4 & 1/2 week old biting puppies..?

Question

Help, I have 9 pups that do nothing but bite each other and everyone around them....I have lots of puppy chew toys, stuffed animals and other toys for them to bite on, but not working...and they play hard, almost to the point of fighting, but they are very loveable puppies they love to be loved and give love back....Want to break them of biting every part of a person they can get a hold of, before they get new homes...How do I try to break them? worried about hurting them in the process and then make them more aggressive....Please help....Will be getting new homes in about 3 weeks..do not want them biting everyone that comes to look at them....I understand they are pups and everything is new to them and maybe just exploring, but the biting has to mellow out....Thanks...Serious responses please...Breeders help would be appreciated....my pups are black lab/pit bull cross we think they are part pit bull...my dog got out when in heat...

Answer 1

As the mother begins to wean them, she should help with this process. This is why the pups should stay with the mama for a couple weeks after being weaned.

In the meantime, whenever the pups bite a human, the best thing to do at this age is loudly shriek, "OUCH!!!", and then stop interacting with it for a few minutes. Walk away, put it down, whatever, stop playing/petting it. This teaches the pup that if they bite, they lose their human playmate.

When the pups are playing together, if the play becomes too rough in your opinion, seperate the pups with a 'gentle!' command. Move them a few feet apart so it takes a few seconds/minutes for the pair/trio to start playing again. Repeat as necessary.

When the mama starts slapping the pups down, whether with a paw or with light nips, let her do her job. (Unless she is actually drawing blood...very uncommon, though.) The mama will be one of the best teachers that biting hurts and isn't tolerated.

Good luck finding wonderful homes for your gang. Of course, I have to recommend you spay the mama in about two months!

Answer 2

Well, biting and chewing is normal, but if the biting is out of the norm, which i doubt, then I will suggest a few things. First of all, make sure that no one plays with them without a toy. If you play with young puppies a lot just with your hands, it can lead to play biting thats too hard and too rough. Secondly I would suggest going to a Petsmart or Petco and buying some of the nonharmful bitter spray they have. It's like a no-chew spray for dogs. I would spray it on your hands a little bit before interacting them. If they do bite on your hands- they will get a very bad taste in their mouth and it will discourage them from doing so. (Make sure you wash your hands before doing something else.) However, chewing is how they are discovering everything new, so you don't want to completely stop them and probably won't be able to.

Answer 3

okay one, the puppy is only 4 1/2 weeks old, it should not be eating solids yet. 6-7 weeks. Try bottle feeding for two weeks then wean it. Im sure its not weaned. And why would you feed a puppy ham! God no wonder it has the runs. But that also can be a sign of the deadly parvovirus. You should take it to the vet ASAP to get him checked out. Most likely he has food poisoning. He will get over it but still take it to the vet.

Answer 4

Try going to the pet store and picking up a product called Bitter Apple. It comes in a pump bottle and a spray. Get the spray and when you go to play with the puppies, spray it on one of your hands, not the one you plan to pet them with. The Bitter Apple can irritate their eyes if it comes in contact with them.

Pet the puppies with your clean hand and if they start to bite, offer them the hand with Bitter Apple. They're going to hate the taste! Immediately after that, offer them a chew toy - preferably something made of hard rubber (from the hand without Bitter Apple). The things they aren't supposed to bite will taste bad and the things that are okay to bite won't taste bad.

They're not going to get it the first time and it might take quite a while until they learn not to bite your hand. At this point they're not doing it to be mean and it's not an indication that they're aggressive. They're just babies that are teething and need something for sore gums. Washcloths soaked in water and then frozen also make great chew toys, though they aren't likely to last too long.

If a person comes to see the puppies and is upset about the amount of biting that's going on, they don't need to own a puppy. They clearly don't know that this is a normal phase and that it will mostly take time and some training to stop the biting.

Answer 5

If they are left with their littermates long enough, they will teach each other bite inhibition. That's one reason why puppies shouldn't be taken from their litter to early. Watch how the pups react when another bites too hard. It yelps and fights back or refuses to play any more. You should also yelp and refuse to play. The puppies will learn that they have to moderate their bites or they will have no one to play with.

Here are some articles on bite inhibition, and how to teach it.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_BiteInhibition.php

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

http://www.getpawsitiveresults.com/bite_inhibition.htm

Answer 6

Don't even try! Puppies need this social interaction with their litter mates and mom - this is how they learn how to behave. They teach each other how hard they can bite - what the limits are. This is why puppies need the time with their litter mates after weaning at 6 weeks until they're ready for their homes at about 9 weeks.

As for biting people, they're really too younh for much - just be consistent pulling your hands away, say no, and replace with toys. You're not going to stop them though, not at this age - just try to curb it a bit.

Answer 7

you just let the pups be,at this age they are establishing a pecking order and they will naturally work things out.the pups temperment is already there to a degree but what your seeing is your pups establishing who is boss who is in the middle and who is they shy one nothing to worry about and perfectly natural,remember they are animals not people and no matter how much folks try to make them into perfect little children they are still animals.they will bite and wrestle and growl and squeal but you just have to let them be and let the momma raise em.you have nothing to worry about the pups will be just fine when they go to their new homes.just love on em and let em know people are their best friends and you will be just fine.

Answer 8

basically you will just have to disipline them by either saying ouch that hurts and ignore them, bop them on the nose or put them in a cage alone for a few minutes. Mainly you will just have to wait untill they grow out of it. we have a puppy and she is about 6 months old and she doesnt hardly bite at all because she has grown out of it and we disiplined her every time she bit us. you may just have to let thier new owners take care of the biting for you. it is going to be very hard to train all of them since their are so many. Good Luck! Plus many people like it when the puppys gnaw or nibble on their hands so it may not be that bad. Bye

Answer 9

Dogs do not have hands. Their mouth IS their "hands" and what they use to explore the world. At 4.5 weeks, they do not do it in a malicious way!! They are learning!!!!
Do some reading on puppy/dog behavior. This is stuff you should be aware of BEFORE breeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

you said it just like a human baby puts everything in thier mouth to explore it so does a puppy. plus they are getting thier baby teeth in,,just like a human baby it hurts so they chew on things