I have a puppy Beagle and she bites us so much....Please Help!?

Question

What can I do to stop the biting, because its really starting to hurt. We never allowed her to bite us before. I tried all the puppy training methods. We searched all the websites and still no results. She is teething but she has teething bones and chew toys. Also she thinks she is the dominant one in the house, how can we teach her that we are the big cheeses and she is a minion puppy? I love her but the biting and dominanace has to stop. Everytime we yell at her or tell her to STOP she takes it as a joke and starts to bark and growl. We had a dog for 17 years and she recently passed away, I was too small to train a dog so my mom did it. She can't remember what she did to stop my old dog from biting when she was puppy. Please Help! Thanks.

Answer 1

I'm with ya. We just got a new Newfoundland puppy and he is biting too. What we do, what works, and what was recommended by the breeder we bought him from was two things: 1) every time he bites, make a loud noise (but don't use your voice because you don't want him to be scared of you) like clapping your hands, then tell him "no" and give him a chew toy instead. 2) close his mouth with your hands until he whimpers and tell him "no", then give him a chew toy afterwards.

If one method doesn't work, try the other. Never, ever hit him though.

Answer 2

The puppy is not biting you because he's angry or because he is aggressive. All puppies bite. He's teething! He is way too young to be separated from his mother and litter mates, but since you have him, you have to make the best of it. Some experts say you should discourage biting any time it happens and redirect his behavior to acceptable objects like chew toys. Others say that if you have a young puppy like that, you have to let him bite you so he can learn to develop a "soft mouth" later in life. You let him bite your finger, for example, but you yelp sharply when he bites too hard, and you immediately walk away and ignore him for a couple of minutes. So he learns that biting hard will end the fun, every time. If he does not get this valuable bite feedback from you, he will be less likely to bite when older, but when he does, it will be for real. That is not something to look forward to. Dogs bite each other during normal play, so if you want to bring him to a dog park later, for example, he might seriously hurt another dog for lack of proper socialization. Do some serious research on dog behavior and puppy socialization TODAY. You are already trying to catch up since you didn't do it before bringing the puppy home! I recommend the Humane Society's website as well as "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. Good luck and try not to spoil the puppy too much! :) BTW: The puppy is not angry! He just doesn't know how to play with the toys, most likely. Make it a game for him to actually find the toys to get him interested.

Answer 3

I assume your puppy is biting in play, not intending to hurt. You can put Bitter Apple on your hands so they taste bad when you play with her; I have done this and it has helped a lot. After she quits biting you don't have to use the stuff any more. Also, when she does bite you, yelp loudly as if in pain, and stop playing for a little while. This is what the mother dog would do. Also, whenever she wants to bite you, give her a toy that she is encouraged to bite instead.
Get her into obedience training as soon as possible; this will help immensely with the dominance problem.
Since "barking" at her doesn't calm her down, try "growling." Speak sternly in a low voice. Also, grasp the top of her snout with your hand to signal her that you are the boss. You can do this often, when you are petting her, playing, whatever.
Another thing to convey your dominance, put her on a leash. Even in the house, even apart from specific training, she will learn that she needs to pay attention to what you are doing when she is on the leash. Once she is paying attention to you, it is easier to communicate.

Answer 4

I've worked at a pet store for almost 8 years now (and had a beagle for 12 years). They are wonderful. If the dog tends to bite during playtime, spray your hands with a product called bitter apple or some vinegar ahead of time. You can also spray it in the mouth immediately afterwards. It just tastes bad and your dog will eventually get the hint that it's a bad idea. I would recommend dog training too though. If it gets too aggressive, that's a behavioral problem that's best dealt with as soon as possible. Good luck!

