Hi everyone,

I have an 11 week old maltese/CKCS that will just not lay off the biting. She bites everything that comes near her mouth, and often goes deliberately for hands, fingers, and toes. Sometimes we can't even walk down the hall without her latching on in full force, and when we walk she drags behind, never letting go, and growling lots. She bites with all her might and with needle sharp teeth it REALLY hurts. I've tried time-outs, distracting her with her own toys, tapping her lower jaw (which is difficult when she won't let go of painful fingers), knocking her onto her back and yelping, all with saying NO very loudly and firmly. She ignores it all. Distracting her with her own toys only works for a second (and only sometimes) and she'll immediately lunge for my hand again. Tapping her jaw firmly gets her to let go for a second before lunging again, and with time-outs, she goes for the hands/feet as soon as I let her out. I've read some of the other forums on biting, but am yet to find a definite way of going about this. Being fairly young (just under 2kg) her muzzle is rather small for me to grab and I'd rather not have to grab her by the scruff.

Please help!!

Hi believe it or not this is quite normal for a 11wk old puppy, they all do this no matter what breed they are, I had this problem with mine and the way I solved it was to lift the puppy by the scruff of the neck, so that the paws were just off the ground, and then say NO very loudly, this is what the pups mother does when they are young, it does work as they dont like all paws off the ground. you will find once the 2nd teeth start to come in this will stop, but I know its sore on your fingers etc. Also the pups mouth will be sore just now, do you have any "tugs" or old socks, if you have old socks soak them in water and put in the freezer then give to the pup to chew, this helps cool down the gums, or it you can manage to get in the mouth rub some bonjella on the gums this also helps. You really have to be very firm, and I never put my pup away for playbiting, you call this time out, try saying Leave, in a very firm voice. They soon learn. I would also advise training classes for your puppy if you go to www.apdt.co.uk you will find our nearest trainer to you.

Well it doesn't sound normal to me. I know pups mouth and bite but this seems extreem to me.
I agree a firmer approach is required to make sure it gets the message that this is not how to behave and give it positive attention when it behaves well. It may however just be that it is a 'bad un' and needs to be returned. It does sometime happen that an animal, whatever varity is just nasty. Only as a last resort though.
Ted

t ballard, what makes a "bad un" and what is normal behaviour. regards tina

well I know you didnt address me but neither of those in my opinion refer to a young pup like that

pups in a litter mouth like mad they scragg each other all over the place and when they get a new owner they try to do the same some pups are horrific they just need to know whos boss what they can get away with and what they cant and then usually things calm down if not then theres a problem but I have a maltese and he is a gentle little thing but will growl if he is upset a cross will be different and a challenge.I would be amazed if this pup was aggressive

I sometimes wonder about some of the replies on here. A bad un!!!!

I dont think any pup at that age can be classed as bad though! It just sounds like she has your number... She realsiees that basically she can get away with her bahaviour becuse you cant stop her!
I cant give you advice as i cant see it, but i shall tell you about my pup.
When we got solo (stafford) he was enourmously cheeky and very confidnet, and wouldn't take no for an answer, from me or my adult dog. If you told him no, he stopped for about 30 seconds, and then started extra strong. If you tapped him on the nose he would snap, snap , snap and growl - like you cant tell me what to do! When he sis this, i thought eneough is enough - i got him by the scruff, upended him so he was on his back and held him down until he stopped struggling and shouted no, very stern in his face. The first time he got up he was all snappy and grumpy, but after the second time or so he understood that it simply wasn't allowed. Not to say that he stopped nipping, but when you said no, he realised no meant no and stopped.
However, and i know lots of people wont agree with me, i do think some degree of biting, etc is acceptable, if not actually a good thing - becuse this way pups learn bite inhibition - they get to know how hard they can mouth before you scream "ow"!!!!

Thanks for the replies! I just tried it, and after a few times she decided to walk away and try something else to do instead :) She's now sitting in my lap after a vigorous hand licking session, but no bites! Brilliant!

I've been looking into puppy school, she should be having her first session in the next few weeks :)

Thats a good start then. Good luck
Ted

Our BC was snapping a lot from about 11 weeks and the first time she did it to my husband he took her by the scruff, pined her to the floor and shouted NO - her ears when down/tail between legs - but she has never done it to him again - if she mouths him he says no firmly and she licks him very slowly. He obviously made friends with her very quickly after the NO - and she loves him more than any of the rest of the family - she can't wait for him to come home to play. With me she is also very good but with my three sons she still sometimes mouths but not nearly as bad as she did and they just walk away and leave her alone for a while. Hope this helps.
Linda

Nikki's taken to rolling on her back whenever she thinks I'm going to grab her by the scuff, while not letting go of finger/sleeve/etc. She doesn't seem to care as much about it nowadays either, even when I do get her. *pffft* Maybe she just needs more mental stimuli?