7 month old still biting

[Caitlin888]

Hi, Our 7 month old puppy is still biting our hands every time we try and interact with him and he doesn't already have a toy. How can I fix this, as I am pretty sure he is too old to be teething? I really need some advice.

Thanks,

Caitlin

[persephone]

It sounds as if you have not yet had  any sessions with a one-on-one trainer ? 

There are things I would do to baby pups, but definitely not to a 7 mth old one . 

You and pup NEED a personal trainer . 


One thing I can suggest ( OFF LABEL use .. use at own risk )  is to apply vicks vapor rub  to yr hands /fingers ....but really, to do this properly . to LEARN why the pup is doing this ..you do need to book a trainer's time

 

[Dogsfevr]

Agree with Persephone you need to get the trainer sooner than later or join an obedience club .

First step to remember is your pup isn't doing this deliberately & obviously doesn't understand its not allowed so there is some serious miscommunication happening ,you may be doing things unknowingly that is encouraging this behaviour so you need to seek someone who will teach you the right way to interact with your dog .

7 months dogs can still be mouthy & generally the ones that are is from taught behaviour as puppies that was encouraged for various reasons or unbeknown to the owners & is no longer fun or the pup is still confused as to what is expected .

 

What is the dog like when being brushed?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

He's not too old to be teething but that doesn't make it ok for him to be biting. 

 

What do you do when he bites or puts his mouth on you?   Whatever it is you do - is obviously not stopping the behaviour and might well be encouraging it. 

Things that encourage biting...

  * ripping your hand away and squealling. 

  * continuing to play with puppy or stay in the same room even tho he's bitten or is biting.

   * yelling when puppy bites.

  * doing nothing or ignoring the biting.

Things that may discourage the biting

  * leaving the puppy on its own.  leave the room, shut the door.  No running or yelling just leave.

  * really gently and slowly pushing hand or bitten thing towards back of puppy's mouth until puppy tries to spit you out - count 1 or 2 bananas and then let puppy spit you out.  repeat for any time he bites.   But I'm not sure I'd want to try this on a 6 month old puppy - it's much better when they're still tiny.  

   * freezing and avoiding direct eye contact with puppy.  This is a little bit like leaving the room.  But it can take the puppy a while to notice something went wrong.

   * redirect onto something else but this is not good if that's how the puppy gets the toy it wants.

   * having the give and geddit game really strong and well understood - so puppy knows when to let go and when to grab (and what to grab ie the toy).
 

You may benefit from professional help - especially someone who can help you with your timing and movement.   And  hopefully one that doesn't use yelling or yanking or otherwise hurting the puppy (aversives) to try to get it to stop.

[Tassie]

Professional help certainly wouldn't go astray.   Most puppies who have had a good experience in their litter and who have been trained by their new owners, will typically have started to give up on biting the humans by about 4 months.  Although they may continue a bit of gentle 'retrieve the arm' a bit longer .. but that is a different thing, and is almost a game played by consent.

 

So my go tos .... make sure you always have a replacement chew item - can be piece of cardboard - within a metre or two, so that you can give a verbal interrupt (mine is "I don't think so" (because it's said calmly, not like growling or yelling) and I give the pup the replacement legitimate chew item and tell him quietly what a good decision he's made.   The n leave him to it for a while

                     ....  try to have some small treats on you or close by wherever you are, so that you're able to reward the pup with a treat for exercising self control and keeping his teeth to himself or his things he can chew.   Maybe asking for a sit and rewarding that before trying to touch him.

 

So the principle is .. set the pup up for success, try to work out what the triggers are and change the scenario, interrupt and redirect, and reward always for good decisions.

My gung ho 4 month old was quite mouthy - hands and feet and pant legs and shoes, but now she mainly reserves that for playing bitey face with my adult dog, although she occasionally tests to see if the rules have changed ... they haven't  .

 

[Caitlin888]

Persephone- I am keen to get a one on one trainer however they are quite expensive and I am worried I won't get the results out of it or if I leave getting a trainer he may mature and stop doing some of these bad habits over time. As somedays he has good days where he behaves really well which gives me hope that he may just grow out of it but then there are some bad days where he bites, barks, scratches at the door non-stop, and I feel like we really need a trainer. I think I will get one just to help teach us what we can do to fix these issues.

 

Dogsfevr- He is pretty good being brushed but occasionally has days when all he wants to do is bite your hands or the brush. 

 

Mrs rusty bucket and Tassie - thanks for the advice, we will try and do that. 

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

 

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gives me hope that he may just grow out of it

I would not rely on this hope.  Some behaviours are "self rewarding" ie if you're just hoping and not providing some sort of training or response cost, the behaviour will get worse if you do nothing (as far as the dog can tell).

Barking, biting, digging are all self rewarding behaviours - they just feel good...

 

My dog uses her mouth a bit like I use my hand - she does sometimes put her mouth on me to get my attention but she does not clamp down (unless she's mistaken me for the toy  or treat (never play tug in the dark).

There is some good info on "bite inhibition" here and how to train it.   You need to be as consistent as possible, don't let things slide on the bad days - and try to pay attention to what triggers them (eg did you skip a walk - maybe a frozen stuffed kong will make up for it?)
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition

[persephone]

This is an excerpt from a very experienced and reliable dog expert
The article is a very informative read ! http://k9protraining.com.au/punishing-puppies/
 

 

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No correction method in this house!

This is not a bad way to go but often people have zero rules, boundaries or management either and they are subject to a rambunctious puppy living in their house that knows no limits. When I meet these families they will often desperately clarify with me that “he/she will grow out of it?!“

The sad news is that puppy will not at all grow out of a behaviour, in fact they grow into them. Rehearsal is the number one behaviour reinforcer, in fact we have a special name for it, its called a habit.

 

 

[Caitlin888]

Thank you!!!

[Dogsfevr]

Its cheaper to pay for help now than have to completely retrain an adult dog or you start to resent the dog ,this isn't the dogs fault & so far your having issues that aren't getting better .Often it can take one session for a good trainer to pin point what is going on or a good obedience club .

 

The fact your pup wants to bite your hands when being brushed is an issue ,a dog of that age should not be ruling the brush time unless the tools you are using are not correct,the dog has knots & granted some dog don't have a good pain threshold ,not being brushed on a good neutral,non slip area & not respecting this is an important part of life ,a dog being brushed is for the next 12 or more years you need to address the issue quickly ,if the dog attends a groomer ask what the behaviour is like there as by this age it should have experienced being trimmed