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garethb83
Dogsey Junior
garethb83 is offline  
Location: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 38
Male 
 
23-10-2007, 09:06 AM

Stop 'Play-Biting'??

Hi Guys

Just a bit of advice needed. My 9 1/2 month old Beagle is soooo affectionate, shes brilliant with everyone and is scared of no-one of nothing!!

However, she has been in with me and recently (4-6 weeks) she has started 'play-biting' with me ALOT! Shes grand when shes indoors for about 45 mins, then she starts to bite at my hands! Shes not biting down hard, and I dont think she wants to hurt me, but she then starts to jump over my face constantly and the jumping with the mouth opened is causing my hands a bit of damage!!

Im thinking she just wants a bit of attention?? but when i do play with her she still does this?

Is there any tips you could give me??

Thanks

G
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Lozzy100
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Location: Worthing west sussex
Joined: May 2006
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23-10-2007, 09:49 AM
hiya this is normal behaviour for dogs, when i had my gsd simba, he would mouth and his teeth were little needles and did scratch my hands to shreds,,they are teething, get some chewy toys etc for him to knaw on, also you could try pulling your hand away and saying OUCH every time he mouths he will get the picture,,well mine did'nt but he grew out of it...lol...mouthing is how they play with other play mates and as pups they see us as their play mates,,or litter mates as some would say. Good luck, hopefully others will come forward to give you some tips also....

Hugs Loz and gang..oh cute little cavs also mouth and actualy get rough..well my little boy does, and he is now learning when i say OUCH it means let me go..lol as now he licks my hand better..lol hope this helps.
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tink
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Location: Peterborough
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23-10-2007, 10:22 AM
Hi Gareth,
How's litle Maggie ? Still dying to see some pics !
I would imagine little Maggies adult teeth are still setting in her jaws,during this time a puppy has the physical need to excercise its mouth by chewing,Although she may be doing this for attention also,i would try a firm no and turn your back on her,when she has settled somewhat you can start to play again,each time she mouths/gets too rough repeat this until she understands,Consistancy is the key with Beagles and with most puppies you'll find,she'll soon get the message that this is unwanted behaviour,
You could try diverting her attention with a ball or another toy,
I do think if you get her something appropriate to chew in the evening it will help,something like a Nylabone teether for puppies to chew on or you could try a raw shin bone (Although i prefer mine to eat these outside) i also used frozen or cold carrots when mine were young but more so when they were getting their adult teeth) When she chews on her teether/bone,praise her so she knows that it is hers and something shes allowed to chew,
I was given something called 'Critical periods in your puppys psychological Growth' from my breeder when i got Alfie and it has been invaluble at times and explains why at particular ages they may act/behave in a certain way and the best way to deal with it.I will see if i can find it somewhere and pm it to you,
hope that helps some,
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garethb83
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Location: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 38
Male 
 
23-10-2007, 10:35 AM
Thanks very much Tink! I have some photos of maggie, still being too lazy to get them up! Will try asap!!

The shin bone is a great idea for chewing, but as you say, its not very nice in the house!!

Thanks again!
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Meg
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Location: Dogsey and Worcestershire
Joined: May 2004
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23-10-2007, 07:42 PM
Hi Gareth you have already had some excellent advice.. may I just add a little ....
At 9.5 months your puppy should have already learnt to 'inhibit' her bite, she is fast approaching adulthood and needs to learn to control her play biting ASAP.

Biting is normal behaviour in small puppies, if a puppy doesn't bite there is something wrong with it . Puppies bite for a number of reasons, to explore the world around them/during play/and when teething.

Play biting is best curbed and channelled in the right direction when the puppy is small, she should be encouraged to bite ever more gently until no pressure is exerted at all . The best way to do this is to teach bite inhibition so that as the puppy grows up and develops powerful jaws, should she bite for any reason (like if she is in in pain/at the vets being treated /gets accidentally hurt) she will have been taught never to sink his teeth into human skin. Bite inhibition, learning to developer a 'soft mouth' is one of the most important lessons you can teach your puppy.


Teaching a puppy bite inhibition takes time and patience and won't be achieved in just a few days also everyone in the household needs to adopt the same approach. Some people say they have tried teaching BI and it doesn't work but I am guessing this is because they expect instant results.

Link to teaching bite inhibition ..
click here

I have a puppy at the moment and she has been a real biter .She will be 5 months on Saturday and has at last learnt bite inhibition though still bites hard occasionally when she is over excited and forgets herself..

Also I can't stress enough how important 'feedback' is to your puppy, yes she must be made aware that biting isn't allowed but when she switches from biting to licking it is equally important to praise her, I say 'gently good girl ' in a soft voice when my puppy switches from nibbling to licking so that she knows not only what isn't but exactly was is allowed
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