# biting puppy



## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

Well, this little 9-10 week old guy loves to bite! walk along and your ankles and pantlegs are history. I have tried to substitute by whipping out a towel to chase, but then I worry I've already spent enough time (3 min max) with him on these activities at that time of day.

I don't want to disuade him from the love of biting, so any suggestions to get him off my legs while keeping drive high?


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

You won't disuade him.

I just use food though, my pockets are always lined with kibble.


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

I am now packing chicken jerkey pieces in a bait bag. Seems to work OK. Good thing, this guy bites everything. Hands are criss-crossed with teeth scratches.

Mike, My pup Cairo looks a lot like Tiko


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

Just wait till he bites your arm and tries to hump you


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

great... just great


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

I'd like any additional thoughts on this whole biting thing. This guy has me covered in bite marks, and the family basically won't go near him. He's clearly not malicious, but is it OK to train him to not mouth / bite us?


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Ted White said:


> I'd like any additional thoughts on this whole biting thing. This guy has me covered in bite marks, and the family basically won't go near him. He's clearly not malicious, but is it OK to train him to not mouth / bite us?


I sure wouldnt stick up for this lil one to terrorise the family:lol: but hes just discovering stuff and sounds to me like you have a good dog there but you have to be in charge here. He does stuff you dont like..tell him. What was the situation that got you covered in bitemarks? Just play stuff?


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I've never found correcting for bad manners created any problems on the training field.


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## Johan Dekinder (Sep 17, 2007)

Always take some kind of puppy rag or similar with you.. & get to play with him instead.
Remember : if you let him do this now , he'll think he can do this later & this hurts a lot more ..


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

Thanks a lot for the replies.

The scratches are just pure play. I have been concerned about not diffusing the drive. So I'm stuck as to how best correct. Just casually push away with a "no"? Raised voice a bit?

He understands "stay" when I want him to stay on the deck and not follow me in the house. Understands much of the time, anyway.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

As was said earlier, keep toys handy with you, but if he's really being an insufferable little snot, make the corrections temperament appropriate. If he's got a softer temperament, there's no need to shake the tar out of him or anything. The worse I've had to do is scruff the pup so his front paws were off the ground slightly and growl no at him and that was sufficient without hurting his feelings too much as he's got a medium hard temperament. Many will disagree and it's just my 2 cents, but if a dog is going to live with you, especially in the house, it may as well be somewhat tolerable. ;-) If an appropriate correction is going to do irreparable damage to his drive, I'd wager he probably didn't have enough drive to begin with.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Ted White said:


> Thanks a lot for the replies.
> 
> The scratches are just pure play. I have been concerned about not diffusing the drive. So I'm stuck as to how best correct. Just casually push away with a "no"? Raised voice a bit?
> 
> He understands "stay" when I want him to stay on the deck and not follow me in the house. Understands much of the time, anyway.


Your pup is very young still, this will not go away over night. I will admit that no didn't mean much to my dog at that age. I used the "NO" and redirect meathod. Once the dog was old enough to really get "no", I would just end the game if we got into biting me. Granted I did not want a dog for protection, but I still required a ragging maniac with lots of drive! 

I would not tell a dog of that age to stay. Don't teach your dog it can disobey you (by not staying)....the pup is too young for that kind of OB! If you want it to stay somewhere at that age, crate it or teather it. 

JMHO.


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

He's been pretty quick to pick up on this over the last 2 days. I move his note off the area and make a noise. He gets it quite well it seems. Really happy about that.

The "stay" isn't a stay, per say. I should have been clearer. It means he doesn't follow me in the house, so he sits outside the door. He's mostly getting the message from my foot holding him back as I open the door. Then he sits. Less verbal, more a physical message that I'm sending. Works pretty well.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Ted White said:


> Just casually push away with a "no"?


 
If you do the casual push away Ted, does he not come back for more? Usually the push away will invoke more come back to play. Im wondering here how the pup takes the push;-)


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

On the other side of the coin you can redirect him, and when that doesn't work, stick him his crate for a few minutes.


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## Archie David (Apr 4, 2007)

I agree with the redirecting of the pups' drive to the tug/rag/toy. I'd issue a stern "NO", maybe some scruffing (just enough to get the pups' attention), present the rag (with enough prey movements), then a very cheerful praise once it goes for the prey item. If in case he gets too bothersome, just like what has been posted, I'd put him away.

May I know how your pup reacts if it gets a minor correction? I normally take out a pup from my program if it can't get over the correction and would continue to distrust me or refuse to play with me (all the more if the pup would exhibit a fearful aggressive posture).


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

Basically I'm (and the family) successful with a sharp noise. He understands that we don't like it. If he gets to a frenzy we offer the rag to bite. He's been pretty good about it, actually.

His prey drive is unaffected.


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

To me, its not so much about damaging a dogs prey drive, but rather teaching them to be hesitant about biting a persons skin. If a dog that's supposed to bite someone in the future learns from puppyhood "if I bite someone, I shouldnt do it very hard, or not at all, but I can bite a sleeve as hard as I want", then what?


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

Good point, but isn't this maybe a scenario driven thing? Like when a dog is in a defensive drive he's biting. When he's having his belly rubbed he's not?


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## Bryan Colletti (Feb 16, 2007)

Hil Harrison said:


> If you do the casual push away Ted, does he not come back for more? Usually the push away will invoke more come back to play. Im wondering here how the pup takes the push;-)


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

True true...... I use the push to build frustration towards play with me in puppies. I love to see the determination. 

Bryan


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## Ted White (May 2, 2006)

casual pushing = more I found also.


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