Ideas on stopping Playful Puppy biting

[MyDyson]

Hi All, Well decided to take you all up on your advice.  Do any of you have suggestions how to limit Dyson to smaller amounts of playful biting.  I wouldn't mind it, but the razor sharp teeth worries me sometimes around my 14 month Girl.  I have been saying "No Bite" and tapping his nose at the same time.  He seems to get it when I do it, but My Girl can't do that.   Any Ideas?   I know he's a baby and understand this is playing for him, but wanted to check....

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

You might want to put him in a time out also...Somewhe re away from his people...You & your family are his "pack"...Being seperated from his pack is about the worse thing that can happen to a dog according to his natural instincts...ti ming in everything though..The SECOND he puts his teeth on anyone "NO BITES" & immediatly into the chosen area for the time out..Consistan cy is also everything...H e needs to know it is NEVER o.k. to put his mouth on people...Now, when you bring him out of his time out offer him something to chew on that is acceptable for him to mouth...Good luck!...Just a side note...I did all of the above with Samson & though it's alleviated the problem greatly I still have to remind him sometimes with the time out etc...

[MyDyson]

You might want to put him in a time out also...Somewhe re away from his people...You & your family are his "pack"...Being seperated from his pack is about the worse thing that can happen to a dog according to his natural instincts...ti ming in everything though..The SECOND he puts his teeth on anyone "NO BITES" & immediatly into the chosen area for the time out..Consistan cy is also everything...H e needs to know it is NEVER o.k. to put his mouth on people...Now, when you bring him out of his time out offer him something to chew on that is acceptable for him to mouth...Good luck!...Just a side note...I did all of the above with Samson & though it's alleviated the problem greatly I still have to remind him sometimes with the time out etc...

When you put him in Time out, where out of curiousity did you put him.  I am Crate Training, so I don't want to put him in his crate as a punishment and I think he is having too much fun in the back yard.  A rest room or garage, possibly?

[LuvmyMal]

Get some bitter apple spray or Poohey at a local pet store, it taste horrible, when they bite squirt in the mouth and say NO. Pretty soon all you have to do is show the bottle and no more biting. This also works with any chewing on themselves or other items. Just squirt the mouth then whatever it is they are chewing and it will stop. Tonka use to lick her feet, it only took a couple of times, now when she acts like it I just show her the bottle and she stops and picks up a toy. I have even gone as far as spraying it on my finger and when she started to play bite putting my finger in her mouth and saying no, now she thinks my fingers taste like it.

[RedyreRottweilers]

Puppies don't understand "time out". Watch how dogs interact and take your cues from them on an effective correction.

With dogs it is quick, loud, and it usually involves a very quick advance.

No nagging.

No time outs.

No grudges.

It is WHAM.

DONE.

Impression made.

SO with puppies who are a little too big for their britches and want to use you for a chew toy, I discourage it by taking the pup by the muzzle, or the loose skin under the chin, and with direct eye contact, I say, nose to nose, "NO BITE". I use a low tone of voice, not loud, and the instant the pup looks away or puts his tongue out, I release him and move on. You may, after such a correction, happily redirect the pup to his toy box to get a toy, or help him find one nearby, and praise him for mouthing the toy.

If you will do a search in the net on "BITE INHIBITION IN PUPPIES" you will get lots of information on how to teach puppies not to mouth.

One excellent way is to teach the "OFF" command. Take a handful of very small soft treats. Feed one to the puppy, and close your hand around the rest. Say nothing. As soon as the puppy moves away a bit and does not touch your hand for a second or 2, say "OFF", Good pup, and give him another bite of the food. Repeat 5X per day, 3X daily, for 15 reps in a day. Once the puppy learns what off means, you can use this verbal reminder if he forgets and mouths.

Do remember that chewing is NECESSARY for puppies, especially during the teething stages. Make sure your pup has good approved and satisfying things to chew during this time, and consistently discourage him from trying to mouth you, your clothing, or the leash.

Please check out my puppy training article, Puppy Raising 101, on this site, for some more great pointers.

Let me know if you cannot find it and I will bump it up for you.

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Puppies don't understand "time out". Watch how dogs interact and take your cues from them on an effective correction.

With dogs it is quick, loud, and it usually involves a very quick advance.

No nagging.

No time outs.

No grudges.

It is WHAM.

DONE.

Impression made.

SO with puppies who are a little too big for their britches and want to use you for a chew toy, I discourage it by taking the pup by the muzzle, or the loose skin under the chin, and with direct eye contact, I say, nose to nose, "NO BITE". I use a low tone of voice, not loud, and the instant the pup looks away or puts his tongue out, I release him and move on. You may, after such a correction, happily redirect the pup to his toy box to get a toy, or help him find one nearby, and praise him for mouthing the toy.

If you will do a search in the net on "BITE INHIBITION IN PUPPIES" you will get lots of information on how to teach puppies not to mouth.

One excellent way is to teach the "OFF" command. Take a handful of very small soft treats. Feed one to the puppy, and close your hand around the rest. Say nothing. As soon as the puppy moves away a bit and does not touch your hand for a second or 2, say "OFF", Good pup, and give him another bite of the food. Repeat 5X per day, 3X daily, for 15 reps in a day. Once the puppy learns what off means, you can use this verbal reminder if he forgets and mouths.

Do remember that chewing is NECESSARY for puppies, especially during the teething stages. Make sure your pup has good approved and satisfying things to chew during this time, and consistently discourage him from trying to mouth you, your clothing, or the leash.

Please check out my puppy training article, Puppy Raising 101, on this site, for some more great pointers.

