Biting

[OodlesOfNoodles]

Finn is generally pretty calm and mellow (especially for an 18 week old), although he does get very excited to play with other dogs (lots of growling and teeth gnashing, although the dogs he does this with seem fine with it and play in the same manner). Recently on walks he's started to randomly become very excited and will turn and start jumping up on me, growling and biting. I've caught a few teeth on the legs during the action, but I don't think he's being aggressive - I think he wants to play. However, the bruises and scrapes on my legs, along with feeling as though he's impossible to control during those moments makes me feel like I need some help. He's done it a handful of times now, with half of them occurring when we're crossing the road. We live in the city and traffic noises don't bother him. My initial strategy was to get him into a sit and a down until he calmed down and we could continue on, but it's a bit tough to do that in the middle of the road, and getting him to the other side without him using one of those sharp little canine's either on my pant leg or my leg itself has proved difficult. Even when we're in an ok location to do it, it's hard to make him calm down enough to do the commands. He did it again this morning, twice crossing the same intersection (once when a car was there, once when there was nothing, so I don't think cars act as a stimulus), and then again just a few minutes later on the sidewalk close to home. I tried one of the times to stand on his leash so he couldn't jump up, which worked to stop the jumping, but he was still snapping at my legs. He will occasionally do this to my husband as well, but I'm definitely the one who gets it the most.

Has anyone else dealt with this?? Any advice on how to handle it? Is it just a puppy thing?

My husband says he generally grabs him by the scruff and makes him do a sit/down and it works for him. We're using an easy walk harness on him if it makes any difference. And 95% of the time he walks perfectly on it, it's just these random episodes! They come out of the blue, there's no indicator that it's about to happen. Thanks!

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

Welcome to the Land-Shark Phase! Here's some helpful threads!

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=99965&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=98967&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=95167&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=94813&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=89666&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=87487&highlight=nipping

Good luck, and you have my sympathies!

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

As for the leash biting/snapping/walking "fit", I went through this with my girl but I was heavily pregnant at the time, so stepping on the leash wasn't going to work for me because she could still reach me and especially my belly. What I did was I would hold the leash up and out from me and leave no slack. And then I would simply let her have at it. She would flail and flop and bite at the leash and I would just stand there, hanging on, not looking at her, silently waiting for her to finish her "fit". Eventually she would tire herself out/get bored and get frustrated with my lack of feeding into the behavior by looking at her, speaking to her or engaging. Once it was over, I'd (wordlessly and as if nothing had even happened) carry on with the walk. Lather, rinse and repeat, for what seems like forever. Worked for me!

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

Welcome to the Land-Shark Phase! Here's some helpful threads!

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=99965&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=98967&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=95167&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=94813&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=89666&highlight=nipping

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=87487&highlight=nipping

Good luck, and you have my sympathies!

So it could be worse then We've gotten the biting when playing inside pretty well under control, so I was thinking we were out of the woods...guess we can't be that lucky haha.

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

As for the leash biting/snapping/walking "fit", I went through this with my girl but I was heavily pregnant at the time, so stepping on the leash wasn't going to work for me because she could still reach me and especially my belly. What I did was I would hold the leash up and out from me and leave no slack. And then I would simply let her have at it. She would flail and flop and bite at the leash and I would just stand there, hanging on, not looking at her, silently waiting for her to finish her "fit". Eventually she would tire herself out/get bored and get frustrated with my lack of feeding into the behavior by looking at her, speaking to her or engaging. Once it was over, I'd (wordlessly and as if nothing had even happened) carry on with the walk. Lather, rinse and repeat, for what seems like forever. Worked for me!

Thanks - I've been trying this but I think I may be leaving too much slack, as he's still able to reach me (as my poor legs right now can attest haha). I'll have to be sure to try not looking at him as well. I like the term 'fit' - it describes it perfectly! At one point today I had to give up and pick him up, as we were blocking traffic (the boy has great timing). I was initially worried the biting might continue with my hair or face, but he did settle down. However, that's definitely not a technique I want to rely on, as I think it sends him a bad message of getting 'cuddles' when acting like a brat, plus he's getting too big too quickly to keep it up much longer!

 

[snowdog]

Those are great threads that Kristen suggested. Our newfie is 11 mos and I can completely relate to the biting and crazy puppy behavior. We have never had a pup that was so nuts - I would even use the word scary. It does get better you just need to make sure you don't let him think it's acceptable. There's one thread in particular about it, I will try to find it and list the link...found it:

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=105244&highlight=back+yard+behavior

Good luck!

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

Those are great threads that Kristen suggested. Our newfie is 11 mos and I can completely relate to the biting and crazy puppy behavior. We have never had a pup that was so nuts - I would even use the word scary. It does get better you just need to make sure you don't let him think it's acceptable. There's one thread in particular about it, I will try to find it and list the link...found it:

http://www.newf.net/Forums/showthread.php?t=105244&highlight=back+yard+behavior

Good luck!

