[CharlieC]

Got a 10 week old ylm that has a biting problem. He is always biting me when he is playing. I have tried holding his mouth closed and smacking his snout and telling him "No bite". He knows what No Bite means as he stops when I tell him no bite, but comes right back with his mouth open and trying again. He thinks it is fun, but my right arm looks like I have been eaten alive.
He is doing well with retrieving bumpers and sitting, but the biting and chewing is the problem. any answers?

 

[Hunt'EmUp]

When they bite hard enough to hurt, I always just put a lip under their teeth and squeeze til they yelp, then let go, they bite hard again repeat. Seems to teach them soft is better, some can be a bit stubborn, but they all seem to learn it.

 

[jeff evans]

Got a 10 week old ylm that has a biting problem. He is always biting me when he is playing. I have tried holding his mouth closed and smacking his snout and telling him "No bite". He knows what No Bite means as he stops when I tell him no bite, but comes right back with his mouth open and trying again. He thinks it is fun, but my right arm looks like I have been eaten alive.
He is doing well with retrieving bumpers and sitting, but the biting and chewing is the problem. any answers?

I do t believe he has a problem, he's just being a 10 wk old puppy. Have fun with the little bugger.

 

[polmaise]

Good cop - bad cop ?
Okay, I'm good at being the bad cop!
Huntemup is the good cop!..but his reply although correct, is not how you would do it!..cause you ain't huntemup?..
Now, I would do it like Huntemup' but do it totally different to You!..
....
You think the little dog understands 'no bite'!..but you don't (bad cop) !...He just stops cause you smacked his mouth?...This little critter comes and does the same again?...so he don't know 'No bite'?..He just knows 'Bite' , gets reward!?..Now reward to you or some folks may be a cookie or cuddle or a nice new pair of duds!..but this little fella has got a whole different outlook on what gives reward at his stage of development. (good cop)
Lets be a bad ass bad cop!...Stop hitting the little fella and shut up!...when he puts his mouth and needle teeth to your arm ...It ain't a game! and it ain't playing!..He is doing what he naturally does!...NOW (BAD ASS MOTHER f**KER Bad cop)...Next time this pup bites like you say on the arm . You scream holly murder ! like all hell broke loose!..
.....
Good cop!......Did you get this pup when it was younger than 10 weeks old?....I'm done!
...
Sorry folks , not my usual post ,but just about had it this week with training dogs!!!!, (good cop)

 

[Tom. P.]

Polmaise has it right!
Ever watc h a bunch of puppies play and bite each other and sooner rather than later one of them will YIPE. Its a puppy signal stop that hurts dang it!
So as Polmaise said let out a big YIPES!!

 

[HuntinDawg]

Good cop - bad cop ?
Okay, I'm good at being the bad cop!
Huntemup is the good cop!..but his reply although correct, is not how you would do it!..cause you ain't huntemup?..
Now, I would do it like Huntemup' but do it totally different to You!..
....
You think the little dog understands 'no bite'!..but you don't (bad cop) !...He just stops cause you smacked his mouth?...This little critter comes and does the same again?...so he don't know 'No bite'?..He just knows 'Bite' , gets reward!?..Now reward to you or some folks may be a cookie or cuddle or a nice new pair of duds!..but this little fella has got a whole different outlook on what gives reward at his stage of development. (good cop)
Lets be a bad ass bad cop!...Stop hitting the little fella and shut up!...when he puts his mouth and needle teeth to your arm ...It ain't a game! and it ain't playing!..He is doing what he naturally does!...NOW (BAD ASS MOTHER f**KER Bad cop)...Next time this pup bites like you say on the arm . You scream holly murder ! like all hell broke loose!..
.....
Good cop!......Did you get this pup when it was younger than 10 weeks old?....I'm done!
...
Sorry folks , not my usual post ,but just about had it this week with training dogs!!!!, (good cop)

I'm having a little trouble following what you wrote. All I can gather is that you want him to scream really loud when his dog bites him. Don't you think that will just excite the dog? I do the lip pinch thing (press lip against canine tooth)...or if they grab my hand I'll just use that same hand to instantly grab hold of their lower jaw and hold on no matter what. They don't like that at all. Soon they don't want your hand inside their mouth.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Look at:

http://www.retrievertraining.net/for...ghlight=biting

and especially msg #8 for a "formal program" on how to deal with this.

 

[polmaise]

I'm having a little trouble following what you wrote. All I can gather is that you want him to scream really loud when his dog bites him. Don't you think that will just excite the dog? I do the lip pinch thing (press lip against canine tooth)...or if they grab my hand I'll just use that same hand to instantly grab hold of their lower jaw and hold on no matter what. They don't like that at all. Soon they don't want your hand inside their mouth.

You know I Admire your posts HuntinDawg!!..
But sooner or later that hand is gonna be taking things from that mouth?....and I kinda like them to let go when that happens

 

[Kevin Eskam]

If he Bites you and you dont like it then growl and bite him back on the muzzle and make him squeel alittle, it works best for me, there mom or other dog would do the same thing.....

