# Biting... playbite or serious???



## Timmy's Parents (Jul 10, 2007)

Hi guys... well, my puppy is now a little over 3 months old... how time flies!! Anyway, he is doing very well with his wee wee pads. We are crate training him and it's working great so far. 

After he does what he needs to do in the wee wee pads, we reward him with a treat and we let him out to play. He is taking advantage and he is running all over the house and biting everything in sight. We have one or two chew toys out for him but he has sooo much fun biting our slippers. I think it's cute when he follows me around the house, but he bites my legs and when I try to stop him, he jumps up to bite my fingers/hands. I think he is playing, but even though they are baby teeth, it still hurts. When I wear a long skirt or capri pants he likes to bite the ends of the pants and the skirt. He is craving for attention but when I try to give him some attention, he is very wild and he tries to bite me.

We are giving him the enervite and I think that is what is making him very hyper but they say it's necessary to give him that until he is 4 months old. I have a friend that told me he stopped giving that to his puppy because he noticed he was too hyper. I told him that it was necessary to give him the proper vitamins, especially when they are puppies.

Please help... any advice, suggestions?

:grouphug: 
Priscilla


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

I would be saying no bite in a low voice everytime he bites at your clothes or your hands or anything else and redirect him to a chew toy. If after 3 times my Shiloh doesn't listen he gets a time out for five minutes. He gets put into the gated kitchen away from us which of course is not what he wants. This teaches him obedience equals more freedom which of course any dog loves. I do not use the crate for corrrection as I want him to associate that only with rest and sleep. I also would only let him have access to a small portion of your home at a time at this age. Freedom should be earned as the dog grows and earns that sort of trust. My dog is close in age and he only has access his crate, the kitchen, the living room and the patio for potty all at various times. Good Luck.


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

Why are you giving him enervite? If he is eating a premium dog food (not available in grocery stores) he should be getting all the vitamins he needs. His biting at shoes, etc. sounds so familar. Mine did the same. He's just a very playful little guy. Be sure to play fetch with him and other games as he sounds like he needs a lot of physical activity. 

When he is biting at your shoes just keep walking. Don't say "no" or give him any attention at all. Eventually, it won't be a fun game for him any more.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

How long is he in the crate for? Maybe he's too cooped up? Otherwise, his behavior sounds VERY normal for his age and he'll probably do that for some time to come. My suggestions 1) use bitter apple on the things/surfaces you don't want him to chew 2) as for biting or chewing on you, ignoring him sends him the loudest message that you don't approve. If he doesn't have an audience (whether it be positive or negative feedback, it's all the same to him) then he'll get the message. Patience and consistancy. At 11 months Ollie STILL gets in those moods but at least now when I sternly tell him NO his little ears go back and he stops and looks at me like "sorry mom."


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

The OP would not have posted this if it wasn't a concern to her. Biting at her clothing, hands and everything in sight wildly in a way that *hurts* would be a concern for many people. Some have a less permissive style than others and believe in teaching a puppy good manners early rather than needing a behaviorist later. I was simply trying to offer possible alternatives for correcting an undesirable behavior that the poster expressed was a concern. While I respect your rights to your own opinions, it boggles me that it was suggested it be ignored. Would you ignore your human child if he was doing something that caused pain and possible destruction by playing with things that aren't meant to be toys? 

I love the information on this site but I really don't love how in so many of these posts their is zero respect, disregard and downright talking down to for someone who has a varying opinion. 

