WAKing Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Ben is about 8 1/2 to 9 Weeks old. We adopted him at about 7 weeks. He is very good and has warmed up to us well. One issue is that he is obsessed with biting our feet and hands. The feet part I assume is part of his instincts coming on as he bites while we are walking, but even when we are siting on the floor with him he bites at feet. He also bites hands whe we are holding a toy for him, he clearly bypasses the toy to bite our hands! I know that biting and chewing is a part of being a puppy, but this is ridiculus. It's as if he prefers to bite skin over his toys and those teeth are sharp! Has anyone else had this issue? Can you guys make suggestions? BTW I have tried the toy switch on him thats where the hand bites first came in. He seems to understand "No Bite" now but gets frustrated when I make him stop. He doesn't listen to my girlfriend at all when she says it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Try yelping and standing up and ignoring him. Pups in a litter will do the yelp and ignore thing to littermates that bite too hard, so it often works quite nicely to teach bite inhibition with humans as well. Don't worry, it's a very common problem. I would suggest that you get him into a puppy preschool class asap - you're at the perfect place to work on exposure to new people, places, and things while he's in the middle of his socialization period (closes at 14 to 16 weeks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aBC4me Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I agree, Puppy kindergarten is the best thing for him BUT, I personally would wait a couple more weeks, even if you only took him once or twice a week, as long as he had play time with the other dogs he will learn not to do that. Also have you tried lightly popping his muzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi WAKing, Lewie was VERY mouthy when he was a baby. I tried everything from yipping to a gruff "uuh!" to no avail. Finally tried the mom-shake-him-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck thing, which worked. He looked at me like, "Well, duh! Why didn't you just say so in the first place??" I'v had to do many reminders with a stern "no bite" but it worked. He still wants to chew on my fingers at times, especially when he's tired, but now a gentle reminder of no bite is sufficient. Now he makes up by giving me kisses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdiane Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Ben is about 8 1/2 to 9 Weeks old. We adopted him at about 7 weeks. He is very good and has warmed up to us well. One issue is that he is obsessed with biting our feet and hands. The feet part I assume is part of his instincts coming on as he bites while we are walking, but even when we are siting on the floor with him he bites at feet. He also bites hands whe we are holding a toy for him, he clearly bypasses the toy to bite our hands! I know that biting and chewing is a part of being a puppy, but this is ridiculus. It's as if he prefers to bite skin over his toys and those teeth are sharp! Has anyone else had this issue? Can you guys make suggestions? BTW I have tried the toy switch on him thats where the hand bites first came in. He seems to understand "No Bite" now but gets frustrated when I make him stop. He doesn't listen to my girlfriend at all when she says it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdiane Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi there! Believe me, they do grow up. When I got Harley she played so rough that my arms had bites and scratches all over them. She bit my legs several times and I had big scratches on them. I looked like an abuse case! Mostly she would get behind me when we were walking and bite so I knew she was trying to herd me! It was still warm out so I had shorts on! I just had to start watching for the moment of attack and prevent it! I would give her an appropriate toy to bite when she got that gleam in her eye and held the leash closely enough that I could give her a correction when she went in for the herding strike! She learned quickly "no bite", although at 7 months she still forgets now and then when she gets excited while playing. If I make her sit before throwing a toy that works but I get lazy and stop watching and that is when it happens. This is my first Border Collie, I have had Goldens and a blue heeler mix in the past. It seems like a young Border Collie needs us to be on our toes all the time! I also found that screaming loudly helped but it drove my husband and other dog nuts! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Just a clarification: all puppies will tend to bite at feed or hands--it's typical behavior and not confined to herding breeds, nor is it "herding behavior." J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAKing Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks guys. I did swat him in the snout once when I was really frustrated after he lept up and bit my lip, he yelped and I almost felt bad. He does listen to me when I tell him "no bite" in a deep voice. He doesn't listen to my girlfriend. I live in a small town so we don't have puppy kindergarten, just basic obedience... I think. We will put him in that and then agility when hes old enough. At least thats the plan. Thanks for the replies. It's good to know that its not abnormal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mboat7 Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 My Baxter was very nippy when young until I used a treat game with him. You give the pup a good treat so he knows it is good. Then show him another and close your fist around the treat. He will start biting at your hand trying to get to the treat. But as soon as he stops biting at your hand then you open your hand and give him the treat. Baxter learned relatively quickly that biting/chewing on people would not win him any prizes. It is a nice positive way to train the preferred behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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