# Biting....kind of hard...



## babycoconut (Oct 27, 2004)

Here goes... problem with Coco...
I don't know if this is normal puppy behavior, but she bites. Like really bites. I get near her ears, mouth, sometimes if i'm just trying to pet her, she grabs a hold of my hand with her sharp little teeth and won't let go until i pry her off! Now she does the normal puppy stuff, like nipping at pantlegs and being slid around the floor (I think she thinks it's like a park ride. haha) but when she gets that mouth going at my hands, crotch, face, i get pretty nervous. Maybe that's the problem? I give her a firm "NO" but nothing. I pry her off, and it just makes her more hyper and mad. At least i *think* she's mad. I can't tell whether she thinks she's playing or not. It's like she thinks of me as her chew toy! When i try to hold her like a baby and rub her back, she'll open and close her mouth until she calms down. We say she looks like a little pacman. 
When i try to get her to eat by hand feeding, sometimes she'll nose at my hand and then lightly (kind of) bite at my thumb or something... It's more often than not she will bite rather than give kisses. It's just so frustrating because i wanted a happy nice playful pup. It makes me nervous because my neices were at the house overnight and i was afraid to let them in the kitchen with her. (They're kind of nervous around animals anyway. Even our teensy one!)
Has anyone else had a problem like this? Is it just puppy-dom? How do i go about fixing this "ouchie" problem?
OK, sorry for the new post.







I shoud've read everything in this section first. SOCIALIZATION is the key. I just have to work on her. Thank goodness this isn't a "coconut specific" problem and she's just a bad pup or something. Awww, i feel so bad now. I hope the vet doesn't give me heck tomorrow.


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## Sunshine (Aug 20, 2004)

There's a few things you can choose from to do:

When Abby bit at feet, I would squirt her with a water spray bottle say NO. Very effective.

She used to bite at hands a lot and still does on occasions - she doesn't snap and I dont think she's angry, she just gets carried away and doesn't realise she's biting hard. You can either put her on her back, hold her down and look right into her eyes and say "NO BITE", then wait until she looks away (dont look away first), then let her go. OR you can hold her mouth shut and do the same thing - look her in the eyes, "NO BITE" and wait til she looks away. Holding the mouth shut is what the mother to your baby would have done when she did this too much or went too far....

Another effective thing is to yelp really loud when she does it, like she has really hurt you. They don't know what to do when you do this and stop.

Hope either one of these works for you!


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

BabyCoconut... do not fret... the exact same thing happened to me and I was like... "what happened to my sweet baby... he has turned in to Cujo". I kept telling him I was going to send him back to Alabama... ha ha. I even looked up info on the Web about "aggressive" dogs... thinking he was maybe "mean" or something. BUT I found out that he was just playing. When I see my two play that is what they do. They pull at each other and bite at each other... their mouths are always open when they play. What they have to learn is not to bite hard. When they stay with their mother's for 12 weeks, they are supposed to learn these "manners" from her. But apparently, not always!! Anyway, I even had a trainer here at the house but I felt the correction she suggested was too harsh. 

So, you may be wondering how the problem was solved. First I tried to see when he was biting and it was mostly if I was on the floor with him playing. So I quit doing that for a while. Then he would bite if I tried to groom him. Snapping all the time... And yes, he would grab skin and wouldn't let go... OUCH!!

I established myself as the alpha... that was the most important thing. I make sure I walk through doorways first, I eat before feeding him, and just present myself in a confident way around him when picking him up, putting him in his crate, etc. I still cuddle him and kiss him, etc. But I can see that he has more respect for me. He does not bite at all when on the grooming table. He will let me brush him and instead of biting me he will just climb on my shoulder and hold on.

Now, if I get on the floor he will start the biting again but when I say "no" he respects it and moves away. 

I also think one reason he is better is he is older now.... 6+ months. 

Regarding other tips to help: If you are playing with her and she starts biting, jump up, turn away from her, fold your arms around each other and stand there for 30-60 seconds, so she will get the idea that if she bites, the playing stops. This worked very well with Kallie when she was a puppy ... but not as well with Catcher.

So, it will subside on it's own somewhat as she gets older but I know how frustrating it is right now.... I used to have bite marks all over my arms!!


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Welcome to puppyhood. Almost all puppies do this when they are young. It usually stops when they are done teething. So unfortunatly you have a couple of months to go. In the mean time you can try a few things. None of them are going to work overnight but over time it should get a little better.



