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Is my pup biting aggressively?

2K views 10 replies 11 participants last post by  njk 
#1 ·
My 3 month old pup is definitely mouthy. And I understand that he is teething and is play biting. But as of late he's been really aggressive in his bites and has been trying to nip at my feet, ankles, hands, clothes, and now he's starting to grab my forearm. His bites are really hard to the point it scratches or punctures through my clothes.

I've done the high pitch yelp, which in turn eggs him on and will continue to bite. I've done the getting up and walking away, but he just follows n tries to bite my feet n ankles. I've diverted him to toys and bully sticks but it only lasts so long. And lastly, per my vet, I've done alpha dominant pin down. He'll calm when he's pinned, but will get back at it after we praised him for calming down.

I'm at my wits end, I feel like I've tried everything in regards to biting/mouthing. I even tried to go with it trying to enjoy his "puppiness" and it goes to far when he's trying to cling on my arms. I don't know what to do.
He's going to board an training tomorrow and I'm hoping they can find a resolution and teach us. But in the mean time, any other suggestions or constructive critism??

Thanks!


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#2 ·
Please don't pin a puppy - or any dog.

Your pup sounds normal.

You can get some relief if you'll exercise ( not just let him out) throwing a ball, going for walks etc..

Also important to stimulate his mind. Hide a treat or favorite toy and teach him to search for it.

Get some treats and teach basic commands like sit, down, come etc..

He'll grow out of the mouthing and be better behaved.

These guys take work to form them into an obedient companion.

Good luck!
 
#3 ·
Grabbing their muzzle and folding their cheek and flew (lip) onto their needle upper puppy teeth and allowing them to bit themselves seems to get the point across......I know this won't be favored by most but it does have impact.

SuperG
 
#4 ·
I know how you feel, those needle teeth they have hurt.

With my puppies I put Vicks Vaporub on my ankles, wrists, their leads - anything that they are biting that I don't want them to bite.

The smell is horrible to them and it actually stops them from going in for a bite. If you can stand the smell yourself, it really does work and he will eventually learn that by going to bite you means a yukky stink and he won't bite.

Just do not put Vicks Vaporub on your puppy or make him lick or eat it.
 
#6 ·
One day DDdog was lying on his back, mouth wide open, trying to mouth me where ever he could get his teeth locked on to me. Then I started massaging his gums in his mouth on the spot where the big molars are pushing and he completely relaxed and let me massage all four gums. I think these large molars are causing a great deal of discomfort for them when they are about to appear.
 
#7 ·
Get a flirtpole and wear him out....use his kibble for training/tracking, to exercise his brain. Get some fresh beef knucklebones for him to chew on. Put him up in his crate before he begins his overtired behaviors.
And I do agree with the massage, sometimes it calms the pup down much better than the yelp or energetic corrections.
Just like toddlers, pups get over threshold or over tired and then get agitated easily. Read the puppy's mood, and be proactive.
 
#8 ·
We have a 3.5 month old pup and it's been a few years since we've had one in the house so you get a bit rusty. Ruger has been doing the same things so we started looking for patterns to see when it is happening. As Onyx' said, we found that he is more likely to be overly 'bitey' when he is over stimulated or overtired. Any other time he's great, more typical puppy mouthing. Try to make a mental note of when your pup is biting more and see if there are likely triggers. The clues are all there, figuring them out ... That's another story.


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#9 ·
He's teething, poor dear. Take an old washcloth, get it wet and wring it out. Stick it in the freezer overnight.

If he's not responding to anything you've done, say NO BITES and hold his muzzle closed (not while your arms in there of course) until he whines. It's uncomfortable but it's what older dogs do to bitey puppies.
 
#10 ·
If nothing else works (redirection, physical/mental stimulation, yelp~which does seem to egg alot of dogs on even more etc) I push my hand to the back of their mouth (not down their throat, I keep my hand across the width of the muzzle, palm on one side of the mouth, fingers sticking out the other side. if that made any sense)and hold the back of their head for a few seconds. Its uncomfortable for them. Since its a puppy with sharp needle teeth I would wear gloves ;) :D
 
#11 ·
I had a thread on here not long ago about biting issues - my legs were covered in cuts and bruises. My pup's biting was horrible. I tried all the options mentioned and what seemed to work best was having a spray bottle with a mix of water and vinegar in it. When she bit I would spray her (avoid the eyes obviously) and then divert her to a toy. She would typically bite when she wanted to play, and after only a short time doing this she started bringing me her toys when she wanted to play. She does still bite when hyped up so we're still addressing the issue, but she hasn't drawn blood in a long time and is a lot gentler about it.
 
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