Help me! Too Much Biting

[Sandra]

Hi There,

I've now had my 8.5 week old F1B goldendoodle for 9 days and although she keeps us up at night and cries when we leave the room, we expected all of this. What I didn't expect was the biting and nipping. It started 2 days after we got her and I feel like it's getting progressively worse. I don't think her biting or nipping is ever mean, more playful and especially when she is excited or has been outside. She is always going for our toes, ankles, hands, everything.

I'm a first time dog owner and so is my husband so I'm looking out for some suggestions, we tried everything suggested online (everything that isn't physical, we aren't supportive of grabbing her muzzle or smacking her nose).

I'm reaching out for some help, support and encouragement! Did your doodle bit and nip when they were a puppy? How long did it last? Did anything help?

I know socializing her with other dogs would help but she won't be fully vaccinated for another few weeks but I can't wait that long. We have a trainer coming to our place on Thursday, because it's bothering me so much but that's 3 days away!

Help me nip the nipping in the butt! I don't want to live in constant fear of my 10 pound fur ball!

Thank you so much!

Sandra momma to Lily

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Sweet!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

  Have you tried yelping like you are hurt? This often works.

You don't have to hit him on the muzzle, but taking it in your hand and holding it firmly while looking in the eye and saying a firm "NO!" often works.  Ned was about 14 weeks when we got him and had most of the correction needed from his mom and siblings, but he bugged and bugged our other two dogs so our older one (who was our leader) took Ned's muzzle in his mouth and gave a squeeze.  Ned squealed like a sissy, but that was the last biting episode at our house.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Puppies nip....that's one way they explore their world.  She didn't have a chance to fully learn from her mother and siblings, so you're going to have to help her to understand not to put her teeth on you.  It takes a lot of patience, but just try to remember she's just a baby.  I always did what F suggested, and calmly crated the puppy when they started the jumping or nipping behavior.  I found it usually stems from getting overly excited while playing.  As soon as it's safe I also agree that socializing with other dogs will help her.  I watch my two guys play now and it amazes me how much they still use their mouth....but they have learned how to "nip" each other softly so it doesn't hurt....and they have learned that their teeth are never used on a human.  Good luck...if you work with her, stay calm, and respond consistently she'll learn.

[Amy and Annabelle]

I feel your pain. Annabelle was the queen of nipping. I looked like an abuse victim for a few weeks with all of the bites I had that broke the skin and drew blood. One time I had 9 band aids on my arms and hands. Most of the time I think she was just being overly playful, but there were a few times I wondered if she was trying to be mean to me. There was also awhile there my husband wanted me to take back to the breeder. I would give her crate time outs, try to redirect her with a chew toy instead of my ankle. I had her in training classes from about 15 weeks on up to her first birthday. While she was little before she had all of her shots, I had a trainer come to my house. She is a perfect angel now and such a sweet heart. Also wearing her out helped. Luckily I had a basement for her to run around in and burn off some energy because it was winter at the time. Annabelle was 10 weeks old when we brought her home, so she should have learned bite inhibition by then.

[Anita Lee]

My two cents: You should start puppy socials now. Taking your dog to puppy socials that are set up through an SPCA or well-run daycare is not the same as taking her to a dog park. We started socials 1-2x a week as soon as we got our dog which may have explained why her nipping was always at a minimal even during teething.

The other thing you can do is remove attention as soon as she bites or even reaches to bite. Since she's doing it as a form of play, removing the attention teaches her that nipping/biting is counterproductive to her goals. You don't need to crate her necessarily, just stand up and turn your back for a few seconds.

If your friends have a well-socialized and mellow adult dog, they shouldn't be a problem for your pup and may actually help by giving her a correction (growling) when her nipping gets out of control.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Everyone has given you sound advice. The only thing I would add is, never play with your puppy with your hands (anywhere on it's body, but especially around the head or mouth). Always use a toy to play interactively. Puppies will nip and bite, especially while playing, and will often view even mundane handling (like wiping of feet) as a game, and an opportunity to bite. You'll want to discourage it by immediately stopping the interaction. Puppies do grow out of this phase pretty quickly (a matter of weeks) as long as they get the message it's not an acceptable behavior.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Great advice, Debb!  Also, don't play tug at this stage either.

[Moe]

I love THIS VIDEO by youtube dog trainer kikopup. It teaches the dog what to do instead of biting and to control their excitement around the stimulus. Whether it is leashes or hands. (Or in my pup's case loose pant legs and socks). 

Kikopup has a ton of great training videos for new dog owners. She really helped me through the first few months. :)

[Sandra]

Did you clicker train? A lot of trainers recommend it, my concern is when do you take away the clicker and the response is only through verbal or hand gestures...

[Anita Lee]

The clicker helps them learn what you're trying to teach and you use it to mark the exact moment they respond in the way you want and treat. While you use the clicker, you phase in the word and gesture so those get tied to the command and desired behavior. You can train without the clicker but it has a distinctive sound that often helps them learn faster than if you just treated or treated and praised.

When they've learned the command, you can only use the word or gesture - no clicker required.

[Moe]

Exactly what Anita said. It works great. No problems phasing the clicker out. I did both hand signals and verbal commands. I did a ton of training when my pup was under a year. 5 years later she still remembers every command. 

If you didn't want to use the clicker you could do the same training with a verbal marker like 'yes'. 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Yes, look for some puppy playtimes that are specifically for puppies that have at least had their first round of shots. Playtime with other dogs will help a lot!

We have a new puppy as well and I hate to say we have very few nipping problems but I think it's mostly because we have an older 4 year old dog who takes the brunt of her nipping and also knows how to correct her in a language she understands. So, I do think socialization with other dogs will ultimately be your savior. 

One game I remember using with our older dog when he was a puppy that helped wear him out was to tie one of those rope tug of war toys to a leash. Then we would take him out in a big area like our patio and get him to chase it, bite at it, play tug with it, all at the safe distance of the length of the leash. It was almost like a kitty chasing a string, but he loved it and it really wore him out. 

Hang in there!