If a 5 month old pup thinks you're his equal........?

Question

Meaning he likes to bite(play bite) you and if you walk on your knees to get something, he'll bite you but he doesn't bite anyone else. You've tried saying OW! NO! and ignoring him and showing him where it hurts, that makes it worse. You tried firmly patting him on the nose and say no but that makes it worse.

Suggestions? I never let him get away with it.

How to let him know you are above him and his alpha instead of his equal or whatever? Because you like sitting on the floor with him.

I even tried rolling him over and holding him between my feet with my feet but he'll try to bite my feet.

Answer 1

until he gets the idea you may have to reduce the floor play time. Try rolling a ball if your on the floor it is non contact, when he does try to get above you, gently pull him into your lap so you remain in control, hold him there until he stops resisting then hold out a toy for him to play with. When he nips try directing it to a toy instead. He will eventually get the idea if you redirect him and continue to do the ow and immediately end play, turn away ignoring him. It will eventually click that biting ends play. Dogs only have their mouth to play with and it is how they play with other pups he just has to learn it is not suitable for human play. Patting firmly on the nose is likely to make him rougher, try holding his mouth closed instead while you say ow, release him and turn away getting up off the floor until he calms down. If he gets too out of hand and you can not redirect it to a toy (rolled up towels work good) then crate him till he calms down.

Obedience school is a must before he gets too large to control. Research on the net about NILIF nothing in life is free. Alpha does not mean you are bigger or badder than your dog it means YOU control the resources. He sleeps where you say, eats when you say, plays with what you say etc. Give him simple commands like making him sit before giving him his food bowl, some even hand feed entire meals one piece of kibble at a time so the dog understands he must sit and remain calm and that you control the food, sitting before you let him out etc.

Answer 2

Couple of things you can try .....

The second he bites you, INSTANTLY get up and leave the room.
Wait a bit, (for him to calm down), then go right back to the position you were in when he got excited and nipped you. If it happens again, CALMLY get up and leave the room. If you have the time and patience to do this, he WILL get the message.

Or, you can also ,when he bites you, (this IS a 'puppy play bite' I assume?), immediately and WITH NO HESITATION,--- stand up straight and tall, make sure you have an 'I mean business' stance and facial expression, put your hands on your hips, and give him a really good STARE ('open' your eyes really wide, I call em giving your dog 'Big Eyes') and hold that stance looking directly at him.
(Again, patience here). Do not relax your stance until you see HIS body language change. Simply wait. If you want you can add, 'The Point'---firmly point at him with the arm extended straight out right at him and hold that too until you see a change in his body language and 'emotional level'. THEN, when you think he has gotten 'the message'--HE breaks eye contact First---turn your back on him, STRIDE CONFIDENTLY out of the room, do not look at him, and go about your business.

Whew, that second suggestion is really hard to put into words, hope it made some sense? The KEY here is to make your message to him 'short and sweet'----because if you spend too much time and too many 'words', it is STILL giving him attention, he doesnt know 'positive or negative'--he just knows he is getting your attention. Encourage the GOOD behaviors, quickly correct/ discourage/ignore the 'BAD' behaviors---this is a good tool to enable him to succeed.

Hope something here helps. Woof.

Answer 3

To show that you are the pack leader and then to get control (and everyone else in the house) you need to do what pack leaders do.......

For a start they go everywhere first, so if you are walking through a doorway make sure you go first, hold your puppy back so he has to follow. Eat your dinner first then give your puppy his - leaders always get the best pickings, and win more games then he does. Make sure he has his own toys that he always has access to BUT you have the really special ones that you decide when to play with and finish the game when you want. However, you must make sure he wins some games otherwise he will get bored but you must win more and take the toy away.

This behaviour will make you out to be pack leader then he should start listening to you. Sounds like alot, but once that role is established all training will be easier.

hope that helps.

