My 4 month old American Bulldog puppy keeps niping at my kids?

Question

My American Bulldog keeps niping my kids, every time I see this I reprimand the puppy by firmly tapping its nose with 2 fingers each time he does this action, however he still insists on niping at my kids. We have come to love the puppy but I'm at wits end on trying to get him to stop niping a tthe kids because they want to play with him. So what do I do then?

Answer 1

Puppies who Bite
Teething Puppies
puppies bite because their teeth are coming in and through mouth needs stimulation, and they bite in play. the teething puppy will grow out of the stage and will bite less if provided LOTS of toys to play with. Most puppies bite during play and it shouldn't be a long term problem if dealt with properly.

Puppies Who Haven't Learned Better
Puppyhood is an important time to teach appropriate play. In fact, this is a huge part of those last two weeks with the puppy's litter. Puppy's play with their brothers and sisters constantly, and when a puppy bites another puppy, that puppy yelps!! If your puppy did not stay with his litter long enough to be taught not to bite in play, you should yelp and withdraw from play whenever your puppy bites. This is the best and most natural method, but if you find this method is not working you can try the below methods:


After a bite, immediately place it in it's crate alone for just 2 or 3 minutes.
bop the dog gently on the nose and say "no bite!"
fill a small spray bottle with water and spritz the dog when he bites.
To help prevent your puppy from biting:


make sure you have lots of toys available that are "bite safe"
avoid some of the older latex and vinyl toys that look like hands or feet
never play tug-of war with your dog
never wrestle with your puppy
Teething Puppies

To help prevent your puppy from developing aggressive biting habits as an adult:

Socialize, socialize, socialize. The more time your dog spends outside of your home, and inside your home with strangers present the happier and less likely it will be to bite as an adult.

Make sure your puppy meets your neighbors and frequently invite them into your yard. Make sure you puppy is used to strangers entering his home or backyard (don't worry, when it comes to protection a well socialized dog "knows" a dangerous situation and will respond- simply having a dog will deter most criminals)

When the mailmen, delivery people, meter readers, newspaper delivery people come to your house, put your puppy on a leash and let them sniff and meet these people as much as possible. Most adults injured by dog bites are in these professions. By associating uniformed people with good things, you can help make sure your dog will never bite one.

Try to have your puppy interact with children as much as possible! Many dogs raised in all adult homes become dogs with a tendency to nip or bite children. Walking your puppy at parks with playgrounds is a great way to let your puppy play with children.

Answer 2

Puppies play by nipping and biting at each other. When your kids try to play with the pup, he responds in the only way he knows how.

Kids should play with puppies (and dogs) in non-aggressive ways. No tug-of-war, chase, grabbing, etc. Fetch is an ideal way for kids to play with a dog. If the kids are old enough, they can start learning how to walk the puppy and work on teaching him some basic commands (with help & supervision). If the puppy does nip while playing, say 'no bite!' and stop all interaction with him for a bit.

A puppy obedience class would be a great idea.

Answer 3

That is typical of ALL puppies! It is YOUR responsibility to teach the puppy to not nip. there are many ways to train you dog......however "Scott & TracyO"s suggestion of approaching the puppy with a closed fist is NOT a good thing. Dogs instinctively consider that to be an aggressive action (attacking) and they may do more than nip......bite is more like it. The BEST thing to do is contact the local chapter of the American Bulldog Association (ABA) and/or the American Kennel Club (AKC) and sign up for obediance training. The ABA and/or the AKC are inexpensive alternatives to PetsMart/PetCo training classes and they are also experts with your dog's breed and tendencies. Whatever you do, DO NOT get rid of the puppy!! We don't need another animal that gets euthanized because the original owner doesn't want to bother training it. Be patient, my puppy was a nipper but he eventually grew out of it with a little patience and understanding from his people!!

Answer 4

My 3 month old puppy does that too. It's her way of letting us know she wants to play & it's quite irritating. Does your dog wag his tail before or while nipping or does he growl, bark, & show his teeth while nipping? If it's the latter your puppy is nipping out of aggression and this could be dangerous when he grows up. If it's because he wants to play, do your kids play chase games with him or run around the house? I noticed that playing chase games or having anyone run around the house with your dog around encourages nipping.

What usually works is saying "NO" firmly and either doing any of these: 1) having a little water gun or spray bottle in hand and spraying him when he nips, 2) giving him a chew toy to chew on & praise him for chewing that, or 3) ignore the puppy each time he tries to nip.

Answer 5

Puppies will be puppies. Nipping is very common. Be sure your puppy has a variety of toys to chew on. He's teething, and will NEED things to chew on. I would recommend you sit your children down to tell them the puppy is just excited, and that when he starts nipping at them, that they should immediately get up, turn their back on him, and don't give him any attention or eye contact. It shows him that if he bites, the fun stops. You could also try having them take a toy with them whenever they go to the puppy. If the puppy starts to bite, tell them to say no, and give him the toy to chew on. Don't give up on this puppy. It's what puppies do, and you can't blame them. It's your responsibility to teach him what's right and wrong. There are many other methods on teaching puppies that nipping is inappropriate. I'm sure other people will recommend more, and you could find some on the internet. Good luck!

Answer 6

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://tr.im/tHhdO

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 7

We're in the same boat with a German shepherd puppy (though she's a bit younger). What we've found what works is a very firm tap on the nose accompanied with a sharp "NO BITE", then an instant praise when she stops. Also, make sure the kids' hands (and yours) are in a fist when they approach the puppy and that they don't pull back from him. Otherwise it is perceived as a game. You can teach the kids that it is a training game for them. CONSISTENCY and positive praise are the key. And that firm tap on the nose has to be shocking enough that the puppy doesn't like it! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

When he nips at a child, look at him, firmly say "NO" and put him in puppy time out. This means everyone should get up and walk away and not play with him for 2 - 3 minutes. Do this every time, and he'll realize that when he nips, no one wants to play with him.

Also, give him a chew toy and praise him for using it.

Answer 9

Take a metal coffee can and tap it with a spoon everytime he nips at the kids most dogs hate this or it scares them but it does not work with all dogs. Good luck if all else fails and you and your family really love him do the training school thing.

Answer 10

at 4 months, it would be my guess that your pup looks at your children as his siblings. kids are quick and exciteable and this energy transfers to your dog. it does however need to be corrected. i don't hit my dogs. i would grab hold of his collar, give a stern no and remove the playtime for a few. you also need to teach your children not to encourage this behavior, intentional or not