help !! my puppy bite a lot?

Question

i can't play with him anymore he is almost 3 months old, bigger and bite harder i gave him balls or chew toys but seems like he like to bite people arms or legs more than the toys. all i got is bruises and scratch sometime bleeding. sometime i yelled at him and hit him not hard just want him to know that he bite too hard it seems like he was angry and tried to really bite me( like he was not playing ) what can i do.....?

Answer 1

I have 2 things to suggest that will help with this undesirable behavior...

First of all, you should never hit or be harshly physical with any dog or puppy. This can result in a fearful dog which could lead to biting out of fear later on.

One thing you should do, and the first step in my opinion, is to reduce the pressure of the bite by letting your puppy know when it hurts. When your puppy bites, you need to let out a higher pitched "ow, ow, ow" or "ouch". The idea is to sound as a littermate would if a puppy bit too hard and hurt. This is how puppies tell each other and learn what hurts. You will see that your puppy will reduce the pressure of the bite a little each time so as not to hurt you. Ultimately, your puppy just wants to play, not be harmful. He just doesn't realize he's hurting. I have done this and it DOES work.

Once you have your puppy's bite worked down to a low pressure bite that doesn't really hurt, you then should begin teaching not biting at all. When the puppy bites at you, gently grab the scruff of the back of his neck, shake lightly and say "No Bite". This is the same method a mother dog uses to discipline her puppies and will get your puppies attention.

With both of these things you have to be very consistent and never let the biting slide without addressing it or you will send mixed signals and confuse your puppy.

Both of these methods I stated here were suggested by both my vet and our puppy trainer. We have a Border Collie and nipping is an issue with this herding breed. We have been using these methods with really good results. Be patient, it takes time to teach your puppy and not all learn at the same pace, but if you are consistent, it will work.

Answer 2

I think many people who adopt puppies aren't prepared for not-so-fun parts of a baby dog. Biting is not a fun behavior, but it's NORMAL! Puppies, just like children, are teething, and just like children, want to bite everything to relieve some pressure and discomfort of new teeth. If he's only three months old, I've got more bad news - it probably isn't going to get much better for another three months or so; the teething is usually wrapping up around six months of age.

Hitting and yelling often times makes the problem worse - the dog is either spurred on with excitement by our reaction, or the response startles the dog to the point of requiring a defensive response. Think of it this way - he's trying to play with you, and without understanding why, you yell and hit him - his natural response is to react in a matter that will scare you off and defend himself.

The first step in any behavior modification is to make sure that your dog has an understanding of basic commands like sit, stay, and come. When the puppy starts biting something inappropriate, give a sit command to interupt the behavior and redirect the puppy to something that's okay to chew. If the biting is directed toward YOU, give a sit command, offer an appropriate toy, and leave the puppy alone. Once he equates his biting with a sudden loss of interaction and attention, he'll avoid the behavior because, believe it or not, he wants you to like him.

I know it's frustrating, and it's very painful to be bitten and scratched by those puppy teeth and nails. But if you continue to strike your dog when he does something wrong, he can become aggressive, confrontational, head-shy and it can ruin your dog-owner relationship. Don't hesitate to consult a trainer if you need an extra hand. I wish you luck with this problem.

Answer 3

Hitting him isn't a good idea and can lead to other problems later. I had a doberman who was doing the same thing as a puppy. I trained him out of it by shoving my hand down his mouth when he started, and saying, forcefully, "NO!". After a couple of times, he decided he didn't like getting a mouthful of hand, and we were both happy. Also, providing a "chew" toy that he really likes is good...just don't make it an old shoe or something you have others of, as they will become a toy, too.

Answer 4

Puppies bite - that is how dogs and puppies play with each other.

You have to DO something about it.

When he nips at you, roar NO in a deep voice, grab him by the collar or back of the neck, push him down and hold him on the ground and as you are doing that and snap your fingers on the end of his nose or slap his nose with your fingers. WHile youo pin him down and get his nose, lean over him and keep saying BAD BAD BAD - do NOT let your voice slide up, make it deep.

In a group of dogs, if he nipped the leader, they would knock him over, grab the skin on his neck or the side of his face and pinch it without breaking the skin, and growl.

So do what they would do. That is something a dog understands instinctively - born preprogrammed to get that message. Lot of theoreis out there abou yelping in pain and pushing him away or (really dumb) spraying him with water - but your puppy didn't read those books!

Get after him about EVERY SINGLE TIME - you must be 100% consistent.

Answer 5

Just give it a slight tap on the nose and say in a loud n confident voise "no", that worked for my dog. any time she did nethin wrong we did that n it worked find. Now we can even have her put her teeth around my arm n she know's not to bite hard...strange game..but fun (especially since she's very big!)puppies do tend to bite alot but they don't mean to but you really do have to disicpline them before they get older and think its ok to bite people.

Answer 6

never hit the dog or yell at it, it wont understand. what you need to do it give a firm NO when he bites or tries to bite, then replace what he was chewing on with a chew toy, once chewing on something appropriate, give lots of praise and attention. this will reinforce good behavoir. he will learn that biting good things gives him praise and treats while bitting bad things will get no attention at all.

Answer 7

You have to tell him no in a stern voice & grab his upper or lower jaw for a moment. Not to long, just enough to get his attention. Do it every time he bites you. He will get the pic eventually.

Answer 8

Buy "bitter Apple spray" spray it on you. Ignore him when he bites and he will stop.

Answer 9

Tell him "NO!" in a sharp voice, and keep on doing it till he stops. Sooner or later he will stop.

Answer 10

The answer is simple, take away his balls.