Author Topic: When do they stop biting?  (Read 5142 times)

Offline gardenwitch

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When do they stop biting?
« on: February 02, 2006, 11:06:01 am »
I know with puppys it's called "nipping" but it hurts with her! She bites my 4 year old and 20 month old, my husband, me...anything that gets in front of her face. She's 13 weeks old.

Sometimes it's lightly, but when she's excited she really chomps down.  I have a container with change to shake at her, but thats hard to do because she knows what it does, so she stays away from it when I have it. I can't carry it with me all the time because my youngest thinks it's his toy.  I grab her mouth and squeeze her cheeks so she bites herself, the vet showed me that, but when I do it, she gets really mad and as soon as I let go, she lunges at my hand.

The only thing that stops her is me yelling at the top of my lungs NO!! but man I got a loud mouth. So sometimes kids are napping so I can't yell.

I haven't had a puppy in over 12 years, so I forget...They grow out of this, right??
 :-\

Thanks!

Offline Boyle

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2006, 11:59:23 am »
We tried everything - lip grab, water, binaca (sorry, sorry, sorry Nola), etc.  We couldn't get our maniac to stop biting so we taught him bite inhibition.  I think this method saved us from some serious damage. 

Check out this link to MastiffWeb.  We followed the instructions and it worked wonders.

http://www.mastiffweb.com/cgi/webdiskusjon/hoved.pl?df=4326&meldID=7216&hID=7216

Good luck with your alligator  :)

Offline Maggie's Mom

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2006, 01:03:44 pm »
I had never heard of bite inhibition, so I read the whole article.  Its sounds like a good idea I guess, but isn't it better to teach them not to bite at all, ever?  I don't know, it just seems like this way you're telling them to bite(even if it doesn't hurt), that it's OK to bite.  Well, I learned my little "something new" for today ;)

At 13 weeks, our Dane was still biting and snapping too.  They're still just babies at that age.  It wasn't long after that though that she started to figure it out.  Just be consistent in whatever method you choose. 

With Maggie, we did the basic "ouch", and NO BITE and held the mouth shut.  She's a little over 4 months now, and there is no biting or play biting.  We just don't want her to think that she can ever bite, whether we tell her to or not.  Just my opinion.  Hope it helps.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2006, 01:06:39 pm by Maggie's Mom »
Stacy, Wes, and Maggie (Great Dane)

Offline Winslow 151

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2006, 02:15:55 pm »
Hi,

How old when you got her, pups learn what is ok and not for biting from momma.

You can try the dominance thing, When Lily bites you push her down onto her back and hold her there for like 30 seconds. That is what her Mom would do if she didn't like a bite from the puppy. It takes some practice but you don't have to be rough just a firm push down and roll her to her back,

Or bathe everyone in Lemon juice and you all won't tast so good :-)
Happy Tails to All
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lins_saving_grace

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2006, 02:28:28 pm »
Hi,

How old when you got her, pups learn what is ok and not for biting from momma.

You can try the dominance thing, When Lily bites you push her down onto her back and hold her there for like 30 seconds. That is what her Mom would do if she didn't like a bite from the puppy. It takes some practice but you don't have to be rough just a firm push down and roll her to her back,

Or bathe everyone in Lemon juice and you all won't tast so good :-)

This is a good idea...not only for biting, but also for other bad behavior.  It's not a bad idea to take puppies and teach them from an early age that you are the dominant one.  Grace's breeder told me to put Grace on her back and stare at her like that occasionally.. .especially when I was trying to teach her not to bite, etc.  it's easier to start this when they're young since it's hard to flip them over on their backs when they get heavy.

Offline RedyreRottweilers

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2006, 04:27:13 pm »

Puppies learn not to bite when you teach them. :D

The first thing this puppy would be learning at my house would be who is in charge. NOT HER. She would drag a line in the house when she is loose so I could control her. She would not be allowed to disrespect the other humans in the house, including the children, and children would not be allowed to "dis" the dog either. Each must learn limits and proper behavior.

This puppy would be on a rank reduction living schedule until further notice if she were mine:

http://www.sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library/alpha.htm

When the biting in uncontrollable, I would restrain her head in this manner:



Hold the muzzle and the collar right up behind the ears at the same time. If this is done properly, you can control a LARGE dog with one hand. So when she goes ballistic, restrain her head, look her in the eye, and say in a very low and growly tone, NO BITE. A normal puppy will look away, put it's ears back, lick out it's tongue, and in general demonstrate to you in dog talk that they understand you are the boss. Anytime you have to give this sort of correction, it should be followed by a 10 minute time out in the crate so that she can simmer down and lose some of her excitement. Be matter of fact about putting her in the crate, and also about letting her out. No making up. The alpha is entitled to demand a certain level of behavior from subordinates who live in the house.

I do not practice nor recommend alpha rolling.

Teach her bite inhibition and the leave it command using these methods:

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/spt/SPT_Puppies.htm

BUT body handling is excellent practice and should be done on all puppies. Gently lay the puppy on her side and hold her there with one hand on her neck/scruff, and one hand on her flank, with her back toward you.  Ignore struggles. Just hold her firmly but gently. No eye contact. As she begins to relax, start to massage and rub her with your hands, while you verbally soothe her. If she begins to struggle again, get quiet, and hold firmly but gently until she relaxes again. Work until she is very relaxed, and you can massage and knead and rub all over her. Back. Head. Chest. Legs. Once she is completely relaxed, inspect mouth, ears, feet, touch each toenail, and check under the tail.

Then turn her over and do the other side. This exercise will generally take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. DO NOT begin it if for ANY reason you won't be able to complete it.

You should do this at least once per week, and twice a week is better. W ith toy breeds, you can do it with them in your lap, and practice grooming at the same time.

I recommend you seek out training class with this puppy immediately. She is smart with a high activity level. If she is properly managed from now on, she will make a superb companion dog.

If not, she will be a problem. Most problem dogs are the smart ones who just were not trained, socialized, and managed properly.

Good luck with her, puppyhood is not a real fun time with some dogs, but if you work hard, it will surely be worth it!

:D
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Offline Boobearsmom

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2006, 04:52:02 pm »
Redyre,

What do you suggest instead of the growly "no" for a dog who is deaf?  ???   My Great Dane is and I've been having a problem with her and biting recently.  Any suggestions I would greatly appreciate!

Offline RedyreRottweilers

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2006, 03:06:06 pm »

You probably need a "knock it off" hand signal that you will use consistently with the dog.

Maybe the classic "finger waggle", combined with an exaggerated frown would work. Whatever you decide, just decide what to use, and use it consistently just as you would for a hearing puppy.

:D
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Offline gardenwitch

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Re: When do they stop biting?
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2006, 11:21:22 am »
Thanks everyone for the great tips!!

I will definetly keep on her about this. It gets very annoying.  She is crate trained. She does very well in it. She goes in it when she knows she did something bad...It's her little safe haven. The kids are kept away from it when shes in there, becasue thats her space.

Like I said me yelling no stops her. but me just saying no loudly doesn't work, I ave to YELL. My kids are like that too... :-\

:o)