[Brian P.]

I just bought an AB about a month ago, his name is lewie and he is about 10 weeks old. He is a very smart dog, I've only had him about three weeks now and he is just about house broken. The only thing that worries me is his bitting. He is constantly nipping when we play. He loves his tug o war rope but it seems like when I play with him he is always going for my hand, and when I just let him play himself, he sets the rope down in front of me and starts bitting and barking at me. So I pick up the rope and begin to play again, and there he goes right for my hand. He also likes to knock down my little nephew and nip at his face? How should I brake him of this habbit. Should I toss him in his create for a bit and let him out and give him a toy or what. I am a first time dog owner, and I am starting to think I may have made the wrong decision for my first dog!
Thank you in advance for any help
I want my dog to be a nice one.

 

[RubenG]

Brian,

I too have the same problem. I hope they grow out of that.
I would like to know what to do in this situation? Also, would this be a good time to put him in an alpha roll?

 

[i love remy]

would this be a good time to put him in an alpha roll?

Noooo!!! Biting is a natural puppy behavior, not something a puppy needs to be threatened with death over. (Alpha rolls are the equivalent of "I'm going to kill you right now" in dog/wolf language.) Alpha rolling your puppy can cause him to lose a lot of trust in you. Not worth it.

 

[Patch]

sounds like totally normal puppy behaviour to me.

Patch did the same thing... it's natural (even though i had scratches all over my arms for weeks!!!!)

try the 'ouch' method.... do a little screech when he nips you and act all sad... then he will most probably lick you after that!

we just persisted with the 'no' and 'ouch' method and it soon paid off.

don't get me wrong.... he's 9 months now and still nips occasionally.. but only has to be told no once and he won't do it anymore.

it's normal.

 

[tycosales]

sounds like totally normal puppy behaviour to me.

Patch did the same thing... it's natural (even though i had scratches all over my arms for weeks!!!!)

try the 'ouch' method.... do a little screech when he nips you and act all sad... then he will most probably lick you after that!

we just persisted with the 'no' and 'ouch' method and it soon paid off.

don't get me wrong.... he's 9 months now and still nips occasionally.. but only has to be told no once and he won't do it anymore.

it's normal.

Good tips above.....ALL PUPPIES BITE until you train them not to. ABs just have larger baby teeth :lol:

 

[RubenG]

Thanks Everyone,
Glad to hear this is normal behavior for a pup. Also I am having difficulty training. He has so much energy, but My vet has told me not to take him outside our yard until 4 months. Any recomendations on how I can get him tired. I try my best to excersie his body and mind, but he seems to never get tired.

 

[the BIG&thelittle]

because he left his litter so early he has not had a chance to learn bite inhabition.
When he bites you yell like he's killed you...turn and walk away.
If he can't play nice, no one will play with him.
He's also so young his attention span is about 30 seconds..hard to train a dog like that. He needs to mature. Just keep at it..be patient

 

[Patch]

Thanks Everyone,
Glad to hear this is normal behavior for a pup. Also I am having difficulty training. He has so much energy, but My vet has told me not to take him outside our yard until 4 months. Any recomendations on how I can get him tired. I try my best to excersie his body and mind, but he seems to never get tired.

how big is your yard? is it big enough to throw a ball around?
if it is, there's nothing like a vigourous game of fetch to tire a puppy out.
and you'll only need a few mins with a dog so young!
(now, it takes patch an hour of full on play and he's STILL full of energy...)

i was told the same thing... but i was a bit naughty and took him to a friends house (no dog) and let him play around there. as long as you dont take him out to places where other dogs have been, pretty much anywhere in public, until he's had his final injection, you should be right.

good luck.

 

[i love remy]

because he left his litter so early he has not had a chance to learn bite inhabition.

Ahh...I didn't even notice that part. You (original poster) will definitely have a heck of a time teaching your pup bite inhibition. He'll most likely outgrow it before you can train him not to nip you. Ideally, pups are with their mother and littermates until 8 weeks of age, and they learn bite inhibition from them. Since you took him home too early, he wasn't able to learn how to nicely use his mouth.

 

[RubenG]

quote]

how big is your yard? is it big enough to throw a ball around?
if it is, there's nothing like a vigourous game of fetch to tire a puppy out.
and you'll only need a few mins with a dog so young!
(now, it takes patch an hour of full on play and he's STILL full of energy...)

i was told the same thing... but i was a bit naughty and took him to a friends house (no dog) and let him play around there. as long as you dont take him out to places where other dogs have been, pretty much anywhere in public, until he's had his final injection, you should be right.

good luck.[/quote]

Front yard is small, but I usually play with him in the driveway (50 ft) and the back yard (30 x 30 ft). The problem is that he gets bored of fetch and then will most likely come to me and chew on my shoe and tug on my pant legs.

Also about learning bite inhabition, I do know that Champs mom died and the pups were close to the father since the mom wasent around. Does this mean that it will take longer for him to learn, or might he never learn?

 

[Brian P.]

THANK YOU very much for the advice, I think I'll try the ouch method and see how it goes!

 

[RubenG]

Today my pup champ bit my moms finger. She was trying to remove a piece of tissue he was eating/chewing and when she put her fingers in his mouth to take it out he bit down. I beleive this to be an accident and just trying to be playfull or not wanting to give up something he was chewing on. The bite broke the skin a little. I got to keep an eye on him and just be more consistent.

 

[Cinder]

Seriously, try the yipping thing. He's just being a puppy and doesn't know better yet.

 

[PeterC]

Ruben

You worry too much.

My pups made my hands a bloody mess when they were young. Most ABs are very bitey. That is the breed. Damm, you are lucky it does not bite and hang on for dear life, doing hang time on your arm. I have had that too. You cannot be too hard on these guys. Some are just born to bite. That is a bulldog.

YOu should have seen the pups play together! blood everywhere. ears torn. noses split. Pups are nuts. Just teach them manors, gently. That is key. Gently. That does not mean you give the foo foo easy way out, your so cute training method. It means consistent, black and white training.

For a pet, if he bites too hard and gets too rough, put in crate. Simple. Take him out a minute later. Let him think. Bite hard means go to crate. Play nice means DAD lets me play outside. Life is good.

 

[the BIG&thelittle]

"For a pet, if he bites too hard and gets too rough, put in crate. Simple. Take him out a minute later. Let him think. Bite hard means go to crate. Play nice means DAD lets me play outside. Life is good."


my problem with that would be using his crate as a punishment. JMHO, but I believe crates should not be viewed as anything but a good place..especially if you need to use it alot..for shows, trials vet, emergencies. that's one of the reasons I feed in my crates

 

[bubbabulldog]

yeah i never use the crate as a training tool.

When my Ab was young he would nip while playing too. I disagree with those that say, he is a puppy, thats what puppies do. My pup stopped nipping at 12-16 weeks even during rough play. He did so because Id correct him instantly after a nip. The key word is instantly, he must associate your correction with the nip. If there is any delay, he will simply associate the correction with you.

 

[the BIG&thelittle]

I agree..I have a rule..no teeth on skin..ever..for any reason.