My brother just adopted a 3 month old puppy. The shelter wasn't sure what he is mixed with but our guess is a golden retriever and chow. He likes to bite and chew like a normal puppy but he will also bite aggressively. There is nothing that really sets him off, he just always wants to bite, and it hurts! He has drawn blood on multiple occasions.
The vet told my brother to grab him by the nape and put his head to the ground while telling him no. That didnt work. He just got worked up and wanted to play but more aggressively than before!
He just got a choke collar as well and that has yet to help. Today he went at my brother for no reason and bit his hand.
Is there anything else he can do to help stop this puppy from biting? He is considering taking him back to the shelter but I know they will euthanize him and I don't want that to happen.
Help!
2007-08-29 16:57:45 · 19 answers · asked by Courtney 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Alright, the puppy is 3 months but YES he is aggressive. He showed his teeth, started to growl, and went at my brother. That's not just puppy play.
2007-08-30 02:51:25 · update #1
Again, this dog is NOT mine. It is my brothers. My whole family is responsible with their animals. Please do not leave useless comments telling us to be responsible with our pets. The puppy was neutered the first week my brother got him.
2007-08-30 02:53:17 · update #2
I appreciate the helpful comments on how to stop aggressive biting. But I really am disappointed with the ignorance that some of the people on here have. I don't condone euthanizing any dog unless it is the absolute last resort, that is why I'm posting here to try to get help for my brother's dog before he makes that decision!! I am a responsible pet owner and so is my brother so please don't put us down for trying to get help. Yes, he is a puppy but that doesn't mean he isn't aggressive. Yes, we are aware puppies bite and chew but when they growl, show their teeth, lunge, and bite you to draw blood, that is not puppy biting. He is neutered, crate trained, and potty trained.
As far as grabbing the puppy by the nape, the VET told him to do that. The choke collar is not the one with the spikes. And my brother does NOT spank or hit the puppy.
He has also tried just pulling away and ignoring the puppy but that only pisses him off and want more attention.
2007-08-30 02:59:08 · update #3
My suspicion is that he thinks he is playing. He is drawing blood because he doesn't know how to play in a proper, safe manner, and puppies have very sharp teeth.
He could also be trying to assert dominance.
Either way, it is your job to teach him to play respectfully. When he tries to bite, there are 3 different methods that you can try. Find which one he responds to:
1. When he bites, grab his muzzle and fold his lips inside of his mouth. Then he will bite his own lips. He will eventually decide that it isn't fun to bite people.
2. When he goes to bite at your hand, grab the bottom of his muzzle and stick your thumb inside his mouth and push down on his tongue. He will hate it and learn that biting is not fun behavior. (The risk you run with this method is getting your thumb bitten.)
3. When he goes to bite your hand, shove your hand all the way in his mouth. It will scare him and he'll again discover that biting is not fun. (Again you still run the risk of getting bitten.)
Whichever method you choose, you should choose a consistant command that everyone in the household uses, like "No bite!" and say it every time you stop him from biting, so that he'll learn what it means. Then give him something appropriate to chew on, like a nylabone or other dog toy. Then give him lots of praise.
You should also randomly praise him every time he is playing with one of his toys.
2007-08-29 17:14:40 · answer #1 · answered by Biz 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Don't worry, many puppy owners undergo the same problem. I will bullet the options you have for resolving this issue. Hope they help you out! [:
-Call an obedience trainer. There are many offered at Pets Mart and PetCo. This will definitely work...but might be a little costly.
-Go to puppy school. This is great because it trains your pup to become more obedient and allows for him to show his social side with other dogs. This also costs money.
-Purchase an all purpose spray bottle and fill it with water. Then, spray it at your puppy every time he tries to bite. Dogs do not like water being sprayed at them and he will learn that biting is wrong. This is not cruel and works very well.
Hope your puppy gets better! I have confidence he will.
