[bellsandtails22]

Hi. We have a 12 week old Rat Terrier female named Penny. We have had her since she was 8 weeks old. She is so precious and I must just adore her because I get up at 6:30 am with her every morning even though I could sleep till 11.. (haha)! She is doing well with potty training, she jingles her bells when she has to go out and any accident she has is normally our fault. She eats well and is over-all healthy. She helps me tend my garden and is just the cutest thing. HOWEVER, we have one problem that we cannot seem to fix: BITING. She bites every body part we have. She bites our feet when we walk, our hands anytime they are anywhere close to her.. everything. It is almost unbearable to sit with her anywhere because of her biting. Before I tell what I have tried I would like to say with all respect that I am not looking to hear how wrong what I did was, I already understand that I did things wrong because they did not work.. I am looking for help on the RIGHT thing. I only say this because I've read some things on this forum and people seem to get "jumped on" a lot just because they posted the truth. So.. I have tried..

-Yelping whenever she bites my hands and pulling away from her while saying "No biting penny"

-Holding the bottom part of her mouth while saying "No biting penny"

-The water bottle

-Totally ignoring her

... All of these things just will not work, she is relentless.. she honestly does not get her feelings hurt by us EVER... I really think she is just way to smart! Lol... So please help :)

[jasmine11]

Hey there, I ran a pitbull rescue and as they seem to be more likely to chew, they are more likely to be nippy:). The things that you tried were great. Yelping to show pain is a great thing that does work on some dogs. Others... I have been very successful using the flip side of that coin. Yelping shows fear and tries to make her feel bad... like a lower man on the totem pole in a pack. Growling at her and pinning her on her back until she stops struggling... shows that you are alpha and that there are consequences to her actions. Try that and let me know:)

[JudyKayTee]

I just typed a whole long answer and, poof - AMHD wouldn't allow me to submit it.

Anyway, I don't think people get criticized here unless they either argue against the advice of the very people they ask for help OR they are irresponsible. I don't see that you are either.

I have a will-be-5-months-old this week puppy - a Rott. I took him to a trainer for one one-on-one visit because I haven't had a puppy in some years and wanted to be sure I was on the right track. Well, I took some advice and pretty much ignored others.

I was told not to say no. I have no idea why BUT for me (biting, clawing, barking, jumping) saying "No" followed by the bad behavior followed by "sit" works for me. For example, "No jump. Sit" No treats, just matter of fact, no upset. It works for him. I don't treat for behavior but I do call him from the back of my property and treat when he comes.

I tried yelping and water and that didn't work - but this does (for me).

My puppy will claw at feet - you walked past him, he flips on his back and paws and those nails go right through me. That's his bad habit.

He's also completely housebroken. I do get up at 6:30-7AM with him but then we go back to bed. I can't work in a fog and so... he's very used to the routine.

What works for me might not work for you but I no longer have any biting going on.

[Lucky098]

Some puppies just don't respond to the "nice" methods of training. If yelping and walking off doesn't work, than you need to try something else. In fact.. I've never had a puppy that actually stopped biting when I yelped... They continued to bite.. maybe got startled for a minute, but than decided to bite again.

You said that you held her bottom jaw.. Did you press your finger down on her tonue? What I do with bratty puppies that don't understand "no".. If they start biting me, I either clamp their mouth shut firmly (yes, they will cry) and say "No bite" or I stick my thumb into their mouth and press down firmly and say "no bite"... they'll cry for this too.

You will have battles.. she won't back down right away.. and it may continue for a few days. Just hold your ground, be consistent and keep in your mind that this type of behavior will grow with her.

As far as her biting at your feet while walking.. Well.. keep walking. She'll learn that feet hurt.. Don't be afraid to step on her.. She needs to learn.

I don't tolerate biting at all. Biting dogs usually don't live a long life. If the more submissive methods don't work, than I usually start putting down the hammer. No dog.. under any given circumstance, should bite skin. Biting skin gets punished pretty harshly in my home. I have an American Pit, who as a puppy, wanted to chew and chomp on hands and skin.. That ended quickly.

Some puppies grow out of this stage, others don't. Have lots of chewable things available to her.. Nylabone makes a chew bone called a "Puppy bone".. its very soft and flavored. Let her take her chewing fits out on that. Anytime she wants to chew on you, clothes or things she can't have.. tell her "no" (be firm!) and than give her that bone. Within a weeks time, she will learn that her bone is all she can have when it comes to chewing. Also.. have lots of toys around. I like to give a new toy every other week or every week.. it keeps them interested and doesn't let them get bored quickly.

Now is the time to really mess with her. She may be nippy and obnoxious, but she is still small an cannot do too much damage. Flip her on her back in your arms, hold her like a baby... Hold her through her fits... play with her feet, tug on her skin, pull her tail and ears.. This is called imprinting. It teaches her that you can do whatever you want to her and its OK... It prevents you from creating, what I like to call the "glass dog"... the type of dog that if you touch them someplace they don't like, they'll bite you. It makes everything easier for veterinary care, grooming care... or if you have to look at a wound. When you find something she doesn't like.. you continue it until she accepts it. If she tries to bite you, use the same method you chose to prevent the biting.. Biting is NEVER allowed... no matter what.

Start obedience classes now. Its never too early to start classes. With terrier breeds, it is VERY important to get the upper hand right away. Terriers were bred for only one purpose.. to kill things. So with that in mind.. get her under control now.