OUCH! Please help!!!?

Question

My cousin got a new dog just recently (2 months or so ago) he is small and curly i dont know how old or what kind of dog he is... but he bites SO much! And sometimes it hurts! Realy bad. At first i thought that he was just teathing, but he does it exsessivly...WAY too much to be teathing... we give him chew toys but he tears them up and goes for anything he gan get his dagger-like teeth in! the dog bites everything, especialy humans. Whenever we get bit, we say "No!!" really stern-like, but then he just gets mad and bites you again. Im worried that someones gunna get mawld by the little beast...we love him dearly, but we dont want to stick him in his kennel everytime he bites, he's practically in there half of the day!! Please help- and please dont answer with giving him away or to a dog-training-thing.

Thank You!

Answer 1

1-congrats on trying to use the word "no" however he may not understand the word no. Either it hasn't been used enough to connect the meaning or he hears it too much. Most common is to use "wrong." It is less used in human conversation.
2-He does think this is a game. When he bites, say "wrong" and ignore him. Get up and walk away if you need to. Dogs seek attention and if they are getting it, positive or negative, they will continue their behavior. Do deter him with a chew or toy. Excessively reward when he is not biting and is playing with toys correctly.

Answer 2

You don't give much info. Is the dog a puppy? Sorry but training is the way to go.

You have to learn how to stop or prevent the behavior you don't want (without hurting, yelling at or otherwise scaring the dog) and then teaching the behavior you want.

It sounds like a pup. Dogs learn bite inhibition from other dogs. Basically if a pup bites another pup too hard that pup gives a high pitched yelp and stops playing. The biting pup learns that it better tone down how hard it bites or no one will play with it. You can try the same thing. Go with a high pitched yelp rather than stern no, that could sound like rumblings of a pup getting into the game. Then ignore the dog, walk away or put it in a crate, if only for a couple of minutes (you don't want it to start whining and then take it out, so take it out before it can get upset about being alone). You might have to do this over and over again, but remember if it's a pup, it's not going to understand right away what you want from it. So you might have to do it 50 times before the dog 'gets' that when it bites too hard the game stops.

www.fearfuldogs.com

Answer 3

Sorry, but obedience school is definitely a must.

I would also recommend a correction word aside from "No" just because No is one of the most common words used in daily language a dog can eventually learn to tune it out even if you say it in a sharp tone of voice. My puppy's correction word is "Enh-enh" (kind of like eh eh but with an "n" sound thrown in the middle). This correction word is accompanied by a single stomp of the foot. In situations where he bites, after the correction word, you should turn away from the dog and not give him any attention. One of the worst things you can do to a dog is take away your attention. After a couple minutes you can go ahead and approach him again but repeat if he repeats that same behavior. Also, like children, puppies sometimes need time outs.

Also, if he is singling out your hand for instance, try spraying some bitter apple spray (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754400&cp=&sr=1&origkw=bitter+apple&kw=bitter+apple&parentPage=search&keepsr=1) on your hands to deter this behavior. You will have to do this several times until he realizes this is the wrong behavior.

Answer 4

He's "mouthing", puppies do that, some a lot more than others, it's normal, and it is like a baby teething.

I know it can hurt - you need to do what the mother dog would do - make a sharp sound, "yip", "no", "ouch", whatever - and then walk away from the pup, absolutely refuse to show him any attention or play with him. He will eventually (patience, he's a baby) get the idea that mouthing means end of playtime and quit doing it - going to take a while, he really is teething.

Meanwhile, give him lots of good chewies, Kongs are great, CET chews, pigs hoofs, safe chewies.
He will get over this, believe me.
Part of having a puppy.

Answer 5

The dog needs trained. He doesn't know he is hurting you.

When he bites, yelp loudly and then walk away ignore him for a short period of time (5 minutes or so).

When puppies bite each other too hard, they lose their playmate for a while (the bitten pup will yelp and then refuse to play for a while); so you need to do the same.

When you return after a few minutes, give him a proper toy to chew on, then praise her lavishly when she takes it and chews on it.

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As far as chewing up the dog toys, some dogs just do that. You'll need to look for sturdier toys if you don't want them to be quickly destroyed.

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I would recommend *not* using the crate as punishment. The dog's crate should be a safe, happy place for the dog to have its own "den".
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Answer 6

If he doesn't bite in an agressive manner, he just wants to play or wants your attention. If you are really afraid that someone is going to get "mauled" by the beast, unfortunately you need to explore the two alternatives you do not want mentioned.
By the way, putting your dog in a kennel for half a day is only going to make matters worse! Try taking him for a walk!!!

Answer 7

When he bites try replacing the action with giving him a chew toy instead. Eventually he may get the idea. Also The dog whisperer on tv has some great ways to get dogs to obey. I know you said you didn't want dog trainging but an hour of free tv might work. Make sure your dog doesn't think you are playing a game when you reprimand him. good luck

Answer 8

Act like you would if your child bit you say ouch in a high piched voice and then place him or her on the floor and ignore it. Do not continue to pay it attention. Do not give him treats or toys afterward. By doing that you are telling it okay when you bite me you get a treat and or a toy. The dog keeps doing it because you continue to give him attention everytime it does it. You are renforcing the behavior. I am going to give you the animal planet video website I believe there are a few videos on this you should check it out.

Answer 9

I would try bitter apple in addition to a really stern "no". Also dogs hate an aerosol breath spray try that too.

Answer 10

You need to get more serious with the no. Shake a can of pennies when you say no or squirt him with water. He really needs obedience lessons to get under control. It also sounds like he needs some exercise. Take him for walks of 30 minutes or more to burn off some of that fiesty energy.