Puppy biting.....I just have to vent! (want to scream, could almost cry...hate this part)

[Jodie]

I have been so completely frustrated with the biting that Dex is doing. I thought about waiting another month before complaining again. However, I also know that I'm not alone in my frustrations and (at some point) it may be helpful to look back at this time and see some improvements. I have confidence that things will get better--I'm not sure it can get worse!

Dexter has acted more aggressive lately. In the week since his training, we have been practicing "ignoring" the bad biting behavior. He has become more persistent and has drawn blood on my hands as well as a few holes in my pants and a couple of shirt sleeves of my daughter. The bloody/scabbed knicks are still appearing on our other dog and I do my best to try to separate/distract them. Unfortunately for my older dog, he is not conditioned to bite back. He appears to open his mouth and growls, but he will not inflict any type of harm on this puppy or people. We've done the "be a tree" thing and have the butt bruises (from biting) to prove it. I keep thinking maybe we overlooked something there. ha!

WE still love Dex and we continue to try to have patience. But secretly, I just can't stand this puppy stage. I am not a "puppy person". I realize it's all part of raising a dog and I can thankfully say that I'm relieved puppy years don't last as long as toddler years in humans. I'm really praying that the weather gets better so we can be outside more. If I could tire him out more, he would have less indoor energy to misbehave.

Anyway, that's my update. We go back to training on Tuesday night and I'm already excited to see what we work on next. One thing I would like to mention.....I did take my 13 year old daughter with me to the training. It has really helped to build a bond between her and Dex. She feels involved with his training and I can see that she's having more patience with him during these difficult puppy challenges we face. Typically, she would put him in his kennel. I'm happy to report, he spent the day OUT of the kennel with all of us. ACCIDENT FREE!!!! No accidents in the house!! YEAH!!!

[Jeri]

I agree with Ann Bankart's commet below. Biting humans is not acceptable behavior and should be stopped. Check out Ceasar Milans site for help with this issue--SOON. Mine tried to play nip a few times but learned quickly when I grabbed his muzzle with lip over the teeth to stop. He stopped quickly. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Sandy]

Oh how I remember these days. Toby was a biter - but never drew blood or bit me from behind. I thought I'd lose my mind. Thankfully we are past that now, and edging ever closer to adulthood - he's almost 8 months old. The puppy stage is not my favourite either. I enjoy a well behaved adult dog. We are slowly but surely getting there. I do still occassionally need to crate him when he gets wild. He is like an overtired toddler - he just CANNOT settle himself down. So I crate him for 5 minutes or so, and when he comes out he's calm as can be. I hope your pup settles down soon and becomes more enjoyable for the family.

[Jodie]

I hadn't thought about the kennel in that way--your right. I do try to remove 1 yr olds from the situation as discipline would be silly at that age of a baby. That makes me feel a lot better.

Yvonne, I'm certain that I've tried this technique and it's not worked. In fact, it seems to make Dex more frustrated and the minute I let go of his muzzle, he snaps at me and barks. He's very bossy in that regard. The only time he won't bark or snap at me is when I pick him up and hold him. I try to NOT do this immediately following a barking/nipping situation. But there are other circumstances that I try to praise him for being good. He LOVES to be held and cuddled. There is hardly a moment that he bites at me or barks when I do this. However, the minute I put him down, he will bite me in the leg. I tell him, "NO BITE!" He will then lean forward and bark at me. If I say, "NO BARK," I've learned that also encourages him to bark back, so I just turn away from him or walk away. He will bite me in the back of the legs or butt. I will stop, wait a minute without speaking and walk again and he will jump and bite at me again. I can't let my arms hang by my sides, or he will bite my hands. He gets PLENTY of attention from me, so I'm not sure why he feels he needs to do this.

Yesterday, my husband and I took him for a walk to practice his loose leash walking. He is not very good at it, but after 5-6 blocks, he tires enough to be fairly consistent. However, if my husband has the leash, Dex will pull and drag him until he's almost choking in an effort to get to me. When he gets next to me, he will jump up and bite me in the hands or upper leg or jacket. He will walk and jump up to bite at me. This goes on repeatedly until something else grabs his attention, then he's back at walking--jumping--biting at me!! Oddly enough, I can tell that he's "happy" while he's doing this. It doesn't appear to be aggressive biting, but more of a "play with me" or "dominance" situation. I'm not sure, but it almost appears as if he's smiling.

