How do I get my puppy to stop nipping and biting my 9 year old?

Question

My son is 9 and my pup is 11 weeks and we can not get him to stop nipping and biting his feet.

Jon_Mac I never said he could teach himself I was only asking for advice.

The Dala- He is a cross between and springer and collie.

Answer 1

Purrfect....said:- "One thing that I have did was made a very loud sharp noise every time my pup did it to my three year old and she has stopped and she is only 14 weeks old. Nipping and biting is a sign of pack mentality and it means the person he is doing it too, he thinks, is below him in the pack, and he is the dominant dog."

I agree with the clapping, because that *distracts* the pup from what it's doing. I disagree with the pup thinking your son is below him in the pack. That's rubbish. You have a pup, and that's what they do! It's also a collie cross, and they *love* to do this.....it's in their nature to stop things moving, or get things moving, and feet are ideal!! So, yes, clap your hands to stop this, and then give your pup a tuggy to play with. Teach your son how to play tuggy with the dog. In other words, teach the dog that tuggy is acceptable, but feet are not. And especially with a herding breed, make sure that you are consistent with this....the nipping and biting is in their genes, so you need to reward not biting with something else that they can do, such as tuggy. But you should also be training this *very* clever mix of pup loads of things. Use treats to train Sit, Down, Stay, Find, etc.

To Gail, who said:- "When the puppy bites, use to command "No Bite", do not touch him, push him away, talk to him or look at him, just get up a go away for a few minutes."
Ummm, without touching the pup, how does the child manage to walk away from the pup for a few minutes? Believe me, I own collies, and I've had a pup hang onto my feet while I'm walking!!!! Grrrrreat fun for pups!!!! (Ain't gonna work, sorry.) To others who have said that the 9 year old should sit down with the dog, and give the dog something else to bite.....ummm, this does not stop the pup biting feet, does it? Nor will it stop the pup trying to bite elsewhere. I have owned and trained dogs for many years, and playing with pups is how to train them......but you have to know how. My pups, if I get on the floor, will try and bite some other part of me!!! It's natural, it's what pups do, for goodness sake!! But I'm not sure that a 9 year old has the ability or timing to play-train a pup. The adult *has* to be there to make sure that the pup does not escalate the play to arms, hair, face....which it will do, because no-one is teaching it otherwise! And I love clicker training, but who has the room to remove a pup to "time-out"? This is the real world, people! A pup *needs* to play, and the 9 year old needs guidance from the adult on *how* to play with a pup........and on the floor, yes......eventually!!...always with guidance, until the pup has been trained the basics. Which are......you play on my terms, which include no biting me, please......play with the tuggy. Give me the tuggy on command (control the play). [To do this, simply hold the pups collar to stop the pulling on the tuggy. When the pup releases its grip, take the tuggy away. Then give it back as a reward. Play again, then hold the collar again to stop the tugging....pup releases, you say "Give".] Training a pup is as easy or as hard as *you* make it. A collie cross is smart and quick, and will pick up bad habits fast......but can also be trained pretty fast too.

Good Luck....feel free mail me if you want help. (Go to my profile.)

Answer 2

I can imagine what your 9 year old does when this happens. He dances around, half shouting, half laughing. Right? The puppy is enjoying the reaction and is playing up to it. All puppies go through this. It is part of being a puppy.
Your son should get down on the floor so that the puppy is mouthing an easier part to control, eg. his hand. When the puppy mouths his clenched fist he should take it away feigning injury and with a great yelp as though he is really hurt!
Sounds a strange thing to do but it harkens back to when the puppy, whilst feeding enthusiastically from the mother, nipped a teat. The mother would chastise the pup verbally. The pup would release and be relegated to the less productive teats.
This is not an unusual occurence because the pup knows no better.
Good Luck

Answer 3

One thing that I have did was made a very loud sharp noise every time my pup did it to my three year old and she has stopped and she is only 14 weeks old. Nipping and biting is a sign of pack mentality and it means the person he is doing it too, he thinks, is below him in the pack, and he is the dominant dog. When he goes to bite or nip anyone make the loud noise (clapping your hands or a rolled up newspaper on a hard surface) and when the dog backs off , make him come to you, reward him with affection and the dog soon relates that biting is the wrong thing to do (ie the loud noise) and he will be rewarded when he doesn't bite. Another way is restraint every time he goes near your nine year old to nip and bite say in a loud firm voice NO and make him sit and stay, when he has calmed calm down then allow affection and not before. I always say if you can teach your dog to sit and stay you have the two essential things to help you and your dog get along with everybody and everything. Good luck oh yeah try chew toys puppies grow teeth for about the first 1-2 years and they're better than your nine year old.

Answer 4

Oh my.
Okay. First off...tapping, hitting, striking the pup anywhere, including the nose, does not work.
You need to train your 9 year old how to act around the puppy.
A puppy will play with your child as if he's another puppy. When one puppy gets too rough with the other (meaning the puppy getting too rough with your son) the one who has had enough stops the game. That means your son should quietly walk away (or sit and hide his feet ignoring the puppy. As soon as the puppy sits, stops harassing your son, or anything that you want him to do, PRAISE HIM and give him a treat.
Usually, when children get bit by puppies, they squeal and run. In puppy language, this means , "That's fun! Chase me!"
This is how you should deal with a puppy who gets too mouthy as well.
Never strike a dog. They don't understand. Yelling and engaging the dog, will only excite him more.
Basics to a well trained dog are: encourage and praise what you want, ignore what you don't want.

