bite and attack problem

[Danteaco]

our boy max, is a beautiful dog but we are having some problems and not sure what to do about them. He is 18 weeks old and we are sure he is cutting teeth. He can be sitting beside one of us and be so good either laying or playing with something and all of a sudden, start biting our hands, shirts or arms. it seems to be worse with my husband. His teeth are so sharp, that he draws blood. we have tried making loud noise, saying no bite, standing up with our arms crossed and walking away. Don't know if he thinks this is playing or what but we don't. we have taken away all his toys that can make him more agressive.
now, when my husband takes him outside he will be fine and all at once he starts running around all over the yard than, at full speed, will leap up and keep jumping and nipping at him. we can not figure this behavior out. my husband says it is almost like he goes into attack mode. is this a normal action of a boxer, will he grow out of this , or what can we do. we love him and sure don't want to get rid of him but we need to do something soon before he gets much bigger. He loves to be around people hasn't shown these signs around anyone else yet!! please help if you can.

 

[lisasentous]

To me it sounds like he is playing, he is still very young so he can be taught not to play so agressively.
I am sure you will be given some expert advice on here.

 

[gmacleod]

Learning takes time That is, bite inhibition is a training process that actually takes months. Pups who stay with their mother and littermates until a minimum of 8 weeks obviously have a headstart on those who're unfortunate enough to be removed earlier - but they still only have the absolute beginnings of bite inhibition training and just an inkling of the power of their jaws.

You are, however, broadly doing the right things. What he needs to understand is that when he gets carried away like that, well actually when the teeth come out at all, nobody will play with him. And if he's the really rambuncious and persistent type (and it sounds as though he is) then you should in fact just get up and walk away - don't look at him, don't speak to him, just leave him. That is not what he's trying to achieve - he wants you to play. But if you never play in response to his biting, never give attention, and instead do the opposite and abandon him, he will learn not to bite.

Here is a short article that explains very well what's going on with puppy biting and rough play. AND how you should be dealing with it. The author is extremely well qualified and credible - I'd really recommend reading this and putting his teachings into action: http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

 

[Dublinsmom]

Been there, and like the others said your heading in the right direction. Our boy was such a pain and drew blood on more than one occasion. We thought we had an aggressive dog too. He is much better now and the teeth rarely come out and when they do we tell him no biting and that is usually all it takes. Sometimes he gets super hyper and doesn't listen to anything but that is usually a sign he needs a time out.

 

[SILLY6PAK]

I also think this is normal behavior. I just went through it with Piper. She especially liked my jeans and if you bent down to tie your shoes she thought Game On. She still loves hair and will forget her manners and jump on the kids if they are sitting on the ground. If she gets too excited I put her in her crate. Not as a punishment but as a time to settle. Especially when she was younger she was always a handful right before she would crash for a nap.
Piper is 13 months. It does get better just keep correcting.

 

[Danteaco]

HI TO ALL,
Thanks for all the helpful hints to get max on the right track with his biting habits. we will be working on all the advice you have given us. it will be a hard thing to do in many ways because we have allowed him to get on the sofa. now, when we sit down it's ok for a short time then he goes into his bad side and gets himself into trouble with the biting thing. Toys can be right there but hands, clothes, skin tastes better.

The jumping on us as attack and bite thing. we think for a while we will not go out with him. maybe try to get him some professional training as well as maybe getting around other dogs. We love him and he does have good qualities too. We want to give him every chance to have a happy home and give us the chance to want to be with him all the time.

any other help you can give please respond. Thanks again!!

 

[skyebaby]

I'm in the same situation!

I could not believe when I read your post, because I am in the exact same boat as you! My puppy Skye, is 7 weeks old, just teething. We got him 4 days ago, and every day the biting is getting worse. Her teeth are so sharp that my arms are covered in bloody marks. I tell her no, I ignore her, and now the only thing that seems to work a little bit, is to direct her to her crate for a minute or so to calm down. We are just crate training her, so I wouldn't want her to think that it's a punishment to put her there, but she will not seem to respond to anything else.

One really weird thing about the issue is, that she only bites me, and never my boyfriend. I was wondering if I'm doing something worng, but I think she just wants to play with me, since I'm the one spending most of the time with her.

If you have any other advice, please let me know. I know we've had har only for a short time, but it is SO painful when she bites. She's so good about potty training and all the other issues, just the biting seems to be a hard one to quit...

thank you all!