[ssimmons99]

I have read much information on the Internet on this issue - Chloe has just started loosing puppy teeth. We used to give her rawhide bones to help with the chewing, but with the recent intestinal issue - the fact that she would completely eat one in about 30 minutes, meant that we cannot give them to her very often now.

So now she not only nips, but BITES/CHEWS on us! She breaks the skin daily. She bites down in the last week - where she didn't before.

I have done the following:

1) Yelped and turned and walked away - she just targets my pants/feet
2) Pushed her lips over her teeth - she just wriggles away and tries to attack any flesh that is apparent - if none - then she normally attacks any clothing I am wearing.
3) Said "NO!" loudly - then given a command (sit) and tried to direct to a toy - she refuses the toy and bites back harder - normally will not follow the command and if I try to push her butt down - she will bite my arm
4) I have tried pushing my arm/hand into her mouth (the thought behind this - is so she doesn't think that biting is a good way to get humans to do what you want them to)- which gets her to temporarily release, but then she just waits for me to remove my arm/hand and then tries to bite again.
5) Now I just put her in her crate - but she is in there all day and I don't want her to be in there ALL day.

DH is getting really upset with her as she is doing the same to him and he gets really mad at her and she just gets worse.

I really HOPE this is a stage - today she has refused to play with any toys at all! Only wants to bite humans. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG????

So far I have been told to give treats when she starts biting - but wouldn't that just praise the bad behavior?

 

[BoxerForums]

We went through the same stage with our latest pup. She is 8 months old now and the issue has evolved into play biting.

I know exactly what you're going through. Nothing worked, she just kept biting. I think repetition is the only thing that may help.

It's finally getting better now. The play biting is ok with me for a minute, but gets annoying. Now when I tell her to quit, she stops. When my wife tells her to quit, she's laughing at the same time, and our dog still thinks it's playtime... guess what happens - more biting.

It's like Daisy has an oral fixation. She starts to have fun and the biting begins.

 

[BurningRiver]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having these issues with your pup. My first girl was a puppy biter and I understand completely how frustrating it is!

I totally agree with you in your thoughts about treats. Giving her treats for biting will only teach her that biting is a good thing and it will get much worse. I would NOT go this route!

What I've done with all of my puppies is to take them by their collar (or the back of the head if they're really wiggly) in one hand and firmly hold their mouth shut (firmly, but do not apply pressure) with the other hand. After that, I've looked them straight in the eyes and told them in a low voice, "No. Bite." After that, I stared at them for a while longer, and then got up and walk away. If she bites your feet as you're walking away I'd stop and stand there ignoring her. If she continued, I'd bend down her do it again (holding the muzzle, "NO. BITE.") If she continued after that, it's time for a time out in the crate.

Through all of this, you can also spray your hands with bitter apple to reinforce that biting is not a pleasurable thing to do as well.

As for teething, it is very important that she is able to have *something* to chew on. Try a nylabone or sterilized bone if you're concerned about rawhide. I actually prefer big meaty raw beef bones, but I know that this isn't within everyone's comfort level.

Good luck, hope this helps!

 

[ssimmons99]

Thanks for the info - I never thought of the bitter apple - I have obedience classes this Sunday at PetSmart - I will pick some up.  Also - do raw bones pose a risk for Ecoli and other infections to the dogs?  The reason I ask is because we have had a lot of health issues with her and the last thing she needs is another infection/parasite.

She has the nylabones - the plastic ones - she has destroyed an end in about 30 minutes - I took it away because it is the plastic kind and I didn't think she was supposed to ingest them.  She goes through an edible one every day - but I have had to take them out of the crate because we cannot watch to make sure she isn't choking on pieces she breaks off.

We have a bunch of "chew toys" - like Kongs/string bones, etc.  She won't use those very often - but we leave those in the crate with her.

 

[BurningRiver]

Hi,
Ecoli isn't a concern for dogs because their digestive systems are much more acidic than ours is. Any bacteria that would be found in the meat is instantly killed in the gut. (I feed my dogs a raw diet, and have for years. )

You were right about taking the nylabone away. There are dangers with these as well. . .

The sterilized bones are okay, but they tend to be hard and I worry about breaking teeth.

I just tend to stick to the raw bones - I give them in their crates. They work great, they're what they would eat in the wild, and they keep their teeth nice and clean.

 

[ssimmons99]

Our trainer also suggested spraying your arms/hands with bitter apple - that worked really well last night too.  I will get some raw bones as well.  Thanks!

 

[BurningRiver]

No problem! Glad you're seeing improvement - this is wonderful news!

 

[tysonsdad]

If your having trouble with biting, try filling her kong toy with plain yogurt then a layer of kibble, then a layer of peanut butter, on and on until it is filled then put in the freezer.  Your dog should spend a few hours chewing and licking to get it all.

Scott

 

[ssimmons99]

Update -

Last night she was growling at me and lunged/tried to bite when I gave her a command (I give hand signals with verbal commands).  She was very excited and I was trying to calm her down (because she kept chasing down my 6 year old and biting his legs/feet)  

So do I need to keep her from becoming this excited - and how can I do this?  I know what gets her excited - DH sitting on the ground and playing with her will get her into a frenzy (throwing toys, etc.) - but when she gets all wound up (because one of the kids just ran into the house) - how to I get her to calm down without lunging at me?  Also when she does this behavior at this age is it better to ignore or to correct - also how would one correct it?

BTW - the bitter apple worked for the last few days, but she is starting to ignore the taste and continue biting/chewing on us.

