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My dog constantly bites me whe we are playing. It's not a hard bite but it's annoying. All we want to do is play.

Our dog constantly bites at us when we are trying to play with him. It's not hard but it's just not the right thing to do. He can't just lay still or play without biting us. Help!!!


Asked by Guest 981148 on Aug 16th 2009 Tagged dachshund, biting, chewinf in Behavior & Training
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Katie

Hi there!

I'm guessing he's either less than a year old, or never learned bite inhibition as a puppy. Dogs have to be taught that biting is not play to us, and that our skin is thin with no coat of fur to protect us! Here's what to do:

1. Keep a short leash on him - just let him drag it around until he's used to it.

2. When he tries to nip or bite, offer him a toy instead.

3. If he bites the toy, encourage him with a "good boy!"

4. If he goes back to biting you, use the "ah, ah" sound to tell him no. (This works because you are less likely to yell ah-ah when you're frustrated. Yelling "NO!" is a sign of weakness to a dog!)

5. If he stops at "ah-ah," great! Praise, treat, continue to play.

6. If he bites again, say ah-ah and briskly pick up the leash and walk him to a safe, boring place (the back yard or laundry room work fine).

7. After 5 minutes, bring him back to play.

8. Repeat consistently.

He will learn that ah-ah means isolation, and will stop when he hears that sound.


Katie answered on 8/16/09. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 2 Report this answer


Aster

Most dogs will do that unless trained not to. Back when I didn't know to train a dog out of it, I had one that did it until he was 13.

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 8/17/09. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Guest

BUY SOME DOG CHEWS,THE FLAT TYPE,MADE IN THE U.S.A.


Guest 004578 answered on 8/23/09. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


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