# Likes to Bite



## sjhhjew (Mar 9, 2013)

My 15 week old standard loves to nip & bite. He knows it's wrong, because before I can even scold him he turns his head & gives me that "I'm sorry" look. He is already housebroken, & he's very smart. I know he is cuttin teeth, but he has plenty, of good hard toys & chewy's. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.......All my clothes are getting these lil holes & tears in them where he jumps & bites at me. Please help me!:afraid:


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Well, there is a problem here in my opinion.

Your puppy is behaving normally, and you're using one of the least effective training methods. 

It's normal for puppies to be mouthy, they explore, play, and experience with their mouths and paws. Your puppy doesn't really know how to be anything but a puppy. Imagine if this was the other way around, and your puppy was asking you to learn and have fun with him by only using your mouth, you'd be confused!

Your puppy doesn't know that what it's doing is wrong, just that you're stressed and upset at it. You don't have to say anything to a puppy for them to know you're upset. They can sense the change in your body. 

Redirect his biting to something he should bite (a bullystick, a kong packed full of nummy treats) and heavily praise him. This will take some time, but it will work. 

Another great method is ending the attention and fun. Teach your puppy that mouthing you gets nothing. Cross your arms, face away from your puppy, and do not look at them if the redirection alone doesn't work.

Not everyone trains their dogs purely through positive reinforcement, but for simple things like mouthing, pottying, etc, it really does translate better than a system of punishment.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It's very important to teach pups how to be gentle with their mouths, before expecting them to stop play biting humans altogether. There is a good explanation here: Puppy Class And Biting, Mouthing Puppies | Dog Star Daily along with lots of other good advice on raising a pup.


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## Mikey'sMom (Feb 21, 2012)

If he puts his teeth on you, just stand up and remove all attention.

Or alternatively, say "OUCH!" loudly, pull your hand away quickly, pause, and then offer a chew toy and praise a lot when he chews it.

If he is biting you in excitement when taking a toy from you, maybe try making him sit first, and don't offer the toy until he is calm.

Definitely work on it, because a full grown standard nipping you hurts, even if it is accidental! I was playing frisbee with mine today and he got overly excited and grabbed at the frisbee before I threw it. Ended up with a bleeding finger...needless to say, we will be working on this a bit more ourselves, LOL!


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## Oreo's Mommy (Dec 18, 2012)

Oreo is a biter and a humper. We are working on the biting by saying ouch and ending the play immediately...sort of like a brief time out. As for the humping...as long as he only humps his things I guess I can live with it.


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## Lene (Jan 18, 2013)

I have some dermatitis of my hands, and in a lot of places all of the first layer of skin is gone... If storm touches my hands with his teeth, I scream... (probably not scream as in murder, but as in pain) It's very, very painful...

Storm has learned to not put his teeth on me (I suspect that he can't handle the sound I make.. lol)

I always feel so bad that I can't play puppy games with him, but at least he's got excellent bite inhibition.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

sjhhjew said:


> My 15 week old standard loves to nip & bite. He knows it's wrong, because before I can even scold him he turns his head & gives me that "I'm sorry" look. He is already housebroken, & he's very smart. I know he is cuttin teeth, but he has plenty, of good hard toys & chewy's. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.......All my clothes are getting these lil holes & tears in them where he jumps & bites at me. Please help me!:afraid:


Well, first he's 15 weeks. So, I would expect the biting, mouthing, etc., and I think everyone here gave you good advice. When my Jake was that age (I got him at 12 weeks) I swear my friends thought I had rose bushes at home with all the little marks on my hands, and he would jump up and try to grab the back of my jean legs, too, when he was a little puppy. With redirecting, easy correction and consistency, he will grow out of it.


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

Also, get him in puppy kindergarten & playing with other puppies. They will help teach him bite inhibition. 

Go to Ian Dunbar's Dog Star Daily for more information on bite inhibition & how to teach it.

Dogs read body language very well. He is just learning & only knows you aren't happy for some reason. Keep your expectations reasonable for him.
Dogs don't learn the way people do. Read "the Culture Clash"


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## Sydney (Mar 10, 2013)

I was at my wits end with Faith. She would jump and nip so randomly that nothing I tried worked. I had a stack of ruined T-shirts and my arms looked like I was a cutter. Believe me, I tried everything.

One evening I tried blowing in Faith's face when she jumped. She hated it and the behavior stopped! It probably was a random coincidence, but might be worth a try.


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## logan0423 (Feb 13, 2013)

Dobi is 13 weeks and he is especially bad about nipping. This is a lot of great information, but I'm curious as to what to do if we weren't giving him attention in the first place? I tried the "Ouch!" method when he would nip my hand, but it didn't phase him at all. The redirection method has been working well for us when we are giving him attention, but he is bad about nipping at our clothes as we are walking around the house. So my question is (since there is nothing at hand to redirect him to & we weren't giving him any attention to now take away from him) how do we get our point across in this situation? I say "No" and this works with some success, but very little. I don't mean to hijack the thread. I'm hoping my question can work together with the initial question.


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

If you find that you don't have anything to redirect him onto, then you need to prepare yourself. Get into the habit of stuffing a plush toy into the side of your pants until he learns. Buy a bunch at the dollar store and stash them around the house for easy and quick access. This is only temporary. Think of it as part of puppy proofing your house. Anytime they chew on ANYthing inappropriate and this includes humans OR furniture, redirect onto something appropriate and reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. 

If a behavior pays off, then it'll be repeated.

If a behavior doesn't pay off, then it'll become extinct. 

Make desired behaviors pay off.


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## sjhhjew (Mar 9, 2013)

I've learned to replace something he can bite on when he bites on me. I have also learned that Ceasar is very much a creature of habit. I have a toy poodle, & she is smart, but it seems Ceasar is much smarter. Their both a big part of my family & I love both of them very much!


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## DivinityPoodles (Jan 23, 2012)

I have found that if the 'Ouch' gets them more excited (which generally has been what happened) a growl and baring of teeth got the point across. I only had to do it once with one of mine and a couple of times with the other. No physical contact but a very definite 'this is not acceptable' growl. I think the deeper sound rather than the higher pitched yelp worked better and quicker and avoided bloodshed.


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