> _Originally posted by Kallie/Catchers Mom_@Nov 16 2004, 06:29 AM
> *If you are playing with her and she starts biting, jump up, turn away from her, fold your arms around each other and stand there for 30-60 seconds, so she will get the idea that if she bites, the playing stops. This worked very well with Kallie when she was a puppy ... but not as well with Catcher.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=16585*


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This is a very good tip. When your Coco bites you say "Ouch", or yelp like a dog, and then stand up and ignore her for 30 seconds or so. 

Another good suggestion is the spray bottle. This didn't work for Lexi though because she likes being sprayed with the spray bottle.









You can also try saying "No bite, get a toy" and gently shoving a toy in her month. She should learn that when she wants to be rough she needs to get her toy.


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## mylittlebella (Aug 20, 2004)

Bella is always biting too and it is a puppy thing but with that said, you do have to teach them that is wrong. Don't get frustrated...she'll get the point. I'm still working with Bella and she's 5 months old.


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## Maxismom (Mar 24, 2004)

Maxi does this he did it more when he was a baby but now at 14 months ( today) he still does it the same time every night so now when he does this i stick his paw in his mouth ( doesnt really stop him) but i dont know what to do with him anymore
its like a bell goes off same time every night and he just goes to bite me out of no where along with him trying to hump my arm i screech but it doesnt stop him until i physically pick him up and put him off the bed than he gets sad and goes to sleep
same routine every single night


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## Nicolle916 (Nov 1, 2004)

Bella was quite the biter too! I had marks all over my hands and arms--looked like I had been attacked. I found she also was biting me when I was sitting on the floor with her. I tried the water spray bottle but she loved that so we stopped. Our trainer told me to yelp like a puppy so i did that and then put my arms over my head so she couldn't bite them. She is just about 5 months old and doesn't bite anymore. I think more than anything else she just grew out of it.

Good luck!
Nicolle


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## Maxismom (Mar 24, 2004)

lol i mean maxi doesnt hurt me but its annoying because he works himself up and he makes gremlin sounds ...Its comical because i look at the clock and i know when he will start this behavior
weird


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## babycoconut (Oct 27, 2004)

Maxi's Mom, that's almost how Coconut is! She'll be sooo nice and good all day, but in the evening around 9-ish, forget it. She turns into a little Cujo! Weird.









Thanks for all the suggestions and sharing your pain! :new_Eyecrazy: I've just been trying the yelping thing lately and the hubby thinks i'm nuts. haha. He really thought i was hurting that bad. She was really good the day before yesterday, but last night she was biting and growling like CRAZY. It was completely nuts. She was very very hyper, though, too so i kind of expected that.
I've also been putting her on her back and holding her mouth shut, looking into her eyes and saying "NO BITE", but she just squirms and yells at me. As soon as i let go, she bites my hands even harder. Ugh.
I thought the other day we were making a little progress, but i think she was just tired. heh.


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

> _Originally posted by babycoconut_@Nov 18 2004, 09:12 AM
> *Maxi's Mom, that's almost how Coconut is! She'll be sooo nice and good all day, but in the evening around 9-ish, forget it. She turns into a little Cujo! Weird.
> 
> 
> ...


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From what you have described, I believe Coconut thinks she is the alpha. Also, I have heard that putting them on their backs like that is an old way of doing things and it is now considered good to do that at all. I had the exact situation you have when Catcher was about 4 months old. I tried the yelping too and did no good at all. My throat was sore from it but Catcher was totally unaffected by it. I tried the "no bite" ... didn't work at all. I even tried the jumping up and turning away from him but he would bite my ankles!! He was a biting maniac. 

I then started doing alpha things and it is a total difference. The other night I about flipped out because I was brushing him and he used to try to bite when I was grooming and just be awful. Well, a couple nights ago he stood as still as a stutue ... totally not moving at all ... to have come to that spot from biting was just incredible to me. 

So Coconut has to respect you or she won't mind.Try these things and see if things change for you: 
l. Do not let Coconut go through doorways first... make sure you and your husband are the first through the door.
2. Feed her after you eat. Let her know that you are eating first.
3. When she is eating, put your hands in her food bowl and mess with her food. Make sure she lets you do this... don't let her growl or get possessive with her food.
4. Also, I wouldn't sit on the floor and play with her... assuming she bites when you're on the floor playing. I would not do that for a few days, to sort of break the cycle. 
Some people say to keep them off the bed, etc. but I can't do that!!









