My puppy bites, constantly, its turning into a major issue. help?

Question

my puppy is only 3 1/2 months old. and he already knows how to sit, shake, and down. hes very smart. i make a simple fist and he sits immediately. but he bites everyone and everything. my biggest issue is biting people. when we pet him or play with him he gently nips at us. when he bites on objects i say "NO!" and he stops, but he wont respond when i do that when hes biting people or clothes. any tips? i'm not sure if hes lost his baby teeth either.

Answer 1

This is what the trainer did for my dog.  when he goes to bite or nip at you grab the bottom of his mouth and press your thumb into the middle of his tongue he will learn quickly not to do this anymore!  I had major issues with my pup nipping and I tried everything the yelping saying no ignoring him nothing worked but what the trainer showed me worked wonders!  Good luck

Answer 2

Puppies bite.  At 3 1/2 months, he's just starting to lose his teeth.  It won't get better for a couple months, until all his adult teeth are in (between 5 & 6 months).  You need to redirect him to an appropriate toy after you say no.  He needs to be shown what he is allowed to chew on.  Nylabones are good, and if you go to a pet store, there are usually lots of toys labeled "puppy".  Ice cubes are also good, because they can temporarily numb his sore gums.

Good luck!  The biting phase does pass!  Just stay consistent, and patient.

Answer 3

Your puppy is very young so he is curious about the environment. Dogs don't have hands like we do, so they learn through their mouth. The best way to teach a young dog is through the use of positive reinforcement techniques. Here are some things to try:

1. Redirect your puppy onto a chew toy

If he is biting on something he shouldn't, non-mark him (No/ack, ack)  like you are doing now and put a toy in his mouth. You don't need to shove it in, just put it there for him to bite on.

2. Hand-feed him

You can try and teach him some bite inhibition. Hand-feed him some kibble one by one. If he bites too hard while trying to get at his food, yelp in a high pitch, and ignore him for a few seconds. Then start feeding him again. This way he learns that biting hard can hurt humans and when he does that, the food and attention stops. Hand-feeding is also good for bonding and establishing your leadership.

3. If he continues his biting behavior and escalates it even after you have told him to stop, then say "timeout" and remove him to a time-out area (boring but safe room, e.g. laundry room). This way he learns that when he bites, he no longer gets to be with people. Leave him in there for a couple of minutes and let him out. If he starts up again, non-mark him (ack, ack), and say time-out and put him back in time-out. This time lengthen the duration to about 10-15 minutes. Note that if your dog stops the bad behavior, make sure to praise him a lot and give him good treats. Keep this up and your dog will learn that certain behaviors get him rewards while others get him into a boring room with nothing to do.

4. If he is just biting on furniture, and other household objects, you can spray bitter apple on them.

5. NILIF program. A great way to establish yourself as leader is through the control of resources. Don't give anything to your dog (including pets and affection) unless he does something for you first. For example ask him for a "sit" before you give him food, toys, or freedom.

6. Obedience training. Try and do some obedience training sessions everyday. Enroll in a class or get a good positive reinforcement book, and practice with him for short sessions (10-15 minutes) every day. This will help establish you as a leader, improve your bond with your dog, exercise your dog's mind, and give you good tools that you can use to help control him in the house.

Answer 4

This is completely normal. I have a 5 month old puppy and he's lost almost all his baby teeth, he doesn't bite nearly as much now as he did when he was your puppy's age. It will get better, but keep on his back about the biting. Always tell him "NO!" and give him something he can chew on to satisfy himself, like a rawhide bone. It will get better once he's lost his baby teeth, though.

Answer 5

You need to get on the computer & do some research.  There are many sites helping people with a biting pup.  It is there only way to experience the world around them.  Every thing ends up in the mouth.  It is also the way they play with each other.  Have you ever sat & watched a litter of pups at play?  This is where they learn bite inhibition.  In playing with each other they learn how hard they can bite in play.  If one pups get bit too hard it will turn on the pup that hurt it.  & they fight.  It is a learning process that is very important.  A pup need to stay with it's mama & siblings for the 8 weeks or more for the mama & the siblings to teach each other.

The pup just needs to be corrected for their biting.  Check out the sites & they will teach you how to correct this behavior & you will also find lots of just puppy training sites that will be helpful in training your pup.  The kids will get excited about some of the things they can teach the pup.

Answer 6

He may only be teething but if he keeps doing this then try when he opens his mouth to bite take his mouth and shake it and say no firmly . I am not a expert but it may help.