puppy biting my legs

[Echo's Bud]

I have a 9 wk old Australian Shepherd puppy that I have had for a week. She is doing very good at most training but is biting my legs when I walk in the house and also outside. I have tried the tap with the fingers under chin, yelping, and bitter spray on my clothes. She is pretty much bite and run and is very fast so hard to do much. Any suggestions?

[tinytwo]

It seems very much like she wants to play. When you walk around in the house, she may be looking for a playmate, and your activity attracts her. And, nipping and biting is very much a normal puppy play behavior.

The thing is, you've only had her a week, but you've tried several things already. The problem with that is, puppies often need a lot of repetition before they learn, and before it starts sinking in. So, if you try something, give up on that method, and then try something else, you're not really giving it enough of a chance to start working. And, it can be confusing to your pup, who isn't really sure what you're trying to do, because you haven't given it enough time to start sinking in.

The thing that works, after lots of repetition, is the yelping thing. BUT, it's also usually followed with some type of walking away, or leaving the area. The walking away part would have to be modified with you, since the walking tends to excite her and that's when she bites your legs, right?
So, the usual thing would be:
-she bites, you yelp (or say ouch loudly, some pups get even more excited by a yelp, which would actually be defeating the purpose. You're basically trying to get her attention and let her know you didn't like that.)
-she will probably bite again, and you say ouch or yelp again.
-the third time she does it, say ouch, and leave the room for 20-30 seconds.
Then, come back, and repeat the steps if she bites again.

The thing is, you have to be consistent and do it every time. Everyone in the home has to do the same thing, every time, or she will keep trying, as she sometimes gets away with it.

[Echo's Bud]

Thanks for the info, but again the walking away just gets her to bite more. I found a solution on my own that seems to work every time. I carry a plastic bottle with me and when she tries to nip I just hit the bottle on my leg, she is distracted and stops trying to nip. She had almost quit by last night and didn't try to nip me this morning. I will keep carrying the bottle with me a few days for reinforcement if I need it.

[Mattie]

At the moment you are using aversions to stop the biting, yes they will work but may develop other problems as well as making her frightened of you. Would you treat a 3 year old child like this? If you won't you shouldn't be doing it to your dog either. Far better to teach your dog to want to stop biting your legs.

She is still a baby, if you go to viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1981 it will give you an idea of what stage she is at and what to expect of her. At 9 weeks old she is:

Human Socialisation Period 7-12 weeks
Best time for rehoming. Pfaffenberger believed that from 7 to 16 weeks of the puppy's life his basic character is set by what he is taught.

The pup should be socialised to as many pleasant but varied experiences as possible during this time.

Fear Impact Sub-period 8-10 weeks
Experiences that a pup perceives as traumatic during this time tend to be generalised and may affect them for the rest of their lives.

As she is going through her first fear stage how you train her now will affect her for the rest of her life, using the bottle to frighten her may cause her to be frightened of bottles for the rest of her life, plastic bottles should be fun to play with, my dogs love them.

She may also be teething and like human babies they need to bite.

Tapping under the chin you may think is just a light tap but to a puppy it could really hurt, us humans are all for teaching by punishment when in fact it is much better to teach by encouraging the dog by setting them up to succeed, just like it is better to teach children this way.

Someone had a terrible problem with her dog biting her legs, do a search for the thread, it will give you ideas to try which won't upset your dog.

[ladybug1802]

My dog Dylan went through a phase of tugging on my trouser leg/slippers/shoes/dressing gown a LOT.......every morning when I was not at work, he would have his btreakfast and then start this behaviour. And if I inmteracted with him he would love it more and so do it more!! I did the time outs......but not removing him from the room as it would prove very difficult, but instead I would leave the room for 10 seconds, then return. If he carried on, i would do it again...and so on. Now, he does it hardly ever...and if he does Ileave the room, count to 190, come bacdk in and he doesnt try it again! Admittedly it was often difficult to leave the room without interacting with him....try walking out the room with a dog attached to your slipper! But I would sort of have to move my leg as best i could, and then start to shut the door, at which time he would let go....and stand there looking confuised|!

But it really does work. I did go through a stage where he did it more often...but as I found out on here, that is to be expected as he tries harder to get the attention he once got from that behaviiour...but soon they learn they get NO attention from that behaviour!

[tinytwo]

Actually, if you read my post, I said the walking away part would have to be modified with you, since the walking away part stimulates her interest even more. The point is, she needs to understand that contact with you ends when she bites because you don't like it, and it's not appropriate.
Tapping a plastic bottle on your leg isn't letting her know that contact with you ends as a direct result of her biting....

[Echo's Bud]

I stopped using the plastic bottle to distract her and went back to saying ouch. She has pretty much stopped biting in the house. Outside has gotten worse. She nips my leg I say loud ouch and she runs in for another nip. If I freeze she will nip, bark several times and nip again, if I say ouch any more then the barking and nipping seem to intensify. I know someone told me to remove my self for ten seconds, but I may be in the middle of the yard and its pretty far to any doors, so I am getting nipped and barked at all the way to the door. This is happening with or without the leash. I need to explain that I live in the country with a 5 acre puppy proof fenced yard, so she is in no danger by being off the leash. Yesterday I was working on the enclosed back porch and she was out there with me playing with her toys and exploring the porch, till she got tired and took a nap. No nipping at all. I really want to do what is right for my puppy but the yelling ouch doesn't seem to do anything but get her aggressive.

