Biting issue

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mridude
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Biting issue

Post by mridude »

Our last Chow, Gus, passed away at a young age from a rare nerve disease and we now have a new chow puppy, Brutus. We got Brutus at 8 weeks old and he is 8 months old now. He was neutered at 6 months. I have had Chows all my life. Brutus came from a very reputable kennel. His only issue is he cannot seem to control his mouth. At first, it was really bad. He would bite (in play of course) and even drew blood a couple times...you know, those sharp puppy teeth! We worked very hard with him to teach that mouth on human is not acceptable and I think he knows he is doing bad, but although he has improved, he still gets a bit crazy sometimes and just can't help nipping at our heels, feet, or even pant legs as we walk around the house. Sometimes I am petting him and he is being very docile and suddenly just reaches out and takes a mouthful of whatever body part is near! I know he will grow out of this eventually, but then again, I can't remember ever having a Chow that was this rough. I have tried putting my hand very close to his mouth and correcting him verbally when he just can't resist and he does understand, but still I can see him work so hard to not bite and it is a struggle for him. We have tried putting him in "time out" (we have a gated area for him in the kitchen) when he gets rowdy, and this does calm him down. It is always in play...Brutus doesn't have a mean bone in his body! We have NEVER played rough with him. Tug-of-war is not allowed. He will come, sit and behaves well on a leash. He is a very big chow and I would hate for him to injure a visitor by accident. We do have kids over now and then. Any suggestions how I can make it more clear to him that he is not allowed to put his mouth on people?
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Rory's Dad
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Re: Biting issue

Post by Rory's Dad »

Sounds like this is definitely not aggression, but a call for attention. I would make sure that when he does this you make him work for that attention in another way.
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JasonandNat
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Re: Biting issue

Post by JasonandNat »

I agree with the above statement, FuShiLu did this, we'll still does at times. I always attempt to put my whole hand/fist in the mouth or at the very least gab lower jaw pressing a finger thumb down on the tongue. The goal is to provide a not so enjoyable response.
mridude
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Re: Biting issue

Post by mridude »

Yes we do the grab lower jaw thing. It does work to stop the behavior temporarily, but hasnt seemed to work as a training aid long term.
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Levins
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Re: Biting issue

Post by Levins »

I have the same problem. My puppy nips at my clothes when i get home, sometime catching some flesh. He seems to only do it with me so im assuming he just gets very excited but have been trying to get him to express his excitement in a diffrent way.

P.s. Please excuse my poor english. It is a second language
Rory's Dad
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Re: Biting issue

Post by Rory's Dad »

Levins, it is your puppy trying to gain attention. In young pups this is how they play with littermates.

Here's a suggestion. When you arrive home, have a supply of treats in your pocket. Announce your presence. If he has learned basic commands yet, ask him to sit. This is a nice calm position and you can give him attention and affection. As a young pup, this didn't always work with my oldest male, and still doesn't it he is outside. I have worked with him with a 'teeth away' command. This involves not only having him close his mouth (he's a panter and a 'smiler' so this is tough on him, but also doesn't allow any jumping up. I started with stepping on his leash to prevent the upward motion, then added a quick touch under his chin so his mouth would close (this is not a hit or a forceful motion, literally a palm up touching on his lower jaw). Repeating the command 'teeth away', and then giving him the treat. He know sits upon arrival with his mouth closed looking for a small reward. Just to keep him honest, I don't always have the treats, but reward him with some nice 'atta boy' and generous petting. I still have to come outside when my wife comes home and give him direction, but he does listen and we have no issues with the attention nips.
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milcanai
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Re: Biting issue

Post by milcanai »

Same issue with my puppy, always itchy to bite my feet.. XD
Our babies Ming O:) and Tam :D
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FurParent
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Re: Biting issue

Post by FurParent »

Same here that's is one of my big problem before. That's why I did not stop to train my puppy to change this kind of behavior and now they learn.
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Malamar
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Re: Biting issue

Post by Malamar »

I understand why they bite when they are young. That is because their teeth are growing. But if the issue reminds when they've grown up, that's really annoying. My dog have the same issue, and I have nothing to do about it. Just enclose my hand with rugs, then let he goes...
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