Help! My new puppy is biting us!

We got frisbee almost 3 weeks ago, he is now 12 weeks old. He can be very good, and fun, but we are getting frustrated with some behaviors.

The main problem is that when he wants something, to play, to go out, food, attention, he bites us. He is a small puppy, and has never broken the skin, but it hurts. This is not teething type biting. There is no growling. He does not respond to NO (in fact it seems to make him get worse, and think we are playing). We have tried being intimidating, we use the bitter apple (which stopped him from biting furniture and curtains and will stop him from continuing to bite us if we douse ourselves in it) We have held his mussle and yelled NO at him. We are almost at a breaking point with him. We don't believe in physical methods of punishment, and would prefer methods that use positive reinforncement to train him. Does anyone have advice for us? Has anyone been through this with a puppy that became a loving family pet? We are afraid that this is not a stage, that this might be his personality. We signed up for puppy classes, but they don't start for 2 weeks... will that be too late?

 

Ignore him and walk away. If he can't get to you, he can't bite you. Zoey used to bite me alot at that age and grew out of it.

 

When he starts to go for your hand, immediately give him something that he's supposed to chew on, such as his toy. Like coppersmom said,

Consistency is the key.

If Apple Bitter doesn't work in this case, you may use vinegar diluted with water (50:50). You can discourage inappropriate behavior by spraying the vinegar solution. Many dogs don't like the smell of vinegar. However, you need to catch him in act and spray.

To encourage positive behavior, reward him with a small treat once he stop biting.

 

Indy - my 1 1/2 y.o. St. Bernard - was the WORST biter ever. I seriously contemplated giving him back b/c I thought what in god's name did I do - he was that bad. He would bite all the time. Going outside was the worst - he would essentially maul me. I had scratches and cuts all over my hands and legs. Anyways....he's the sweetest boy now. His main thing was time. He just needed to grow up a little. Around 6 mos, it started to get better. ARound a year, he was pretty much cured of the biting thing. But it did take him a long time to figure it out that I didn't like biting.

THe main thing that helped me was to put something in his mouth, a toy or anything so he couldn't bite me. Eventually he caught on to that and now he always picks up a toy when he wants to play with me b/c he knows that is the only way I would do it.

Most of the other things, holding his muzzle, yelling no!, etc. didn't work with him. LIke you said, it made him worse. Ignoring him was NOT an option. HE'd just jump and get rowdier.

Just give the puppy time. Obedience classes will help. But don't think he is a vicious dog or anything, he is just being a puppy. That is how they do. He thinks he is being fun. Once it clicks with him that you don't like it - and that may take awhile - he will get alot better.

 

HI, puppy biting is veryy common and can be corrected, there are many methods out there, so pdont give up

here is a good technique you might try

Your New Puppy and Biting Issues
Puppy biting is normal behavior and, in fact, is essential. Puppy teeth are needle sharp, yet their jaws are quite weak. In most cases, they cannot cause serious harm. You need to teach your puppy that biting is not an acceptable behavior. You will teach this in stages. A puppy must first learn to inhibit the force of his bite to ensure that he has a soft mouth before he becomes an adult dog and develops teeth and jaws that could inflict serious injuries. Most dog bites occur during adolescence (6 to 12 months of age) and at maturity (2 to 3 years of age). The three main reasons dogs bite are:

the dog lacks confidence and finds humans threatening biting is fun, enjoyable and normal canine behavior a dog has an aggressive disposition

Do not expect biting to be eliminated overnight. There are three steps in teaching a puppy to stop biting:

inhibiting force inhibiting frequency of bites stop biting all together



Step 1. Inhibiting Force:
Mouthing and biting are not allowed. Any pressure should be considered "painful". Trick the puppy into thinking that humans as well as the clothing and hair are extremely sensitive, and any pressure is excruciatingly painful. Therefore, the puppy learns the biting rule that any pressure during mouthing is not allowed. To work on this, praise the puppy if he mouths softly and give a loud "OUCH" any time you feel pressure. This sometimes may cause the puppy to become even more mouthy. If it does, you need to be a little more dramatic by giving your puppy an angry look and leaving the room. Give the puppy a one or two minute time-out. This teaches him that biting does not mean play, but instead, his playmate walks away. After a minute or two, return to him, command him to sit and give him lots of praise. Don't hold a grudge. You must "make up" in order to maintain the puppy's confidence and show that you are not mad at him but you do not like his behavior. Some puppies are physically tough, but emotionally they are extremely sensitive. They hate to lose their playmate and be left alone. Puppies learn to inhibit the force of their bite while playing with one another. If one puppy bites too hard, the "bitee" yelps and play stops. They both look at each other and the "biter" will have a look on his face as if to say "sorry". Play then resumes, but the biting is now less forceful.

Once the puppy stops exerting any pressure (this could take a few weeks), the next step is to teach the puppy to inhibit the frequency of bites.



Step 2. Inhibiting Frequency of Bites:
Occasional gentle mouthing is permitted, but now you should begin to give a warning such as "NO BITE" when the mouthing becomes too frequent. Whenever your puppy's "mouthyness" becomes too rough or prolonged, a loud "OUCH" and "NO BITE" should be used. If the puppy does not stop biting, follow up your warning with a firm reprimand. Take hold of his collar, stare into his eyes and repeat "NO BITE". Continue glaring for a few seconds and then walk away from the puppy and ignore him. After a few minutes, there must be a make up period. If the mouthing occurs during the make up period, then your warning was not effective. If there is no mouthing, then you know that the reprimand was effective. The puppy will soon learn that if he continues mouthing after he hears the warning "NO BITE", he will be reprimanded and you will leave. YOU MUST ALWAYS GIVE YOUR WARNING BEFORE THE REPRIMAND OCCURS.



Step 3. Stop Biting All Together:
By the time your puppy is 5 months of age, he should not be exerting any pressure whatsoever. Once your puppy respects the warning, he is now taught to never mouth people at all. If the puppy starts to mouth at any time, there will never be a warning again. YOU WILL GIVE AN IMMEDIATE REPRIMAND EACH AND EVERY TIME.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks everyone,
I am glad other people have been there...
ignoring him doesn't work, we got some advice from another posting that used a water squirt bottle when we said no! and it seems to be working. He is starting to back off with just the word no! I have some hope now thanks

 

A shake can might work too. Take an empty soda can and put a few pennies in there. Tape up the top and shake it when he starts biting. Then say "no" and redirect him to an appropriate chew toy.

I also lob the can across the yard when my dogs are "fence fighting" with the neighbor's dogs.