I have a 4 month old puggle. She has gotten into a habit of biting my son (7 years old). She hasn't bitten him really hard (which I want to prevent NOW). She starts growling at him and biting his pants or socks.
She would be fine but something comes over her and she starts biting on his clothes and growling. I stop her and she starts growling at me and trying to bite my hands while I try to grab her. She only does it to him. Believe me, he is a bite hyper and maybe she is afraid of him. I really don't know what it is? Actaully she does it to all the kids that come over.
Any advice? I have to fix this problem now that it has just started and before my son gets hurt and we have to get rid of her.

Same advise that I gave to someone about the castration thing:-

The first stage is to teach him that biting is unaccepatable and bad / antisocial behaviour.  Every time he goes to attack, distract by making a loud discouraging noise, such as "ah ah" really loud and sharply, at the same time removing him from the object of his desires. The noise itself should stun. When he gets down, praise him. He will create an association with the bad behaviour and the noise, and the praise for stopping.

You must keep doing this over and over until he gets the message. Also, lots of excercise will burn off the excess energy and make him less aggressive.

If the noise association doesn't work with the "ah ah" try something like banging 2 saucepan lids together, but make sure that when you've done it you don't make eye contact with him. Otherwise he will associate the noise with you and become scared of you.

You must praise him when he stops on command and be consistent. If you don't "scold" for the bad and praise for the good he wont understand what is right and wrong.

The most important thing for your son is to immediately cross his arms and turn his back.  Dogs do sense fear, so it's important for your son to remain calm and keep his actions limited, no flapping or running or loud noisesfrom him. Your pup might think it's a game if your son thrashes about.  Your pup probably doesn't mean harm but sees it as a game and the biting to get attention.

The noise techniques to discourage and the praise for good behaviour is essential. If you distract with the noise first, then immediatley remove the dog, he will be less likely to bite you because he is already distracted. Be patient and persistent and totally consistent with it.

One cure fits all, eh?

Oh ffs.

OP... do not do this, yu have a puppy, your puppy has realised kids are fun and jumpy and bouncy and when chewed on they are squeaky and all KINDS of exciting.

FAR more effective than terrifying your pup with loud noises etc etc, you might be better controlling the child and if you CANNOT (and you cannot always i know) prevent the pup from getting to him.

In practical terms, this means you tell your child if the puppy bites him, he ignores it and walks to you where you can sit him on the table or whatever so the pup cant get him.
If your kids friends come over, you put the pup behind a babygate somewhere safe where neither party can get at the other.

By being consistant, by encouraging your child NOT to reward the pup by squeaking and yelling and running around, by preventing the pup from having the chance to do it when its very hectic, you will win.

By banging pans and shouting you are teaching your child naff all and you are teaching the dog not much useful either.

You CAN do this wtih a 4 year old, well unless my friends son is a 3 year old freak genius child.. he was told day one in my house 'do not hit, do not squeak, be quiet sit still and eat your food fast or dogs will eat it'. And by george the lad got it pretty much straight away.
Thats a kid not used to dogs and FOUR dogs not used to kids including one taller than him and one just a small pup.

Em

Thank you, I will definately try the loud sound to distract her. I usually grab her and put her in her crate. I tell her "be nice, no bite".

I know my son probably starts her off and I tell him, he has to stop because he gets hurt.

I will definately try your advice.

Wish me luck.

>>I know my son probably starts her off

In that case, put a shock collar on your son.  :-)

You weren't on "Me or the dog" last night were you?  Only joking!!!
(This was meant to be straight after curlynutter's post)

Have you been watching it's me or the dog curlynutter? I enjoyed that one with the bulldog :). Oops just read your post mine was supposed to go after curlynutter as well.

I would put a shock collar on her and,when she bites, ZAP her and drive her to her little puppy dog knees.  She would quickly learn that biting results in pain FOR HER.

Odiedog,was that supposed to be,
funny,
sarcastic,
serious, or
tongue in cheek.

I don't get it!!

Dawn R.

Yes.

OK, that's you on my ignore list.

Dawn R.

>>OK, that's you on my ignore list.

On nooooooooo.  My heart is broken.

I'm over it now.

What are you on about odie dog!!! you sound horrid-
to the original poster- your dog is puppy and they nip and play like that, your son needs to tell her no and move his hands away/walk away, when she calms down he should know to go back to her and praise by play again. My dog took a while to stop this behaviour too- dont worry she is not attacking at all, she's probably teething too.

Thank you chrisjack, I was thinking maybe she was starting to dislike my son.

I will use your advice. But at times she gets ahold of his socks and he cant get away until we help him.

But I will try.

show him how to unhook her little teeth from his socks etc- tell him its important to do it calmly and not talk to her whilst doing it- i told my little sisters that they had to show the pup how grown up they were- this made them not so hyper around my pup- the calmer they were- the pup was!
And encourage play/play biting with a toy- she needs to play like this, so encourage it but use toys!

