My puppy is very nice and gentle, but when she starts to play she can begin to bite, is it ok?

Question

I have a rottweiler puppy, she is 12 weeks old. She loves every member of our family. She loves when we touch her and just spend time with her. But sometimes when she starts to play her puppy games she may begin to bite. And I know that she is not aggressive, she is just fun loving girl. It is funny and ok now, but when she will be an adult dog it may cost somebody's life. What should I do?

Answer 1

Yeah it's just how they play.

Answer 2

Puppies, all breeds bite, it is a way for them to play. They use their mouths as we use our hands. The trick is getting them to not bite too hard. Hopefully your puppy is a good age, and that you got her when she was the right age. Puppies that are removed from the litter and their mother before 8 weeks of age can have behavior problems when they get older such as nipping and mounting, so what we need to do is correct that now.

In the litter, puppies bite each other to play. Now you will have 2 types in the litter, the dominate and the submissive. When the dominate one gets biten and is biten 2 hard that he does not like it, he may bare his teeth and strongly let the other puppy know that right now, he is not playing. This sometimes leads to little fights in the litter that the mother then has to break up and she does this by grapping the dominate one by the scruff of the neck and shaking it. This isn't what we want to do as a human.

The other approach is when a dominate puppy wants to play with a submissive puppy. they start playing, biting and pawing each other. But if the dominate one bites the submissive one too hard, you will often hear a loud yelp and the submissive puppy will run away. Now chances are that the dominate puppy will chase him, and then the mother will intervine again. However, what the dominate puppy will learn is that if he wants to play with the submissive puppy, he must not bite too hard, otherwise, he runs off, and then you get into trouble with mommy. So how do we work this in the human world? Simple. If you are playing with your puppy, and she bites you, then yelp, or scream really loud, "OUCH!!!" and put her down. Chances are, she will look at you for a second, and then start again. If she does, ignore her. When she as calmed down, then you can begin playing with her again, but when she bites again, repeat the process, yell "OUCH!!!" and put her down, and move away. It will take a few times, but she will soon get the hint and realize that if she wants to play with you, then she can not bite so hard. This is a method that has been used several times and many trainers use this method. You can learn more about this method and others by reading "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell as well as "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete.

Answer 3

To teach her to quit biting when playing, as soon as her teeth touch you, yelp "ouch!" and walk away. If she still goes after you thinking that you are still playing... go to another room and close the door. Make sure there is no contact. No noise from you... nothing. Don't let other family members talk to her then either. She has to learn that if her teeth touch, all fun and games stop and no attention comes her way.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, go back to her and initiate play as if nothing ever happened. If her teeth touch again, do the same thing. She will get the picture. You just have to be patient.

Also, make sure no one is playing with her rough at this age. I don't encourage rougher play until a dog is well under controle, understands the rules and is at least done teething around 6 to 8 months.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Puppies do bite each other when they play as this is a normal part of their development. I suggest you get a toy that protects your hand when you play with the Rottie... also keep her away from any furniture you don't want to have chewed to bits. I use an ax handle as a chew toy for them & most will destroy that before they reach adult hood. Saw it half & let her have the other half when she starts to make splinters of the 1st half. This aggressive play will not carry over into adult behaivior. This is puppy stuff that will pass as she grows older & you slowly begin to make it plain that it is something you don't like.

Answer 5

All puppies bite/play. When your pup begins to wave her teeth around, put a toy in its mouth instead of your hand. Do this every time. The pup will learn to bite the toy and not you.

If the pup does get your hand, even a little, yelp loudly (ouch!) and then refuse to play for while. That's what litter mates do when they play and one gets bit too hard. Your pup will soon learn that play ends when biting begins.

Good luck.

Answer 6

It is evident in your description of your puppy that she does not have an aggresive nature. Your Puppy is ofcourse a Canine and this is natural that she wants to knaw and chew on things as do small children. As with children though it is not acceptable for them to bite people and you must put boundaries in place. i.e. tell your Puppy off firmly and forcefully that she/he is not to bite (I do not advocate physical punishment such as smacking) . Once you put this in place you must adhere to it thus if you tell your Puppy off for biting do not (i.e. five minutes l8ter) indulge it by accepting it back/stroking it).....this may seem harsh but it is necessary if you are too train your Puppy.....Of course the advice above is a generalisation and I would need to know the type of Dog you have to offer more detailed advice. I can say that it is merely a behavioral problem rather as oppose to an aggresive nature your Puppy may ahve

Answer 7

NO NO NO DO NOT LET HER PLAY LIKE THIS.

You MUST NOT allow her to play like this. When she gets older, she could do serious damage to some one. Depending on what state you live in, there could even be criminal charges on YOU if someone gets hurt.
Rottweilers are very dominant, and if you allow her to do this, she will be harder to train later on. When she starts to bite, or even if she is just 'mouthing' you, quickly hold her muzzle shut, give a firm, loud 'NO', and then put her away from you and STOP PLAYING WITH HER IMMEDIATELY. She must associate biting with mommy and daddy not playing with her any more. Also, do your best to socialize her with people not in your family. She MUST get used to strangers. Rotties bond strongly with their owners, but can be dangerous to strangers(and veterinarians and their helpers!) if not socialized properly. Speak to your vet about good socialization techniques and areas in your community. A good training class is a great way to to this too.

Answer 8

biting is how puppys play and sometimes this can hurt, when she starts to bite you yell in a loud voice ouch or no, i have a 14 week old pit and he does the same thing! my trainer told me to grab the scruff of his neck like mom would and say very harshly ouch or no. it has actually worked on my puppy, i even have my kids doing it and his play biting and calmed down alot. start to train her now before its too late biting is not allowed ever, if you allow her to bite now she will think its ok to bite in the future. do yourself a favor stop it now before something happends.

Answer 9

She is just a puppy. Most puppy's are going through their chewing stage she will grow out of it. If she does not get a trainer but wait on the trainer until she is a adult. She is probably just playing and she is to young to know better.Dont worry.

Answer 10

I had pit bulls that I loved dearly (they passed away. I still cry about it). When we first rescued Zeus as a puppy, he would get carried away when he was playing, but when we rescued his mother, Duchess, and brought her into our family, they played together and we didn't get bit as much. In fact, when he would start to get wound up, she would head butt him. It was the funniest thing. I know they bite stuff when they are teething, which at twelve weeks, I'm sure your puppy is.

Answer 11

I have a beagle puppy who does the same thing. And if you know she is not aggressive, then she is just play biting.