How can i get my puppy to stop biting?

Question

I have just got a new boxer puppy thats lovely.

The only problem is she wont stop biting. She is 10 weeks old and when she gets excited she starts biting people. I have a younger brother and he sometimes gets really scared when she does it as she is really strong and its hard to get her to stop.

Has anyone get any ideas on how we can get her to stop
?

Answer 1

this is how puppies play. Don't initiate rough play with her. Didn't the breeder explain all of this? If she bites you, you need to yelp loudly and immediately stop playing with her. Get up and walk away. Play games that don't involve biting. If you start to play rough games and get her over excited, she will start to bite without thinking as this is how puppies play with each other.
Please do NOT swat, tap, hit, spank her. This is out and out animal abuse and will only make her afraid of you. Either yahoo attracts animal abusers or there are more stupid people out there than I realised.

Answer 2

There's a few methods. The important thing to do is be consistent, or she'll get confused. You must react the same way every single time. You can squeal loudly, draw away from her, and ignore her totally for about five minutes or more whenever she bites. This is what a littermate would have done. She'll get the message that if she bites, she doesn't play. You can also grab her muzzle and hold it shut for a short while whenever she bites. This will be completely painless, but not pleasant and she'll soon get the message not to bite. Or you can offer her a chew toy whenever she bites. As soon as she grabs it, start praising and rewarding.

EDIT: A lot of people have said to hit your dog or swat it. They are abusive. Hitting your dog will only damage its trust in you. Even swatting the dog with a rolled up newspaper is abusive. There are so many other ways to train a dog, there is no need to beat it with anything. Please do not hurt your dog like this. It can cause her to bite more in self defense, or cause severe behavioural problems in later life.

Answer 3

Please please please dont hit your beautiful dog. You said your puppy was ten weeks old. She will be teething and 'learing' how tro play acceptably. She is also testing your limits, like a child would do. I have 13 dogs in my house and they all get on very well with eachother. Occassionally there is a little tiff between them amd interveneing has sometimes resulting in a sharp nip to myself. The best way to stop the biting is to cry out as a puppy would do when she even licks your hand. This teaches her that your hands dont belong near her mouth(of course she can learn to lick hands etc sociably latrer on). Then as others have said you should gently but firmly hold her muzzle closed, say no firmly and then put her in a seperste room from dogs family distractions in general to 'chill out' abnd think about things. Believe me they do! Never lose your temper. Never hit, your puppy will learn its your form of biting. Find her a bone to chew on and take her to a really interactive socialisation group. Also I'm not sure if she would nip people coming in the front door but its a good thing to do anyway: ignore her completely for twen mins when you get home from anywhere. Then greet her with a simple pat/scratch/rub and a hello *name* puppy.

Answer 4

at 10 weeks old they are will still be very nippy smaller dogs wont hurt as much I have a bordeau x mastiff and he bite as a puppy it's because they get excited and they don't know the difference yet. try and get as many chewy things as you can to keep him entertained. Never hit the dog or raise your hand. you need to teach him respectfully and you don't want him being scared of you. I found getting a water squirty bottle and squirting him everytime he bit dont squirt in the eye but try to squirt on the head so he will notice. Other than that to stop my dogs barking i filled a water bottle up with pebbles and shake that to get their attention that could possibly work with the biting too. there are plenty of good training books and dvd's out there too. Hope this is of help! :-)

Answer 5

Do NOT hit her! This is completely normal behavior for a puppy, and it's going to get worse as she gets older. Would you hit a baby for crying when his teeth are growing? Of course not- but that's exactly what's happening to your puppy. She's teething and her instinct tells her to chew things.

You have to teach your puppy which things are for chewing and which are not. She also needs to establish limits for play- since she isn't with her mother and siblings anymore there is no one to teach her naturally what type of play is too rough. When she bites a person, tell her "no!" very firmly and stop all play immediately. Then give her an alternative thing to chew, like a rawhide bone. As the previous person said, you have to be very consistent or she will only become confused.

Be patient- your puppy isn't doing this to make you angry, it's instinct.

Answer 6

puppies stop biting when you teach them not to bite. Its not something they "grow out of".. When she bites.. yelp "OUCH" use the same tone a puppy would if it got bit too hard. If she continues to bite, yelp "OUCH" again, then walk away and ignore the puppy for 10-15 mins. This teaches the puppy.. you are being too rough, Im not having fun, so game over. The puppy will learn not to bite if she wants to continue playing. Also encourage the use of toys for play.. do praise your puppy for all appropriate interactions also.. playing with toys, getting pet or brushed without biting, etc.

Answer 7

the behaviour is very normal in puppies!

it is true yelping and stopping play does work.

need to make sure everyone who meets her knows the rules so she doesn't get mixed messages. Never resort to smacking, saying no in a growl like voice will suffice. also ignoring for a short time seems to work... but not too long, dogs always need instant praise or scorn. just stop playing for a few moments each time she does it. There is no point holding a grudge they won't remeber what you're cross about!

Answer 8

We would just hold our puppy's mouth closed for a few seconds and tell her no EVERY time she did it. Make sure you don't let the puppy bite while playing etc, otherwise, the puppy will get confused and not be able to distinguish when it is and isn't okay to bite.

Answer 9

We used to smack a puppy when she bit and she grew up to a be a very aggressive young dog. She has mellowed with age though. With the other dog we just gently removed his jaws from wherever and he has grown to be a lovely agreeable dog, depite being all there and not an eunuch.

Answer 10

You may be grossed out by my answer, but when my puppy was small and eager to use those sharp little teeth when I played on the floor with her...I would hold her mouth shut, saying sharply, "NO biting!" It worked pretty well, but the last time she bit me was when I raised up and took her little ear in my mouth and bit it, gently but firmly. A bit hairy, but not bad.

There are several things you can do to let the dog know you are "Alphadog". Grab it by the scruff of the neck firmly, as her mother would have done to correct her. Or reach out suddenly and grab her firmly with a growling voice tell her "No" or whatever is appropriate to the situation. Also holding their jaws shut is unpleasant, as is hearing a voice that shows you are displeased with them. Ever watch a mother dog dealing with unruly pup? She will growl, bite or bark....and they listen and eventually learn what is acceptable. IF you are consistant by not laughing at their cuteness one time and scolding them the next, they will learn from you. Enlist the help of your family to teach your pup to be a wonderful pet! There are good books on the subject of dog training, good manners and doggie tricks.