Aggressive Puppy Biting

[Erin & Maizey]

Hi Everyone,

I know this topic has been covered ad nauseum here and I have read as many posts as I could find on it, but I was writing to see if there were any other suggestions.  After a little bit of puppy bliss, Maizey is now 11.5 weeks and will not stop attacking me as if I was a giant chew toy.  I have tried:

• yelping
• growling (this worked for a little while, now nada)
• clamping mouth shut
• saying no bite
• i tried that stick fist in her mouth thing but she bit me hard
• replacing with other toy (she gets distracted for about a minute)
• trying to do a training session working on sit/down/etc. (she willl start biting when we stop)
• time outs (worked for a little while, now she's started chewing the molding in bathroom where I put her)
• doing that thing where you kind of pop them over and hold the scruff of their neck
• letting her mouth my arm until it hurts then saying no but then she starts to clamp even harder
• turning my back (this is the worst bc then she attacks my backside)
• leaving the room (I can't leave her unsupervised for too long and when I come back she resumes biting me)

She has ripped holes in several of my clothes and I'm covered in scrapes and cuts.  I'm at my wit's end and it really hurts.  She has a gazillion chew toys, both soft and hard and bully sticks and all sorts of other dog appropriate things.  Why does she insist on attacking me?  What am I doing wrong?  We go to puppy manners class once a week and she's a superstar there and behaves properly and follows commands really well and everything.  We practice what we learned at puppy class and she does great at home with it but as soon as we stop, she morphs into satan's spawn.  I'm just really frustrated and she's making me not to be around her!  I try to bend over to pick up a toy to toss it for her to chase and she tries to bite my head, hand, arm, shoulder, etc.  She's totally out of control at times and its hard to even grab her collar to take her to a time out because she starts writhing and snapping and biting and barking.  Why won't she listen to me?  I feel like I'm clearly doing something wrong.

Are there any other ideas out there?  Is there a way to fast forward to the part where she's a normal sweet fun playful dog?  Any ideas on how long this phase lasts?  It is a phase, right?!?! Is this normal puppy behavior?  Everything I've read suggests that one of these methods eventually works... All the methods work for a little while but then she just ignores it.  There's an end in sight right?  Please?  I'm so scraped up.  :(   

Any advice would be much appreciated.  I'm just trying to teach her the right stuff and help her become a happy dog but this biting thing has got to stop (plus she's already 17.5 lbs so I'm worried that when she gets bigger it will just be a disaster). 

Thank you in advance!!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I was just reading all of the responses and I happened to think about the way that my arms look at the moment.  I have these big ole long, scabby, red looking scratches on them from where I trimmed the rose bushes the other day.  This is sort of the same thing.  It does hurt when the bushes scratch me, but the bushes are beautiful and I love having them, so I just have to tolerate the once or twice a year that I have to trim them so I can enjoy them the rest of the year.  That's is sort of like those first few months with the puppy ... those little bites, while they hurt, eventually go away and you have a wonderful little doodle to enjoy!

[Amber (with Maggie)]

I had a very odd way of handling my puppy's biting. Whenever she started, I would stop playing with her, and bring out a redwood branch the size of kindling with all of it's bark on it. She would focus on shredding that instead. (I tried the water in a bottle, and she thought that was another game.) It created a huge mess in the house, but she stopped biting me (since she liked the redwood more). Now I don't need the redwood anymore and she doesn't bite. I don't know why that worked and may not be repeatable, but it seemed to get rid of her aggression and extra energy.

[Sheri and Curly]

Hi Erin!

I had to write you back because I feel your pain!! Curly is now 8 months old and it feels like a life time ago that he was behaving JUST the same way as your pup! I would call my husband in tears because he would attack my hand and then I would try to walk away and he would bite the back of my leg....I just want to tell you not to give up, because she will grow out of it!

One suggestion I read when I was going through this, was each morning when she eats her breakfast, sit on the floor with her and tell her to stay when you put the food in, then feed her a handful at a time. Just a few handfuls a day. As soon as I started doing this Curly, he slowly stopped biting. It has something to do with them knowing who is in charge.

