He will not stop biting!!!!!!

[jenny27360]

Hello everyone,

Bruce will be 4 months in August and he is a good puppy, and he will obey my commands(except "stay") But he will NOT quit biting people that come to my house-he is just playing, but it hurts. I will tell him no and tell him to lay down and he does, but then he will look at them and run over and start biting them again. these people are not strangers either-they used to play with him all the time before he got so rough-now he wants to play with them but he bites them too hard. When he sees my kids playing(they are 2 and 3 yrs old) he wants to play too, but he bites at their ankles some, but he will pull at their clothes mostly and they will fall and he will stand over them. i know he is not trying to hurt them, but i want him to know that it does hurt when he tries to chew on them, i will pop his butt(not hard -just a tap) and tell him no- and he looks at me as if he is asking me "why can't I?"
Bruce has never shown any dominance or aggression towards anyone. He never growles or shown his teeth or air snaped before. He is just a puppy playing, but i need to teach him that he can't play with people like that.

What can i do to improve this problem????

PS-i do tell my friends and family and my kids not to bother him or stimulate him in any way, because he is very playful, and once you start playing with him, he wont stop, and if they edge him on i dont punish him, i tell them to stop. He is not as bad with adults as he is with younger people. my friend has a 10 yr old and a 7 yr old and he will not leave them alone. the 10 yr old doesnt even bother him, bruce will just jump up on the couch and start biting him, and tring to play with him, and he wont stop until i put him outside
I didn't want to put him outside every time someone came over, but here latley i have to.

can i nip this in the bud??? or will he have to grow out of it???

please reply
Jenny

[Judi W]

Is there some reason why you are not keeping a leash on him at these times and giving him a solid and meaningful correction for even thinking about biting? I know I would quickly stop visiting if my friend's dog felt free to come up and bite me. (well, actually, I would "fix" it).

[jenny27360]

Keep a leash on him in the house?? Is that the only way to stop this?

Jenny

[jarvis199]

Well i use to have the same problem when i had a lab puppy...about a year ago..i got him and he use to bite everyone and everything..

What i would do is go to wal-mart or any kind of pet store and get some chew toys and maybe a nylabone or something like that..and everytime he bites someone tell him no and just give him the toy and set him down somewhere...

this has worked for me..but, i guess they are different puppies so i guess you can try it...hope i helped somewhat..

Kelly

[diddybopper04]

By keeping the dog on a leash when you have visitors, YOU take control of the situation. You are dealing with a 4 month old puppy. Would you send your 4 year old out to go to the store alone? It is about as realistic as expecting a 4 month old puppy to know what to do without being directed.

By having the leash on him, you can STOP this behavior. Which was the goal, right?

This sounds like a puppy who was removed from his litter early and has not learned about bite inhibition.

What sort of obedience training do you plan for him, and when do you start?

[Judi W]

How nice! Everytime you bite someone, get a new toy!

If you use the leash and collar to clearly teach the dog that biting is not going to be tolerated, and that it has consquences this should not take a lifetime. In fact, it should be accomplished in a week or less. Always accompany the correction with your warning sound. The fact that he continues to bite and bites hard enough to hurt appears as if you have not let him know that it is forbidden.

While the exchange is fine for a baby puppy, this guy is quickly using up his visa and if I was the one being bitten the only playing would be of scant consolation. Time to teach him responsibility for his actions.

[jenny27360]

Bruce was 7 weeks old when i got him- i didnt think that was too young, but it might have been.

no i havent started him in obedience training, i would like to but i dont have the funds right now...that why i like to get tips from this fourm..he is very smart and easy to train..he knows how to sit, lay, speak, roll over, will ring bell on the door handle when he needs to go outside, he loves to play fetch-he will bring it back and drop it..i have taught him all of these things, and this fourm has helped me do it.
i will use the leash when i have company-it does make since....thanks to you guys, i now know what to do...and i can teach him not to do this.

thank you very very much
jenny

[moondog]

Originally Posted by jenny27360

Keep a leash on him in the house?? Is that the only way to stop this?

Well, until he learns good manners, why would you object to that? It beats putting him out and isolating him from the socialization he needs, doesn't it? Having him on a leash and attached to YOU is a handy tool to help make sure you can correct him immediately for nipping and biting...and if he is corrected consistently and immediately, he will learn quicker what it is you expect from him. Also, I think it's just as important to show a puppy what he is ALLOWED to chew on as it is to correct him for chewing on your guests. Correct him with a firm "NO BITE" when he tries to chew on people and redirect him to something he is allowed to bite. Repeat as necessary and he will catch on that people are not for chewing on, toys are.

