at my wits end! puppy wont stop biting?

Question

I have written about this before....but my 5 month old english bulldog puppy will not stop biting....we have tried a spray bottle, when he bites we spray water, but he thinks that its a game...we tried pushing gently under his tongue...he just backs up and comes back for more....yelling ow worked for a few days....not anymore. we cant sit on the couch without him going for our toes or ankles and it hurts! anyone else have any ideas?

Answer 1

Oh for heaven's sake, what is it with this water bottle stuff, and pushing on the tounge and, the one that really takes the cake, walking away so he can eventaully figure out that he did something (who knows what) that displeased you - on the last, a 10 year old child doesn't get it??!!!


Puppies nip in play. PERIOD. It ish ow they would play with other puppies and dogs. Now you have to teach him that it is not acceptable to do it with you because you are the ALPHA of the pack.

All you are doing is encouraging it and not getting the point across.

Now, when he nips, grab him by the back of the neck or the side of the face - which ever is fastest. Make him look right at you.

As you grab him, roar "NO!!" in a deep voice. (Women tend to let their voice slide upward so they have to concentrate on deepening it.)

As you yell NO, snap your finger right on the end of his nose.

Hold him down so he can't wiggle away, and repeat NO - BAD 3 or 4 times.

Let him up and tell him "Okay, now be nice " - in a happy reassuring voice - and go back to playing and petting.

Repeat as often as needed.

If he nipped the Alpha dog in the pack, it would grab him on the side of the neck or face or by the ear: pinch him without breaking the skin; hold him still so he couldn't get away; and growl.

You are going to act just like the Alpha dog.

Answer 2

First, he is not biting, he is playing. There is a difference. So, let's assume your dog is being mouthy and nippy. He is doing this because it is a fun game. This is how dogs play. But he doesn't know or care what you think about this game.

You are reinforcing this game everytime he initiates it, and you need to stop that. If he is playing with a toy with you, and he touches you with a tooth, (not even a real nip, but just touches you) pick up the toy, put it where he cannot reach it and walk away. Come back in a few minutes (2-3) give him back the toy and play again. He touches you with a tooth again, immediately repeat the same thing. Your dog wants to play with you and your play time is a reinforcer. Taking the toy and yourself away takes away the reinforcer. To get back what he wants he will learn that touching you with his teeth makes the fun stop immediately.

BUt you say that he tries to get you to play while you are sitting on the couch, and there is no toy to take away. Well, actually YOU are the toy in this case. Walk out of the room and close the door. Come back and have fun again in 2-3 minutes. Repeat. I would also recommend that your entire family always wears closed toe shoes until you get this problem under control. When you try to pull the sock (or toes!) away from him, that encourages him to come after you again. You need to stop the reinforcement.

The trick with this training technique is consistency and immediacy. But note: There is a phenomenon called "extinction burst" that will likely come into play. This means that the behavior may in fact get worse before it gets better. Be patient and consistent. If you ride it out the pup will learn that the fun is up if he loses control.

You might also add a marker for the negative behavior. At exactly the moment he touches you with his teeth give a loud sharp EH sort of sound. Short sharp sounds are nearly universally accepted by animal species as being the "no no" sound. Its also quicker and easier than saying no. By being short and sharp it often startles the dog into briefly stopping the annoying behavior.

When dealing with puppies, sometimes they launch into aggressive, boisterous play when they are very sleepy, much like a tired kid misbehaves in order to keep himself awake. If you suspect this is the case, put the puppy in his crate for a nap. I used to put my parent's boxer in what I called the "sleeper hold" when she got nippy. By cuddling her snugly with her legs dangling and her mouth pointed where she could not nip anything, she would begin to calm down and almost immediately go to sleep.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Okay, so you know 5 mos. old is plenty old enough to be in obedience class, right? Puppy kindergarten, at least, but Basic Obedience if they'll take you. Just pick a "positive reinforcement" class, please, no choke chains.

The longer your pup gets away with this, the more he thinks that what he's doing is okay - and those sharp little teeth hurt, don't they? The easiest way to get him to stop is to replace the behavior you don't like with one that you do. When he bites, interrupt him by clapping and saying something sharp, like "Eh-eh!" Make sure you don't laugh like what he's doing is cute - wrong impression. As soon as he stops biting, give him a toy or something that's okay to chew, like a Gumabone.