My 5 yr old will scream when Dex comes to her now. She's so fearful that he is going to bite at her that the idea of being a "tree" is about out of the question. I have to keep Dex on a leash and remove him from her or he will bite and he seems encouraged if she screams. Again, same rules apply as above--if she holds him, he stops biting her (unless she sits down with him--then he bites again). He's 20 pounds now, so she's not able to hold him for long before he gets too heavy for her.

Hopefully, these things are all normal and we aren't raising a dog that will be a forever biter.

[Yvonne, Riley, Murphy and Luca]

I don't think ignoring the behavior is going to work. You need to address the issue with him and make sure he knows it is not ok to bite. Everyone in the house must do this for it to be effective. When he bites grab his muzzle get in real close to him and give him a loud and stern "no bite" then release and play. If he does it again repeat. Sometimes turning his lip in and letting him bite himself is the next step. It is a matter of being consistent and doing it everytime he opens his mouth and puts it on you or someone else.

You need to simply speak his language, so he understands.

[Adina P]

If you just quietly, with little to no attention put him in his kennel...it won't be a 'bad' experience for him. You are simply removing the 'fun' so he knows biting leads to removal of fun. You are not trying to 'make him feel bad' or 'think about his naughty behavior.'

You still have plenty of opportunity to make the crate a nice and safe place =)

You said: "I also feel as though we aren't teaching him anything by shoving him in there" -- you won't teach him any major life lessons or that biting is "wrong." You are just offering consequences AND managing the situation for your sanity---there is nothing inferior about that. Think of him as a 1 year old who would get into trouble if left to wander and do whatever he wanted to. You don't attempt to teach a 1 year old big lessons...you just prevent and contain (crib, play pen) for safety and sanity.

[Jodie]

I'm not sure who told me to try the sprays (I have used so much advice with regard to the biting), but i bought the bitter spray for puppies. Our little Dex will actually LICK the bitter spray while it's coming out of the bottle!! I've used it on my hands as well as my furniture legs, my daughter's pants legs and my other dog (on his neck, back and tail). Dex seems to LOVE this stuff and licks it like crazy until it's gone. HE also likes to lick lotion (after I put some on my legs or arms) or cologne/perfume right after you put it on. I've never seen anything like it!

I'm glad that Adina mentioned it's ok to put Dex in his kennel when he starts to bite too much. I feel like thats wrong too because I hate having him associate the kennel with something bad. I also feel as though we aren't teaching him anything by shoving him in there. WE all need a time out once in a while and that's the only way I can control him.

Ann, thanks for your response too. I have grabbed Dex by the muzzle, I've pressed his tongue down, I've yelped, "ouch" at him, I've pressed him away from me, I've praised him when he's being good and tried to focus on the positive.....I've tried SO MANY things. I'm sure I'm guilty of not being consistent at this point! I just feel like what I'm doing isn't working. It's as if it makes his biting more intense.

This is definitely a very difficult time for us. Fortunately, we can sing praises to him for going "potty" outside. NO ACCIDENTS all weekend long and he was out of his kennel almost the entire time. I am very relieved that we are possibly getting close to a house trained dog. However, the biting must be our trade off. I'm slightly worried at this point, but praying that it will get better. I feel like everything I'm trying is NOT helping. I also have NO idea how to get him to stop biting my mini schnauzer and I really would prefer he NOT do that. I realize that some pups like to play. But I can tell that my older dog is not interested in playing so hard.

[Adina P]

It's an AWFULLY annoying time...I remember it well. It felt like it would never end...EVER!
But with consistency and training it did...and my nipper lasted months longer than they are 'supposed to' -- hang in there, be consistent and make 'ignoring' more powerful by actually putting him in his crate or behind a gate when he goes nutso. The separation/ignoring will be stronger.

[Wendy and Eddie]

When I was going thru the biting stage, or rather the being bitten stage, I read a tip in Puppies for Dummies that helped. I got lots of the small spray mouth fresheners (like Listerine). They hide easily in your palm and you can squirt the air as the puppy closes in. I kept them everywhere for a while.