog or hitting it. You can research this on line and there is all kinds of free training secret sites just type in saint bernard pup bites and there is a free e-book you can download to help you with your dog.
2006-10-13 03:12:13 · answer #2 · answered by badgirl41 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT PUNISH this puppy!!!!!!!
A 5 month old puupy will bite it is to be expected as it is the natural development of a dog!
The three year old needs to be told to stand still and not make himself into a target for play.
If the puppy bites IGNORE him do NOT slap or hit it as this will only make the puppy violent.
If needed the St Bernard should go to training classes (i do recommend this as it is such a large animal).
Remember the puppy may think that your newphew is a sibling and biteing is a way of finding their place in the pack.
Good luck and let me know how you get on
xxxxx
2006-10-12 11:37:17 · answer #3 · answered by ballet-babe 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It does sound like the nephew has done something to the puppy or is showing fear around the puppy.
I would put the puppy in a crate when the nephew is there. Give them both time to get over this. Try re-introducing them in a month or two. Then watch them both like a hawk and see if you can figure out what is the trigger for this behavior.
2006-10-12 11:40:07 · answer #4 · answered by A Great Dane Lady 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He's probably just playing. Because of the baby's size doggie probably thinks he's a small animal that wants to wrestle. Saint Bernards are not aggressive dogs but they are very playful puppies. Get a water spray bottle and give him a good squirt when he misbehaves. Seperate the two whenever possible. It's work out ok if you're consistant.
2006-10-13 08:27:43 · answer #5 · answered by dww32720 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like maybe your nephew has done something to the puppy when you weren't around to make the puppy feel it has to defend itself. Best thing is to bring them together, and when the puppy starts to go for the nephew stop the puppy before it has a chance to bite your nephew. A good place to get more info on dogs and such is at:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
2006-10-12 11:28:29 · answer #6 · answered by Rich 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I suggest checking the paper for a breeder. In the NY/NJ area saint Bernard rescues aren't common and getting one from a pet store is horrible as they use puppy mills. I suggest checking online for breeders or the paper. Long Island, ny has a lot of breeders, i bought a boxer there 2 years ago.
2016-03-28 06:50:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm torn with this one. I want to say to keep punishing and maybe he will stop, but I also wouldn't want your nephew to grow up fearing dogs. Unless it is fear he is sensing in your nephew already. It doesn't make alot of sense that he keeps doing this to the 3 year old, but not the older children. Is it in a mean way or is he trying to play, but just gets too rough? My friends have a border collie that loves my 3 year old, but will go after our 9 and 11 year old I think it's because he thinks they will hurt her. I would keep repremanding and see what happens, maybe put him outside when your nephew is there.
2006-10-12 11:30:13 · answer #8 · answered by Jennifer R 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Even at 5 months old, a Saint Bernard is a large, strong dog. I suggest you get rid of him before he hurts your nephew seriously.
2006-10-12 11:27:45 · answer #9 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
just keep punishing him if your nephew is the only child he bites then just keep watch when he is over.
2006-10-12 11:27:43 · answer #10 · answered by irish 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