Answer 4

Enroll him in an obedience class. You can look here for a list of instructors (http://www.nadoi.org).
When he nips at you, hold his mouth shut and say in a stern voice "No Bite!" Then release his mouth. It makes him uncomfortable for about 3 seconds.
As for walking on your knees and having him bite you, I'd first teach a down (submissive position) and a stay. Then have him down and stay while you walked on your knees to where you are going. Make sure that everyone in the household is on the same page and no one is letting him play with them and bite their feet, etc. He has to learn that the boundaries apply to everyone and learn to not bite even if he's excited before you think about playing rough with him.
As for teaching him that you're alpha, we impliment aspects of NILIF (nothing in life is free). Meaning you need to sit and stay until I release you to be feed. If you want a treat you need to sit, lay down, something. I'm not just going to hand out treats because you're there. Have him sit and stay as you walk through a door first. Have him sit before you let him in the car. Another good suggestion I've heard is to have him down-stay for 30 mins (he'll usually fall asleep) 3 times a week. At first he'll break his down-stay, so just put him back into it and continue counting (let's say he was down for 5 minutes before he broke, put him back down and keep going for the remaining 25 minutes, don't restart the 30 minutes).

Answer 5

puppies like to play and most of the time they like to play rough. when you get down on the floor, he thinks you're doing it FOR HIM. he thinks that you're coming down to his level for a play date. it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with dominance. but i'll give you some tips that should help. for the problem at hand: anytime puppy bites you, SHOVE him away, DO NOT TALK TO HIM OR LOOK AT HIM. get up off the floor immediately and walk away. ignore him for 5 minutes or so or as long as it takes for him to calm down. do this every time! it will teach him that putting his mouth on you only gets him the opposite of what he wants.

to help with establishing dominance, eat before you feed your dog, never feed your dog your food, never do anything your dog wants before he/she does what you want- example don't play before your dogs sits on command, etc. never let your dog sleep in the bed with you(in the wild the alpha male would sleep in the cave or higher on a rock. all the other dogs would lay outside or below him. anyone in the cave or up on the rock was equal to the alpha male- i wasn't saying that to be mean). the most important thing is to get it right now so you have fewer problems down the road.

and by the way, get your dog some chew toys- puppies teethe just like babies!!!

Answer 6

well always start trining and letting the pup know your the boss. never let it take control
but this kind of play is normal for puppies
try getting a dog rope or old socks and tie a knot in the socks and let him pull on one end while you ..the other..like tug of war... this will show the puppy..that is his and your pant legs etc IS NOT..and hes not to do that..
and when telling him no..dont yell at it but be firm.. say NO differant than if your just talking to it... this will take time but be patient...

Answer 7

doggies, merely like human teenagers, pass by using tiers the place they now and lower back look overweight, now and lower back look skinny ... Please ask your vet to evaluate your puppy's physique situation ... in accordance together with his weight and age, your vet would be waiting to allow you be attentive to no remember in case you're overfeeding your puppy. None human beings right here can permit you be attentive to precisely how plenty or how in many situations to feed your canines. For a three-month-old puppy, you ought to be feeding a minimum of two times an afternoon (consistent with probability three times) however the magnificent volume? we won't say devoid of bodily assessing your puppy. maximum each physique isn't knowledgeable sufficient to try this. in the experience that your vet says your puppy is in sturdy physique situation, no concerns ... in the experience that your vet has desperate that your puppy is obese, he/she would be waiting to probable advise which you revise your feeding ... a healthful physique situation is greater important than a strict weight handbook, so as long as your puppy is displaying sufficient boost yet no longer severe weight income, he must be positive.

Answer 8

Keep letting out the loud yelp and then roll him onto his back and stare at him until he looks away. When he looks away he has submitted. Whenever I have to remind my dog who is boss poor lil thing tucks her tail between her legs and is sad. But then a minute later all is good again and she has forgotten the "trouble" she was just in. He'll get it sooner or later. Keep on it though.

Answer 9

I don't think at his age he is trying to be your boss, he just thinks you are his buddy.When he is with his litter mates,this is how they play and learn.Patting him on the nose just makes him think you are playing also.When you are down, have a ball to roll for him.If he comes at you to wrestle,firmly hold him back and say "No". Hope this helps. Just be patient.

Answer 10

I think you are suppose to get over him...not on top but just over his body and stare at hime...my trainer told me this is a dog thing, show him that you are the dominont (spelling) one and when you stare at him do NOT be the first one to look away....its just a dominince thing...it worked for me good luck