Biting Puppy

[ClayBen]

Hi all,

I have a 10 week old SBT puppy that is constantly biting and nipping - and it bloody hurts!
I generally discourage him with a firm NO or some time out in a pen if that doesn't work.
He is getting better - so this seems to be working - slowly.

He also absolutely LOVES to play tug with a leather bite rag - was just wondering wether I should hold off on the tug play until he gets out of his biting phase ( in case he is confused with being allowed to bite and then not allowed).

Any advice is much appreciated.

Cheers

[KobiD]

I've just been through the same thing. Ours is a staffy x and was a real mouthy little girl. Ankles, feet, thongs, shorts, hands, etc. Also really likes to play tug, we use a long rope, and use it for training as well.

 

I think you'll be fine as long as you set some boundaries with the games. Same as with normal mouthing, if teeth contact skin the game stops. If teeth stay on the rope, the game continues. Sometimes in the afternoons the crazies would kick in, and not much would help other than some time for pup to wind down alone.

 

With the tug toys, work on the leave it, drop it, sit, fetch, etc. Use the toy as a reward and be mindful of the dogs excitement levels. If he becomes over stimulated have a break.

With the mouthing I have found lots of praise for not biting has made the biggest difference. Hand towards the puppy, teeth and I break contact and do my own thing, a slight touch and she gets a reward, and build on it. When I break contact I use a noise, but you're firm no should be sufficient too. Just be consistent, and try not to get too frustrated. I know I did at times, particularly if I was trying to get something done and the puppy would persistently try to nip. It gets easier the more time you put in rewarding desired behaviour, and ignoring/correcting the others.

 

With the tug toys I keep them out of sight, and am the one to initiate the game, and the one who decides when it's over. Building on the dogs impulse control by making him wait until you release him to play, and then redirecting on command will help with the nipping of people too, in that you'll have been training in drive so when the dog does get excited he'll be more familiar with knowing that its OK to be wound up, but to still listen to cues/commands.

 

[Tassie]

Just in addition to the great advice from KobiD , for a 10 week old baby, I would also be using interrupt/redirect .... which does mean having something the puppy is allowed to chew close to hand all through the house .. cardboard tubes are great .. insides of paper towel rolls, etc.    So if the pup starts nipping, I'd use an interrupt noise .. like a low uh uh . as I'm reaching for the permitted thing .. then engage the puppy with the cardboard tube or whatever .. and tell puppy he's wonderful .. have a little tug to engage him, and leave him to it.

 

So what you're doing here is giving the pup information about what is OK to chew and what isn't .      Time out is fine if the pup is completely OTT, but this is for times when pup just needed to chew on something.    It takes a little while, (took 3 weeks to convince my baby BC that my pants legs were not for chewing), but it's a nice positive interaction with your pup.  Helps if you're not too house proud too  

 

So nice that your boy is enjoying little tug games ... lovely way to engage him.   Agree with the advice you've been given about the rules of tug.

 

ETA // meant to say .. when you're interrupting the nipping behaviour, just keep your voice low, otherwise you'll sound like one of the littermates he's been used to chewing on.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Tassie

[Effieng Tonks]

I have a biting problem with my GSD, Titan. He doesn't seem to understand the difference between biting when we play and biting afterwards. I have tried to teach him the difference between biting his toys and biting people but it hasn't seemed to click yet. I have heard that you have to train them to bite softer when you play with them? If there is any solutions anyone has been successful with please let me know.

 

[rubiton]

Good luck and found the advice they tend to lose interest once the adult teeth come through at 6 months was correct.  Yelping worked for a while then it didn't, No didnt work til much laer when she learnt what that meant, standing up and leaving her in her puppy play pen worked best then go back a few minutes later and its either lick (and stay) or bite again and leave.  Different things worked at different stages.

[KobiD]

Great advice above. I'm finding that true too. What works in one instance doesn't necessarily work in another.

[Effieng Tonks]

One technique I have seen some people do to train their puppies about what to bite is to get the toy and put it and your hand by the puppy. Let him bite the toy, and encourage it, then "force" him to bite your hand by putting it in front of his face . When he does bite your hand, act like he is hurting you. This is done to teach him his bite strength as well as differentiating between toys and people. Puppies get the most confused when told yes or no at different times so presenting both stimuli to him at once can make it easier for them to distinguish good dog from bad dog. 

[ClayBen]

Thanks all. Haven't had the chance to log in - so missed all your great replies.

I have continued with the 'NO' , walk away and timeout if needed - the little guy has really improved quickly - and now only mouthes hand instead of a bite if he makes contact. Slowly but surely........

And still playing tug games which he loves!