Rhi*Jak*Ed Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Hi everyone, I have a 10 week old Jack Russell Terrier. She is innocent as anything to look at, but from day one she has bitten me, alot! She seems to be training well in other aspects, sits when told to and before receiving treats or dinner etc and just last week I taught her to drop which I was very pleased about. But she just won't stop biting me. The only time she allows me to pat her without biting is when she is tired and nodding off to sleep. I have tried time outs, spraying water, holding her by the back of the neck and giving a firm "no" - nothing seems to be working. If anything it all just seems to spur her on and she seems to think that it's a great old game! Her biting is certainly not limited to my hands or arms and she often attacks my feet and the backs of my legs. When I wear pants she latches onto them for dear life and often won't let go until she has put holes in them. Occasionally she has snarled at me when trying to release my pants from her grip. I love her, but this is driving me crazy and makes for alot of unpleasant experiences for her and I both. Is this just standard puppy behaviour? She has a great deal of toys that she can bite and chew away at, pigs' ears as well and rawhide and biscuit bones. She is happy with those but always seems to come back for more of my flesh. ARGH! Does anyone have any words of wisdom that they can share with me? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Rhi & Jak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Time Puppy Owner Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 the dof trainer we are seeing said if it is constant like it sounds like for you spray yourself with aeroguard! Good Luck hope this works!!! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Please note the word "terrier" - this is what they and many other puppies are like. I was walking around a yard at the weekend with a fox terrier puppy hanging off my pants. This little dog had also been mouthing people so they didn't want to adopt the dog. This is normal for a puppy, it's called nipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weisnjac Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Yes, he is a terrier :rolleyes: But, if you don't get on top of it now, it may get worse. Do you have a crate or maybe a small room where you can put him for time out? Everytime he starts nipping and wont stop, put him in time out for just a few minutes. This may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhi*Jak*Ed Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 First Time Puppy Owner, Is Aeroguard not likely to "poison" her? Granted she shouldn't like the taste... One would hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhi*Jak*Ed Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 weisnjac, Unfortunately I do not have a crate, however the only room in the house that I can use (and have been using) for time outs is the toilet. She cries like there is no tomorrow and I am very conscious of not disturbing the neighbours completely. I only leave her in there for about 15 seconds, which might explain why she comes out firing! I will try leaving her in there longer and will just turn up the tv ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Maybe a crate should be next on your shopping list :rolleyes: I find them very useful for sleeping, houstraining and for when play gets too rough. Do you have toys he can chew on? Can you redirect him to chew on his toys instead of you? The favourite around here (that is currently keeping my 12 month old Kelpie out of trouble) is a rope bone. Kongs and other hard plastic ones are also good and you can put food in them too to keep them busy for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disorder Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 hello, My puppy is 11 weeks old and also bites and nips at hands and anything else he can grab hold of when he is in one of his "moods". My partner and I have been using a really simple method that seems to work for us and our pup, when he gets over excited and starts doing this we yell "Ah Ah!!" and put both our palms up in front of him. He stops biting straight away and then we reinforce it by giving him a toy and ignore him for a bit until he calms down and forgets that he wants to bite and grab at our hands. Hope this helps! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Time Puppy Owner Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I liked disorder's idea cause I do something simila,r in that I say ahah and blow my breath up his nose and he hates it . But the guy from Dog tech said aeroguard was fine to use and I can't imagine that a qualified dog trainer would tell you something that would hurt your pup when they are all about not yelling or hitting your dog - you know?! Here is the website http://www.dogtech.com.au/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Do a search on this site on DogTech and you will see what they are about :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhi*Jak*Ed Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Well I have completely lathered myself in Aeroguard (I smell quite the treat! haha) and she has gone to bite me twice now and has since backed off. I am assuming that she will learn to associate that I taste bad if she bites me and that I won't have to be covered in Aeroguard forever? lol. Thankyou First Time Puppy Owner, it looks like I might get through tonight will very minimal bleeding :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Time Puppy Owner Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 You must smell just gorgeous! :rolleyes: I'm really glad that it helped, hopefully you wont have to do it for