Good luck x

>>you sound horrid-

Steady now, you're bordering on a personal attack there.  :-) 

Personal attacks can get you banned, but apparently only if you attack a member of the clique.  :-)  And we all know how effective banning is here, huh?  LOL.  I crack me up.

There is a lot of very helpful advice in this article. Try the methods here consistently for several weeks and you'll see good results.

I have to fix this problem now that it has just started and before my son gets hurt and we have to get rid of her.

If everyone got rid:( of their ankle and feet biting puppies,no-one would have any puppies left! Most of them do it,i know that doesnt make it right,but it is normal puppy behaviour especially if there is a kid in the house egging it on and then crying when  it backfires on him :( I would be watching your son very closely,just to see who usually starts it :) You have done the right thing in asking for advice and nipping thios in the bud NOW.

There were times when my dogs were pups that i thought i would have to replace my slippers with wellies,they used to launch themselves accross the room like little feet seeking misiles everytime i walked through the room,and as you know those little puppy teeth are like pins,my daughter still has a scar or two from the ankle biting phase. rest assured if you be consistent now your pup will grow out of it :)

You might like to try reading some of the dog magazines (Your Dog, Dogs Today etc) as they often give advice about this sort of thing, you are not alone believe me! :P

It sounds as if the pup is excited by your son, also dogs can have mad half hours where they just go crazy, and it is often mistaken for being "aggressive" when of course it's simply OTT excitement and play.

Please don't get rid of your pup for this, as it's really quite normal :)

THANK YOU everyone for all your advice!!

I will keep you posted!!

Wish me Luck!! Last thing I want to do is get rid of my new little baby-puppy!!

LCthePuggle -

I would ignore Curlynutter's suggestion.  He/she appears to have watched "It's me or the dog" (the TV programme) and is now giving out the same advice as the behaviourist on that programme to everyone.  (S/He posted exactly the same advice to someone else on another thread, almost word for word.)

I would suggest that you try the "time out" approach first.  Every time your puppy gets over-excited and starts biting, put her in another room for 1 minute.  At the very least, everyone should ignore her, stand up and face the wall.  She will soon learn that as soon as she starts biting, she loses everyone's attention and no one wants to play with her.

I wouldn't suggest banging saucepan lids together or any other very loud noise because there are always risks associated to using aversives like this.  For example - if every time your puppy sees your son, she hears saucepan lids, you could actually just make her very afraid of your son because she will associate the noise with him.  And a major cause of aggression is fear.  So you could actually make her relationship with your son worse, not better, by using the saucepan lids. 

Unfortunately the problem with having a programme on dog behaviour which includes the use of aversives, is that people at home become "do it yourself" dog behaviourists (like Curlynutter) and think they are immediate experts.  It's very strange really - they wouldn't watch Casualty and then think to start performing triple heart bypasses.....

Thank you,

I have been putting her back into her crate and telling her "no bite". So hopefully, this will start working.

I know she is still a puppy (just 4months) but I do want my son to enjoy having his first dog.

Again, thank you for the advice!

When you tell her "no bite" this must be when she's biting. Not when you put her in the crate because the association needs to be immediate.

You have a very young puppy who is exploring the world mouth first! They all do it and certainly, their behaviour at this stage is no indication that you are housing a wild vicious dog! If you follow the tips in the link that Jeangenie provided - and I stress consistently - the biting will stop. But it won't stop overnight so be patient. As important as training your pup, however, is the need to train your child not to unwittingly encourage the puppy by running around waving his hands about because that just adds to the game! Don't put too much temptation in the way of the pup either. If socks set her off (and socks nearly always do set pups off!) put them on in the bathroom not in front of the pup!

It's also worth reading this link, LCthePuggle:

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

This explains why pups need to bite, to some extent, and why it's a bad idea to try to stop ANY biting at all.

I really do wish people would not make personal attacks, saying someone is horrid is simply callas and cruel.
I think you would well consider this could be a long term behavioural problem with potential dangers for all the family. Puggles are  unknown due to the new breed, no one knows that remedies sugested would work or not, i suggest you giive him time out after every incident but putting him outside for a few hours, this will make him realize

'Oh if I do that I will get this' -
this will very quickley change his cognitive functions and he will think
'I wont do this or I will get that'.
I recomend you start forthwith and get it all over with as quickley as possible, good luck, for better or worse.

Puggles are  unknown due to the new breed

You do of course mean "due to the new fashion crossbreeding for profit." :rolleyes:

By the way the person who was called horrid was a troll -are you another?

>  Puggles are  unknown due to the new breed, <

That's the problem with cross breeds(not a new breed BTW)they could inherit temperament from one breed or the other or a poor mixture of both :( 

I think you would well consider this could be a long term behavioural problem with potential dangers for all the family.

Oh and the puppy in question is 4 months old.

>I think you would well consider this could be a long term behavioural problem with potential dangers for all the family

Goldmali I just laughed, wasn't that the correct reaction? :D

I think peeps on this thread are being baited :rolleyes:

"I would put a shock collar on her and,when she bites, ZAP her and drive her to her little puppy dog knees.  She would quickly learn that biting results in pain FOR HER."