Kids stimulate puppies and dogs more than adults because they are much more active and hyper themselves. Closely supervise interactions with children so both the puppy and the kids learn how to interact calmly. Training the kids is as important as training the puppy.

[jenny27360]

thank you judi- it does make since. i had scolded him every single time for this. i am constantly saying no in my stern voice, and he will run and lay down when i do so, but then he just does it again. the leach will really help. And i know he will learn quick because he wont want to be one that leash all the time. but i will keep him on it untill he fully learns to stop.

thank you judi, you are always so helpful
if you have anymore tips, they would be helpful
PS- it is ok to pop him on the butt when he does wrong, right?? not hard, just enough to make him stop what he is doing when i catch him in the act. example: he did want to chew on my furniture, when i would see him do it i would pop him on the butt, to let him know he cant do that and then i would tell him NO, and ten tell him to lay down, and give him his toy to chew on....i kept doing that for about a week and now he dont do that anymore.

jenny

[diddybopper04]

Originally Posted by jenny27360

no i havent started him in obedience training, i would like to but i dont have the funds right now...
jenny

You have a young male who is testing the waters to see where he's going to fit in. My personal opinion is that Obedience training is not optional for any young Rottie.

There is some net research you can do to find info that will help you.

Search for the Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) program, and articles on Dominance and Alpha dogs.

Good luck, stick around, you will get a lot of good advice here.

[jenny27360]

No Bite is the command that i have always used-i have never tried the leash but i will start that tonight

thank you for your good tips and advice moondog
jenny

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by jenny27360

PS- it is ok to pop him on the butt when he does wrong, right?? not hard, just enough to make him stop what he is doing when i catch him in the act. example: he did want to chew on my furniture, when i would see him do it i would pop him on the butt, to let him know he cant do that and then i would tell him NO, and ten tell him to lay down, and give him his toy to chew on....i kept doing that for about a week and now he dont do that anymore.

jenny

Please don't "pop him on the butt" - if you "tether" him to you, you can correct his naughty behavior via a leash correction. When leashing him is inconvenient (because you are in the bathtub or something ) then quietly place him in his crate with a chew toy.

If he is allowed freedom before he can handle it you are only prolonging how long his training will take.

As to the cost of classes, your County recreation department should offer some basic obedience classes at a reasonable cost - have you checked into that?

Consistancy and fairness are whats needed here - a pop on the butt is neither.

Good luck and happy training.

[Judi W]

What I would like you to do is correct him "before" he bites. Otherwise he has still had his fun. This is just one more thing you are going to teach him, however it will require some compulsion. He's already shown you what he likes to do left to his own devices, so you are going to show him what you want him to do. I personally don't have any objection to a swat on the butt if necessary to get attention, but I would like you to use the collar and lead to stop and correct rather than trying to catch a rapidly moving pup on his way to get a piece of someone.

[diddybopper04]

Originally Posted by jenny27360

i am constantly saying no in my stern voice, and he will run and lay down when i do so, but then he just does it again.

This is a good example of a correction that is not working. When something is not working, you need to try something different. Keeping him on a leash or a line in your house will give you something to control him with. I don't use the word NO alot in my training. The list of what not to do is so long you could never recite it. The list of what you SHOULD do is short. COME HERE. LIE DOWN. GOOD DOG.

Originally Posted by jenny27360

the leach will really help. And i know he will learn quick because he wont want to be one that leash all the time. but i will keep him on it untill he fully learns to stop.

A good thing to do is, once the dog is demonstrating that he has learned earned enough trust to start being off the line in the house is to start shortening it. Gradually. I might for a LONG time leave a 12" double looped cord on this dog so that if you NEED to get a hold of him, you have a handle to do it with.

Originally Posted by jenny27360

PS- it is ok to pop him on the butt when he does wrong, right?? not hard, just enough to make him stop what he is doing when i catch him in the act. example: he did want to chew on my furniture, when i would see him do it i would pop him on the butt, to let him know he cant do that and then i would tell him NO, and ten tell him to lay down, and give him his toy to chew on....i kept doing that for about a week and now he dont do that anymore.

jenny

I really personally don't hold with striking a dog unless I am defending myself from a bite. IMO, it teaches a dog to be handshy, and is an ineffective correction usually. Instead of saying no, I use AH AH! And later, once taught, "LEAVE IT" with a puppy who is chewing inappropriate things. I also keep a toy box or basket, esp with puppies. If the puppy LOOKS AT, or SNIFFS, or puts his mouth on anything he is not supposed to, I scold. "AH AH!
Leave it." And then, IMMEDIATELY, "Where is your TOY BOX??" in a happy voice. "LET'S GO GET A TOY!!" and then I will joyfully rush him to the box, and encourage him to choose and play with a toy. It is astounding how fast they will learn the word TOY and where they are located.