18 wk Biting/Niping Bulldog Puppy Help!!!

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Sammyb
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:01 pm

18 wk Biting/Niping Bulldog Puppy Help!!!

Post by Sammyb »

Hi Everyone,
This is the first time I've been on here so be gentle with me!!
I bought a male bulldog puppy at 14wks from a couple who couldnt cope with him as they had younger children .
He was in a flat just in the kitchen and not allowed out all the time.
The problem is he will not stop biting/nipping to the point he seems a bit vicious we have sought advice and don't let him get over excited and try not to sit on the floor with him and when he does it we put him for time out. I've tried yelping, shouting and nothing works. He is so loving but has this awful side and I don't really know what to do will he grow out of it?
Any advise appreciated
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: 18 wk Biting/Niping Bulldog Puppy Help!!!

Post by JudyN »

Hi, and welcome :D I'm going to move your post to the Dog Training Advice section as it should get more views there.

Don't worry - he sounds perfectly normal. Pups can get so ramped up it looks like aggression, but it almost certainly isn't - it's just normal puppy behaviour, though it can seem really intense at times.

It sounds like you're doing the right things, though yelping doesn't help with all pups. It just gets some more worked up, so it's best to disengage without saying anything at all.

Timeouts only have to be really brief - even just 5-10 seconds. Any longer, and he'll forget what it was he did that made the play stop. This also means that you can get a LOT of repetitions in, and it will feel as if you're spending your whole time putting him in timeout, letting him out, getting nipped, putting him in timeout... You have to be really, really consistent, but it will pay off in the end.

Another ploy is to always to have a toy to hand that you can stuff in his mouth when he gets that look in his eye. And encourage him to enjoy chew toys so when he's teething he'll chew on them rather than on you.

Do make sure that in general he's getting enough physical exercise and (just as important, maybe more so) mental stimulation. Calm games are obviously preferred, so fun 'trick' training would be good here.

I also think teaching impulse control is good - check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipT5k1gaXhc It's no use a dog knowing what he should/shouldn't do if he still doesn't have the self-control to stop himself. At one time I trained my dog to stand on a carpet tile, then I'd put a treat at the far end of the room and put a second carpet tile in front of him. I asked him to stand on that one, then I moved the first one in front of him.... so he gradually worked his way down the room till he got the treat. It's good fun teaching things like that, and it does pay off as the dog learns to control himself.

There's more about puppy biting here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6111 and timeouts here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13934
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Sammyb
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:01 pm

Re: 18 wk Biting/Niping Bulldog Puppy Help!!!

Post by Sammyb »

Thank you for your reply and all the links they are great. I think I'm putting him In time out for too long so will try shorter periods. It's just really hard when he is growling at me and trying to nip me and he now knows it makes it harder when he rolls on his back !!!
He's so loving and loves people just seems to have no bite inhibition and gets way to over excited. Thanks again at least I know I'm not on my own in this.
Erica
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: 18 wk Biting/Niping Bulldog Puppy Help!!!

Post by Erica »

I would also say, try to figure out if there is a pattern. He might get most nippy when he hasn't had enough playtime -- or, it might be when he's gone too long without a nap! Remember he's kind of like a toddler in that he doesn't really know what he needs. Sometimes it's up to the human to say "you're losing your self-control, and getting nippy, because you are overtired. Time to sleep!"

One of my clients has a 4 month old puppy, and I rarely have to check the time when I'm working with them. After 50 minutes of training, playing, and troubleshooting, pup gets tired and the teeth start to come out! So she gets a potty break and then goes to her crate for naptime. It's not a punishment; it's recognizing her needs and meeting them.

It is something they will grow out of! The puppy I mentioned above is improving vastly just from growing up. It might be a few months of wearing old jeans that you don't mind getting torn up, but it will pass.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
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