I feel ridiculous posting this because he is only a puppy but he is starting to make me quite nervous. I grew up with puppies/dogs but this is my first dog of my own. I had read and read and read everything I could before he arrived and the first couple of weeks although he was biting it wasn’t too bad. He is now reaching 11 weeks and oh my goodness I literally feel like I can’t be in the same room with him. He bites my ankles, back of my legs, grabs at clothes (even ripped my pj bottoms this morning ha ha). I tried having toys in my hands etc, walking away, moving him to a different room but I’m struggling a bit. If I have a toy he bites it for a second and then goes back to my hand, if I walk away he grabs the back of my leg/ankle and if I pick him up he will bite at whatever he can reach. I found myself today becoming quite scared when he came towards me which I know sounds pathetic as he is a cute little puppy. I know this is part of puppyhood but just seems to have ramped up the amount of biting in the last couple of days.
Hi,i completely understand. My pup was awful,we couldn't even play with her as she would bite us really hard, we had wanted her so much but felt despondent as she was a growling biting crocopup! It will get better,so much better but until then maybe try what we did. Every time Isla bit us we gently but firmly placed her over the stairgate of whatever room we were in,she eventually realised that means all play and attention stopped,which she didn't like! This worked after a time. But try not to despair it will stop soon
I have a 5 month old white lab who acts the same way. They must be distant cousins! I hope this goes away soon as I also did research ahead of time about what breed would be the best with pre-existing animals(I have 2 cats also). Boy was i surprised when this behavior started. We tried the same things you did, and I have several shorts with holes and my hands/arms look awful. It seems she has a harder time around meals. I read the reply and have tried putting her in a quiet place. No play. If anyone else has suggestions that would be great. It is always good to have options!
sorry I can't be of much help it must be awful to be bitten all the time. Kyko only bit me twice when he was small & both times he went for timeout in his crate, and after the second time he didn't try again. In those 2 times I realised he was over tired which was what had led to the bites. I just firmly but gently picked him up, didn't speak to him & placed him in the crate and walked away for a couple of minutes. After the couple of minutes while he was quiet I let him out again & just carried on as normal
I could have wrote this myself! Luna was 12 weeks yesterday and my angles, back of legs, and arms are covered in bruises where my little one has caught me. We have dried cows ears for her and these seem to be helping a bit as she is able to chew on them for her sore gums. Also putting wet face clothes in the freezer, chewing on these is great as it is cold and hard. Another great thing for some quiet time is a likimat, we put peanut butter and banana on it. Sometimes we even freeze it and keeps her busy. To help when making her food we grate a little bit of carrot and scatter it on the kitchen floor, keeps her distracted long enough to prepare her food. If she is playful we just sit in the hall at one end with all the toys and keep throwing them to the other end until she decides thats enough and goes to lie down.
I understand your questioning, I felt exactly the same and asked the same question myself. It does become less over time, but I can't say it has stopped entirely with our pup at 7 1/2 months. She does find it fun - even though it sounds dreadful and is a very unpleasant behaviour I know she's not a horrible dog. She used to be pretty constant. Avoiding her triggers or working on her triggers one or two at a time helps, using clicker training to reward the behaviour I want in those situations. Her triggers could be anything - from something new around to me coming home and greeting her, to me sitting on the sofa with a cuppa, to being frustrated. Even now a new coat with interesting tabs or zips will trigger her. Ignoring her or me leaving the room I find is the best response if it does happen but this takes time and time and time again it seems. Seems like some dogs are very mouthy for a while and she is a hard player with other dogs too - but all in fun, just not quite sure when to stop. Its tempting to walk and walk her but Im pretty strict with not doing that and we have training sessions, challenges, nose work games and plenty of chews and big soft toys and time to herself too to- they all help. I know not one thing will stop it and seems its about the whole picture, but it is the most unpleasant behaviour I know.
Hi everyone! I think we all have the same dog! Mayzie is my 4 month old lab. I don't wear any clothes that are nice as they would have rips and holes in them. The biting was out of control and I wish I would have bought stock in the band-aid brand, I would of made myself a very rich person with all the ones my husband and I have used. We also did all the tricks in the books to get her to stop. The only thing that has helped with her jumping up and biting or grabbing me at my legs, is I would stop in my tracks and turn my back to her. When she is getting tired I have noticed her behavior gets worse. She will start biting or barking excessively so we put her in her crate that she doesn't sleep in at night. We didn't want to think her sleeping crate is punishment, so we have a spare one we use as timeouts. She comes back out with a straightened attitude!
I follow a fb group, canine enrichment. They have given me tons of great ideas that help with mental stimulation for our pup. Freezing stuffed kongs, mats and other toys, various ways to feed her that slow things down and keeps her busy to games we play with her with her food and treats. These have helped, she is 3 months old and bites us much less. We do remove ourselves if she does bite as well.