[GundogGuy]

Is she from working stock? A long (omg- LONG) time ago I worked with border collies who were cattle dogs on one farm and cattle/sheep dogs on others. They would at times nip at the ankles of whatever they were herding to make them move. We even had one that would run full speed and launch itself in the air and swing from the cattle's tail only to let go as it reached the highest point on the other side...

So, it may be that your wee dog gets a reward from making you move or instigating interaction by using this behaviour so then your option would be to replace your legs with something else... You mentioned that when playing with toys you didn't have the issue, so there may lie your answer. When the dog starts to nip, produce a toy and start your own game of something different... perhaps ask for a sit first and then the game...

[tinytwo]

Oh, that's a good idea! Try distracting her from nipping by asking her to do something she can't do if she's nipping.....

[Echo's Bud]

I thought the distraction with the toy after having her sit was the answer to my prayers, so tried it and it worked like a charm --------for a few times. About the third time we went out yesterday afternoon she would run up real fast nip my leg and then immediately sit. Now what? I believe this is a herding behavior but that doesn't tell me how to stop it. I really can't afford to buy her some cows or sheep to herd.

[nightsrainfall]

Have you tried leaving or seperating yourself from her every time she bites? If she likes herding she may not find as much joy out of the fact the thing she is herding went away and doesn't come back (right away) every time she herds it.

Also, does she bite you at any other times? (Sitting on the ground, playing, etc?)

[Echo's Bud]

Actually if you had read my previous posts you would have seen that the leaving causes her to bark and nip more. Someone else suggested that I modify the leaving-explain please. If I am standing in the middle of the yard and she runs in for a nip, seems to me the only way to leave without more nipping or barking is to levitate off the ground and as far as I know I am unable to do this. Sorry to be sarcastic but I'm really grasping at straws here. I appreciate all the help I have been given but please read previous posts before you suggest the same remedy again.

[Nettle]

I appreciate it's only a moment of warning, but can you get her to sit as soon as she crouches for the run-up, and then reward and distract with a big task?

Normally herding dogs drop and eyeball (or eyeball and drop) before they go.

[GundogGuy]

I thought the distraction with the toy after having her sit was the answer to my prayers, so tried it and it worked like a charm --------for a few times. About the third time we went out yesterday afternoon she would run up real fast nip my leg and then immediately sit. Now what? I believe this is a herding behavior but that doesn't tell me how to stop it. I really can't afford to buy her some cows or sheep to herd.

First stage of success ... Next move to make if she runs in and nips you then sits would be to walk backwards until she gets up to follow you (or run in) and ask for the sit... then play with the toy for the reward... Herding dogs really are smart alecs aren't they .

You can even and a 'yowch' when she nips or an 'ah, ah' no-rewards marker then set her up to succeed with the next move which is to induce her to get up then ask for the sit... Remember, if she's sitting up straight, the first thing that will move as she starts to get up is her head which will drop down before the rear end is lifted (harder to catch with smaller dogs)...

[nightsrainfall]

Actually if you had read my previous posts you would have seen that the leaving causes her to bark and nip more. Someone else suggested that I modify the leaving-explain please. If I am standing in the middle of the yard and she runs in for a nip, seems to me the only way to leave without more nipping or barking is to levitate off the ground and as far as I know I am unable to do this. Sorry to be sarcastic but I'm really grasping at straws here. I appreciate all the help I have been given but please read previous posts before you suggest the same remedy again.

My apologies, I ment leave as in physically to get out of site and reach.

I would try the others ideas first since she is a puppy and seems to be able to be redirected some of the time. My suggestion is coming from a dog who I have been working with in the shelter. He bites and mouths people in play too, toys, treats, actually pretty much everything makes it worse because he gets over excited and then bites(plays) harder. Turning, nor blocking work to stop it because he doesn't really what he is mouthing/biting as long as its apart of the person. To make matters worse in his case, he is a very large and strong dog... And his play hurts! Not being there, or leaving the room and yard is the only way to stop it. Like you said, its difficult to do in the middle of the yard. Most stand by the door with him, quickly go in, wait anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes till he's gotten his energy level back down and then go out. Over the past month he has gotten much better and usually now leaving once or twice fix it if he starts it up, whereas he use to bite(play) with everyone and it took a long time for him to calm back down and not pick it back up again repeatedly...
This "solution" isn't ideal but it keeps people safe and he is reducing his biting. I am one of few who go out into the yard with him because I can see the signals that he is either getting too excited or getting tempted to play with me. I then calmly divert his interest and go back towards the door as if I am just walking around the yard as normal. If he does try to play with me, I say Ah before he makes contact - for him this will make him think twice, now that he is doing better, and generally not follow through. Once this dog makes contact with his mouth he feels not only rewarded but excited to continue to do it as much and as long as he can... I don't want to make you think he is a bad dog or dangerous, he is only doing something he thinks is fun and playful.

The only reason leaving works so well for him is he likes to be around and with people. He likes to play with people, he just didn't know that wasn't a fun game for us too! LOL.

Anyway good luck! I can certainly understand being at wits end with mouthing/biting/play.