long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 (edited) Hi Rhi and Jak How old was Jak when you bought her home? If she was younger than 8 weeks could it be possible she is having a problem learning bite inhibition. Leaving litter mates before 8 weeks pups sometimes miss out on developing this, as it is taught by the mother/litter mates. edited for grammer Edited May 4, 2007 by husky87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 Bring on the chew toys . My standard poodle is going thru this to a lesser extent. It's mostly when he's excited so when I let him in the morning, I offer him a chew toy to occupy his teeth, instead. He's teething. BigW and Woolies have cheap cotton ropes for about $4 each. Also, check the "bargain" bin at pet shops for rubber toys that look like KONGs. Sometimes only about $5 and last for ages. YOU keep all chew toys (you must be the leader of the pack), give them to dog, then put away again. Word of warning about blowing into a dog's nose- Can be a good way to get bitten! My smaller poodle HATES this and it has been the only time he's ever looked as though he might bite me. This is a dog who had no problem with me putting pliers in his mouth (piece of bone stuck). Terriers are known for being fearless - e.g. Nasty spray bottle? Bring it on!- and energetic, but this biting needs to be nipped in the bud. They're also trainable, so don't give up. He just needs a strong leader. It's not something they grow out of on their own- have to learn not to do it. Training and obedience lessons will help you communicate with your dog better. They're based on rewards, not punishment, but you have to use "tough love" i.e. firm and consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryamartimmy Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 I'm getting a puppy at the end of the month, so I've been doing a lot of reading up on problem behaviours and how to combat them (not that it makes me an expert in any way, shape or form). Here's something I found in one of my books to teach your dog that you don't like to be nipped. Puppies use thier mouths to investigate things, much the same way humans use their hands. They also use their mouths in play, and sometimesk, to vent their high spirits. But needle-sharp teeth hurt, so puppies must be taught that nipping isn't nice. Caution: Resist the urge to jerk your hand away from your puppy when he clamps down on it. That's the canine version of an invitation to play, so pulling away just makes him come back for another nip. It's fine to pet your puppy as he licks and mouths you, but if he clamps down with his teeth, tell him it hurst. How? Say OUCH! And say it like you mean it. Screech it out ina high pitched voice that lets them know that he/she hurt you. Most pups lick you in apology. If a week or two of yelping OUCH doesn't make a different, use a different command that means "Don't bite". Then say it every time he touches you with his teeth, while putting your finger on his button nose and pressing gently. The last resort is dabbing Bitter Apple ont he part of you your puppy nips. It works especially well on sock and shoelace chasers. I hope this helps you a little. I'll be trying it out on mine too, if it's a problem.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Hi Rhi and Jak How old was Jak when you bought her home? If she was younger than 8 weeks could it be possible she is having a problem learning bite inhibition. Leaving litter mates before 8 weeks pups sometimes miss out on developing this, as it is taught by the mother/litter mates. edited for grammer I've had pups come to me at 6 weeks and others at 9 weeks and their lack of bite inhibition is no different. 8 weeks is not the magic age for learning bite inhibition, it continues until about 4mths. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 tyramartimmy- i would be extremely careful in following the advice to pet your puppy as they mouth- thats a reward for putting their mouth around a person which IMO is NOT the right message to send. There are many techniques- redirection to something appropriate, ignoring, corrections etc. It will be different for every puppy but is something that should be adressed straight away. Pups need to learn bite inhibition- but they don't need to bite you to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 the dof trainer we are seeing said if it is constant like it sounds like for you spray yourself with aeroguard! Aeroguard.....OMG that stuff is toxic!! Do NOT use Aeroguard to stop your puppy from nipping. You're better off with a spray of water from a water bottle or other techniques/methods as pointed out by Cosmolo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhi*Jak*Ed Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 the dof trainer we are seeing said if it is constant like it sounds like for you spray yourself with aeroguard! Aeroguard.....OMG that stuff is toxic!! Do NOT use Aeroguard to stop your puppy from nipping. You're better off with a spray of water from a water bottle or other techniques/methods as pointed out by Cosmolo. The Aeroguard only worked twice and she was just biting through it. Now I am just saying a loud no and ah-ah and she seems to respond. Not always, in which case I ignore her and go outside. It's slow, but we'll get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 (edited) IMO if you cant play nicely you dont play at all. I used time out and yes they do squeal, but I ignored it and they were let out after a few minutes. Sometimes they went straight back in as when I let them out I was "attacked " again. Persistance is also the key. Dont give up if something does not work straight away. Your puppy is still learning. Edited May 14, 2007 by BC Lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now