First off, you know he needs to chew, right? Teething itches and hurts something fierce, and dogs have big teeth (even small dogs have bigger teeth for their size than we do). Play biting is part play, part need to chew.

I've found it helpful, if they're very worked up and out of control, to tap gently on the nose with my fingertip, while saying "No!" Then make him sit or lie down, give him something to chew. The best puppy teether I've ever found is an old washcloth, clean, soaked in water and frozen (toss in a freezer bag and throw in the freezer). Chewing it helps the teething process. When it thaws, just rinse and re-freeze.

Training time will teach you how to teach your dog, and establish you as the Pack Leader - making everything easier and happier for you and your little guy. Good luck!

Answer 4

I have an 8 month old Rottweiler mix puppy and he is the cutest pup but a terror in a second. He jumps and bites while your walking down the hallway. I sit down he is biting my feet or hands. We have tried puppy training spray and didn't work, We tried yelling and he came back for more. We tried smacking his nose and he came back with force. I just get up and leave the room, I can't even watch television in peace anymore. The doc said he would grow out of it when he reaches about 1-1/2 years old and I am at my witts end. I love him and don't want to get rid of him. We put him outside to play and 1hour later he crying to come back in. I heard apple bitter works but, I don't know where to find it. Good luck and I sympathize with you.

Answer 5

I have a GUARANTEED method.

When he bites, grab his muzzle and hold it closed for a few seconds. Dogs HATE this.

The difficulty with this method is that you have to acquire a new skill: the ability to grab you puppy's constantly moving head. And, in the case of an English bulldog, it's even more difficult because the short snout means there is not much to hold. Keep working at it. Depending on your coordination, you should get good at it in about a week. As soon as you are able to grab him consistently, he'll stop.

Answer 6

My husband and I just got an 8 wk old golden retriever puppy and she's biting, of course. Does he have enough toys? Chewy sticks? How about a tube sock w/a knot in it? That's a great one that my puppy loves. An old sneaker. A used slipper. I can keep writing about this. How when I'm sitting on my couch mine tries to bite me, too, I don't know if you want to email me, but I'm just learning about my puppy so I can only offer so much info. Let me know. Good luck.

Answer 7

I had the same problem with my english bulldog pup but he eventually grew out of it when he was about 2. My husband and I would say naughty everytime he did it but we would say it in a stern voice push him away and ignore him for 5 or 10 minutes. Bulldogs are so damn stubborn by nature anyways but he will soon. You can try a the technique my mother inlaw used on her dog and that was to hold both hands out like show your palms and say "done" repeateadly in a firm voice so eventually he'll know when you are not playing. It worked for her dog but mine had already stopped before she got her dog. I will say I use it on my dog when he gets excited and wants to jump which is a big no no in my house and he understands that is his cue to settle down. Good luck

Answer 8

yelp in a high pitch like a puppy... it is a game to him this is how puppies play with other puppies. Then after you yelp in a firm voice tell him NO! and then direct him to a size appropriate chew toy like a Kong or a greenie. you are not rewarding him for biting, you are distracting him with positive reinforcement.

He may be teething, or he may just want to play. Teach him to play with you in an acceptable way like an exhausting(for him) game of fetch. Toss a tennis ball untill he he is panting & his tounge is hanging low. Or take him for a long walk. If you are too exhausted form your workday to tire out your puppy, then you might want to enroll him in "doggy daycare" a couple of days a week.

Answer 9

Ok, try by rubbing a spicy pepper like a (chile serrano) or a jalapeno may work, were he usually bites, the next time he bites he's gonna get a surprise, juts make sure you rubb it in a place where you can remove it later. I'ts gonna take a few time for him to learn it but he eventually will.

Answer 10

Everytime he bites you make a loud noise, stand up sharply and walk away ignoring him completley. You have to do this everytime, no slacking. Also make sure he gets plenty of excersise to burn off all the energy he has and get him toys to play with in the garden (knotted rope, sqeakys and balls).