puppy biting can't be normal

[marley08]

OK -- it's not nipping, it's not playing -- when I take something out of my 4 month old puppy's mouth, right now it's mostly grass that he rips out of my yard, he snarls, growls and
BITES, hard and won't let go unless I scream or yank his mouth open (which I only do if I have gloves on). This can't be normal.
He will also get "mad" and snarl and growl and make strange sounds all the while trying to bite me.

I am very worried. If he does this now, what am I going to do when he's bigger. How do I stop it?

[harleychik66]

This is normal. You are trying to take away what your pup perceives to be his. You need to trade your boy for something else of value.

Leash him to you when you are in the yard. This way you will be able to correct him before he gets something in his mouth. If he does by chance still manage to pick up something trade him for a yummy treat. When offering the treat tell him leave it, or let it go. He will soon learn that what he is getting is far better than what he had.

[Nishasmom]

He will stop if you train him properly. I remember the first time I tried to take poop out of Nisha's mouth ! That little 8 week old fur ball turned into a monster!

Unfortunately, I had not found this forum yet. But, I talked with my trainer who said it is a normal part of puppy-hood. Puppies fight each other for what 'belongs' to them...your dog is doing the same thing with you.

Start implementing the NILF technique...Nothing In Life Is Free . I really cant tell you why this works, but it does. Make your dog "work" for everything...attention, food, playtime, ect. Even if it is a simple 'sit' command.

What I imagine NILF does is it shows your dog that you control all things. And your dog must work for the things he wants. By your dog knowing that you are in control he respects, TRUSTS, and wants to please you. Gaining trust will really change the way he acts.

Anyways, I started this at 8 weeks (per trainers advice) and it didn't take long before Nisha was a changed dog . I am sure other people will chime in to help out (far more knowledgeable than I)...I just want you to know, if you raise your dog with certain expectations and rules, he will respect you. Your dog is not a monster...just a normal, confused, puppy.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by marley08

OK -- it's not nipping, it's not playing -- when I take something out of my 4 month old puppy's mouth, right now it's mostly grass that he rips out of my yard, he snarls, growls and BITES, hard and won't let go unless I scream or yank his mouth open (which I only do if I have gloves on). This can't be normal. He will also get "mad" and snarl and growl and make strange sounds all the while trying to bite me.

I am very worried. If he does this now, what am I going to do when he's bigger. How do I stop it?

It appears your approach to puppy training is to fight.....so your puppy fights back. That's normal. He's doing exactly what you're teaching him to do.

Why are you screaming? And do you realize you could seriously injure your puppy by "yanking his mouth open"? Why should he do anything other than fight when this is the way he is being treated?

Read this thread and see if you can find some self-control and patience to use the tips given. The goal isn't to conquer the puppy, it's to appeal to a puppy's sense of cooperation in order to teach him what you expect of him.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/pup...ies-mouth.html

Click on the "Search" link in the blue title bar and type in Puppy Biting for many, many threads on this subject.

[AngelBunny]

Your puppy's behavior is completely normal and is to be expected. Leashing your landshark to you and arming yourself with a bag of yummy treats so you can teach your puppy to trade is essential.

What you see in your possessive, snarling, growling, biting puppy is what you can expect to see in the dog your Rottie will become if you don't train him out of this uncouth behavior. Puppies don't outgrow bad manners--they grow into them.

Are you and your puppy in obed class?

[Max'smom]

Screaming at puppy only makes the matter worse, it'll make them snarl and growl even more. And when you yank your puppys mouth open, it's gonna make them try to bite down harder to keep what they have. Trading for a treat really does work, have been through it myself. Max likes tissues, and if he gets one, I offer him a toy that he really likes or a piece of hot dog; I tell him to leave it or drop it, he happily does and eats the hot dog. Patience, patience, patience. It takes time (many, many times of over and over again) to train a pup.

[chevy boy]

as a newbie myself i can understand how you feel. chevy has done the same thing in the past and we had a similar response until we searched through the threads on here and realized how to deal with the situation properly. i know it seems like the little pup is terror right now but with a little patience and a good approach it does get better. it seems to me that every day that goes by my boy keeps getting better and better. hang in there

[cerulean]

Originally Posted by marley08

OK -- right now it's mostly grass that he rips out of my yard

Why fight with him over grass ??

I agree, the "trade" works great for convincing our pup to drop bad things. However, we try to choose our battles.... we don't bother our pup if the thing she has can't really hurt her, so when we REALLY need to get her to drop something, she will. We just don't nag her all the time.

Now grass... well, the chlorophyll is actually good for dogs, helps them absorb calcium to build bones and teeth. Mango will eat seaweed at the beach and I suppose she gets a lot of minerals. The worst that can happen is that if she eats too much she'll throw up.

We also find that it helps to stay relaxed... if she grabs a plastic bag or my underwear, there is no need to panic. I calmly walk over to the kitchen for treats, not making a lot of excitement towards the dog; and half the time, she's become distracted and dropped the item in favor of something else anyway.

[cocopuffs]

You need to teach your puppy the "leave it" command. You say LEAVE IT and he leaves it alone, you don't need to trade anything for treats, but you do need to be a stern and fair leader for your pup.

[lengel]

It's really easy to train out of this. Give your pup a highly valued toy. Have really smelly good treats on hand. Once pup has a really good grip on the toy, say "Drop it!" and fork over fantastic treat. Pup has to drop the toy to get the treat. Praise highly. Do this repeatedly in several sessions throughout the day.

At some point, you'll say "Drop it!" and the mouth just kind of drops open and the item falls out. It's a beautiful thing.

Also, are you addressing the pain your pup is in as teething begins?

[dannylou]

grab his muzzle and kiss him on the nose a few times