[BaileyGirl]

Hi everyone, my pug/beagle mix Bailey will be 5 months old on June 3rd and we are still having some behavioral problems with her. I was hoping that you might be able to offer some suggestions/advice.

First of all, Bailey will get into these little moods and start biting us. Sometimes it seems like she's trying to play - she will bite my dad's slipper as he's walking and will not let go, so that she is dragged behind him as he walks. He will yell "No!" and try to shake her off but she will growl and refuse to let go. He has started swatting at her and hitting her with a stuffed animal or soft object, but she just seems to become angrier and will growl even more. Secondly, she will bite when someone is trying to prevent her from doing something she wants to do (i.e. if she's chewing on furniture and my mom tries to pick her up to take her away, she will growl and try to bite my mom). Her teeth are extremely sharp and all of us have scratches on our hands and arms. She has made my mom bleed a few times so that a band-aid is needed. I've heard that this is normal behavior for a puppy but am just wondering the correct way to handle and respond to it. We have tried ignoring her or turning our backs to her but this isn't working and she has already damaged one pair of slippers. We have also tried spraying Bitter Apple on certain items but it doesn't seem to work either, particularly in the second example when we're trying to prevent her from doing something naughty and most of the time don't have Bitter Apple on hand.

Bailey's second problem is that she is terrified of other dogs and is very scared/shy in unfamiliar places around strangers. We have been trying to socialize her as much as possible - we signed up for a Petsmart puppy class and it took her 6 weeks to feel comfortable enough to start playing with two smaller puppies in the class. These are the only other dogs she has played with since we got her. At the beginning of the class, she would hide under our chair or want to jump up in our laps. Her ears were always back and her tail was down. She would run away if one of the other puppies approached her and would become scared of any of them barked. We have also taken her to a small breed playgroup a few times (she hid from the other dogs and just wanted to go home) and to a dog park, in an enclosure for small breeds only (she jumped up on a chair and stood there the whole time...she seemed curious but would only look at other dogs from a distance. If they came up to her, she would run away or jump up on a chair). Additionally, at the dog playgroup and at the dog park, we were approached by strangers who wanted to pet her. Both times, my mom was holding Bailey, and when the stranger attempted to pet Bailey, she would seem scared (as if she was cornered) and as their hand moved closer to her and she was unable to back away, she would show her teeth in warning and try to bite. I realize that there is a socialization window for puppies and I'm just not sure what I need to do to make her feel more comfortable in these situations. I've been trying to take her to as many playgroups as possible but it doesn't seem to be working.

I'm considering scheduling a session with a private dog trainer who charges $150 for a 2.5 hour session. My parents think that it would be a waste of money, however. They think that the biting is normal behavior for a puppy and say that she'll just "grow out of it." Additionally, they don't seem too concerned about her fear of dogs and strangers because she's fine at home and they want her to be somewhat wary around other dogs anyway so that she won't get attacked. Please let me know what you think. I really appreciate your help with this! Sorry for the long post.

[Cheetah]

Biting is a normal puppy behavior, but they don't just "grow out of it" without proper training and socialization.

For one, your dad should not be hitting her with anything. It obviously just escalates the behavior, as you said. He also should not be continuing to walk and dragging her along, because he is inadvertently playing tug with her. I bet she's having a fun game of tug at the expense of your dad's feet/slippers lmao...

When she does that, he should stop moving and trying to take his foot back, so he is not taking part in the "game." Using a verbal correction depends on the dog I think, but it sounds like it doesn't really phase her. Your dad needs to get her attention (say her name etc.) and then redirect her to a proper object that she is allowed to put her mouth on, such as a rope toy. I'd like to emphasize PRAISE when she takes her mouth off his foot puts her mouth on the appropriate object.

This dog NEEDS to be socialized with other dogs and people, or she could grow up to be fear aggressive, and potentially make herself a TARGET to other dogs, thus backfiring your family's plans of trying to keep her from being attacked, not to mention potentially biting another person out of fear.

I think that going to a training class or having private lessons would be a very good idea for this dog. Your parents are not trainers or behaviorists, so they can't really give you professional advice. Just make sure the trainer uses positive methods.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

I also have a pug mixed dog, pug and rat terrier, and she had the same problems. She would bite constantly and as time went on she got more and more agressive with it. I posted a few days ago on my method and it was turned down and not reccommended but it worked wonders for me. Whenever Mazie would bite, I would grab her snout and hold her top and bottom jaws together and say "NO MA'AM" in a very firm voice. I think she mainly stopped biting me because she hated when I did that. She has now figured out that she can bite my sister and my mom though and this doesn't happen to her. As far as socialization yes it does need to happen. It will make your dog more of a target if not socialized because other dogs will find her as a weaker link and pick on her. Dog parks might not be your best bet for socializing her though. I would take her to a friends house that has a dog or dogs and let her start out there. As far as people go take here somewhere public and stop and ask people if they are willing to help. Have people give your puppy treats and if Bailey acts okay with that then they can try and pet her. I am working with both of my dogs on this as of now. I am actually taking both of my girls with me out tomorrow ( technically today) and see how that goes. I hope this was helpful!

