Puppy Problem?

Question

Well, maybe its not a problem. I'm having trouble with the little guys behavior. I don't want him to misbehave with people. He likes to bite, cause he thinks "I'm playing", or maybe "I'm stronger than you", actually, I don't know what the F he's thinking, ever. He has more energy than an energizer battery. I run around with him a bit, in the morning and at night, I bring him in, and he just doesn't stop till we get him back in the crate. We are taking a behavior class soon, but what can I do to improve his behavior in the interim? (specifically the biting of hands and cloths and other friendly people)

Answer 1

Pups bite. I will hold their mouths firmly shut until they yelp when they do that. Sometimes they get really worked up and it's best to crate them.

Try to give him as much exercise as possible. A tired puppy has less behavior problems. If you have other dogs that he can interact with, especially a large female.....all the better. We see this a lot with pups taken before 8 weeks from Mom and littermates. Mom corrects the pup and the littermates also teach them that biting HURTS!

Answer 2

This is why I MUCH prefer adopting older dogs. They don't do this nearly as much.

This is typical puppy behavior - and will continue until he's at least 2 - maybe 3 years old. Oh and you probably haven't even begun the "chewy" stage, yet.

Puppy is learning - hey, we have hands and voices - and prefrontal lobes with which to gather information. Puppy only has his mouth - so chewing on things is a learning process. He is also finding out where he is within the pack - which is where the biting and tussling comes in - a way of establishing his order in the pack.

That said - what you and all other humans large and small must do - now before he gets too large - is to take him firmly by the scruff of the neck and firmly, but gently place him in a down - preferrably on his back - position and say "Gentle" or "Easy" or "Enough" in a commanding tone - literally bark this command. Keep him down and on his back until he relaxes. Then pet him gently and tell him he's a good boy. Same with jumping on people and grabbing their clothes. Scruff of the neck, and submissive posture.

Now, once he's calmed down, don't encourage him to play - especially after he's been corrected for roughness - that's unfair and mean.

The key is consistency. Don't allow him to nip one day and not the next. He has to behave all the time.

As for his energy - a trot around the block isn't enough exercise. He needs a good solid hour of running and chasing and such at least twice a day.

Finally, obedience training. Best thing next to spay/neuter you can do with/for your dog. Can't stress this enough.

Answer 3

Your puppy problem is very common. Most puppies play-bite and most grow out of it on thier own. To speed the process, take away the thing your puppy wants most, your attention. Puppies crave any kind of attention, even the negative kind, like punishment. When the biting starts, get up and leave the room, ignoring this behavior quickly teaches the pup that it is not acceptable, and it's a lot less messy than squirting him in the face with a squirt bottle (that's a good way to make him phobic about squirt bottles, however). Just be patient, reward good behavior with small treats and petting... and don't worry, he will grow up eventually.

Answer 4

You didnt mention what sort of breed is the dog, how old it is. These questions actually play a factor.

Depending on the breed of the dog, which might mean why he is so energetic. If you have yorkie, jack russell etc., they are very lively dogs and it seems as though are running on overdrive or are energetic duracell bunnies. Its also normal for pups to bite. He might be going through the stage where his losing his baby teeth and his perminant teeth are growing out.

You need to be patient with him. Puppies are lively and will zap all the energy out of you. Its like having a baby that runs 24/7 non stop. If you worried about the bitting, get him some toys that he can chew on, might save your friends fingers.

Answer 5

On the biting:
He bites because puppies bite in play. They need to be trained that it's NOT OK to bite. Pups don't know their razor sharp teeth hurt. Mamma dogs bite the pups to teach them.

My husband used 2 quick fingers to the nose with a firm NO BITE. It doesn't hurt the dog, but is firm enough to make the dog sneeze and stop.

My favorite is to take the upper jaw/muzzle in my hand and wrap my fingers around which puts his skin of his lips between my fingers and his teeth. He feels his own teeth against his skin this way. I squeeze and hold him so he can't move away and I say "NO BITE"-or- "YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT" firmly but gently:
He doesn't like it and squirms but he learns to NOT BITE.

You obviously have a high energy pup. I hope you can handle it. He'll calm some as he matures. You probably need to get some Kong toys and a bunch of good toys.

Answer 6

when my puppy was little,she was a biter too, playful but nonetheless annoying, so I would pick her up under her front legs and hold her facing me so that her body is dangling down and firmly say NO and hold her til she stopped squirming and complied. It took a while but she did stop. Plus everytime she would bite, I would shout OUCH very loudly as if she were really hurting me.

Answer 7

You can try a squirt bottle of water and squirt him when he misbehaves. If that doesn't work try tabasco sauce. Put it on something that he is trying to bite. He won't like the hot taste.

Answer 8

have a water squirter near and give him a quick squirt when he bites they dont like this but it doesnt cause any pain