Struggling big time- Biter to the max!

[Amber Anderson]

Hi! I am finally writing a post out of sheer exhaustion of my situation. Puppy biting they say, yelp they say, ignore they say. NONE of this works. Possibly bc I don't think this is play puppy biting. My 12 weeks doodle bits me constantly. He is so excited to see me when I come home (he's been home with my husband so not home alone or locked up) that he attacks every inch of me, my clothes, my feet, my bags my hands...jumping, snapping, biting, barking. I cannot get him to stop...then once he settles down, any time I come to give him attention it starts up again, biting intensely (that doesn't mean hard- just means jumping and biting (not nipping) over and over every part of my body. 

Ignoring is a joke! He would just jump all over my back side biting and humping. He goes to puppy class- The trainers have taught me a trick which holds his lip skin against his teeth and say no bite- this makes him mad and snaps at me again the second I let go. 

Anytime my hand comes near him, he bites it. No matter what. Even when I'm training with treats.  

"no bite" makes him even more mad and he lunges at me. 

He doesn't do this to my husband by the way. 

I don't know or think its aggressive, but if I don't stop it it could become it! I'm getting to the point where I'm a little afraid to interact with him...can he sense this? 

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I read book after book, I try to do everything right. Its getting the best of me. 

I love him so much- I hate that I only want to be around him when he's sleeping :( 

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

I have a 6-month-old puppy and he went through something similar when he lost his teeth. You can try a few things and not everything is would work. 

1. Yelp/soft scream when he bites you.  This was recommended to me because this is how puppies learn from their littermates when enough is enough.  It didn't work on my dog because he just got more excited. It may work for you. 
2. What I found most effective: push your hand into his mouth if he mouths you.  It induces gag reflex and he would automatically stop. This may not work on your clothes or shoes. 
3. Grab him by the scruff and tell him firmly no. Mother dogs do this to correct their pups. This works only if you are intimidating enough. My fiance does this and it works every time.  Me, not so much.   
4. Can with pennies. This is an old school technique but it works if your dog hates loud sounds. It isn't my favorite technique because it is based on fear. It teaches a dog to be afraid of loud sounds. 
5. Spray him if he mouths, but some doodles like water.
6. Toss him a toy to redirect the chewing. This might work for a while until he refocuses on you.  Maybe higher value toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. 
7. I think the best method is clicker training. Get a clicker.  Click and treat when he isn't mouthing you.  This is what I did with my dog and it worked very well.  When I get home he just sits and squirms a little but then eventually calms down.  No jumping, no mouthing.  I would youtube this for the exact procedure. 

In the meantime, to reduce mouthing at this age you can give him a frozen Kong with treats.  My doodle loves ice and cold Kongs. Lots of chew toys, best if it is very engaging and interactive.  Lucky's favorite is the Kong Wobbler. It dispenses treats forever so he doesn't get into trouble and focuses on this thing  for at least half an hour. 

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-Wobbler-Treat-Dispensing-Large/dp/B003A...

[Amy and Annabelle]

Probably time to enlist the help of a trainer or try Doggy Dan. I had a rough 2 months with Annabelle as a puppy. She didn't start this until closer to 16 weeks, but I shed a lot of tears before it got better. I had a trainer come to the house to help me. It seemed like nothing that was recommended for me to try, worked. Which was why I went with the trainer. I would have done Doggy Dan, but I have crap internet for videos. There were times it seemed like she was being aggressive, not just normal puppy behavior. My husband was ready to take her back to the breeder after a month of this. Our best times were at night, when she was tired and laid on the couch or asleep. She is a totally different dog now and is best buds with my husband. With training and time, it does get a lot better. Part of our problem might have been bad winter and lack of good exercise.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with Amy that training is the key, and I would highly recommend the Doggy Dan online program.  I really don't think shaking the pennies will work long term and it's not always practical.  From my experience things like this generate more excitement which leads to more mouthing.  I think redirection can be really effective.   Try staying very calm and in control, grabbing his collar and moving him away from you and giving him something he can chew.  Don't engage or allow him to practice this jumping and mouthing and if it continues I would crate him until he calms down.  I think Doggy Dan has videos that demonstrate this.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am so sorry you are going through all of this with your new puppy. I am betting you are stressed when you are around your puppy (and who wouldn't be) and nervous and he does sense that in you. I would walk in the house with something in my hand....a toy, a bully stick, and put it directly in his mouth as he goes to bite you. I would keep distracting him with toys, etc. If the behavior continues, I would not hesitate to put him in his crate for a time out. I am not a fan of grabbing his mouth because I think he will think you are engaging him in play. Our Fudge was a little shark, but our Vern did his teething on Fudge and honestly, I didn't feel that sorry for her. LOL Consistency will be the thing that works best. Also check out Doggie Dan's website and I think the more tired your dog is, the better he will be. Make sure he is getting plenty of exercise. Throw the ball for him, long walks...I used to take mine to tennis courts where I could enclose them and let them run off leash. Good luck. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but this will pass.  

