Sound advice to stop puppy biting so hard
Discussion
We've had Toby, our working cocker pup at home for a couple of weeks now. In this time, we've done our best to provide as much mental stimulation as possible and adequate physical exercise for his age. He has taken to command training very well and in this short space of time seems to becoming pretty obedient.
One area we're struggling with however, is his tendancy to bite hands A LOT. When faced with a hand (treat-baring or not), his initial reaction is to lunge for it as hard as possible - something that no amount of "Ouch!" or time-outs seem to change. We recently had a friend of ours, a dog behaviour specialist come round to observe and funnily enough, was as good as gold for the entire hour, likely pleased at the additional company and cubes of cheese (which we've already been doing!).
I'm fully aware that puppies need to bite and will absolutely test the boundaries, which I was fully prepared for. The thing grating on me is that this seems to be the only thing I don't currently seem to be able to control. Our friend has told us to stop yelping/saying ouch altogether and just to remove ourselves from play the moment it happens and stand away for short periods of time before going back to him, but I'm not entirely convinced this is doing the trick.
I know there is a lot of conflicting information on the net on this topic, but wanted to reach out to real dog owners here, should anyone have good advice or tips from their own experiences. HELP!
One area we're struggling with however, is his tendancy to bite hands A LOT. When faced with a hand (treat-baring or not), his initial reaction is to lunge for it as hard as possible - something that no amount of "Ouch!" or time-outs seem to change. We recently had a friend of ours, a dog behaviour specialist come round to observe and funnily enough, was as good as gold for the entire hour, likely pleased at the additional company and cubes of cheese (which we've already been doing!).
I'm fully aware that puppies need to bite and will absolutely test the boundaries, which I was fully prepared for. The thing grating on me is that this seems to be the only thing I don't currently seem to be able to control. Our friend has told us to stop yelping/saying ouch altogether and just to remove ourselves from play the moment it happens and stand away for short periods of time before going back to him, but I'm not entirely convinced this is doing the trick.
I know there is a lot of conflicting information on the net on this topic, but wanted to reach out to real dog owners here, should anyone have good advice or tips from their own experiences. HELP!
Hmm.. My dog was very similar as a puppy lol.. The best way i found was just to make a sound where he knows its wrong (something like 'pssssT' - cesar milan sound) and stop playing with him.. I found by screaming or making high pitched sounds, they tend to get excited and do it more..
But either way, it doesnt happen over night.. Your dog will eventually learn to control his bite as he gets older, some take longer, some understand faster.. Dont concern yourself with it too much and just follow the routine
My dog is a 70kg beast now and i have huge play fights with him in my garden (even though i know the alpha should not be stooping down to that level
) and he tends to try and bite my arms, shoulders, anything to bring me to the ground.. He knows how much bite pressure he is putting and sometimes gets too excited and over steps the boundies.. A simple authoratative snap at him and he stops.. So basically they learn more as they get older..
But either way, it doesnt happen over night.. Your dog will eventually learn to control his bite as he gets older, some take longer, some understand faster.. Dont concern yourself with it too much and just follow the routine
My dog is a 70kg beast now and i have huge play fights with him in my garden (even though i know the alpha should not be stooping down to that level
) and he tends to try and bite my arms, shoulders, anything to bring me to the ground.. He knows how much bite pressure he is putting and sometimes gets too excited and over steps the boundies.. A simple authoratative snap at him and he stops.. So basically they learn more as they get older..Edited by HashlakGTR on Saturday 22 February 00:01
I know you aren’t going to like this, but my sister had a cocker spaniel, that also bit a lot, and had a touch of the “cocker rage” about her. Nothing my sister could do did stop her from attempting to bite people.
She was one of the almost angelic cutest cockers around, but any strangers in the house, and she was a dog possessed.
Her other dog, a newfie, just tolerated the cocker, whacking her across the garden with his front paws when she had over stepped the mark. Obedience classes and training made no difference at all.
However, the unprovoked biting of (and lunges at) strangers was tolerated for 6 years. The story doesn’t have a good ending and after biting (quite badly in fact) the man who had come to fix the oven, she was PTS.
Sorry no advice
- but good luck OP
She was one of the almost angelic cutest cockers around, but any strangers in the house, and she was a dog possessed.
Her other dog, a newfie, just tolerated the cocker, whacking her across the garden with his front paws when she had over stepped the mark. Obedience classes and training made no difference at all.
However, the unprovoked biting of (and lunges at) strangers was tolerated for 6 years. The story doesn’t have a good ending and after biting (quite badly in fact) the man who had come to fix the oven, she was PTS.
Sorry no advice
- but good luck OP Very sad to hear how that ended.. sorry for the loss Well what i have learned from having large potentially dangerous dogs is that you need to be ALPHA always.. And be rough if u have to with your dog to teach him who is boss.. Thats how its done in the wild and thats how dogs universally understand things.. Obviously dont get me wrong, im not saying be rough with a puppy or anything, but there are many other ways of showing you are the Alpha.. If need be u need to pin him onto the ground to show dominance over him until the dog submits and stops stuggling.. Also its important to note, that any of these methods must be done in a calm and authoritative mind frame.. U cant be angry or stressed, the dog can tell and it wont work, trust me..
Edited by HashlakGTR on Saturday 22 February 19:32
Edited by HashlakGTR on Saturday 22 February 19:33
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