I think THAT is cruel and callous, not me! I wouldnt advise on putting a 4 month old pup outside in the cold 'for a few hours'- this wont make the pup realise anything...

We are on this forum to share advice, what advice do you have to offer?

yep Cheryl- i think we are being baited!

i thought that was a sarcastic post against E.collars! did anyone else read it like that?

Michelle the e-collar posts were written by a troll.:)

oh right , i thought odiedog was just being sarcastic!!!!!

dont worry michelle - so did i! i never know how to really recognise them- they shock me every time! very gullable indeed...

>oh right , i thought odiedog was just being sarcastic!!!!!

If you look up other posts/threads of OdieDog you might find he likes to light the blue touch paper, then sit back and watch the fireworks :rolleyes:

Is Victoria Sitwell related to http://www.sitwell.co.uk/docs/family.htm ????? 'cos Edith was born not 40 miles away from me in Scarborough ;)

Yes I have been watching "It's me or the dog". firstly I'd like to point out that Victoria has success with every dog she "treats". Secondly, I am friends with 2 dog trainers who use the same techniques for years and have the same success rates. The methods have been tried and tested and the dogs and owners have been happy,healthy and not badly effected in any way.

Therefore I resent the statement about watching tv and becoming a DIY dog trainer and an "immediate" expert. More consideration should be taken before making such unfounded assumptions! I could take the same approach and accuse you of believing yourself to be an expert! Why is your advise any better than anyone elses?

Yes I did give the same advise to someone else on another topic and it was practically word for word. If you read it again you will see that at the start I stated that I'd given the same advise. So rather than retype everything again, I edited it. It boils down to behaviour and humans taking the responsibility to teach their dog the correct behaviour.

I'd also like to point out that nowhere have I said anything about "shouting" at a dog. You don't need to ever shout. Using firm, strong comands and changing your tone is more than efficient.

And lastly, I'm offering help based on years of successful experience. If you don't like advise, don't ask for it.

When people ask a question about their pet dog on this board I feel that is ALL they are interested in and not a bunch of regular Chavs showing classic signs of jealousy over Victoria, who is excellent and as Currlynutter observed has 100% succes, strange how an attractive woman such as her brings out the jelousy in some Chavs here.

I dont know about these pugsx poodles because they are a new breed and could well become some sort of danger around people, but thats just a guess I dont know, what I do know is that Currlynutter clearly knows his or her subject and to me it makes a lot of sense, if it were my puggle I would try that, if it does not work then consider a shock collar.

>I dont know about these pugsx poodles because they are a new breed

Erm ... they're a crossbreed, and not pug x poodle! ;) :D

>When people ask a question about their pet dog on this board I feel that is ALL they are interested in and not a bunch of regular Chavs showing classic signs of jealousy over Victoria, who is excellent and as Currlynutter observed has 100% succes, strange how an attractive woman such as her brings out the jelousy in some Chavs here<

chav /tv/ noun (BrE, slang) a young person, often without a high level of education, who follows a particular fashion

ROFLMAO WooHoo I'm a young person :D

Pug X Beagle=puggle crossbreed BTW

Trip Trap they are back LOLOLOLOL

>I dont know about these pugsx poodles because they are a new breed

lol - and you people on here chavs? :D :D :D

>firstly I'd like to point out that Victoria has success with every dog she "treats".

And you know that how? Merely by watching the TV programmes? You mean she's only treated less than a dozen dogs? - because that's how few programmes have been shown.

Unless you know her personally, and can tell everyone how many dogs have been referred to her and how she tailors the treatment to suit the individual dog and its circumstances ...

Funny you should say that because she's been a trainer for many many years, is well known in the dog training world, and my dog training friends know her through trainers that they know.

I find it hard to believe that any intelligent person would state she's had a dozen cases based on a tv programme. she's not likely to have just trained the dogs you see on tv is she?

Hope that answers your "accusations"

A trainer for many, many years? Odd - research points to her being an actress then becoming a dog-walker. Where did she train to gain her behaviourist qualifications?

Funny you should say that because she's been a trainer for many many years, is well known in the dog training world,

Moonmaiden should know her then as she is an obdience judge! MM had you ever heard of her????

Edited to say" 10 years is "many many years"? Gosh!!! :D

LOl Marianne not only have I not heard of her before the TV progs but neither had any of the top trainers(ie Mary Ray etc) & handlers hadn't heard of her either & included in the handlers/trainers are several who have won the Crufts Obedience Championships as well as Mary !

Quite the talk of our Obedience E mail list & not very complimentary either !

Thought so somehow MM and michelle! :)

Hello,

is the obedience list open to all?  I'd be interested in joining if so.

Hi Matt if you go to the http://www,ObedienceUK.com site there a link to apply to join the Obedience e groups at the bottom There are three lists Newbies-if you are just starting out or thinking about it, Chat-non obedience chat etc & the obedienceUk one which is supposed to be strictly to Obedience but anything to do with dogs is ok hope to see you there BTW it is moderated ;) & you need to introduce yourself interests in dogs etc