Alright, I feel better knowing my sweet boy isn't turning into a terror who will be like this the rest of his life. Thanks for the links, very helpful!

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

OMG, I thought I'd bleed to death before I got Traveler to stop this nonsense! Excellent threads for you to follow. This too will pass; but nip it in the bud now..(no pun intended). :whistling:

 

[lacey9875]

Aww.... my baby was a monster! Thank Goodness it passed!



p.s. Try having her carry something in her mouth when you walk. Maggie carried a soccer ball on a rope for a bit, and that helped.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

Aww.... my baby was a monster! Thank Goodness it passed!



p.s. Try having her carry something in her mouth when you walk. Maggie carried a soccer ball on a rope for a bit, and that helped.

This! I used to take an empty water bottle with me and let her carry that. It didn't always work, but sometimes it did...and sometimes is better than never

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

Oooh good idea about carrying something. Elvis' "job" is to help bring in the mail. He's in charge of the junk mail or magazines that I don't mind him destroying. He'll also carry a stick for an entire walk. I never even had to teach him, I just held out a letter one day to see what he would do, and he took it and carried it all the way home.......and then inside the house, behind the couch, and shredded it to pieces.

 

[Brittany]

Busa is 15 weeks now and he use to want to play tug a war with his leash. He also would nip at the bottom of my pants when I walked. But our biggest problem was he would not stop nipping at our other dog. He was just being a puppy and wanted to play. Our other dog is a pit bull. She is very patient with him. But he will soon be bigger then her. I was afraid he would end up hurting her. I wanted it corrected before that could happen. My saving grace was a little spray bottle with bitter apple spray in it. I would spray it directly in his mouth when he would nip her or bit the leash. It takes some fast moving on your part but after a while he got the point. I also saturated the leash in bitter apple. I have never used the easy walk leash. I have a harness we just got and I love it! (Picture below) The leash clips at the back of the harness so it is away from the neck mouth area and the best part is it has a little handle on it. Using something like that might when you walk. Kong makes it. I got it at pet smart for $20. I also like the idea of giving something carry in the mouth. Good luck.

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

Good suggestion on having him carry something - he does love his sticks so I'm sure that would make him happy, at least for a bit! We went on an afternoon walk with my husband and the shenanigans started up again...the hubby's able to calm him down far faster than I can, but (don't tell him) it made me feel a teensy bit better that he did it to him as well, so it's not just me haha.

I have taken to carrying around a spray bottle, but I keep it in my pocket and end up pre-occupied with the jumping/biting and don't get it out in time. You'd think after this many times of the same thing I'd have learned to hold it in my hands at all times if I want to use it

 

[kmann]

I feel like I wrote this exact post a few months ago! Walks were seriously miserable and embarrassing for me for a little while. I learned we all go through it and it DOES get better. You've gotten some great advice. Keeping him busy/distracted and not engaging worked the best for us.

 

[takemebacktotulsa]

We had this exact same "Surprise! Here comes the attack during our peaceful walk" issue. Definitely kept us on our toes for a while! But this, too, shall pass. Just keep calm and ignore/redirect as well as you can in the meantime. I promise it gets better!

 

[lacey9875]

This! I used to take an empty water bottle with me and let her carry that. It didn't always work, but sometimes it did...and sometimes is better than never

It also sometimes took her mind off deciding to flop on the ground and flail and bite like a shark out of water!

Jobs are good too, now if Maggie hears the word "laundry", she shoots upstairs to find the first article of clothing on the floor she can grab and runs back downstairs with it. Typically from the 15 year olds bedroom.

Teaching her "pick it up" was wonderful also, sometimes if she's trying too hard to give a cat a bath, I'll toss something on the floor and then have her pick it up so they can escape.

She is without a doubt the mouthiest dog I've ever met, and the best way to handle it was to make it productive.

 

[Ivoryudx]

Also everyone with new puppies needs to be discussing all these behavior issues with your breeder. While the information here is very good, and works, if you purchased your pup from a reputable breeder they will be interested in helping you curb any obnoxious behavior and should be able to help you solve any problems that occur.

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

Recently on walks he's started to randomly become very excited and will turn and start jumping up on me, growling and biting.

He did it again this morning, twice crossing the same intersection (once when a car was there, once when there was nothing, so I don't think cars act as a stimulus), and then again just a few minutes later on the sidewalk close to home. I

I think my very first post on this forum was on the this very subject. And there was one area in the park, a big open field that must have been possessed, because you could see it taking over a normally calm Snuffles. See the thread "Wild aggrssive play mode." I used the vingar and water suggestion and sprayed it in Snuffles mouth when he got like that. BTW, Snuffles was given to me late June of 2006.

Even at almost 9, once in a blue moon and if Snuffles is really cooled off like laying in the snow like last night, he kind of starts that behavior again as I come to get him, but he responds to voice now.