biting problem. Help?

Question

I have a 3month old pom-a-poo. He has a big problem with biting! He can't stop biting me, clothes, stuffed animals, and whatever he can get his teeth in. What can I do to stop him from biting so much.

Answer 1

Assuming that you haven't allowed the little fellow to think that he is boss of the house and he's biting to let you know that's way of the pack then, the odds are good that he has begun teething.
He needs cold, hard things to gnaw on. Cold to numb the gums and hard to help him get the baby teeth out. In Puppy Kindergarten, one of the tips that I tell my students is to take an old tea towel (several if you want to make a supply), tie it in knots, soak it down and put it in a baggy then freeze it. When the baby starts chewing on the wrong thing firmly, not loudly, tell him 'NO' and take him to the kitchen and give him one of the frozen towels. You may have to play with him a bit to get him to take it the first time, but they do work wonders. If he tears it into pieces, just throw it away (it is an old towel). You can also use ice cubes or frozen bouillon cubes. One of my dogs at 3 years old, still asks for ice cubes even though he is long past teething. It makes a very cheap chew toy.

Answer 2

I am having the same problem with my [almost] 16 week old Lhasa apso puppy. I do think she does it more when she is tired and needs to rest, she gets cranky. Your puppy may also be teething. I always always give her a chew toy when she is nippy, and when it gets really bad I put her in her crate and she usually goes to sleep pretty quickly. The obedience trainer says not to make eye contact or talk to her when she is one of those spells, any attention she gets during that time she only interprets as attention, but that does not work for me. I use a squirt bottle with water and I tap it against my leg to try and show her what will happen and of course it does nothing..she bites anyway. I have also used "Bitter Apple" which does not help much. I posted earlier today asking if there might be a medical explanation (UTI perhaps), we are headed to the vet this Thursday. I also think if she is bored she gets that way. I walk her 3 times a day and try to have play time and training time. Best wishes!

Answer 3

You 3 month old pup is teething. Get him a rawhide bone or other teething toy to chew on instead of you and your stuff. Also, there's a bitter apple spray you can get from PetSmart, PetCo or other pet supply store that will keep him from chewing on stuff you don't want him to chew on. It's not toxic to dogs (or cats!), it just smells bad and tastes terrible. Also, puppies are very active (if you haven't figured that out already) and need attention. If he went from a litter to a single dog home, he needs reassurance and a little extra attention. He's lonely. If he sleeps in a kennel, put a clock that ticks in with him or head to a baby store and get a womb bear. It'll help him-and you- sleep better.

You have to stop this behavior now, or you'll be on the wrong end of a lawsuit when he bites someone else.

Good luck and I hope that helps.

Answer 4

Like children, continue to discourage his/her biting with a sharp "chhhh". He'll get the picture. 3 months old? Your dog could be teething and it feels good to bite into things including you. They can teeth until 7 mos Consider getting baby teethers or nylabones, ice wrapped in a terry cloth with a rubber band closing it so the ice doesn't fall out. Can chew and the ice numbs their gums and feels good.
Find something safe the puppy can chew on. If this is the reason for the biting, that should satisfy him and perhaps he will stop the behavior.

Answer 5

First off you need to make sure that he isn't just teething. he is a baby and may be getting his adult teeth. A puppy will chew on just about anything when his mouth is hurting.
When he bites you, tell him a stern NO and let him know that
that isn't acceptable. You can also roll up a newspaper and hit the floor next to him and tell him no too. Never hit him, that only makes a scared dog. The loud noise from the paper and your voice should deter him. he won't like it and won't want you to do it again.

Answer 6

Spray water bottle. When ever your cat does something wrong squirt her/him with water. It is something they really don't like and if don consistantly it will learn. Also make sure that you may not be over stimulating your cat. Some cats get over stimulated when they are being petted or played with too much. This might be the cause of the biting. Play or pet your cat until he/she looks like they are going to nail you and then leave him/her alone.

Answer 7

You have to have some things he is allowed to bite, since he is teething. Keep these items handy at all times, so when he starts to go for something he shouldn't, you can say No! and then redirect him to the proper toy. It is good to freeze pieces of rawhide for him to chew, to numb his gums a little.

Answer 8

Toys! Get him plenty of chew toys! And always discourage biting. Don't hit him or yell at him though. Spray him with a spray bottle of water and/or say 'No' in a commanding tone. Don't raise it too loud though.

Answer 9

Puppies learn to not bite from their mothers and their littermates, when they bite each other they yelp to let the other know that it hurts. Alot of times when they are sent off at too young of age they don't learn this. When your puppy bites you ,yelp out so he knows that it is hurting you. Be very consistant of this and do not encourage him to play rough or tug of war or rough him up to hear him growl.

Answer 10

Are you giving him appropriate dog toys (that are the right size for him) and chewies?
Are you SCREAM!!!!ing whenever you feel his teeth hit your skin, and then leaving the room immediately? If not, you'll want to start doing this right away. Everyone who interacts with the pup must do the same.
It is natural and normal for dogs of this age to explore everything (everything!!!!) with their mouths. Crate this dog when you cannot pay 100% attention to him, and give him chewies in there. Puppies do need to chew, so give him his chewies and remove everything that he is not supposed to chew. As Jean Donaldson says, it's all chew toys to them!

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