Answer 5

Biting is a natural behavior for puppies. That's not to say that it can't be corrected. First eveyone in the house has to be on board with training and consistency. A pack order in your family should be established so that the puppy learns that he is not the boss, he should be in the low order of the pack. While establishing pack order, spray your sons feet with plain white vinegar. Dogs do not like the smell and will not bite where the vinegar is sprayed. Vinegar will also work on other items in the house that the dogs chews or is attracted to and is not harmful to most furniture or fabrics. Immediatley teach the puppy that biting in not an acceptable behavior. When the puppy bites, use to command "No Bite", do not touch him, push him away, talk to him or look at him, just get up a go away for a few minutes. Come back and if he has stopped then praise him for being a good boy. Keep doing this if he continues to bite. After awhile he will get the idea that when he bites his plaything goes away. It is also a good idea to teach the sit or down command as this will distract his bad behavior. Be sure to praise him for his good behavior. He only wants to please you.

To Nellana-taken from one of the top training schools in the country. The only potential concern you should have is if your dog doesn’t drop the toy on command. In saying this, I’m referring especially to a dog who is aggressive by nature. If this is the case, you may not be comfortable playing tug, as it may be difficult to turn your dog off when the game is finished. We are now seeing a lot of dogs, trained with tugging games, showing virtually no impact on the dogs’ nature. Yes, the occasional dog will have difficulty relinquishing his toy or becoming a little too zealous when playing tug. In this case, tug may not be the right game for your dog. Spaniels are considered to be protective in nature and therefor can become aggressive.

By playing tuggy with the dog to get him to stop biting is like a reward to him. Why would you want to reward a dog for bad behavior. This only teaches him that he will get played with when he bites.

Try to understand how puppies and dogs think. When they are in a pack and one is playing and bites another..what happens. Doesn't the dog that gets bit yelp and get up and walk away? Does this not make sense? This is what you need to do either by saying in a stern voice or a resounding "No bite" and walk away. A child should be able to get away...what do you think the vinegar is for. The dog won't touch your feet if you spray them with vinegar.

Answer 6

Please don't tap your puppy on the nose, despite this advice coming from so many people. Hitting dogs is the same as hitting children, violence never solved anything and a dog's nose is a very sensitive part of it. When the pup does this drop a large bunch of keys as near to the pup as you can and say no. They don't like loud noises. Make sure the 9 year old is not teasing the pup and causing the problem!

Answer 7

NEVER NEVER NEVER, hit a puppy, I can't believe all these so called dog lovers who are suggesting it! Get a spray bottle (plant spray or similar) and when he goes to nip your son, squirt him in the face with cold water and say firmly, NO!,, you must do this, unless your son is really sensible and won't misuse the bottle, don't let him do it, it will probably only take a couple of goes before he gets the message, the other good method is a rattle bottle, get a small water bottle, put a few pebbles in it and when he goes to bite rattle it once beside him and say a very firm NO, again do not over do this, only use when necessary, it won't take many times, believe me.
Good luck.

Answer 8

Okay - please do not ever hit, "lightly tap", smack, or "thump" your dog anywhere on his body. Popping your dog in the face will make him a biter. Ending the game abruptly is the way to go - setting up the situation so that you or another adult scoops the puppy up and puts him in a time-out (crate, or empty room with nothing to chew on, no toys, nothing) When the pup goes for your son's feet, your son should become absolutely still. Removing the reinforcer is the key to stopping the behavior.
I don't know why so many people love to hit their dogs. It's awful to see so many people telling you to smack your puppy around when it's so much better for everyone to solve the problem without violence.
Dr. Ian Dunbar has a great book, _Before and After you Get your Puppy_ and there's also a great puppy group on Yahoo groups :
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/spt/
where you will get much better advice.

Answer 9

Next time it happens you son should make a loud yelping noise and then totally ignore the puppy for about 10 mins.Keep this up and soon the puppy will learn that biting means playtime stops.

Never hit your puppy.

Answer 10

First you must train your daughter with your puppy. There is a sound you can use when your dog is breaking a specific rule. A deep ahh, but you must be very alert to when your dog is breaking the rule. If you are in the room and do not notice he jumped on someone he will not understand why sometimes you make that noise. so be very consistent. you may have to use a newspaper on him, or put him in timeout to make him understand a negative consequence with this sound. You need to teach your daughter to give him simple assertive commands, and you should assign her to feeding him. screaming and running makes him want to play, but eventually he will reach an age where he needs to establish himself as top dog and the consequences could be severe, so right now you are the top dog and it is you who needs to make him understand that your daughter is to be treated gently. Also dogs still teeth at this age so if you are in the mood for steak or pork, get something with a bone in it to give Jack later.