How Should I Respond To 8 Month Old Puppy's Play Biting?

[fainty_girl]

Hi everyone,

My 8 month old kelpie X coolie puppy Tilly seems to be play biting (my hands and wrists mainly) quite a lot now, particularly with me. What is the best way to respond to her play biting? She does not normally bite hard, and the worst she has done is leave a tiny red mark on my skin.

How should I respond to her play biting? I've been telling her a firm 'no' and then I will ignore her.

She has loads of different toys to chew on too.

Tilly came from the pound 2.5 weeks ago as a stray.

As a side note, Tilly was desexed last Monday, so this week she has not been able to have daily off-leash exercise that we had been giving her before her operation. She has still been going for 1-2 walks on the lead each day, but was not allowed to go for a walk for a couple of days after being desexed, so she has had a quieter week. So possibly, she could be play biting more out of boredom.

Edited November 30, 2008 by fainty_girl

[Nicole...]

Yelping and withdrawing your hand works well with younger puppies so I presume it would work for an older pup. I would continue to play and if she bites hard again repeat, after the second or third time I'd cross my arms and look away or stand up and ignore her for 30 seconds or so. When she is offering you a good behaviour, then return to the game. You'll be amazed at how valuable your attention is to her and how she will soon work out that biting takes it away!

[Melissa4]

Yelping and withdrawing your hand works well with younger puppies so I presume it would work for an older pup.

We've always done this with our pups - we yelp really loud, and they quickly learnt to stop. At one point I even "Whimpered" like a baby puppy and they definately changed their ways.

I think you would be surprised in how well they respond to it.

=) Good luck!

[Tim & Tanya]

Our puppy also does this... we are trying the "sinbin" approach. Locking him away in a room that doesn't have toys or anything that would occupy him, let him out after couple min.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Tim & Tanya

[puggy_puggy]

Our puppy also does this... we are trying the "sinbin" approach. Locking him away in a room that doesn't have toys or anything that would occupy him, let him out after couple min.

Mmmm can't say I agree with you doing that.

My prefered method is to either 'yelp', because they do instantly know that they have hurt you and they shouldn't be doing that, and get a toy and put in their mouth instead.

[FB Rescue_Adoption]

we use a firm 'Haaaar' and then get up and move away. If you persist with this they learn that it is not acceptable behaviour and soon get the message ;-)

[Wing]

i do the yelping as well, but maybe i did it too loud sometimes that i scared him... haha

[Dogsfevr]

Here its a very simple "no"On the spot & instant.Nothing to encourage the behavior or to make the discipline more attention than is needed.

I have gundogs so there mouthy & pups also explore with there mouths so i am always happy to compromise on my terms & have never had an issue.

Pups can sometimes crave of the reaction of there owners & the more fancy it is the more fun the bad action can be.

Say no & walk away

[Jigsaw]

When she play bites do you have a toy in your hand? Or is it more when you are handling her ie petting, grooming etc? If you have a toy in your hand she may see your hand as part of the toy and hasn't learnt to distinguish the difference yet. Waving hands can excite dogs. Is she a rescue? She may not have had a lot of this type of play previously, try directing her play to a toy you have thrown away from you. Using a no and withdrawing play is probably a good option when mouthing happens, game ends completely. If she's mouthing when you're handling her she may not be comfortable with the close contact, or be used to being petted or groomed and she's using her mouth to tell you this.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Jigsaw

[BigBen]

Ben is also very mouthy at nearly 6 months old... He no longer bites, but put his open mouth on my arm... I don't move my arm, just give a low growl and he removes his mouth... The reason I do it this way is because, if I move my arm he'll move with it.

[fainty_girl]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! Tilly hasn't play bitten me many times today, but when she has I did do a yelp and that did seem to stop it. The first time I yelped, she stopped and then licked me instead. I'll continue to do yelp if needed to see if it keeps on working with her. I've asked my family to do the same, and my younger brother told me that when he yelped it did stop her a bit.

When she play bites do you have a toy in your hand? Or is it more when you are handling her ie petting, grooming etc? If you have a toy in your hand she may see your hand as part of the toy and hasn't learnt to distinguish the difference yet. Waving hands can excite dogs. Is she a rescue? She may not have had a lot of this type of play previously, try directing her play to a toy you have thrown away from you. Using a no and withdrawing play is probably a good option when mouthing happens, game ends completely. If she's mouthing when you're handling her she may not be comfortable with the close contact, or be used to being petted or groomed and she's using her mouth to tell you this.

Tilly will play bite me when i'm patting her and when she's sitting/cuddled into me. It doesn't happen when I have a toy in my hand. I think she's made it a bit of a game for herself.

Yes Tilly is a rescue, we adopted her from the pound 19 days ago as a stray. I really believe that Tilly has spent most of her life in her previous owner's yard, with little discipline and attention paid to her. Fortunately, I don't think she has been physically abused by her previous owners at all. She is completely fearless!

She is a very cuddly, affectionate, confident and friendly dog. I don't think that she is the slightest bit uncomfortable with being petted. Quite the opposite...she loves it!