OP I hope you handle it in the way most comfortable for you. If you search biting on this site you will see that many have required help with this issue via a behaviorist and I hope you resolve it in the best way for your family no matter what you decide to do. Best of wishes.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

> The OP would not have posted this if it wasn't a concern to her. Biting at her clothing, hands and everything in sight wildly in a way that *hurts* would be a concern for many people. Some have a less permissive style than others and believe in teaching a puppy good manners early rather than needing a behaviorist later. I was simply trying to offer possible alternatives for correcting an undesirable behavior that the poster expressed was a concern. While I respect your rights to your own opinions, it boggles me that it was suggested it be ignored. Would you ignore your human child if he was doing something that caused pain and possible destruction by playing with things that aren't meant to be toys?
> 
> I love the information on this site but I really don't love how in so many of these posts their is zero respect, disregard and downright talking down to for someone who has a varying opinion.
> 
> OP I hope you handle it in the way most comfortable for you. If you search biting on this site you will see that many have required help with this issue via a behaviorist and I hope you resolve it in the best way for your family no matter what you decide to do. Best of wishes.[/B]


Whoa! No need to get so nasty in your reply and accuse people of having zero respect, regard, and talking down to people by the responses they gave. Ignoring a biting puppy is one of the main ways trainers recommend to train bite inhibition. It mimicks the exact behavior a mother dog would adopt in dealing with a fresh, mouthy puppy and is very effective.

Never punish your puppy physically, as this will just provoke him and develop a long-term fear of you that will take much hard work to reverse. Instead, just verbalize, and ignore the puppy for a few minutes. Repeat this a few times and the puppy will quickly learn that people won't stay and play if they are bit. Since puppies love attention, this lesson will be quickly learned. 

http://dogobedienceadvice.com/dog_training_stop_biting.php

You need to let your puppy know that biting you hurts! Whenever he bites you say "no" in a loud firm voice. This is the same way his mother or litter mates would deal with him. Then carefully remove your hand from his mouth and give him a toy to chew on instead. If your puppy bites you again say "no" withdraw your hand and then ignore your puppy completely for 10 minutes. Your puppy will soon realise that biting causes him to lose his playmates for a while.

http://www.squidoo.com/aggressive-biting-puppy/

Another approach is to yell every time your puppy nips you. This will startle the puppy and stop him from biting. Then praise the puppy for stopping. One effective method is to ignore your puppy after he bites you. After yelling, walk away for about a minute.

http://www.chai-online.org/en/companion/caring_training.htm

So one way to do this is for you to act like another puppy or dog. You can do this in two ways. One way is when the puppy bites you...SCREAM and let the puppy know this HURTS. Then ignore the puppy, don't play with him. if he does it a second time YELL and maybe grab him by the neck, shake him by the neck just once and quickly. Speak firmly in a deep loud voice. Let him know this really HURTS. Then drop him, ignore him, don't play with him for a while. If he's a normal dog, just without manners, he'll quickly learn not to bite so hard. 

http://www.neapolitan.org/content/view/81/49/

When he does bite you, loudly say “ouch” and immediately turn away. Ignore or leave the room until your puppy is calm. Your pup will soon learn that rough behavior means the end of playtime, and will become gentler to make sure your attention stays on him!

http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs/p...uggestions.aspx


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

> The OP would not have posted this if it wasn't a concern to her. Biting at her clothing, hands and everything in sight wildly in a way that *hurts* would be a concern for many people. Some have a less permissive style than others and believe in teaching a puppy good manners early rather than needing a behaviorist later. I was simply trying to offer possible alternatives for correcting an undesirable behavior that the poster expressed was a concern. While I respect your rights to your own opinions, it boggles me that it was suggested it be ignored. Would you ignore your human child if he was doing something that caused pain and possible destruction by playing with things that aren't meant to be toys?
> 
> I love the information on this site but I really don't love how in so many of these posts their is zero respect, disregard and downright talking down to for someone who has a varying opinion.
> 
> OP I hope you handle it in the way most comfortable for you. If you search biting on this site you will see that many have required help with this issue via a behaviorist and I hope you resolve it in the best way for your family no matter what you decide to do. Best of wishes.[/B]


I don't know what has gotten you so upset but ignoring puppies when they bite at clothes and shoes was taught to me by a dog trainer many years go. I have used that advice with three Malt puppies over many years and it works.

