What should I do about a puppy I have that bites?

Question

This isn't a normal puppy. She was abused so I don't want to do anything to scare her.

Answer 1

Gently but firmly (gentle enough not to hamper breathing, but firmly enough to show correction) hold the muzzle shut. Tell puppy in a Strong voice "no bite"! Do this every time. It took me about 3 days to break my pittie of his "puppy play" biting.

Answer 2

Number 1 -- how is she snaping at you is the most important thing. What triggers it?
She doesnt know how to play?
She teething?
Or when shes guarding her space, or food?
When she wants attention.

When she bites is very important, as it will tell you what the intention behind it is,

More than anything, the pup is testing you.
Its up to you to establish dominance
Shes in your house .. and even though she was abused before, you must send the signal that biting you will not be tolerated.

If she senses fear in you now, guess whats going to happen when she gets bigger?
Shes going to completely dominate you and the house.

So its up to you to set the boundaries of your house.

If she snarls, snarl back louder than she. Stand up and square your shoulders to her.
Unless shes a fighting breed you shouldnt have a problem.
But your will and your growl has to be stronger than hers.

Take the dog for walks.
This is where you really establish obedience.
Under your conditions take her for walks, where she only does what you want her to.
Like a horse..you need to control it -- especially when it protests.

Granted you wont have reigns that will force the dogs head one way, like you do with a horse, but the leash, and a firm controlled tone with work wonders.
Anyting she does as soon a she does it, you have to correct it then and there.

This advice should help you control her.
If you find you cant .. well then her will is stronger than yours...
and youll need to get some help
because your dog will only get worse

And, your dog doesnt understand the concept of she was beaten she needs to be felt sorry for.
Shes in a new household, where you wont do that to her -- right now its a fight for dominance

At least thats what I sense.
Hope it helps

Answer 3

Your puppy is teething. She doesn't realize that she is hurting you this is how she played with her littermates. You don't want to hit her or do anything that reminds her of the abuse. What I did with my pup when she was 12 weeks and biting is pull my hand back when she would bite it then look her directly in the eye and firmly tell her "no bite" she quickly learned what "no bite" meant. Now at 4 months she rarely bites and when she does it just takes a firm "no bite" to remind her that is unacceptable. The other thing I taught her was "switch" when she was chewing on something that she shouldn't I would remove it from her mouth and replace it with a bone or toy and tell her "switch". She now knows "no bite" and "switch" and obeys on command.

Answer 4

The advice to dominate your puppy by snarling at her, etc, seems really off-base to me: more of a way to work out the owner's aggression than to teach the dog.
Why is she biting you? If she's nervous, you need to move slowly around her so she doesn't get startled, and eventually she should trust you more.
If she's playing, she might just not know she's hurting you. When she bites, stop playing with her immediately, fold your arms across your chest, and walk away. Ignore her if she comes over to nuzzle her; she bit you, and you're not going to play anymore. Once she gives up and forgets about it, you can go back to petting her.
Lots of dogs will be aggressive if you reach for their food. I don't know if there's anything you can do about that; just give her the food and leave her alone.

Answer 5

Sorry, but you're going to have to get through the abusiveness there. Probably your puppy is afraid and has turned into a fear-biter. Gentler handling with a quiet location might prevent it, but when she does bite, you will have to discipline her. You can always take her to an animal behaviorist to ask for their advice as well.

Answer 6

Let your puppy know that biting is unacceptable behavior by
firmly saying no bite then give her a bone or toy to chew on and reward her for chewing on these and not your hands or feet.
Be consistant and firm and it won't take long for your puppy to get the message.

Answer 7

When the puppy next bites, I would close her muzzle gently,not to hurt her and firmly say no. I would put her on her own for a little while. When you come back hug her and focus her attention on something else. pat her and play with her favourite toy. If she prepares to bite you say no and focus her attention on her toy.
I hope that helps you.

Answer 8

#1- you need to be patient.
she has already had a hard life, so you don't want to smack her, not even on the nose. she will withdraw even more.
be loving. when she goes to bite, gently pull your hand away, or else you can actually push your hand or finger (whatever she grabs) back into her mouth, not down her throat, but against it. she won't like that feeling, and as long as it's gentle, it's ok.
i don't know what kind of dog, or how old, but if she snarls and growls as well, you might have another problem on your hands.
another thing to do is some one-on-one training classes. they might be a little expensive, but if you love the dog, you need to do whatever you can to help it.

good luck.

Answer 9

Clap your hands real loud and exlaim "No Bite" with authority. Even though she was abused you need to show her that you are the boss. You must do this at the time of the act. Do not hit!

Answer 10

well if you have a puppy that bits take it away from people when they come over so that every body is safe and no one gets biten put the dog in your room or out side or in the bath room or some where someone would not go so that they can not get biten