How do you keep a 6 month old puppy from jumping on you and play-biting you?

Question

I have a shih-zhu/pomeranian mix and he just will not stop jumping on me and trying to bite me every time I move. He's always in my face! I give him PLENTY of attention, and he just wants more, more, more. He just won't leave anyone alone and it's really embarassing when I have company over. If someone tries to push him away, he thinks they are playing. How can I make him just calm down? The people at the place I bought him from said that he would be a calm dog, but he's not.

Answer 1

My dad trains dogs and when I first got my puppy we had the same problem. We quickly put a stop to this by leaving a light weight leash attached to his collar while he was in the house. If he started jumping we could simply step on the leash and hold him in place, so when he would attempt to jump up the leash would quickly bring him back down. It works great for training dogs who jump on people coming in your front door too,. Let him get use to the idea of wearing the leash around the house and make sure its different from the leash you use when you go for walks. You don't want to confuse him, especially since dogs tend to get really excited when they see the leash for walk time.

Be cautious with leaving your puppy unattended with his leash dragging. He could get hung up on furniture. This method works when trying to train your pup to heel as well. When they start to take off just step on the leash... make sure you are stepping/standing on the leash as close to the dog as possible. This gives less resistance to his jump and/or run.

Good luck!

Answer 2

He's jumping because he wants attention. Do not knee him or push him off of you. It's negative attention, but it's still attention. Just ignore him. Fold your arms and walk away. As SOON as he's down, pet him. He'll learn that he gets attention when he's down. Also, be sure everyone who lives with you and comes over the house does the same thing. Everybody has to be on the same page or it won't work.
For biting, simply try saying "ouch!" real loud when he does it. Sometimes that's enough to stop them. If that doesn't work, correct him with a firm "no". Then put a toy in his mouth and say "Good boy". If that doesn't work, you can take a squirt bottle with water and squirt him with it and have a firm "no". There is also this stuff at Pet stores called Bitter Apple Spray. You can spray it in his mouth when he tries to bite you. It doesn't hurt them, but it has a bitter taste to it that dogs don't like. After a while, you can just hold the bottle up to him and he won't do it.
Please don't ever hit your dog, be it a shove to get him down, kneeing him, or a smack on the nose. Those methods are old school and not really necessary.
I would also recommend a training class somewhere that offers positive reinforcement. I am a trainer myself and I would say at least 95% of the dogs are trained successfully this way.

Answer 3

You want to teach your puppy that putting her teeth on human skin is not OK. But you can do this w/o punishment, in a clear way that the pup will understand. You need to be consistent and figure out what your plan will be. Hopefully you're using a crate to help with potty training; use the crate as a time-out place for the pup when he makes a mistake (biting you os the most important thing to stop at this time) You don't need to be emotional at all or scold the pup when you do a time out - just pop him in the crate and try again in a few minutes. I've linked below to some sites that will help you.
*Swatting a dog with a newspaper does NOT equal "reinforcement". Hitting, striking, "lightly thumping" your dog ANYwhere on his body are all unneccessary punishments that will only teach your dog to be afraid of you.

Answer 4

if he jumps simply pick him up and put him in a crate.. leave him there even if he cries and makes a fuss.. if you attend to a crying pup it will always cry...

as soon as puppies jump or bite then play time is OVER..
he isnt a calm dog yet because he is still a puppy
shih tzu (correct spelling) are quiet dogs.. Poms are not - they are spitz dogs.. more active and somewhat nervey
this pup needs Obedience lessons - something that is sadly often overlooked in small dogs

the crate is not punishment its just a tool.. and will become their den - a safe place to go

pushing him away is positive touch to a puppy its a game... you MUST end it right away.. the first jump - scoop him up WITHOUT talking to him and put him in the crate - when you have learned tools at Obedience lessons you can have him SIT or DOWN when company is over

Answer 5

Exactly...the puppy wants attention. When he jumps on you or anyone and tries to play bite, turn away and ignore him for a moment. Then face him again and call to him. If he jumps again...which he probably will, repeat the turning away and ignoring. Once he approaches you without jumping, praise him. Over time, he will see that he gets your attention by doing the right thing....otherwise you just walk away:) hope this helps...but he is just a puppy, it will take a bit.

Answer 6

He's still a baby, puppies are like that and hopefully he will calm down. But they don't always.....I had a dog once that was half poodle and half wiener dog and I eventually nicknamed him "Psycho-puppy". He was W I L D !! And no matter what I tried I couldn't get him to settle down. I played with him, but he never got tired. I tried putting him on a long chain outside during the day so that maybe he could move around freely and get some energy out, but when I got home the first day the had wrapped himself around a chair until his chain was about 1 inch long....it was a 50 foot chain!! I didn't do that anymore. I gave him almost 2 years to "grow out of it" and it never happened. I had to put him outside whenever anyone came over because he drove them all nuts.....eventually, he had to go (hopefully to some playful kids somewhere who could enjoy him). So, even though most people will tell you he will get better, and hopefully he will, just be aware than he may not. One thing I never tried with Psycho puppy was actually going through dog training with him. You may want to try that with yours. It might help. Good Luck

Answer 7

My dear, you have just learnt what it is like to have a puppy. They get excited easily and often forget rules. They are like children in a way.