Answer 5

Hard bites require bite cessation training, which usually can be achieved by giving your puppy a "time out" for bad behavior. If she bites too hard, say "No" in a deep, firm voice and turn away from her. Withhold attention and give her a time out for one to five minutes. If she continues to bite, bark or growl, put her in a small area, crate, or other "penalty box" until she relaxes. Most importantly, don't hit her or yell at her. If she's old enough (and has all her shots) go to a dog park and let her play with other dogs. That will help with bite inhibition, since a puppy who bites too hard will be taught by other puppies or older dogs that it's not acceptable. The growling and barking is partially play, but it can lead to aggression. You cannot allow her to become dominant. If the problem continues, or gets worse, you might want to contact the San Francisco SPCA at www.sfspca.org and check out their list of certified trainers. Make certain to use someone who is not into yelling, hitting, or "alpha rolling," which can cause even more problems. I had this problem with a young cat that I took off the street two years ago. We named him Oh Sama because he was a terrorist kitty who would play rough with his claws and bite way too hard. With patience, use of the word No, and withdrawal of attention and play time, he has learned to be gentle. He still gets carried away on occasion, which means I have to stop playing with him and leave him alone until he unwinds.

Answer 6

When dogs & puppies play together, they rough-house. This often includes barking & growling, and yelling & talking closely approximate those two things.

Does the puppie know what a firm "NO!" means?
In both teaching & using commands, you must be consistent, & follow through properly, in order for it not to get confused.

When my dogs do anything I don't want them to do, I treat them like they aren't even there. No words, no eye contact, and no touching. For biting, you can grab their muzzle & hold it shut, holding the pup (just so he can't get away) with the other hand. But at the same time you need to rehabituate the pup to do something instead that IS acceptable. When you give him that toy, encourage him to play with it by praising him, and maybe playing keep away with her. One of our dogs prefers fetch, while the other one prefers keep away. Have you seen the krackler toys for dogs? They have a hevy nylon cover, look like cartoon animals, contain a long-lasting squeeker, plus they rustle, like a plastic grocery bag. (My dogs like them as much as tennis balls!) To top it off, the appendages on many of them are sewn seperately from the body. So, if they eventually get chewed off, the stuffing, squeeker, & krackler, is still sewn shut in the body of the toy.

Another thing you could try is putting something on your body where she bites, that she wouldn't like the taste/smell of. They sell various such products in pet stores. Cayene/Capsicum powder is one thing I've sprinkled on spots my dogs had begun to chew, and after a couple of times, they have stopped. If you put a thin layer of oil on your skin first, the cayene/capsicum will stick to that.

Here are a articles you may enjoy reading, too.
They are some of my favorites on-line ...

Pets---How Do You View Them? :
~ Animals--A Gift From God
~ Pets--Keeping a Balanced View of Them
~ Animals--A Pleasure Forever!
http://watchtower.org/library/g/2004/2/22a/article_01.htm

Answer 7

To get her to stop biting do not yell at her, that teaches her nothing. When she is biting you, say "ouch!" and remove your hands and give her a chew toy. Then praise her if she chews on the toy. If she continues to try to chew on you then remove your hands, put them behind your back and do not give her any attention, just ignore her, until she has calmed down and is no longer trying to bite you. As for the dominance thing, does she know basic obedience? If she does then make her "sit" or "lay down" before you put down her food dish, open a door for her, or give her a toy, or even before you give her attention after she has been chewing on you. This teaches her that you are the provider and therefore you are the alpha.

Answer 8

I had a similar problem with my poodle. He bites everyone besides me, since I am his owner. It was very frustrating since I bring him everywhere. I found that holding his mouth shut and putting some type of bone or something in his mouth stopped him. I don't know if your dog is worse then mine, but if that doesn't work I suggest a muzzle. Yes, that sounds harsh, but you need to let the dog know that biting is unacceptable.

Answer 9

i know exactly how you feel... i have a 5 month old dog and she bites us all the time. what we do is every time she bites us we lightly but kinda hard tap her on the nose and then say, "no bite" then she will either go lay bown or just walk away....another thing you could try is going to a website called www.diamondsintheruff.com it has a lot of training tips for your dog..hope this helps!

Answer 10

When she starts the growling or snappy pick her up an lay her on her back or her side - she will struggle but just keep her in place but don't hurt her and keep going shhhhh shhhhhh to her until she relaxes and does not fight. Do this several times and she will know you are the dominant one.

Watch the Dog Whisperer and/or read his book

http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/