Hi - my 3 month old Dachshund has started biting hard he does it when I go to pick him up when we are out in the garden or on a walk. He swings around on the lead and bites my hand. Even if I hold his collar he still manages to turn around and bite.  He also does it when we are Indoors and I need to pick him up off his little bed in the kitchen.  I am extremely concerned that this behaviour will continue to worsen and I don't know how to stop him.  I am actually nervous to pick him up because of this amd could really use some advice thank you so much.

There are literally hundreds of threads on 'Puppy biting' as it is normal. 

I'd also question why you feel the need to pick him up al the time.  Most dogs actually do not like it very much , it isn't a pleasant feeling being whisked up into the air and they don't feel safe.

Of course there are times when this will be needed, but try and call him to you  rather than do this al the time.

Ian Dunbar's The Bite Stops here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/taxonomy/term/160

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DArmJlntB-k unfortunately only partial clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIf_cpJrFrc with kids

Hi thank you for the threads I shall have a good read of them.  I pick him up to bring him in from the garden as we have steep steps and I don't want him to harm his back jumping up or down them.  Inside I don't pick him up often but if I am in a rush to get out and he doesn't want to budge I do. I always try calling him first or tempting with a treat but often he just won't move!!!!!!

Hard to be sure without seeing the dog but if this is the only time he tries to bite you it does sound like it could be defensive fear biting.

Many dogs have a fear of heights, especially small dogs. Pups can quite easily be hurt by being picked up clumsily. Some pups are much more sensitive to pain than others. Unless conditioned carefully to being picked up from puppyhood, ensuring the pup does not get scared or frightened at any point, it is quite easy for a dog to develop a strong fear of being picked up. He'll either try to avoid you by running away etc.. or may try warning you off with a nip. If frightened enough to bite, your dog may discover that biting has the desired effect of keeping you away and he'll be sure to do it again. he may even try doing it around other things he dislikes and that remind him of being picked up...any handling/grooming, people coming towards him, holding his collar etc..

If I were you I would stop picking him up right now. Change whatever it is you do in your routine so you don't have to pick him up. Go to a good trainer or behaviourist and start to retrain your dog about being picked up. This will have to be done in tiny stages with lots of reward. It will probably start with getting him to simply enjoy you going towards him and bending over him, then putting your hands either side and so on. You'll get to starting to lift him by literally putting hands underneath and a little upward tension in your hands, and then lifting him so his paws still brush the ground and so on. Over time, you'll get higher mm by mm. It'll take time and you need someone who knows their stuff to help you.

I say this now because if you do not tackle this the right away, there is a danger that your boy starts to use biting as his general strategy for everything and anything he dislikes.

Do not let anyone else, especially children, pick him up.

Also meant to say get him vet checked. It is easy for longbacked breeds to get a rick or he might have an issue with his legs. If he associates pain with being handled by humans or even humans close by (even though you haven't done anything) he'll think you are somehow the cause and bite to get you away.

My first dog of my own - a westie - went to bite me when I picked him up to place him on the ground when he got on the sofa - I remember being concerned that it could be something that if I didn't handle correctly could cause unwanted behaviour - I asked my breeder about it who just laughed a little and said it was normal and that he was telling me to stop annoying him and seeing how far he could push it. She told me not to annoy him - stop picking him up for a bit to break the cycle a bit and make him forget that he didn't like it etc- and then reintroduce picking him up slowly and with reward & praise. That's what I did.

The thing that worked finally though with my little boy was simply not to give in. i.e. I didn't shout or punish him but instead when he did it I didn't pull my hands back and stop what I was doing I just continued so he knew it didn't achieve anything. I remember one time I picked him up to put him on my lap out of harms way while we were having satellite installed - he snapped, I just put him on my lap, held him there steady and ignored him snapping, not saying a word, until he just stopped and relaxed, then I praised him he rolled over for a belly rub and fell asleep. He has not once ever growled or snapped since, at anyone, in almost 10 years. I have no idea if that was the right thing to do - I very much doubt it - and I doubt it would necessarily work with any other dog but I do think its just a stage pups go through - if they know it serves no purpose and achieves nothing they will stop doing it. At least that was my experience - though I could tell mine was snapping out of puppy annoyance expressing displeasure & snapping without any real pressure behind the bite -  rather than trying to bite down hard out of any sort of malice or aggression.  Without seeing your pup and how he acts its hard to tell whether it is something that may be more serious and need addressing or just a pup being a pup.

Perhaps when you have read through a few of the links and suggestions of the excellent posters above you will be able to figure out whether he is just doing what pups do or if it is something more serious, as well as figure out a strategy to deal with it. But honestly at just 3 months old it doesn't sound unusual. You could always discuss with trainers at your puppy obedience/training class too as they may be able to give you some hands-on help/suggestions if they see it first hand.

Hi, I have a very small breed.  It is normal for a dog not to like being picked up.  It doesn't matter that my breed is very much smaller than Brainless' the reaction would still be the same.

Please, please listen to freelancer.  Read her advice carefully, she knows what she is talking about.  I'm sorry tinar but you did say one thing right!  You definitely went about this the wrong way.  Not getting at you, as I'm sure you realise.  But freelancer is trained to know what advice to give.  We all have our strengths and knowledge in different areas and I wanted to make sure that goat takes the right advice.

Sorry tinar. 

> I'm sorry tinar but you did say one thing right! You definitely went about this the wrong way

lol - don't worry - I absolutely know I went about things wrong with my boy, I just lucked out that he turned out the way he did. I didn't mean to sound like the way I did it was a suggestion for her to do the same, it was more as an example that many pups don't like being picked up at that age and to reassure goat that even if you go about things wrong and make mistakes at just 3 months not to panic too much things can still be solved -  its not necessarily an indication of poor temperament or an aggressive dog when a pup that young bites. (Though I realise typing half-asleep I completely screwed up getting that across - I did try to edit out some of what I wrote after reading it back to myself later but it was too late to edit).

Sorry goat if I sounded like I was suggesting you actually do what I did - I didn't mean to mislead you, just reassure you that its not unsolvable or unusual.

Listen to freelancer!!

Hi I'm back sorry it has taken me a bit of time to respond.  Very helpful and informative posts and Tinar I am glad that what you did with your Westie worked :-) I have been doing a similar thing that is if he tries to bite I ignore him but this week he has been really good I haven't had much of a biting issue until this afternoon in the garden.  I think he is telling me he hasn't had enough and he wants to stay outside.  Today I have been slowly coaxing him inside with little treats.  Freelancer I will listen to you.  it is easy with a small breed to just pick them up and I am getting used to not doing this now.  Thank you all for the fab advice will update soon.

Nothing to add to the advice given, but as an owner of a short legged, long back breed one thing I'd say is remember to support the length of your dogs back when picking him up. Can't lift ours off the floor these days - 32 kilos - but I do lift them out of the car, as for steps have you thought of a ramp, had one in our previous house to avoid them going up & down the three steps from the French doors, they loved it. As for coming in from the garden, I'd personally bring him in on a lead, ok to treat but hounds are so food orientated, mine would just sit there & not move until food was produced, they're very canny when rewards are involved.

Thanks Lacy I think a ramp is a good idea I can make one I'm sure