Also, I mentioned this in an earlier post......I think the best thing when she bites is to just stop whatever it was you were doing and not pay attention to her. That didn't work real well with Catcher but it makes the most sense of anything I've heard and I think with consistency it can work. I wasn't very consistent with it. And looking at her sternly and saying "no" or "no bite" might work but she has to respect you first. 

There is a little paperback book at PetSmart that has some good ideas for dealing with the biting. The book made me feel better about it. It used to be at the checkout counter area.

Well, anyway, good luck.... the biting will get better as she gets older but it is good to make sure you're the alpha for many reasons......


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## babycoconut (Oct 27, 2004)

I think she thinks she's the alpha, too.








I just gave my husband a hard time last night because when he takes her out, he lets her in the door first, then he goes in after. I was like "You can't let her go first! She'll think she's in charge!"
Yeah, the putting her on her back thing is not working. It just makes her more mad.
We have started to eat first, and i do put my hands in her bowl while she's eating and she has no problem.

She does have a little stuffed sheep that she loves and it was dirty so i went to take it from her to throw it in the wash and she growled at me like crazy, but only for a total of maybe 3 seconds, then she was on to the next thing.
It's weird, i think she DOES think she is the alpha, but i've tried to prevent that from the begining. Heh. I've just got to get strict with that cute little puppy face! It's just hard to be mad at that cute little face when they look up at you all sad with that "I know i'm in trouble, but i love you" face!

She HAS made tons of progress with letting us mess with her ears, face, paws. etc. I can finally play with her little nose and she doesn't snap, just licks. I feel like i can cuddle and kiss her more and she won't snap. I think what helped was when we started taking her out to potty, we have wipes to get her paws and butt, so we mess with her a lot that way, too.

Thank you for the tips! I'll have to keep working on her. I was neglecting my post for a little bit because she's been sick and i didn't want to provide more stress, but she still feels the need to bite like crazy, so i should still work on it.








I'll have to pick up that book if i can find it. 

Funny, she's a little angel lying here on my lap, sleeping away...


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

> _Originally posted by babycoconut_@Nov 19 2004, 09:49 PM
> *I think she thinks she's the alpha, too.
> 
> 
> ...


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Hi again,... don't think of being alpha as being strict. I still give mine tons of kisses and hugs and treat them like babies, but I just do those few things that let them know I'm in charge. And I've heard that dogs like to know that someone is in charge... it makes them feel more secure and most are glad that they don't have to be alpha.... they're glad to have you in that role; however, if there is no alpha, they have no choice but to assume that role themselves. 

Also, I would take away her things a lot... she should not growl when you take things from her... Catcher was the same way... if he had someting in his mouth he would growl and snap if I tried to get it.... like Kleenex or something. Now I can put my hands in his mouth and pull it out. 

Oh, I just thought of one more thing to establish yourself as alpha.... "her" toys are "your" toys... in other words don't leave the toys lying around for her to take them as she wishes. Keep them in a box or something and then take them out and give them to her... that way she knows, they are yours.... 

If you try a few of these things consistently for a week, I bet you will see a big difference. Let us know how it goes!


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## babycoconut (Oct 27, 2004)

> Hi again,... don't think of being alpha as being strict. I still give mine tons of kisses and hugs and treat them like babies, but I just do those few things that let them know I'm in charge. And I've heard that dogs like to know that someone is in charge... it makes them feel more secure and most are glad that they don't have to be alpha.... they're glad to have you in that role; however, if there is no alpha, they have no choice but to assume that role themselves.
> 
> Also, I would take away her things a lot... she should not growl when you take things from her... Catcher was the same way... if he had someting in his mouth he would growl and snap if I tried to get it.... like Kleenex or something. Now I can put my hands in his mouth and pull it out.
> 
> ...


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Oh yeah, i give her plenty of hugs and kisses now that i'm able too, without putting my nose at risk!








Those are some really good things to work on. I'll get a basket to put her toys in. Thank you so much for your help! I would've never thought of most of this stuff. 
Tonight it was the puppy pad. She was ripping and tearing at it and growled when i took it away. Ugh. This growling thing only started the day before yesterday. 
I'll definitely do these things and let you know how it goes!


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