Help Needed on Biting Inhibition

[LucNesbitt]

Moab's been doing great with me on learning not to bite and now, when he's playing and fairly calm, he no longer uses enough force to break the skin or barely leave marks. However ... when he gets really excited, this completely flies out the door. This weekend was a perfect example.

Long story short, he was up on the furniture, which is not allowed, and getting into our friend's face while trying to play, which meant he was trying to chew. I went to pick him up off the couch and he turned his little head around, snapped those jaws and broke the skin right under my eye with one of his sharp little teeth! He wasn't being agressive, just very excited and playful. He just happened to catch my face instead of the air or the toy I was trying to give him.

How the heck do you get him to realize that in no circumstances is snapping or biting like that allowed? He gets himself so riled up, in true boxer fashion, that he forgets all the bite inhibition training I've done with him and ends up biting fairly hard! He's only 3 months old but this is not a behavior that I want to continue!

 

[Biff]

Good question

I'll be very interested in the replies.

Biff is 12 weeks, and when he gets really excited whilst playing, has a couple of times pounced at my face.

I just tell him and stop playing with him.

Doesn't stop him trying again the next time though.

He's not managed to get me yet, but I'd really like to get him to stop, before he DOES nip someones nose off.:eek:

 

[gmacleod]

How the heck do you get him to realize that in no circumstances is snapping or biting like that allowed?

Very gradually He isn't going to get it overnight - but it's important that the lesson he's taught is more than "don't use your mouth". Rather, he needs to understand that human skin in incredibly fragile and he has to be very gentle.

The way to teach that is by shrieking in "pain" (that may indeed be real pain!) any time he bites with any pressure - then turning away and ignoring him. Refuse to play with him, even get up and leave the room for a few minutes if you have to. As you rightly note, he's trying to play and getting too carried away. It's the limits of acceptable play that he has to figure out, and he'll do that from your shrieks of "pain" and ignoring of him.

It is a gradual process though. In it's initial stages, you're shrieking at fairly hard bites. And as he starts to get the idea and lessen the pressure, then you can lower the point at which you shriek. Eventually, you should end with a dog that uses only the lightest mouth pressure mouthing you, or just stops using his mouth at all. What's important there though is that he stops because he understands the fragility of human skin - not just that using his mouth is "wrong".

 

[Ronin's mom]

It took ours about 4 months until he really stopped biting......I read somewhere that you are supposed to say "ow" or "ouch" in a really high-pitched tone so that they can hear it......It works with my baby and he's now 11 months...we thought becasue we had adopted him at such an early age (3 weeks old) that he hadn't been fully weined off of his mother (which he probably hadn't) but he recovered okay! He still will grab my hand, VERY gently, when I walk in the door every night from work, with his teeth and lead me to his food bowl and make high-pitched funny noises at me....but otherwise, no biting unless he wants to play and accidently grabs your finger or toe by mistake...all you do then is say "no biting" in a deep tone and he goes away and glares at you out of one eye with his head cocked.....they've all got such personality!

 

[MillieC]

Below is exactly what we did. It was never too bad of an issue, but our trainer also recommended a tether. Put your dog on a leash in your house, play around with him and when he gets too strong, shriek and then walk away from him for a few minutes. It was interesting to learn that this is how they learn while playing with other dogs, they yelp if the other dog is going too hard and then the other dog should stop. It is interesting to see this in action at the dog park.

Very gradually He isn't going to get it overnight - but it's important that the lesson he's taught is more than "don't use your mouth". Rather, he needs to understand that human skin in incredibly fragile and he has to be very gentle.

The way to teach that is by shrieking in "pain" (that may indeed be real pain!) any time he bites with any pressure - then turning away and ignoring him. Refuse to play with him, even get up and leave the room for a few minutes if you have to. As you rightly note, he's trying to play and getting too carried away. It's the limits of acceptable play that he has to figure out, and he'll do that from your shrieks of "pain" and ignoring of him.

It is a gradual process though. In it's initial stages, you're shrieking at fairly hard bites. And as he starts to get the idea and lessen the pressure, then you can lower the point at which you shriek. Eventually, you should end with a dog that uses only the lightest mouth pressure mouthing you, or just stops using his mouth at all. What's important there though is that he stops because he understands the fragility of human skin - not just that using his mouth is "wrong".

 

[Dham]

For us we just would grab his mouth and say "no biting". Diesel and my husband really ruff house and in the beginning he would really get into it, too rough though, so thats what we always did.
My husband and Diesel can play as hard they want and Diesel growls like some viscious dog but he NEVER uses his teeth.