Let me know if you cannot find it and I will bump it up for you.

Red, The time out is what was recommended by the instructor of Sammy's second puppy class...He said that in the wild a wolf seperated from it's pack is a dead wolf so it's a place that no dog with those type of instincts wants to be...I know Samson always came back from his time out a much better mannered puppy...& he did get the firm correction first...The time out did not stand alone...What I am thinking is maybe they don't understand a time out as we do but they understand not being with their pack & how that feels...Anyway, I am interested in knowing what you think of this method with the reasoning behind it that I just stated...It makes sense to me but I am wondering what you think.   I have done a ton of research, taken coarses with Samson & have alot of support from people with advise but Samson is my very 1st dog so I am always on the lookout for reasons why & better advise.

[shangrila]

One thing I was taught (can't remember if it was the trainer or the vet) is to lightly pinch their gums when they bite you. It doesn't hurt them, but it is uncomfortable, and they learn that 'when I put my mouth on this, my mouth hurts' and they learn that biting hurts (you and them) so they don't want to do it anmore.

[pndlake]

Lots of good advice here and I am sure you will find a method that will work for your pup.  I would just like to put emphasis on the fact that puppies need a good amount of different chewie toys that they can be diverted to when trying to chew a human.  Good Luck

[Carolyn]

You could try a loud "ow" I cant spell the sound but as if it hurts, that always got thier attention, I never hit my dogs. If your loud enough it should startle him/her.
Carolyn

[tanimara]

I wanted to comment on this issue.  There are many types of training hints here.  Im sure many of them work well with individual dogs or breeds.  The one clue that I want to point out is that with Pyrs,  the time out thing does work and works well.  It has to do with thier guarding instinct.  It can be used for any type of bad behaviour if you keep in mind that timing is the essence of this working.  They must be corrected immediately or your waisting your time as most of you know Im sure.  Time out away from their goats/sheep and in this case thieir 4-leggeds works and it works well.  So dont hesitate to use it.  Time out being anywhere seperate from their family.  Bedroom, bathroom, back yard, depends on your individiual situation.  Length of the time out varies in effectiveness with the individual dog.  But it must be long enough to make an impression.  With the guardian juviniles that are guarding livestock for instance, I start with 24 hours. If time out does fail to work then another type of training must be tried.  This is the one thing that can not be tollerated in Pyrs.  Bear in mind, puppies need to chew to work out those baby teeth, but waiting until they are through teething is not acceptable.  It must be corrected immediately, however you accomplish it.

Jackie Wood
Tanimara Great Pyrenees

[RedyreRottweilers]

Wild canids do not drive their packmembers off for being fresh and insubordinate.

They get direct corrections that are fast and effective.

I cannot imagine that any dog would get anything from 24 hours of isolation except misery.

It certainly would never associate it with any infraction it committed.

Dogs simply cannot have those sorts of abstract cause and effect thought processes.

I will admit I have no experience with LGDs, but I still cannot imagine that any dog could hold any thought of being punished for 24 hours.

JMO.....

different stokes for different folks....

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Wild canids do not drive their packmembers off for being fresh and insubordinate.

They get direct corrections that are fast and effective.

I cannot imagine that any dog would get anything from 24 hours of isolation except misery.

It certainly would never associate it with any infraction it committed.

Dogs simply cannot have those sorts of abstract cause and effect thought processes.

I will admit I have no experience with LGDs, but I still cannot imagine that any dog could hold any thought of being punished for 24 hours.

JMO.....

different stokes for different folks....

That was 24 hours away from the livestock they gaurd, Red, not 24 hours isolated...com ing from another Pyr owner, I know the time outs work...I have to disagree, knowing my dog, that dogs don't understand cause & effect...When Samson was being "bad" & had previously been corrected in the manner that you speak of, & then put in a time out, I have no doubt that he knew the same type of discipline was to come again after so many times of it...As far as cause & effect, for example, If Samson were to try & grab a steak off of the grill & burned his nose, I doubt within all certainty that he would try it again or would at least check to make sure the grill wasn't hot before he did...If that is not knowing cause & effect, what is it?

[ann]

   when my boxers would play bite i would put them on a leash and make them settle down and give them a chew and i would always reward them for being calm and relaxed..and also take them out for a good run or a walk when they have so extra energy they need to run it off or they will actout,be it biting or chewing on furniture....
good luck...puppy teeth hurt so bad........... .

ann

[tanimara]

Red, this is not meant to ridicule you or be negative in any way  I am an educator on this breed of dogs and know a lot about them and Im sure you are very knowledgeable about dog training in general and Rotts, but Livestock Guardians are not just any dog.  They are a whole different ball game.  And if you talk to any person that works with these dogs as guardians and even those who own them as pets, then you will know they have seen these dogs deal in abstract thought and that's why it does work for them.  I can give you story after story of my dogs doing exactly that.  I would not begin to tell you the fine nuances of raising Rotts.  Just because they both fall into the family of dog does not mean they act the same or even think the same.  I've never owned a Rott so I can not tell you how your dogs act or think.  But I have owned enough other breeds to know that LGDs wether they be Pyr or Anatolian, Russian Ovcharka, Merrema or many of the others in this catagory, are a whole different ball game when it comes to temperament, character, and thought process.  I have an excellent article you may enjoy reading that deals with exactly that if your interested in learning about them.  I'd love to share it with you.

Jackie Wood
Tanimara Great Pyrenees

[tanimara]

And by the way, I hold dear, your input on this list.  The previous post was not meant to put you down in any way.  We can all learn from each other, that's why these lists are so important and I thank you for your training tips.

Jackie