# Biting!!!



## Mommy_2_Duke (Jan 13, 2010)

Duke recently started biting everything and everyone and he´s doing it _*constantly*_.He went from sleeping most of the day,to being awake and biting all the time.
No one can pet him (not even me) and if we are sitting with him and he thinks he can reach,he jumps at our face!

I have 3 kids,and one is just 21 months old,and he really hurts her  She has scratches on her wrists,her ankles and he pulls her hair etc,I honestly dont know what to do with him!
She´s only little and she cant get away quick enough,so Im having to keep him away from the kids all together for now,because the biting is a problem.
He is around people ALL the time,he´s around our other dogs,he goes outside plenty etc etc,what can I do?

Ive tried making a loud noise (with an empty waterbottle and banging it to the ground) and saying "NO!",we have actually yelped (cant help it! he draws blood!),we have turned our back to him and tried to ignore him and we have tried bitter spray etc,but he will _not_ stop biting.

Infact,all of the things we do to get him stop,make him incredibly angry and thats when he throws himself at our face,growls,snaps,barks etc etc
My husband says that if he doesnt stop soon,and he hurts the kids one more time,he´ll have to go :uhoh:

What do i do? :uhoh:


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## 2Retrievers222 (Sep 5, 2007)

what I did after a face full of teeth was, the next time he jumped I grabbed scruff as he was coming up, then put him to ground saying loud no


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

He's a puppy...a very young one at that. Keep doing what you're doing, there are plenty of posts under the puppy section dealing with the same thing you're going through. This phase will pass (though probably not as soon as you'd like). You could try putting butter on your hand and let him lick it off, teaching the "kiss" or "lick" command...he won't be biting if he's licking. Reward good behavior & redirect the bad. This would be a big reason why I don't recommend puppies for families with small children.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Don't you have an x pen where he can stay and play while the children are around? That way he's still part of the action but not a danger to the kids anymore. The reason why puppies usually can't go to homes before they are 8 weeks old, is that in the last weeks the bite inhibition is taught by the littermates. As you had Duke from very early on, he missed out on that and you'll have to teach him...


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Hand feeding sometimes helps. So does replacing you hand (or face) with an acceptable chew toy. Most of us have been right there where you are but it does get better. A quick search and you will find hundred of puppy biting threads.


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## anniekc (Jan 29, 2010)

Finn is 14 weeks and he's ALL bite these days- it's driving me crazy too. Some of the things we've been doing besides handing him the nearest chewy toy, are:

Frozen washclothes. He loves them and I'm sure they feel good on growing teeth.
Immediately putting him in his crate if he starts biting. No discussion, he just gets calmly picked up and bang! No more fun.
Gently holding his mouth shut for like, 10 seconds and saying "NO".

Now, I know there are a lot of people on the board who don't like you to say "No", or tap them on their noses to get them to stop doing something, but I've raised a lot of dogs and I've not had a problem with doing it. You've got a real problem on your hands and putting the pup in an indoor pen and not letting the kids have "free reign" with him may be the way to get through this. It's hard to tell your kids not to play with their puppy for awhile, but.....the alternative is pretty ugly too!

Puppyhood just seems like it lasts forever! Best to you-


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has a position paper on punishment: 
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonl...Statements/Combined_Punishment_Statements.pdf

There are many ways other than punishment to change behavior.

1) Find an appropriate basic training class. This will show you how to communicate with Duke and teach Duke how to appropriately ask for attention.
2) Change your lengths and types of exercise. Putting him outside doesn't really count as exercise.
3) Provide all meals through food dispensing toys (Kbble Nibble, Tug a Jug, etc) or through training. 
4) Keep him away from the kids if you are not carefully managing the situation. His wild moments are not appropriate for everyone to be together. 
5) Daily off property leash walks (...in areas not frequented by many other dogs/if he is at least 10 days after his first set of vaccinations). 
6) Especially work on a "Go to Mat" and Hand Target behaviors. 
7) Depending on ages, get the two older kids to help with training. Clicker training is great for this. They can be the 'clicker-er' or "treat tosser" even from the other side of a gate. (There's a very cute "Clicker Puppy" DVD that has kids training puppies!)
8) Don't go too crazy... this is normal puppy behavior (Note... normal...not "acceptable and should be tolerated!"). 
9) And if you're feeling evil..... invite all of your friends over who say they want a puppy or that their kids want a puppy...!


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## Mommy_2_Duke (Jan 13, 2010)

Thank you all for the advice,I was worried that all this biting wasnt normal or signs that he´d be an agressive dog.At least thats what my husband is worried about (I´ll tell him to relax a little and that its normal).

Starting tommorow,I´ll start redirecting him with a toy or putting him in his crate,and I´ll do my best to keep my totally curious toddler away from him when he gets playful..that its self will be difficult! lol

When do they lose their puppy teeth? I dont know that because with my yorkshire terriers,we always had their baby teeth pulled to stop their mouth being over crowded with adult and baby teeth..

Thanks again!!


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

_If I remember correctly, you got Duke at FOUR weeks old. Certainly, he needed another four weeks with his littermates to learn bite inhibition and how to determine when he's hurting someone. For now, I wouldn't let him "play" with your children. He's all about exploring his world with his mouth, and a toddler can't really respond appropriately to that. In a few weeks, enroll in a puppy kindergarten class if there is such a thing where you live. you cannot expect this very young puppy to know how to act and react to his environment at this point. Sorry to sound harsh, but quite frankly, I was horrified when you got him at four weeks old._


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Duke is not in any way being aggressive, using their mouths is the way puppies interact with their world, their littermates, and any thing in their path. Because he didn't get to stay with his littermates long enough he didn't learn bite inhibition through playing with them. You need to specifically teach him bite inhibition, I'm sure you can find information on that searching the web. Or if you can find a puppy play group to take him too several times a week that will help him learn not to bite so hard. It will take consistency and lots of work. 

Teach him the "kiss" command by putting peanut butter on your hand and saying "kiss" when he licks. Redirect him to a chew toy when he starts to bite skin, and you will have to keep your toddler and Duke seperated until he learns not to bite. 

But please don't think he's being aggressive, he is not. Think of him like a three month old human baby, everything goes in their mouth, Duke just has teeth.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

mylissyk said:


> Or if you can find a puppy play group to take him too several times a week that will help him learn not to bite so hard. It will take consistency and lots of work.


Due to his history, a better option would be "appropriate adult dogs" to ensure he's not bullying other puppies. Find a good, positive local trainer to help you find a play group with puppies or adults. Your boy may be at a higher risk for inappropriate play, and a few sessions with a professional pointing out body language can help you learn how to keep play safe.


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