Biting, Biting, & more Biting!!!!

[Elaine Davidson]

Help!

Bella is a 14 week Goldendoodle who is sweet when she wants to be but that's not always. She spends most of her time with us -biting us. We have tried many ways to correct her with suggestions from family, friends,her Vet, etc... but have not found a remedy.

When she is corrected or told NO! she comes right back at us, madder than before. Not sure if it's a "Puppy Thing" as many have mentioned or if she is just "honory" and needs training.

Since most of you have experience with this breed I thought I would ask>

Thanks for any help,

  Elaine

 

[BG and Gavin]

Puppy thing is my opinion.  Gavin was like this too as a puppy.  I had a knotted up white cotton tube sock and I let him bite on that.  We would give him that to keep his mouth busy before doing anything with him (example brushing, petting).  It was worse when he was over tired (in the evening) and sometimes putting him in a forced time out was the ticket.  He would usually fall asleep then.  They do grow out of it.  In no time the biting stage will be a distant memory.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'd say the same thing.  Try giving the puppy another option to chew on...other than your hand.  I'm also a big fan of "crate times" for puppies when they get overly excited.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, I think it is pretty normal.  My puppy used to bite all the time, but now that he is almost 3 years old, he is better.  He still sometimes nips at my husband but does not bike me.  He is definitely a jumper and anybody who pays any attention to him will get jumped on.  I always just raise my hands and say "Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh" and he leaves me alone.  Training will help.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Oh, I am sorry... What you have there is a totally normal puppy.... I wish breeders would make the people who buy a puppy from them more aware of the puppy stages.. 14 weeks is a baby still..... Puppies learn something called bite inhibition when they are still with their mom's and litter mates... To a puppy that is how they play and explore the world they bite. they nip and almost never with the exception of extremely rare are they really being mean.... 

If you react strongly.. it is only going to cause more excitement and more biting.. I know my little monkey would latch on to nightgowns and not let go as we walked.

I would first try to change your thinking about this and not see it as mean behavior.. right away that is going to change you from having a negative thought about the behavior to one of understanding.. This is what puppies do.  I am not a dog trainer at all... I will just share with you some ideas that have worked for me and also what I have heard others say... My main goal in responding was to help you see you don't have a mean puppy.. There are way better qualified people on here to help you.

With ours.. biting got an immediate no and we walked away, turned our backs or if he wouldn't stop, he was put in his play pen.... Sometimes overstimulation is too much and they just need a time out in their crate..... 

Also remember biting is what they did with their litter mates.. when they bite too hard their litter mate would yelp a loud yelp.. Jack always responded to this.. it scared him and stopped him dead in his tracks... In my opinion the longer a puppy can stay with his littermates the less of a problems this can be.. How old was your puppy when your brought her home?

Also, as your puppy is approaching you.. have something to stuff in their mouth.. They are teething at this age and need a lot of things to bite on.. Ice cubes ... rubber toys... anything to stuff in their mouth to prevent them from biting you.

Like I said I am not the best qualified on here but it makes me sad when puppies and owners are not understanding each other because puppies in general so want to please us ... they just have to learn what is acceptable.

best of luck to you. Also join the Puppy Madness Group on here and talk to other dog moms and dads who are going through what you are.. it helps to know you are not the only one who thinks their puppy turned into a demon...  :)

[Lynette Main]

Shea was my only bitter.We gave him sweat socks to chew. I don't know if I would do that again with a bitter ,if there are ANY socks in the hamper or the grands leave them on the floor.They are gone!!! None of our other Doodles chewed on socks and none of them Now eat socks.I saw on the Dog Whisper ,to butter your hands and the dogs will lick. They get in that habit instead of bitting. But then you have a LICKER.I had hands full of bite marks and scratches when he was a baby. Only one out of three doodles had that problem..Have fun...

[Lynette Main]

Get hard marrow bones to distract them from your hands. That works...

[Ginny Nightingale]

You have gotten great advice that I agree with completely but something needs to be added here-in the next few weeks, your pup is going to start losing all of the baby teeth and adult teeth are coming in--that is painful and really gets them chewing on anything and everything they can find--you need to get some safe chew items (no rawhide!!) that can satisfy that need--the dog may seem crazed because she has a DRIVE to chew and move the old teeth out and get the new teeth in! This goes on for several months--it is a biological thing, not an emotional thing!

[Adina P]

Ornery puppy thing AND they all need training :-)

[Lisa O.]

Hi Elaine,

Our Oliver was the same way.  He is now fourteen months and really doesn't bite much.  If he gets overly excited with a few particular people he will kind of mouth their arm a little bit but the crazy biting is a thing of the past. When he was little we tried everything to help.  It is a puppy thing and will improve with time!  Hang in there!

[Ang Onorato]

I just posted something a few weeks ago about my pup that I thought I was going to crazy with mine and was so afraid she was just the psycho nut dog.   I have to admit all of a sudden its like a switch went off and she just has chilled out with the biting/nipping and aggressive attacking you when you try to get something out of her mouth.  I had a big long drawn out debate on here on my post, but I have to be honest and say since that time my dog has been A-mazing.   She is now almost 18 weeks and from 10-15 were just the worst! 

My advice is that you do training and be consistent with it asap. Make sure everyone in the family is consistent too.  I have had her in private in home training and puppy class. She goes to daycare 2-3x a week too and helps to keep her energy at a good even level.   Also the biting is alot at this age b/c of teething.   Try taking a dish towel and wet them, twist it like a pretel and put it in the freezer.  Give it to your pup when he gets really mouthy, the frozen chew toy gives them something to do and soothes their gums as well.  Crate time outs were a huge help too, like many others said!   And ...like everyone told me.. hang in there!!!  I am still early in with it too and I hope it will continue but have to tell you.. so far .. its true, they DO grow out of it!  Good luck!

[Adina P]

Elaine, I wanted to say more earlier, but didn't have time.  My puppy Rosco was JAWS incarnate and it also seemed that nothing worked with him.  He did respond to correction similarly to your pup.  He'd bark back and get all feisty and kind of scared me a few times.  I remember when out of desperation I attempted to alpha roll him, he fought for what seemed like 10 minutes straight.  I'm not 100% sure that had I responded 'correctly' every single time it would have shortened the duration of his little crazy moments.  But looking back I think I gave him too much attention for his biting.  I think I should have immediately found a way to put him in his crate, closed a gate on him, or otherwise removed myself and made his world boring again. 

Another thing I learned, looking back, is that sometimes the 'right things to do' aren't necessarily things that will 'cure' the biting.  They might just be things that stop it and give you a break, such as a 'time out' in the crate.  Not really a big punishment and he may not quit biting the first 10 times you do it, but it keeps him from biting you more in that moment. 

Finally, start beginner's obedience and work through all the classes all the way to advanced.  Aim for a great obedience program that gets results and things will improve on their own with your calmness and training.  A dog that is great at obeying "Sit Stay" won't be able to bite you.  Plus as you work together there will be a bond formed and mutual trust and respect that will influence him.