2007-08-30 00:20:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Take the choke collar off!!! That will never help! It will only torture him. Sign him up for puppy lessons or a puppy camp. As for the biting..... hes a puppy thats what puppies do buy him a lot of chew toys and chewie treats so he has something to do with his teeth. Dont take him back to the shelter thats like just killing your poor puppy. Maybe he bites because hes hungry. Puppies need more food. They need to be fed 4 times a day and walked 4 times a day. =)
2007-08-30 00:11:26 · answer #3 · answered by Victoria 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
if he goes to bite your hand, just pull it away, without saying a word. don't even make eye contact. this dog only gets attention
1. when he is behaving
2. when you say so. NOT HIM!
if he doesn't stop trying to bite, after removing the target. lock him in an empty room (nothing to bite or play with). dogs hate being barred from the pack. don't say a word or give him any attention at all. attention is reward. no reward for bad behavior. after several minutes he can be removed from isolation without attention of any kind. you really must establish yourself as pack leader. dogs follow the leader.
2007-08-30 00:35:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get a good behaviorist involved. Chows are strong willed dogs and he obviously needs some good training and you need someone to show you how to handle this dog. He is still young and is just really mouthy but if allowed to continue it will get worse.
Good behaviorists aren't cheap but they are effective and it's a lot cheaper than a dog bite wound in the future.
If you stop it now you won't have any other problems and the behaviorist will be able to help you do that.
Talk to your vet and see if he knows a good behaviorist that he can recommend.
2007-08-30 00:02:32 · answer #5 · answered by Shanna 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
OMG I think this gets the SQ of the week.
Euthanizing a three month old for puppy biting? Grabbing him by the nape and holding his head to the ground? And you've got him on a choke collar?
OMG. Get your human butts and the puppy into training. He's not too young and hopefully you're not too old (or too dumb)
And I think you should look at euthanizing the brother.
_______________________
ADD: Lost and Confused 911 IS just that. Please ignore her post.
NEVER spank a dog -- they don't associate it with the undesirable behavior, they just associate spanking with a human hand and pain.
2007-08-30 00:05:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
i had the same problem with my puppy he was wayyyy to agressive for such a young dog and we were asdvised to put him down or return him. we got a behsvior specialist to come and she told us he she thought he would be fine as long as we trained him properly...we had to crate train him and we werent allowed to let him out of the crate untill he was quiet we also had to pick him up and hold him untill he settled down and not put him donw till he settled he got better pretty fast. dont play rough games with him or encourage bitting make sure you dont let him get food or toy aggressive always take toys away when hes chewing so he knows that there your toys not his and practice removing his food while hes eating. geta behaviorist if you can they really help. my dog is great now!
2007-08-30 00:47:00 · answer #7 · answered by hopskotch 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Puppy classes hes only 3 months old hes a baby.. train him while hes a baby. Just takes time. Just need to show him the right way to play with humans and or take a treat in your hand and hold it if he bites to hard say easy and don't give him the treat till after hes gentle with hands and learns that hands aren't toys. You grabben him by his neck just shows him to fear the human hand and will do more harm than good.
2007-08-30 00:06:26 · answer #8 · answered by Kiki 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Puppy classes. It doesn't sound like he's trying to be aggressive but rather playing really hard. The puppy classes will train the dog how to behave and also help your brother understand how to train a dog properly. Good luck
2007-08-30 00:01:26 · answer #9 · answered by Alicia G 5 · 5⤊ 1⤋
First of all...aggression will not cure aggression....the best way to deal with your brother's puppy is to allow him to bite on something...just not on you. If he wants to bite you while playing, say "no bite" and don't allow him to put his mouth on you. Give him something he can put his mouth on like a chew toy or bone. Never play rough or "tug of war"...this will only bring out the aggression. There is also nothing wrong with putting him in "time outs" when he gets uncontrollable. If he doesn't listen and wants to continue to bite, put him in his crate for a while to calm down. When he has calmed down, let him come out.
2007-08-30 00:11:02 · answer #10 · answered by ♥ Liz ♫ 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