I’m really struggling to stop my puppy’s biting behavior. It’s been so hard and I’m getting really worried it might not stop. I don’t want people to judge my dog ownership skills, but it feels like nothing is working. I have an 8-month-old lab mix puppy who we’ve had for almost two months now. The biting happens when she gets excited, nervous, or just wants attention. Mostly, it’s during play. She doesn’t seem to understand that biting isn’t acceptable. I try not to react when she bites, but that doesn’t help. I’ve tried a lot of things like pretending it hurts, leaving the room, substituting toys, and even giving her chews. Nothing has worked so far. The biting isn’t aggressive; she’s just playing, but it’s getting worse. Today, she even bit me in the face. I’m worried she might hurt me if it doesn’t stop. I’m just trying to find a way to deal with it before it gets out of hand. She’s also been struggling with separation anxiety, which makes it tough to leave her at home. We’ve tried a lot of things, including walks, toys, and even comfort items, but she’s still having issues. I’m open to any advice, especially on crate training or calming methods for her anxiety.
Just putting a dog with separation anxiety in a crate is not enough. You need to combine it with other techniques. If your dog is scared of the crate, this could make the anxiety worse. Instead of a crate, try using an exercise pen or put the dog in a separate room. Using an indestructible crate may not help with separation anxiety and could just increase her panic. Check out this article for more help: Does Crate Training Help Separation Anxiety? - SpiritDog Training
She’s still a puppy, and most puppies grow out of this behavior. She’s using her mouth to explore the world and might not realize that her bites hurt. Teething could also be playing a part in her biting.
@CanineCoach2
I thought so too, but the vet says she already has all of her adult teeth. The biting has gotten harder, so it’s not just about teething anymore. It’s the pressure of her bites that hurts.
I had the same issue with my dog. The yelping didn’t help either. What worked for me was teaching my dog the command ‘gentle.’ Every time he stopped biting, I gave him a treat and attention. I made sure to reward any non-biting play, like licking or booping noses. When he bit, I would stop everything and say ‘no!’ in a firm voice. After a few days, he started to understand and stopped biting as hard. I also stopped the play the moment his teeth came out, no matter how gentle.
Regarding the crate, you should stop using wire crates and try an airline-style crate. I’ve worked with many dogs and found that very few ever chewed their way out of a sturdy airline crate. Make sure to feed her in the crate and give her activities to do while she’s in it, like a frozen peanut butter Kong. This will help her associate the crate with positive experiences.
For the biting, try removing her freedom every time she bites. As soon as she bites, put her in a crate or pen for 15 minutes, away from you. If she bites again after being released, put her back in the crate. Repeat this every time, and she will eventually see that biting results in losing your attention and freedom.
@Sophie
We’ve been trying to ignore her and leave the room when she bites. But I’m not sure if putting her in the crate would help, as I don’t want her to think of the crate as punishment rather than a safe space.
How much sleep is she getting? It might be helpful to know if she’s getting enough rest.
YukiJane said:
How much sleep is she getting? It might be helpful to know if she’s getting enough rest.
She gets about 11-15 hours of sleep a day. She sleeps through the night and I try to wake her up if she naps for more than an hour during the day.
YukiJane said:
@WisdomWendy
Why are you waking her up from her naps?
I try to limit her naps to keep her from getting too energetic at night. If she naps too long, her biting behavior gets worse, especially in the evening.
YukiJane said:
@WisdomWendy
Ok. Is she getting a lot of attention for non-biting play? Does she get rewarded for chewing on toys or engaging in calm behaviors, or is she getting more attention when she bites?
We try to praise her when she plays with toys or chews calmly, but it’s hard because she doesn’t take treats when she’s really focused. I try to use her favorite treats for training when we’re teaching her something specific.
YukiJane said:
@WisdomWendy
Ok, that makes sense. A couple of questions: How does she do taking treats from your hand? What’s she like on a leash? And is there anything significant in her history you know of?
- She takes treats gently and never bites down. 2) She’s decent on a leash, though she gets distracted by squirrels and other dogs. Her recall isn’t great outside. 3) We don’t know much about her past, other than we found her outside a hardware store. She was in the shelter for 5 days before she was spayed.