[BaileyGirl]

Cheetah and Amaya, thank you both very much for the quick responses!

Another incident occured a few hours ago and I was hoping to get your advice on it. A few hours ago, my mom and I were trying to watch a movie and Bailey started biting on our clothes/hands and wouldn't stop. We tried to redirect her to a chew toy and a stuffed animal, which got her attention for a few seconds and then she went back to biting us and our clothes. After awhile, the redirecting didn't work at all. We tried to ignore her and turned our backs on her, but as always, she continued biting our socks/slippers/feet and pulling at our clothes. We were in the bedroom and Bailey's crate is in the kitchen, so we couldn't put her in time-out (she will bite our hands if we try to pick her up when she is in this kind of mood and doesn't want to be moved). Finally, I got up, walked to the kitchen, and called her over for a treat. I then lured her into her crate with the treat and closed the door. However, I know she is not going to associate this time-out with the biting, because the time between the biting and actually getting her into the crate was way too long. Short of keeping a leash on her 24/7 (a method which I've heard about but which concerns me...Bailey is very active and I worry that the leash will get caught on something and possibly choke/injure her), what do you think should have been done in this situation? No matter what we do, the biting will not stop and we are unable to take her to time-out immediately as we will get bitten. I can continue doing what I did before, but then of course she isn't going to learn NOT to bite.

Along those same lines, Cheetah, you mentioned that when Bailey is biting my dad's slippers:
"Your dad needs to get her attention (say her name etc.) and then redirect her to a proper object that she is allowed to put her mouth on, such as a rope toy. I'd like to emphasize PRAISE when she takes her mouth off his foot puts her mouth on the appropriate object."

What if he is unable to redirect her to a toy? Bailey can be a very persistent, determined little puppy (or in other words, a real pest!) Should he just be patient, stand still, and keep trying until she releases his slipper?

You've convinced me to see the private trainer (who does use only positive reinforcement) but we won't be able to get in until late next week, so if you have any suggestions about the biting situation in the meantime, I would greatly appreciate it! We will definitely address the socialization issue with the trainer but the biting is the #1 problem for us at the moment. Thank you very much for your help!!

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

I myself am not a firm believer of the ignore method. It NEVER worked for me. I think that taking her to her crate was wrong because if thats where she stays at night and while your gone then thats good, but if she goes there when she has done something wrong she may figure that out. Crates shouldn't be a form of punishment. If she needs a time out then try distracting her with something else. The toy was good but if it still didn't work then just quietly get her leash, put is on her and ignore the fact that she bites you and proceed to take her out. If she was biting and kept going and going at it then she might have been trying to tell you something.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by Amaya-Mazie-Marley

I also have a pug mixed dog, pug and rat terrier, and she had the same problems. She would bite constantly and as time went on she got more and more agressive with it. I posted a few days ago on my method and it was turned down and not reccommended but it worked wonders for me. Whenever Mazie would bite, I would grab her snout and hold her top and bottom jaws together and say "NO MA'AM" in a very firm voice.

I think the reason people don't recommend it is because it can cause even more biting from the dog. I honestly tried it with Shippo, and it only caused him to become fearful and retaliate with more biting.

BaileyGirl, have you tried screaming out a loud, shrill "OUCH!" while freezing? That's another thing that can work, but it has to be oscar-winning.

Also, I believe there is a sticky about biting somewhere on this forum... *looks for it* EDIT: Here it is:
http://www.dogforums.com/3-dog-train...tops-here.html

And the leash thing I think is a great idea. Shippo was tethered to me for about the first 6 months of his life. You would of course NEVER leave him unsupervised to drag the leash around alone. The point of tethering is to keep the dog with you so she can't run off and get into things, and also so you can get her away from things without having to touch her.

[Ginny01OT]

Have you tried spraying yourselves with bitter apple to see what she does? It helped me when Riley was in his mouthy stage--so did ice cubes big time.

[opokki]

Most people seem to agree that the crate should not be used as punishment. In the case of excessive nipping/biting, social isolation is often an effective punishment. Some feel that it is okay to use the crate for social isolation...because the crate is not the punishment, social isolation is.

As you've stated, by the time you get the pup in the crate enough time as passed that the punishment will not be associated with the crime. In order to have better timing, you can mark the behavior with a sharp "Eh Eh" or "Ouch!" and quickly and quietly place the dog into the crate for 30-60 secs of social isolation. You can also have the crate handy in whichever room you are in so it is availabe without you having to escort the pup through the entire house to get to it.

Alternatively, you can simply say "Eh Eh" or utter a high pitched "Ouch!" and get up and leave the room for 30-60 secs leaving the pup alone (social isolation). Repeat.