Also, on youtube if you look up the "leave it" command and do that with her food....It really helped me!

I hope this helps and feel free to message me if you need anything! 

P.S. Curly and Maizey look SO much alike!

Sheri :)

[Erin & Maizey]

Oh my goodness - they do look so much alike!  Wow!  How big was Curly at 12 weeks? 

Thanks so much for the advice - I'll have to try the food thing.  I think some of it may be a dominance thing as well. 

It really does make me feel better that this is just a phase and they grow out of it.... I was really convinced somehow Maizey hated me... :) 

[Sheri and Curly]

I can't remember exactly how much he weighed at 12 weeks....But, he is 8 months now and just had an apt a few days ago, he weighs 56 lbs! I want to say he was in the 20s around 12 weeks.

Ps. She doesnt hate you ;) but it sure can feel like it!!

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

Sheri,

I really like this feeding idea.  We are having some nipping issues with us from cocoa but its really bad with my daughter. I am going to start having her hand feed her once or twice a day and see if maybe that might help with things between the 2 of them. Cocoa is very gentle when taking food/treats out of our hands so this might work.

I am also getting squirt bottle for vinger water for outdoors because we just can not control her around my daughter out side and I want to be able to sit on the deck and watch my daughter play not get attacked all day.  I also don't think its fair to have the dog on the leash the whole time and would like to get to the point where they can both run free in there own back yard.

[Sheri and Curly]

I've read a lot about this and I have heard it has helped with children also! Have you tried this yet?

[Bonne Bouche]

The vinegar or the hand feeding? ;-]

[Joanne]

Oh, you  just described my Baylee to a "T". Can't wait to read responses in hope of some advice! I have a 6 year old and 4 year old and they can't be left with Baylee. She chases and bites/nips at them constantly. She has ripped so many of their clothes! And I've tried everything on your list! Aghhh!!!

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

hugs... been there, done that. it does get better. Lilly loved the bully sticks when she had the puppy teeth.. (make sure they are made in USA-vets usually carry this type)  she would chew on them for hours. now that she has her big girl teeth, she goes through them in a day and they are a special snack.  And use the crate. you don't have to sound mean. just when she starts in acting like a crazed puppy. pick her up and put in her in house for a quiet time. a glass of wine helps..well this is for you- hang in there.

[Darthvador]

our puppy is 9 months and he still nips (how do you spell that lol) us. He got me good the other day right on the rear when I turned my back to him. We got him in sepember for my son and Darthvador is now around 60lbs.  We love him he's like my third child but much stronger than my kids. When we first got him he would bite and nip quite a bit sometimes i would get so mad that I would wrestle him to the ground and put him on his side hold him down say no sternly and get him to relax subbmissively than let him go. If you looked in at me and the dog you would probably think im crazy, but I got desperate, and worried for my two children.  He's not an aggressive vicious dog but his love bites lets say do hurt. His behavior has gotten better, but like I said he still nips every once in a while and still does things he should'nt not sure how much longer this will last but all I can say is it has and should get better soon right?

 

I wish you all the luck erin and maizey :)

[Bobbi Park]

HAHAHAHA  "Satan's spawn".....I love it.  I'm goin' thru the SAME thing with my Coco (he'll be 4 mos. old May 1st)....I've read all the other's posts and I also like the vinegar/water spray....might start that tomorrow...   My situation is that Coco bites me when ever we're home....even out on the leash in the yard....BUT....when I take him for walks, we go to a huge church parking lot 2 blocks away...there's a big magnolia tree we sit under and he roams around on his 16ft lead...away from streets, people, other pets, etc.....he's as good as I'd ever want!   He saw his first freight train and just sat down beside me, calm & collected....listened to the whistle/horn (cocking his head from side-to-side)....it was the sweetest thing.  Now, WHY can't he act good like that at home?   My friend says it's that he's in AWE of all new surroundings and has re-focused away from biting....  Ever heard of that?    My arms, too, look like rotten meat on a drumstick and it's gotta stop soon.  hahahaha