# Play biting



## RachelM (Jul 10, 2009)

Hi, my name is Rachel and I am a new maltese owner...my new puppy Boo is 9 1/2 weeks old (I know this is very young) and hes been at home with me for a week. He is very hyper at times especially since were crate training him when I let him out to eat/go potty/play ect. he is playful but wants to bite on everything, including me. His bites really hurt sometimes and he is also biting things I dont want chewed up. I have gotten him plenty of teething toys and I dont know what to do. I have heard to yelp and leave the room when your puppy bites you, but I cant leave him unsupervised at all because hes not potty trained. I also dont want to put him in his crate when he bites because he would always have to go back in and also I dont want him to associate his crate with punnishment especially when he doesnt know what hes doing wrong. . Please some advise.


----------



## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

The biting seems to be the #1 issue people write about here regarding their Malt puppies. I remember my arms being totally bitten up when mine were puppies. It really did drive me crazy!

There are some things you can try but I found that it wasn't until the Malt was 12-16 weeks old that she even halfway got what I was trying to teach and the older she got the better it worked. 

I don't have a lot of time right now to write this, but some things I did that worked ... but at 9-1/2 weeks I'm not sure they'll work right away.

1. When playing on the floor and the biting started I would stop playing, jump up, say "no bite" and fold my arms across my chest and turn away. The main thing is that they learn that when they bite, the playing stops.

2. I noticed that the biting was really bad when I was on the floor playing so instead of sitting on the floor I would often sit in a chair and throw the ball from there and there was a lot less biting. 

3. I also would give a chew toy in place of my hand ... so the biting would start and I would say "no bite" and then give a chew toy. 

In my case, the biting went on at various degrees for many weeks. Don't take it personally... it's just what puppies do!


----------



## abbie (Jul 7, 2009)

You don't have to leave the room...just "yelp" when puppy bites, and turn your back for just a few seconds. It doesn't take long for them to get it. Be consistent also so your puppy knows that biting will stop play. The longer you do it, the more it seems to work. Soon, you will realize that it is really working!


----------



## WUCT (Jul 14, 2009)

The above two posts are what I read in books/websites too - yelp if bitten. If it continues, yelp, cross your arms, and look at the ceiling. Hopefully your pup will think that biting turns you into a boring person.


----------



## lottapaws (Mar 29, 2006)

Puppy teeth are so much more sharp than adult teeth, and it hurts when bitten with those little razor sharp teeth. But puppies think they are playing with you. The advice you've been given is great, it just takes time. At 9 1/2 weeks, you have a very young puppy so don't expect too much from such a young puppy. Try to keep things off the floor which you don't want to be chewed, and always keep your baby within eyesight while training. Puppies don't realize that everything that is their level, ie on the floor, is not for them, and you don't want them to find an electrical cord or something small which might cause choking! Puppies love to explore and it is natural for them to chew, especially when they are teething. Fun smells, different textures, it is a pure playground of fun for them so make certain there is nothing that could cause injury to your baby. Just be patient, loving and consistent, and success will come. 

Have you considered an x-pen or other type of pen? That would make it easier to ensure nothing was chewed that should not be chewed. Of course, you don't want to keep them in the pen all the time, but it would give a little more freedom. Just remember to keep an eye out because you want to watch for "potty" signals even when in the pen. 

Good luck and we love to see lots of pictures!


----------



## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

You don't need to leave the room, just turn your back to them and look away and give them no emotion or attention for 15 seconds. Our trainer says puppies should be in a crate, ex-pen, or 100% supervised in the house until he is fully potty-trained. Otherwise he should be LEASHED to you inside the house. Best way to train a young puppy is never to allow them to make a mistake, so you need to confine and confine and confine. Puppy proof your house, get an ex-pen and set him up for success. People recommend Bitter Apple, but I wouldn't do that to my dog. I've seen puppies cough and wheeze after tasting it. It can't be good for them. Tire out his chewing and biting instincts by feeding all food with Kong or Busy Buddy or hollow bone stuffed with food.


----------



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (princessre @ Jul 18 2009, 09:18 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=806925


> I've seen puppies cough and wheeze after tasting it. It can't be good for them.[/B]


All great advice. I just have to add...I used bitter apple in training Ollie and it worked GREAT. Besides, once they "taste" it, they only have to smell it the next time and they know not to put whatever it is in their mouths again. I used to squirt it on lots of things, lol. Ollie used to go after little corners of linoleum that had come up and all I had to do was give them a squirt and he'd go near it, smell it, and back WAY up and not touch again. It is non toxic.

Ollie is SO good with not touching things he's not supposed to, it's totally amazing. For example, his favorite toys are stuffed animals. He has lots. My skin kids have LOTS of stuffed animals. If my kids leave THEIR stuffed animals around (on the floor, for example) Ollie will NOT touch them. Even if we all leave the house and he is home alone!

YoYo on the other hand (our rescue). Well, let's just say that he gets into things that I never even imagined a dog would get into, lol. AND he mouths something terrible, even after repeated attemps to get him to stop...


----------



## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

Gosh, we have all been there. I am glad you recognize that this behavior is something that while normal needs to be changed. Remember they explore with their mouths.

I used all the above methods. One other thing I do with my malts plus all of the puppies I have had is while they are babies, I will pick them up and hold them close to me in my arms on their backs and talk in a very low voice to them. This is just a couple of minutes of cuddle time. They usually stop wiggling to hear me. I usually take a finger and touch their little faces, and will let them take the finger in their mouth. I teach the word "easy" and reward when they mouth gently. It is a sweet time, and malts are quick learners.

I had one puppy that was younger than yours but it was because it belonged to my first female maltese, and she only had the one puppy. To me it was a sign that I should keep the puppy lol. Even that young, she learned quick. They love the reward of the closeness with you.

I don't try to do this though when they are going through one of their wild frenzies. Time out is what I do then. I just get up and walk away from them.


----------