[asdf123]

i have the same problem. any suggestions?
i have 2 dogs.....ones 3 the other is 5 months......the 3 yr old has never been used to being around other dogs.....if he see's one, he'd bark at them but if they came over,he'd run away and try to hide behind me. now that i have a 5 month old, (same breed) all he does is run away, bark and growl at her. if you have any suggestions, it'd be greatly appreciated.

[poodleholic]

A few hours ago, my mom and I were trying to watch a movie and Bailey started biting on our clothes/hands and wouldn't stop. We tried to redirect her to a chew toy and a stuffed animal, which got her attention for a few seconds and then she went back to biting us and our clothes. After awhile, the redirecting didn't work at all. We tried to ignore her and turned our backs on her, but as always, she continued biting our socks/slippers/feet and pulling at our clothes.

Your puppy wants, and is demanding, interactive play. She may also be teething (take an old sock and put a couple of knots in it, then wet down and place in the freezer). Do you give her freedom of the house? If so, stop! Establish a daily routine with some structure, providing her with play that will stimulate her mentally, and release all that pent-up puppy energy (a tired puppy is a good puppy). Don't leave toys out all the time - they lose their value. Schedule toy-time, only give one at a time, and put it away before she tires of it (to keep the toy high value). Provide her with a chew bone or toy to keep her occupied when you don't want her bugging you, but do want her in the same room w/you. Otherwise, it's nap time in the crate, or quiet time on a mat with or without a toy or chewie in the x-pen, or behind baby gates. Work on self-control exercises with various training (i.e., learning to wait at the door until released when going out to potty, for one).

Do NOT grab your puppy's muzzle and hold her mouth shut to prevent her biting you. This is one of the worst things you can do. You CAN gently place your fingers under her chin to lift her head and give her eye contact, and say "wrong." If she continues, remain calm, don't raise your voice, just remove yourself from access and ignore her. Try again in 2-3 minutes. It may take many repetitions, but puppies require persistence, patience, and being consistent.

We were in the bedroom and Bailey's crate is in the kitchen, so we couldn't put her in time-out (she will bite our hands if we try to pick her up when she is in this kind of mood and doesn't want to be moved).

Time outs should never be in the crate (to keep the crate a great place associated with good things only). Puppy-proof a bathroom (boring), put her in there for 2-3 minutes (no longer), then try again. If she keeps it up, back she goes. Or, use baby gates or an x-pen. (Keep a towel or blanket to scoop her up to prevent mouthing your hands/arms). YOU are her highest resource because you control all resources - as benevolent leader, provider of all good things; attention, affection, food, toys, walks, etc. You can teach her in this way that when she does "_______," she loses you, her greatest resource. Dogs learn through association.

Short of keeping a leash on her 24/7 (a method which I've heard about but which concerns me...Bailey is very active and I worry that the leash will get caught on something and possibly choke/injure her),

Tethering a puppy to you while you go about your business is a very useful method of getting a puppy to learn to focus on the handler, and to sit/lay quietly at your feet, but only for an hour or so at a time. It also offers countless opportunities to train and/or redirect, while you maintain control. Tethering to furniture can also work for short periods, but I prefer tethering to me.

No matter what we do, the biting will not stop and we are unable to take her to time-out immediately as we will get bitten.

See all of the above.

Along those same lines, Cheetah, you mentioned that when Bailey is biting my dad's slippers:
"Your dad needs to get her attention (say her name etc.) and then redirect her to a proper object that she is allowed to put her mouth on, such as a rope toy. I'd like to emphasize PRAISE when she takes her mouth off his foot puts her mouth on the appropriate object."

What if he is unable to redirect her to a toy? Bailey can be a very persistent, determined little puppy (or in other words, a real pest!) Should he just be patient, stand still, and keep trying until she releases his slipper?

This is one reason why I restrict a puppy's freedom of the house, and establish structure and routine. The puppy has fewer opportunities to grab slippers or pantlegs. But, when she does, it's easier to control her with a collar and lead on her - a drag line, or at least a tab to hold and remove her to a contained space, be it an x-pen or a room closed off with baby gates. Remain calm, say "wrong," and remove yourself from her access to you.

You've convinced me to see the private trainer (who does use only positive reinforcement) but we won't be able to get in until late next week,

Prevention by being proactive rather than reactive is what will be most helpful to you at this stage. She's a baby, and doing what puppies do. Puppies (and adult dogs) do what works. If it doesn't work, they stop doing it. Enroll in a puppy class for socialization, and to learn from the trainer what to do when. Less expensive than a private trainer, but just as effective. Either way, the trainer is going to train you how to train your dog.

[Jen D]

Originally Posted by Ginny01OT

Have you tried spraying yourselves with bitter apple to see what she does? It helped me when Riley was in his mouthy stage--so did ice cubes big time.

I had a day with a pug that I had and he kept jumping off the floor to bite my cousin in the butt, I don't know how he managed to get off the floor. I know it wasn't funny so as soon as I got Off the floor laughing I sprayed Off on her and it worked Deet isn't good but it worked and I didn't have Bitter Sweet!