".... zero respect, disregard and downright talking down to for someone who has a varying opinion." I didn't even read your earlier post until just now. You were not even on my mind when I wrote my post. I was not in any way whatsoever talking to you when I wrote my post. I was only trying to help Priscilla, who was asking for help.


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## makettle29 (Nov 12, 2005)

> Hi guys... well, my puppy is now a little over 3 months old... how time flies!! Anyway, he is doing very well with his wee wee pads. We are crate training him and it's working great so far.
> 
> After he does what he needs to do in the wee wee pads, we reward him with a treat and we let him out to play. He is taking advantage and he is running all over the house and biting everything in sight. We have one or two chew toys out for him but he has sooo much fun biting our slippers. I think it's cute when he follows me around the house, but he bites my legs and when I try to stop him, he jumps up to bite my fingers/hands. I think he is playing, but even though they are baby teeth, it still hurts. When I wear a long skirt or capri pants he likes to bite the ends of the pants and the skirt. He is craving for attention but when I try to give him some attention, he is very wild and he tries to bite me.
> 
> ...


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## 3Maltmom (May 23, 2005)

My Billy is almost 3-years-old, and still gets in these "moods". My other dogs have helped by getting after him. 

The only way for me to get Billy to "back-off", is to ignore him. If he's chasing and nipping at my feet or clothing, I walk over to the dining room chair and stand on it. Yes, I look like an idiot, but it works. After about a minute, Billy has moved on to his toys, or just trotting around. 

Yours is still a puppy, and most of mine acted like that. I ignored them as well. Eventually they grew out of it. Well, not Billy, but hey, that's Billy for ya.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi Priscilla - there are actually numerous ways to address this, and the key to any way is consistency. If you're going to do the "NO BITE", ignore, or yelp, just be consistent. (I yelped, but PS - Bonnie still play bites. My fault, I know. :brownbag: )

Good luck - you'll get there!


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## 3Maltmom (May 23, 2005)

> Hi Priscilla - there are actually numerous ways to address this, and the key to any way is consistency. If you're going to do the "NO BITE", ignore, or yelp, just be consistent. (I yelped, but PS - Bonnie still play bites. My fault, I know. :brownbag: )
> 
> Good luck - you'll get there![/B]


Linda ~ I am VERY consistent. I can now eat dinner while "standing" on a chair ~ LMAO

:smtease: :smtease: :smtease: :smtease: 

You are sooooo right. Consistency is the key.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=419119
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm consistent, too - you could set your watch by me. I have a glass of wine every night at 10:30. :biggrin: :chili:


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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

thread cleaned up, back on topic please


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

> My Billy is almost 3-years-old, and still gets in these "moods". My other dogs have helped by getting after him.
> 
> The only way for me to get Billy to "back-off", is to ignore him. If he's chasing and nipping at my feet or clothing, I walk over to the dining room chair and stand on it. Yes, I look like an idiot, but it works. After about a minute, Billy has moved on to his toys, or just trotting around.[/B]


Very comical and yet I think its a brilliant approach. I think this is the best idea I have heard yet. I might have to try this tactic myself one day if needed.


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## Timmy's Parents (Jul 10, 2007)

<span style="font-family:Arial">THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH LADIES!!! I LOVE THIS FORUM BECAUSE EVERYONE HERE IS ALWAYS SUCH GREAT HELP!! THIS IS MY FIRST PUPPY AS AN ADULT AND I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS BECAUSE I WANT TO BE THE BEST MOMMY I COULD BE AND GIVE TIMMY THE BEST!!! 

Everytime I have a question(s) or a concern, I can count on everyone here to reply quickly and help me. I'm sorry that my post caused some heat... It's tough because when you read something you don't know what tone the other person who wrote is using and it could come off the wrong way. 

Thank you again to everyone and I hope we are all getting along!

~Priscilla</span>


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