When playing with my maltese puppy, she gets a bit aggressive and chomps and chews on me and my husband. She even tries to thrash us around like she's really attacking us and growls, too! She does this every time we play with her. Should we accept this as normal puppy behavior and will she grow out of it? Or is this something that needs to be addressed and corrected - even if she is still a puppy.
Another thing I don't like is when I'm lying in bed and she starts off being cute and licking my face...and out of nowhere, lunging at me and biting my face. My husband is being way too lenient with her, I think... am I being unreasonable?
2006-12-11 13:07:51 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Nope, you need to stop the behavior immediately if you don't want her to be aggressive as an adult.
Here's a helpful link -- http://www.leerburg.com/qabiting.htm Good luck!
2006-12-11 13:09:45 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Even if your pup is only 10 weeks, this is the best time to start training. It is also the easiest to train puppies the younger they are. They will become used to your preferences and you will learn their tolerance in play(too rough by either of you and trust will be an issue. No one should get hurt. While teething is very different; she should not bite too hard. Give her a soft toy and when she is a little older maybe a rubber toy. Don't give her anything she could accidentally rip her teeth out on i.e. belts,boots&shoes with rings for the laces,ect.. Don't play tug when she is teething her mouth hurts already, know when she just wants to lay and chew with you), snuggling( and do NOT let her lunge and bite you when you are just relaxing, there is a time for everything,and resting is not play time, especially not roughly. If you want her to sleep with you in your room and more so on your bed don't play alot while in your room and on the couch, she will think it's play time- not sleep time!), training( how much can be taught to her in one setting without either one of you getting grumpy. Always end on a good note, too much and you could go backwards, especially in trust.) Don't put her in a bubble, but be careful what habits you teach your adorable loved one Now, because they will hard to break later. There is no need for a trainer for simple habits, she will learn much better,and easier with you than with an outside the home person. Good luck!
2006-12-11 14:10:18 · answer #2 · answered by caitlin n 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mommmmmmmy - my teeth are coming in -
Why don't you get me a chew toy made out of rubber - maybe a toy I can bite and you can hold so that I can try to get away from you
then I won't bite you - if I do - say "NO" and remove your hand -
I'll get the idea - that this behaviour is not rewarded. If I still don't listen, roll up a section of newspaper and whap me on the butt. The noise will scare me and it really will not hurt.
I had a big sister named Maui - and she was a Malteese - just like her, I will not grow up to be a big dog. And I will be smart and trainable - just be patient with me - and consistent!
Maui's mommy and daddy forgot that her water was behind the bedroom door and accidentally pushed it open back on the dishes. A big towel was under the door, and it was stuck where she could not get the water. Maui was so smart, she pulled the towel with her teeth so that the door would open - and she got her drink of water. That showed intelligence as an animal must be smart to use a 'tool.'
I love you! Thank you for bringing me home!
2006-12-11 13:19:44 · answer #3 · answered by tomkat1528 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have raised many puppies of different breds and yes that is normal puppy behaviour
however!
Just like you teach a child you have to teach a puppy or they won't learn.
Don't let her bite, that can be very bad for you and bad for her when she grows up. YOu have to control her. Say No in a firm voice, hold up you finger or lightly (NOT HARD) tap her on the nose to emphize it.
If you don't correct her then she might become a little too wild when she is older and not be able to control herself and might hurt someone when she is older and then she would be forced to put her down.
Teach her well
2006-12-11 13:23:46 · answer #4 · answered by Karce 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.. she sees you as her littermate right now, and she also doesn't know yet where her limits are. she very likely doesn't know yet that it hurts when she chomps her little teeth down. you'll need to get the message to her that behavior is not acceptable. otherwise, you'll end up with a full grown maltese who thinks it's very funny to do the same thing, only she'll have even bigger teeth then.
i have a year old doxie, and he did the exact same thing. the only thing that worked to stop him was when he did that I let out a screech that sounded like he was kujo gone in for the attack. LOL startled him enuff that he stopped nipping and looked at me, his little eyebrows all furrowed and worried looking. then i just told him in a stern voice, 'no bite the mommy!' ;) i did that every time he got nippy, and it stopped him each time. pups just need help knowing where their limits are, that's all.
2006-12-11 13:22:51 · answer #5 · answered by Myst 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is never too early to correct unacceptable behavior. However, all you really have to do, is to firmly say no and stop playing with her. She will eventually understand that it is not okay top play that way. Puppy biting is normal, but what you describing, this agressive, lunging and growling and the face biting really concerns me, is not okay.
You should definatly correct this before she gets big enough to really hurt you or your husband!
2006-12-11 13:16:08 · answer #6 · answered by Jacqui D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let her thrash around with a fleece toy, but not your hand. Don't allow her to bit your face, give her a sharp NO and set her down immediately when she does that-she'll soon learn that biting means playtime is over.
Little dogs should be brought up with the same manners as big dogs-people let little dogs get away with stuff and they end up being the worst biters.
2006-12-11 13:15:05 · answer #7 · answered by hoodoowoman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not allow to bite. Ignore bad behavior and praise good behavior. When dog bites do a trade off, give him a toy instead. He will soon learn the toy is to bite on not your hand. Take the dog to Obedience School. It is a wonderful learning experience.
2006-12-11 14:24:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It might not be the best thing to let her bite you fingers but she needs to bite things so the rest of her teeth can come through. I should know over the years my sister had a pet Maltese and she had about 15 puppies altogether and they had to bite things for their teeth to come through then they had to bite some more to make them not as sharp.
2006-12-11 13:15:36 · answer #9 · answered by Diva 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not a good thing the pup probably will not grow out of it on her own. you have to take the upper hand. Play biting is OK but when she is getting too rough you need to pull back and deprive her of the contact and let her know that is unacceptable.
2006-12-11 23:11:52 · answer #10 · answered by crczoo222 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OoOoOoOh no. If onlt I had discovered forums when I first got my dogs. Get her lots of chew toys and whenever she tries to bite you, shove the toy in her face. I was lenient with my dogs at first and now they are spoiled fat energy balls that attack my hands when ever I bend down to pick something up. Lol.
2006-12-11 13:12:14 · answer #11 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