From an email:
> We have had him about 3weeks now and he has a very
> aggresive bitting habit. I feel that it is not a play
> bite. I am a little scared about this. how do I stop
> this. We paly with him and we are trying now to get him
> fully potty trained. We just brought a crate for him
> because I can not be in the kitchen with him when I am
> cooking. He will start to bite at my clothes and then he
> will go for my feet, my arms and land up really hurting
> me. I try to reprmand him by telling him NO Bite! and
> holding him down. Well lets just say that it is not
> working. Pleae help me!
Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about
biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting
another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are
alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months
they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking
moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another
Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find
one that won't yelp and jerk their hand away, or growl "Bad dog." and clamp
their mouth shut. Then offer a chew toy. They keep trying despite hundreds
of corrections. Another good technique is to quit playing and go away. The presenter at a training seminar I attended last fall liked that one. Be sure to praise them when they are playing nice and not biting.
You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens.
Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can
chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords.
Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.
The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into
pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
chewers such as Labs.
It sounds to me like play biting. It is possible it is worse if he was removed from his mother and litter before 6 weeks.
Any corrections are more effective if you give the puppy good leadership. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at
Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete More, gentle ways of being top dog:
''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.
Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.
Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''
The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.
I check AMHD before my Yahoo account. Your email was buried under questions from another site. It is best to post your question to the open forum. Others may disagree with me here, but I am willing to let the original poster judge the quality of answers.
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