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Excessive biting!

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Roxanne

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Hi! I have a 14 week old Old Tyme Bulldog (a healthier variation of a British Bulldog) called Ralph. We’ve had him since 8 weeks old and for 90% of the time, I cannot complain! He’s housetrained, can sit, lay, stay and give paw. Walks nicely on the lead. The main issue I have is biting. I know all puppies do it, but I’m not sure if Ralph is doing a step too far. When he’s over excited or playing it can go on for an extended length of time, often drawing blood and sometimes accompanied with growling or barking.
We’ve tried stern no, ouch noises, high pitched noises, treats for letting go, when he bites I stand up and ignore him and it doesn’t seem to be resolving. I’m not keen on using negative things, a friend suggested spraying water or a using a bottle full of pebbles to shake at him and him not like the noise but I’m unsure.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I’m worried others will think he’s a “nasty” dog and I really want a well behaved, controlled dog at the end of it all!
Thank you
 
Don't worry, this is perfectly normal puppy behaviour. Good choice not to use aversives like the pebbles and water spray, all these sorts of things do is damage the bond you are working to create with your pup, when the person he looks to for security suddenly does something horrid.

Your dog isnt being bad, this is just an extension of the rough and tumble he had with his siblings. You can use the techniques yoy mentioned -

Roxanne said:
We’ve tried stern no, ouch noises, high pitched noises, treats for letting go, when he bites I stand up and ignore him and it doesn’t seem to be resolving
Click to expand...

But my preferred method is to remove yourself, immediately, from the 'game'.

As soon as teeth make contact, walk out of the room; leaving him behind. He will soon get the message that teeth on skin equals end of play. Importantly everyone in the family has to be consistent.

I promise it wont take long, all puppies do this.
 
I second the recommendation of timeouts, but for a much shorter time - just 5 or 10 seconds can be sufficient, and if you leave him for any longer he may forget what he did just before the timeout, get distressed, or find something else undesirable to do;) Shorter timeouts also means you can fit in several more 'learning situations' in a short time - it can be absolutely exhausting to have to put him in and out of timeout 30 times in 20 minutes, but absolute consistency is the way to get good results.

Yelping helps with some dogs, but it gets others more worked up so more likely to bite. With many, the calmer and quieter you can be the better. It might be easier for you to leave the room and shut a stairgate behind you rather than removing him from the room.

Another tactic is to always carry a toy with you, so you can shove it in his mouth when he gets that look in his eye.

I'd also teach impulse control - there's a good video on Youtube called It's Yer Choice - because as well as knowing what you don't want him to do, he needs to have a degree of self-control to be able to stop himself from doing it.
 
Definitely agree with these methods, yelping can help and removing yourself from the game, this will teach when play has become to rough. You may not want to allow any mouthing at all.

Either way stopping play at any point you think is too much bearing in mind other animals and children may have to endure whatever you deem as acceptable. :)
 
JoanneF said:
Don't worry, this is perfectly normal puppy behaviour. Good choice not to use aversives like the pebbles and water spray, all these sorts of things do is damage the bond you are working to create with your pup, when the person he looks to for security suddenly does something horrid.

Your dog isnt being bad, this is just an extension of the rough and tumble he had with his siblings. You can use the techniques yoy mentioned -



But my preferred method is to remove yourself, immediately, from the 'game'.

As soon as teeth make contact, walk out of the room; leaving him behind. He will soon get the message that teeth on skin equals end of play. Importantly everyone in the family has to be consistent.

I promise it wont take long, all puppies do this.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I’ll definitely give it ago :) just really wanted to nip it in the bud!
 
Aurora Pets said:
Definitely agree with these methods, yelping can help and removing yourself from the game, this will teach when play has become to rough. You may not want to allow any mouthing at all.

Either way stopping play at any point you think is too much bearing in mind other animals and children may have to endure whatever you deem as acceptable. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! I think he’s so obsessed with my attention that removing myself from the game will definitely help!
 
JudyN said:
I second the recommendation of timeouts, but for a much shorter time - just 5 or 10 seconds can be sufficient, and if you leave him for any longer he may forget what he did just before the timeout, get distressed, or find something else undesirable to do;) Shorter timeouts also means you can fit in several more 'learning situations' in a short time - it can be absolutely exhausting to have to put him in and out of timeout 30 times in 20 minutes, but absolute consistency is the way to get good results.