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Below is my response to a post back in May, and the link to the original post. It WILL get better! We can now look back and laugh at those days. But, at the time I was ready to throw in the towel and give her back to the breeder. My husband told me that I was even saying "No bite!" in my sleep... :-(

I feel your pain- Winnie was a HUGE shark when she was little! And, it was the same situation where she did it mostly to me- my husband was spared a majority of the nips. I kind of looked at it as a "mother/daughter thing." My hands and arms were covered with teeth marks, and multiple pants, night gowns, shirts, etc. had either tears or holes in them. I finally got wise and wore the same pair of thick corduroy pants every day when I got home from work, and basically all weekend long. Those "puppy pants," as I affectionately called them, were riddled with so many holes I finally couldn't wear them outside the house anymore!

I, too, had literally tried everything- ignoring, "the tree," a spray bottle, saying "Ouch!"etc. and it all just made her go after me more. And, it seemed like I couldn't really give her the exercise she needed because walking her was a complete disaster- she'd be either hanging from my pant leg or biting my butt!

A couple things REALLY helped. First, we took her to a Doggy Daycare 3 days a week. She'd come home so tired from playing that the chances of her getting revved up and nipping was lessened. And, she learned that play nipping was OK with other dogs, but not humans.

Second, I always had her on leash- she dragged it around all day so that I could catch her easier when she did try to nip. I'd promptly make her sit right in front of me- with her butt between my legs and both of us facing the same direction. I'd put my hands on her shoulder and say a low "no bite" and immediately praise her when I could feel her body relax. If she did it again- boom- I'd twirl her around and make her sit and we'd do the same thing over again. If she tried it a third time, she got put into her kennel for a time out. When I took her to the kennel, it was very calmly and not showing any emotion, even if I was super mad at her. 5 minutes or so, she could come out. Third, I carried around a rope toy in my pocket at all times and quickly shoved that in her mouth. After a while she realized that it just wasn't worth doing it anymore. Pretty soon she started doing it only when I took her outside to potty, and then eventually she stopped doing it altogether. I think she was around 7 months or so.  

Hang in there! I had read somewhere that the behavior will get worse for about 2 weeks before it dramatically gets better, and that was certainly true with Winnie. Right when I thought I was going to go insane, it got better! :-)

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/help-at-my-wits-end?commen...

[Amber Anderson]

thank you for this! just reading that I'm not alone makes me feel some encouragement! 

[Leslie J]

I especially agree with keeping the leash on when you're around- then you have a way to exert some control of the situation.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

One other thing... it's probably just a coincidence, but I have heard (and tend to believe) that redheads really DO have more of a mischievous nature about them. It certainly is true with my Winnie....

[Boone & Susan]

I can't really offer any advice because I haven't found a solution myself yet. But Boone is 11 weeks old and I have the EXACT same problem. He won't bite my husband, only me. And he draws blood on me sometimes. My husband will be playing with him and Boone will bite me like that's part of the game. I really do think it's normal...although it seems right now that it will never end. I do know that when he's really tired, he's a perfect angel so we've started walking him a lot more. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. I appreciate all the suggestions...I will definitely try some of them!

[VScott & Lloyd]

I'm so sorry this is happening but know that you are not alone. I describe Lloyd as "the.worst.puppy.ever." because he would bite and nip so terribly. He would start nipping and then it would escalate to a full on fit. My arms were ripped to shreds along with my clothes (and my kids' clothes). I was sad he was like that and the only thing that kept me going was the vet saying "He's going to be a great dog." I couldn't believe it at the time but still hung on to that hope. After I felt like I exhausted all tactics (he was about 4-5 months old), I broke down and bought the Pet Corrector that sprays compressed air. I was reluctant to try it because I didn't want to traumatize and forever scar him but I was at my wit's end. The very first day I tried it (don't spray it in their face,they just need to hear the psssssst!), it worked and knocked him out of his biting trance. It all got better after that and then he started losing his baby teeth. At about 7-8 months old I didn't need to use it anymore. Lloyd is now 1.5 years old and a wonderful dog that shows no inclination of attacking anyone or anything. He loves people, kids, babies, other dogs and even our bearded dragon.

Good luck and I would definitely take into consideration everybody else's advice too!

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

The pet corrector is very effective in stopping a dog from doing whatever they are doing. I think the hissing sound makes them freeze. I used to use it for my rescue dog who had dog food aggression.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I can definitely commiserate with you on this one. For months, I referred to our new puppy as "Desi the Devil". His need to chew/bite was incredible. Even as a tiny puppy, he could destroy "maximum chewer" toys in seconds (and that's not an exaggeration). And as far as human chew toys go, I was his target of choice - although my husband definitely got his share of bites from the little razor-mouthed devil. One of Desi's favorite behaviors was to dart at my face. Like you, we tried almost everything. He's now 10 months old and, although he'll still destroy a toy in seconds, he's no longer biting/nipping us humans. What made the difference? Her name is Cori, our now 3-month-old doodle. I know a second doodle (especially only seven months apart) is not for everyone, but it's certainly worked for us!!