New puppy who likes to bite

Share your favorite training tips, ideas and methods with other Positively members!

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
sammi_jo85
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 11:43 am

New puppy who likes to bite

Post by sammi_jo85 »

I have recently just got a new 11wk old tibetan spaniel puppy who LOVES to bite. He bites mine and my family's fingers, neck, face, ears, everything. He's not toy aggressive or food aggressive, but whenever he plays with us he goes straight to biting or chewing at our clothes. I've tried the "ignore" method, but it doesn't seem to phase him very much; he simply runs off and plays with something else. I've tried shouting, "ouch!" whenever he bites us and then remove my hands, but he thinks it's more of a hide-n-seek game. I realize that he's teething, so he has plenty of toys that are his to chew on, but we can't seem to break him of chomping down on us whenever we try to pick him up/put his collar on/play with him. Aside from his biting, he's a sweet little puppy and is just trying to figure out where he falls in his new pack.

Any suggestions? Thanks!
maryhelen329
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:28 pm
Location: North Carolina

Post by maryhelen329 »

What I've been doing, that has worked pretty effectively, is anytime my dog starts biting I give her another toy and when she chews on the toy instead of me I praise her relentlessly. She doesn't always take it right away, so I just keep offering her the toy until she takes it. It takes time, a lot of time, but she's definitely showing signs of improvement.
I hope this is helpful!
sammi_jo85
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 11:43 am

Post by sammi_jo85 »

Thanks maryhelen. :) I'll be sure to give that a go. I'm sure with time he'll eventually catch on. He is only 11wks old, so hopefully as he gets older he won't bite on us anymore. Thanks so much for the toy advice!
Post Reply