 

[BurningRiver]

In my house, growling, lunging and biting is not tolerated. I know that you seem to have a particularily difficult case here, but it is MUCH better to stop this now, rather than having this problem in a three year old.

I would consult a trainer on this one. I definitely would NOT ignore it. It needs to be corrected. She needs to be shown that this type of behavior is NOT okay, no matter how excited she gets.

Try to locate a local training club near you. See if the can recommend a trainer to you. They will at least be able to observe the problem as it is happening.

Good luck!

 

[ssimmons99]

We are in PetSmart puppy classes right now - after she finishes there is a local training place I planned on getting her into.  That will be in about 5 weeks - is that too long to wait?

 

[BurningRiver]

Do you mind me asking what the PetSmart trainers are saying about this issue? Do they have any tips for you?

 

[ssimmons99]

Well the lunging and biting at us has only happened a few times and they have been in the last week - we missed class on Sunday because the battery died in my car - I will talk to her this Sunday and let you know what she says.

Once we are done at PetSmart there is an actual "dog training center" about 5 miles from my house.  The classes are about $30 more, but they specialize in teaching Alpha pack behavior and dealing with "issues" as well as training for agility, etc.  So I will probably end up getting better info from them once we switch over.

 

[ssimmons99]

Trainer told me that she was playing and to ignore the behavior until sh calms down and then put her in her crate - then bring her back out in 20-30 minutes.  I don't know - she drew blood last night when she tried to bite the leash out of my hand while we were on a walk.  

We are going to start at a real training place after Thanksgiving.

 

[BurningRiver]

Yah, I don't agree with the trainer. . . You've tried ignoring her. It's not working. She needs a bit more of a clear message. I also don't agree that the growling and lunging was play. Having said all that, it's very hard for me to say for sure because I wasn't there to witness it.

My first puppy was a big play biter. Ignoring her did not work. Time in the crate did not work. Walking away from her and stopping the game did not work. You'd be sitting on the couch, she'd walk up and just start chewing on your feet. You'd get up to move away, and she'd follow and chew on something else. Sit on the floor and it would get worse.

There are quite a few people that disagree with this, but we finally ended up having to put her down on her side, hold her muzzle closed and tell her, "NO. bite." in a firm voice. We kept her down on the ground until she finally stopped struggling. If she got up and persisted, we put her down again. "NO. Bite." And we repeated and repeated and repeated until she finally got the message.

Honestly, I'm a fan of the "whatever works" method. I don't train by "all positive", nor do I train by "all negative", I do whatever works, especially when it comes to biting.

 

[ssimmons99]

Ignoring her did not work. Time in the crate did not work. Walking away from her and stopping the game did not work. You'd be sitting on the couch, she'd walk up and just start chewing on your feet. You'd get up to move away, and she'd follow and chew on something else. Sit on the floor and it would get worse.

That is her in a nutshell.  The bitter apple - we grab that and she usually backs off now (but only if we pick it up) - we were spraying it in her mouth as she was biting.  I have a really hard time holding her down - she usually gets her muzzle out and bites me .  How long should it take for her to stop struggling?

 

[BurningRiver]

For a dominant pup it can take even up to a half hour, but it does get easier each time. Soon they know that they're going down for a "time out" the second you tell them "No Bite" or "Settle".

Just be gentle with it, yet firm. There's no need to force her down, just take her by the collar (this will enable you to keep her head away from your other hand to keep her from biting you), and the other hand to guide her legs down (you may have to keep your hand on her legs to keep her from rolling over to bite at the hand that has the collar). I'm not saying that you would do this, but there are some who do the "dominance roll" or the "alpha roll" that aggressively floor their dogs. It doesn't have to be that, just calm, concise, and to the point. When she is calm, praise her. Tell her that she's being good, and let her know that this is what you want from her. Don't go over the top, again, keep the praise calm and quiet. If she starts struggling again, tell her, "No. Settle." I use it as more of a method to settle them down and take a time out rather than anything else.

Again, not everyone's cup of tea, rather just what worked for us.

 

[Sundanz]

When we got Mitch at 8 weeks old he was a ferocious biter, drawing blood, biting our legs etc etc. Nothing we did to stop it worked til I found another Boxer forum that dealt with this issue at lenghts. Seems like most Boxer owners have the same problems with their pups. Anyway, someone suggested to put him in timeout in the bathroom, door closed, for about 30 seconds each time. Well, I did that when he started to bite and wouldn't stop. I grabbed him and put him in the dark bathroom and shut the door. After 30 seconds I let him back out and he was a different dog. I only had to do it twice since I got him, and he is now 4 month old. No more biting, leg or pants biting. When he seems to forget a bit all I have to say is AHHH, and he immediately stops. For his age he is now very well behaved. Mind you, he has another dog he plays with, a huge Golden Retriever who now gets the brunt of puppy playing. Buddy lets him get beaten up to a point, but generally he still has a puppy license with Buddy.
Just try the timeout in the bathroom ( put up the trashcan), it really works.  You may have to do it more than twice, but do it every time he starts to bite but won't listen to you. Boxers are very smart, he'll catch on soon enough!   Good luck.

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="ssimmons99\";p=\"844":3sf5813z]Update -

Last night she was growling at me and lunged/tried to bite when I gave her a command (I give hand signals with verbal commands).

 

[AbbyandBrady]

For puppy biters, I have also been told about giving them a frozen washcloth to sooth their gums...Wet some clothes, ball them up and freeze them. For some puppies, treating the problem by soothing the gums by chewing on it for a bit is all that is needed. Once soothed, they can focus on something else.  We haven't had to try that as our boxer is 7 months and our new cocker is somewhere between 1 and 2..teething is not a problem right now.