So things are going really well with our newest family member. He follows house rules, settles down, is responsive during training, mostly walks on a loose heel and is wonderful with our 1 year old daughter. But during the last 2 months or so he keeps having little biting fits that I'm starting to worry he will never grow out of. Basically if I stop him from doing something he wanted to do, he will just start nailing me with quite hard bites. Normally the situations arise when we go for a walk. For example he will try to pick up a stick, but I will keep walking and he will get in a mood about not being able to get it. Or I will let him greet someone on the street for a few moments and then call him back to me, reward him and then prevent him from returning to the other person. When he jumps to bite me i stay calm, tell him no and try to give him a correction and prevent him from actually getting me. Its a tricky move and he often manages to bite me a couple of times which I worry is reinforcing. He wears a normal flat collar but I leave it high and tight during walks to help make corrections effective. Sometimes he will only stop if I snap his collar so hard he gags or something comes along to distract him from attacking me. Normally I am able to re-engage with him and he returns to being absolutely lovely, but I'm. Sick of being bitten! Is this normal teenager behaviour? Advice on corrections or how to handle the fits? Thank you!
Puppy attitude problem
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From previous posts I see that your pup should be about 8 months old now. Not to be harsh, but if your 8 month old puppy is biting you for any reason you have a problem! Reading your current post, it sounds like he's biting out of frustration. Dogs don't see things from our perspective. If, when you're out on a walk and he tries to grab a stick, you just keep walking and drag him with you, then yes I can see why he's trying to tell you that isn't fair! Likewise, if you let him greet people then call him back, and then physically restrain him from going back for more petting, you're expecting him to think like a human...which he doesn't and never will! Teach your dog a "leave it" command, when he grabs for a stick tell him leave it, then let's go (or whatever command you use for let's keep moving). This way you're giving him something he knows to do, instead of just correcting him for doing something you don't want. With people, I'd recommend not letting him greet them at all if you're actively training. If not, what's wrong with letting him go back for more pets? Life with your dog requires a consistent dialog, if he's sometimes allowed to do something, and then from his perspective, arbitrarily restrained from doing that thing he's going to get confused and frustrated. And as a teenager, if he's biting or nipping you now out of frustration, as an adult he'll be much more forceful in his disagreement, so definitely make some changes now. Just a few sessions with a good trainer can help immensely!
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I agree to get a good trainer onboard that is familiar with this breed. This dog is already biting you, a prong just might ramp him up and make a bad situation worse. I would not do it unless under the supervision of a trainer.
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He sounds fun! I like dogs with attitude for the very simple reason that you can train it down, but you can't train it up.
At this point you need a trainer. It sounds like the you have a combination of issues happening but without seeing it who knows. Why can he not pick up a stick though? Walks are supposed to be for him, not you. I would solve that by bringing along a tug or a toy that he can carry. I would work on a leave it command, I use it for people as well, though I get frowns when they realize I just called them an it! Lol.
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Exercise, training, crate, and limited access to small children. Your puppy is too young to completely control himself. Both of my dogs were kept separate for a while as puppies from my daughter.
I say no prong unless you know how to use it for corrections.
I say no prong unless you know how to use it for corrections.
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No, its not normal behavior Marwin. I'd say right now you're at a point where your fighting with him for some different reasons and where you're going to need the help is with keeping things clear and consistent with him. That doesn't always match what we think. There's a place for corrections, but its not as simple as just ramping those up.
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I wasn’t going to post because you need a good trainer and you’ve already been told that. But I read your post several times and it’s very upsetting. First, things are not going well when an older pet puppy gets his way by biting his owner and handler. It’s never acceptable. Somehow you have allowed it. You may not know why but you can learn a lot from this if you can realistically look back at how he got the idea using teeth on you is alright. When did it first happen and why didn't you stop it then? Did it not bother you or did you not realize by allowing him to bite, you were also reinforcing it? Has he had any training? What type?
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