 

[CodyC]

Yeah I have a BLM (hes 6.5 months old now) and he was terrible about it. I mean he was down right painful. He tree'd my wife on the couch several times and she was afraid to get down because he would be after her. BUT, there is hope. Best I can tell you is every time he bites fold his lips under his teeth. When he applies pressure it hurts and he WILL stop. It takes a while to get the point across but it works. They also will grow out of that crap too. Mine doesn't do it anymore. Good luck

 

[HuntinDawg]

You know I Admire your posts HuntinDawg!!..

Thanks, but you'll get over that soon enough!

But sooner or later that hand is gonna be taking things from that mouth?....and I kinda like them to let go when that happens

Funny you mention that, when I'm teaching a dog to "give" or "drop" and they don't want to do it I'll use their lip against a canine for that too. I don't do it as hard for "give" as I do for biting, just enough to get the reflexive opening of the jaws and then they are praised for "giving." I am by no means an expert trainer and have only trained a few in that manner but it has worked for me.

 

[CharlieC]

Look at:

http://www.retrievertraining.net/for...ghlight=biting

and especially msg #8 for a "formal program" on how to deal with this.

Link does not work for me.

polaise, I assume he knows what no bite means because if I catch him before he bits and say no bite he backs off for about fifteen seconds. I assume it is a game for him and I am also using the lip against the canine tooth pinch, but he still keeps coming back for more. I just don't want him to grow up and be a biter, then he would have to go. He seems smart when it comes to learning to heal and sit, although there is a long way to go before he is finished with obedience. I know all of that comes after teething and all. I just don't want him to get off on the wrong foot, so to speak.
Thanks for all of the advice. Maybe I am expecting too much from him at this age.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Link does not work for me.

Curious ... it didn't for me either. Here's the text.

I posted this to another thread on the subject....

*****
"I use Ted's "yelp" idea though in a more formal pattern.

As was said, all puppies bite. In the litter they bite each other and Mom and when it hurts, there's a scream and the instigator releases the bite. Gradually they all learn "This much bite hurts."

Then they go to the new home. They try an exploratory bite and you think it's so cute that you don't respond. The puppy thinks, "That much bite appears not to hurt." As a result, he increases the bite pressure. Soon it hurts and we have a complaint like yours.

Use the feedback system that the puppy learned in the whelping box. When the puppy bites, yelp. If he bites a second time, yelp again and turn away from him so there's no contact. If he runs around to face you and bites again, yelp and place him in his crate for 15 minutes of time out.

Gradually you'll find that the bite pressure is reduced. Keep yelping. One day, he'll just put his mouth on your hand and not bite at all. Yelp. He'll look at you like you're a wus but....he'll stop biting.

Pups that go home from here don't bite and my hands have the scars to prove they did. Within a couple days, buyers report that the puppy did indeed try and by using this method, the pup backed off right away. There are so many important things you need to teach that biting needs to be dealt with right away. Swatting with a newspaper or just saying "no" doesn't work. Be drammatic and really yelp. He'll understand this as his littermates did it too."
*******

 

[jackh]

Be sure you aren't playing in a way that promotes the biting. It's not fair to play rough with the pup, then correct when he bites. I taught my girl "no bite" command by grabbing the top jaw over the snout and curling the cheeks under so she got a taste of her own medicine. Don't do it too hard or too long. It shouldn't take long for him to learn that he shouldn't be biting you.

 

[forhair]

Keep doing the proper things including no and folding he lips under his teeth. The main thing is that he will stop on his own most likely. He might still bite you, but the last thing he really wants to do as he matures is to hurt you. Eventually, once he feels your finger in his mouth, he will reduce the pressure of his bite. That's my experience. Now, when they are young and i let them have a pheasant wing, they will damn near chew my fingers off to keep it. A month or two later, they still want it just as bad, but they are more reasonable when I say drop. They no longer want to hurt me even though they don't want to let the wing go. Yesterday, my bitch managed to rip the chicken wire off my pigeon cage. She along with the rest of my dogs killed 12 pigeons. One of my pups came up with a carcass and a wing in his mouth. I managed to get it out without getting chewed to death. Two months back, he would have done his best to take my fingers off to keep the carcass. Keep saying no, but expect him to grow out of it over time. That is my experience, but let me know you experience over the next two months. I expect that you will have a much better time in two months time especially if you show all the love your puppy deserves.

 

[dogluvah]

I always did the imitation of a puppy yelp, high pitched, and withdrew from playing with her each time she gnawed on me. Some dogs like kids, crave attention, and they don't care if it is positive(playing) or negative(getting smacked on snout etc). But if you take away all attention till they behave, they learn fast. Just back away where they can't reach you for a few seconds after you yelp. I didn't restrain them, I just left the kennel or ex-pen, or a room that has baby gate etc. Then re-approach, repeat as needed. For stubborn pup make each brief "timeout" longer if needed to give him the message. If you watch dogs this is exactly how mom teaches her pups, and how the pups deal with each other!