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Biting Pup - How to break him?
My pup is a lab/probably boxer mix rescue. He is approx. 10-11 weeks old is our best guess. I know puppies bite, just like a baby , everything goes in the mouth. My question is when he gets "mad" and aggressive with me (there is a difference between his playing and his being mad) he growls and starts biting real hard, what is a positive way to make him stop. I have tried making him lay down and calmly telling him no and not letting him up till he calms down, but I have read that Boxers will try to dominate their owners and I do not want to have this kind of trouble with him as he gets bigger. Thanks!
Asked by
Bear
on Aug 25th 2009
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in Aggression
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- This question is closed.
Best Answer
Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find one that won't yelp, jerk their hand away, and leave.
You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens. Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords. Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.
The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.
Aster answered on Aug 25th.
Other Answers
Answers
As dogs are pack animals and very social the recommendation for biting is:
1. Never pull your hand/body part away.
2. Look puppy dead in the eye and say "NO!", sharply. This should make pup let go and back off.
3. Then leave and ignore the pup. This should be distressing to the puppy.
AND - start training puppy that nice things happen when he uses his mouth carefully.
We used a little peanut butter spread in the palm of one hand. Then play with the puppy or offer a treat. When puppy is to rough or bites we said "NO!". Then we said "nice" or "easy" and offered the peanut butter hand, which of course could only be eaten by licking. Praise the puppy when he is using his mouth "nice".
Lots of practice is needed because Labs are mouth oriented dogs.
Cricket
answered on 8/25/09.
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I always offer an acceptable chew toy when the pup starts biting. If he gets , as you say, mad, then I just pop him in his crate for a minute or two... a "cool off" period. It has to happen instantly or it doesn't work. If his crate isn't really handy, then I remove myself from the room the puppy is in, again, just for a minute so he learns that biting results in the removal of the "toy" he's biting, in this case, me!
I would not ever put food on my hand and offer that to the pup... hands are not acceptable chew toys in my opinion.
B.J., CGC
answered on 8/25/09.
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I have the same problem with my german shepard/boxer mix, he is nine months old. it is partly the playful domonince personality of the boxer, but not completely. i found that if i grab a handful of treats & command a few simple tricks such as sit/ stay/ lie down/ leave it, my dog will calm down & want to do everything to please me. a spritz with a water bottle works decently too. but i suggest that you get it taken care of while he/she is still that young/small, because a 70 pound dog growling & jumping all over & biting everyone int fun for anybody.
chewy
answered on 8/25/09.
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well, this is a very common problem you are not alone.
Buy alot of toys the flossie rope is great, the kong, the fire hose toys.
remember they are never to be unsupervised as all toys can shred and be dangerous.
Kong stuff them. He will be chewing alot and then he will shed his baby teeth in few months also.
After you play and want to rest place the dog into a crate with the kong, he will problay chew til he falls asleep. That is good thing. In a couple of weeks enter him into an obedience class that uses positive reinforcement, they can teach you how to redirect and learn commands.
You can start at home now if you know how. The session are short and fun.
Dieta
answered on 8/26/09.
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