Yelping helps with some dogs, but it gets others more worked up so more likely to bite. With many, the calmer and quieter you can be the better. It might be easier for you to leave the room and shut a stairgate behind you rather than removing him from the room.

Another tactic is to always carry a toy with you, so you can shove it in his mouth when he gets that look in his eye.

I'd also teach impulse control - there's a good video on Youtube called It's Yer Choice - because as well as knowing what you don't want him to do, he needs to have a degree of self-control to be able to stop himself from doing it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the help! I tried putting him in the kitchen on his own for a short time (probably too long since reading your post!) and like you say, I think he just forgot why he was in there. Will try again and keep it to a shorter period of time :) he’s my first dog so a learning curve for us both!
 
Hi Roxanne, we're going through the same thing with our 15 week old Vizsla. Good luck and let us know how you get on x
 
I am experiencing the same with my puppy she is 16 weeks. She tends to do it in open spaces which is a shame. Good luck we will get there
 
It is frustrating as other than the biting I cannot complain about anything else. Yes, pup does get a bit naughty but I expected that! It seems to be just indoors he bites us so perhaps it’s a boredom thing?

We’ve been removing ourselves from the room when he starts to bite for almost 2 months now, I thought he might’ve cottoned on a bit with it but he doesn’t seem to have.

Just waiting for that breakthrough!
 
JoanneF said:
But my preferred method is to remove yourself, immediately, from the 'game'.

.
Click to expand...

Mine to. I find removing your self gives a more immediate response,

Figo was the worse of the worse for biting, and all the turning of backs , arms folding and making high pitched noises just intensified the game, the best way it to just remove the object of his fun.....YOU .... time out is important, but it has to be instant , and when you put pup in time out, you have to catch him first, pick him up and carry him to the time out, basically you have lost that small window of education .
 
VizMum said:
Just waiting for that breakthrough!
Click to expand...

It will come, just persevere and above all, be consistent. Every person, every time. Sometimes the behaviour gets worse before it gets better, this is called extinction burst where a behaviour no longer gets the dog the attention it did previously - so he tries it even harder to get you to react. That's actually a good sign as you know what you are doing is having an effect.
 
.

take a look at
Free downloads

there are 2 free books, Before... & After U Get Ur Puppy - they're excellent, i'd recommend downloading & reading both cover to cover, & the advice on developing a soft-mouth is spot-on.

I also recommend
Training Levels (originals) | Mind to Mind

Training Levels is a completely written-out guide to training every step of a well-behaved, happily-compliant, well-PROOFED dog - & proofing is where owners fall down most-often. That's the process of testing & refining a trained behavior in the face of increasing Distance [from the handler], Duration [of the task], & Distractions [in the environs].
Proofing is built-into every step of every exercise, in Levels. :)

- terry

.
 
Our Pug cross was terrible with his biting, to the point we debated if we could even keep him... However I'm happy to report that persistency with time out and distraction techniques has paid off. He's far from perfect, still has way too much energy lol but the biting has decreased and it's more playful mouthing then actual biting. He's now at the 'humping' stage which is delightful.. Not!
It does get better though... I wouldn't have believed it if someone had said that to me a month ago but it really does! X
 
There is light... Although I could cheerfully murder him right now as he's been tearing non stop round the house since early this morning. I don't know how such a small body holds so much energy!!
 
Mrs S said:
Our Pug cross was terrible with his biting, to the point we debated if we could even keep him... However I'm happy to report that persistency with time out and distraction techniques has paid off. He's far from perfect, still has way too much energy lol but the biting has decreased and it's more playful mouthing then actual biting. He's now at the 'humping' stage which is delightful.. Not!
It does get better though... I wouldn't have believed it if someone had said that to me a month ago but it really does! X
Click to expand...
I have a Female Pug cross staffie and she is terrible for biting but she is only 13 weeks old in fact 2 of her siblings the new owners tried to return them because of their biting but I am please to hear it does get better .She used to be easily distracted by a chew toy but that is short lived for her now so we are doing the time out instead and hopefully she will be a bit less bitey and when she s not bitey she s very licky she thinks I am her personal lolly.
 
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