Try these methods:
1. As the animal starts to jump up on you, turn sideways and either extend your leg or lean over and with your hip give a body block so that the dog never even gets her paws on you. You see, once she has her front paws on you, she already got what she wanted (she won and you lost).

When the dog has all four feet on the floor, immediately squat down and give her attention. She will soon learn that by sitting quietly with all four feet on the floor she will get what she wants.

2. Every time your puppy jumps on you when you come home, push him down on his chest sending him to the floor and tell him "No, No," When a puppy does not know where he is getting hit from it makes him lose his equilibrium while at the same time being ordered "No", he will soon form a

conditioned protection reflex, since he associates that each time he jumps on a person he get a hit (not hard though) that causes him to fall. If you have a very small puppy, grab him by his legs and as you correct him say "No, No", then place him on the floor and then praise him and pet him.

3. Greet the dog very calmly. When she prepares to jump up, turn your back, completely ignoring her. Watch out of the corner of your eye and as soon as the dog has all four paws on the ground, turn to calmly pet her. If/when she jumps again, turn your back again.

4. Let the dog jump on you. Ignore her as you did in number 4. As soon as she gives up and her paws hit the floor, say “off”, “down”, “floor”, “knock it off”, whatever consistent command you want to use to let the dog know that she has to have four paws on the floor. DO NOT give the command when the dog is on you!!!! If you do that, the dog makes the association between the command and jumping, so every time she hears the word she’ll remember that she heard it when she was jumping and she’ll probably jump again. You want to name the action that she’s doing correctly so wait until she has her paws on the ground.

5. You can also try really tempting your dog to jump and rewarding her for staying on the ground. Hold treats in your hands and your hands up near your shoulders or face. This will really excite the dog – not only does she want to greet you face to face but now there’s FOOD involved! Again, ignore the jumping. As soon as the dog puts paws on the ground (or ideally sits), give the dog both the treats and the attention she wants. This makes staying on the ground doubly rewarding for your dog.

I don't know which technique/s is right or wrong (they are all from various websites), so use what works for you..REMEMBER persitance is the key! Don't give up on your dog! A 'BAD' dog is usually a 'BAD' owner!

Answer 8

Dogs often chew to relieve stress and excess energy. If your dog chews on something that is off-limits, say "no" or "eh" in a low voice. Then immediately give your dog a safe chew toy. Praise him for good behavior. Remember to give your dog safe chew toys instead of old household items like old shoes, because that could encourage him to also chew on new shoes. You will also want to avoid rough play and games like "tug of war" as this can encourage aggressive behavior. Pups just have their teeth growing in. Just like a baby, often needs toys to bite on, so does a dog. After he turns a year, he should stop. If he doesn't play with chew toys much, than I suggest you buy a rubber toy named "Kong". It has a cylinder shape, and 2 wholes on either side. Put some cheese, or dog treats in, and your pup, by nature, will try to get it out. That behavior is completely normal, and as long as he doesn't hurt anyone or damage anything valuable, you will just have to deal with it. Teething means your dog is completely normal. :) Anyways, I have had a dog for 2 years, also small breed, havanese, and he nipped people too. Kongs have really helped him. Anyways, I bet you have a really cute and sweet dog. Good luck! ♥ Hope I helped!

Answer 9

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/H6FOU

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 10

Most of the time, puppies are taught bite inhibition from their mothers. Bite inhibition is whereby Poochie will know when to stop biting before it breaks skin and/or starts to hurt. The mother dog will discipline her teething pups when they suckle her too hard or when they get too rough with her. Through her discipline, the pups learn to control their force of bite. However, some pups are taken away from their mothers before they lean this critical lesson. So, the responsibility to teach this valuable skill lands on you, the owner.

Play biting is a habit not to be taken lightly. Many dogs are given up because they are deemed as aggressive, simply because of their habit to mouth too hard. Play biting or mouthing is not an aggressive gesture. It’s simply a dog’s way of exploring. We explore with our hands. We learn as we touch and feel things around us. Dogs, on the other hand, learn and explore through their mouths.

Training Method 1 - Whenever little Poochie mouths too hard, yelp loudly. It is good to exaggerate a little. Poochie will stop mouthing when he hears you yelp and you can praise and continue to play. Once he starts his mouthing again, yelp again. This time, ignore Poochie and stop all play. Repeat training until Poochie gets the idea that he should not mouth too hard.

Training Method 2 - Another way is to encourage licking instead of play biting. Whenever Poochie nips, yelp loudly as explained above. Whenever Poochie licks you instead, praise generously. Poochie, being an incredibly smart canine will soon understand that a play bite would mean no more fun whereas a lick would mean a reward.

Training Method 3 - Some games will encourage Poochie to mouth. Examples are tug-of-war games and roughhousing. First of all, be consistent with what you want. If you do not wish to encourage play bite completely, then its best to eliminate all tug or war games and roughhousing with Poochie, to avoid sending conflicting messages to the poor dog.

Training Method 4 - Another good way of teaching Poochie bite inhibition is to allow him to socialize with other dogs. Other canines can teach Poochie faster and more effectively than you. After all, it is much easier for Poochie to understand canine language as compared to ours.