Bacon gets kicked out of Puppy Class...

Today was a frustrating day for Bacon and I. Took him to his second week of puppy classes and right from the first round of play time Bacon starts being to aggressive with the other pups. He had it out for a German Shephard puppy that was twice his size and started biting her. The problem was that when the German Shephard wimpered Bacon would not stop and got a clench on the Shephard's neck. We tried a few more times and he would go right back and keep doing it. The instructor told me that Bacon needs private lessons from here on out...

I know that Staffy's in general are not dog friendly, but I was not expecting it to come out of him at 12 weeks of age?! I'm seriously worried about him now because I'm afraid of taking him on a stroll around the neighborhood.

Also, regarding his mouthiness with humans, the instructor encouraged us to let the puppy bite hands and that he will learn to control the force of his bites. Problem is, Bacon seems to be turned on by the whimper sound so I've just been yelling and putting him in timeout (Walkaway routine is worthless as he follows and bites any part of me he can). Now he's starting to back off when i shout in pain, but knows a timeout is coming and runs away from me (Should I follow him and put him on timeout when he runs?).

Anyone deal with this type of an aggressive pup? Suggestions? I was so deflated by his behavior today and felt somewhat hopeless with Bacon...

Thanks.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience but don't worry the behaviour is normal and not aggression at all simply play behaviour. Suki is also always going for the other dogs neck and she isn't at all aggressive. It's preferable to biting the tail or any other area which could start a fight. Body language is far more important. Here is a link that should help with that

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

For the nipping you are on the right track. Make sure everyone who is in contact with Bacon understands what the rules are and enforces them every time. Bacon is still learning bite inhibition and it's normal for a pup his age. I prefer the turn around and ignore method because he is seeking attention. If he gets the oposite I think he will learn faster. Here is a link that will explain things in more detail.

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

I wouldn't advise letting him bite your hands because it will hurt and instead of helping him learn bite inhibition it could reinforce the idea that it's okay to bite people.

Thanks for the info Jstaff... I'm not sure I would call it play behavior because he had a nice chunk of the other dog's fur in his mouth during the last episode and it kept escalating each time...

They tend to play very rough. Suki has a Husky she plays with everyday and is constantly coming away with tufts of hair in her mouth. No growling or anything but some people think they are fighting because it looks very aggressive. If Bacon is getting overly excited or behaving in a way you feel is aggressive just seperate him from the other dog and wait a couple of minutes before letting them play again.

If you know someone with an older dog that is well socialized that would be a big help with teaching Bacon what is acceptable behaviour.

He was growling, not a terrible amount of it though. I do actually have a friend of mine who has a 7 year old Husky that Bacon plays with. I took him to play with the Husky last week and they did pretty well. The Husky put Bacon in his place and they did well for the most part. There was a time when the Husky was laying down and Bacon decided to walk over the Husky's legs. The Husky did not like this and gave Bacon a nip. After that, they were fine again.

The older dog really helps out. Don't worry about the growling either because lots of dogs will do that in play as well. As long as Bacon is getting socialized it's a good thing. He sould start teething in the near future as well so be prepared for him to want to chew even more.

Good advice given by jstaff, they do play rough and have to learn what's acceptable and what isn't. Bella played like that with my older dog from the day she came home, jumping and biting at her neck but the older dog let her know when she was biting too hard. They are both very noisy when they play, growling, barking, making all sorts of sounds. I just keep an eye on it and separate them for a couple of minutes if it looks like it's getting too rough

A puppy that age is not being agressive. He's obviously just not learnt any bite inhibition yet.

The instructor is right about letting him mouth you. I wouldn't yell though, that will excite him more. When he's mouthing, wait till he bites down pretty hard then just get up and ignore him for a minute. Repeat this each time for the harder bites.

Gradually he should learn to soften his bite then you can teach him not to mouth you at all

Seriously though, don't worry about him being agressive. Puppies aren't agressive, they just discover everything about the world by playing and biting. It's your job to teach him what's allowed and what's not. If he's playing with another dog and not listening to their signals that he's being too rough, you step in and remove him for a minute, he'll soon learn not to play too roughly.

agree with all above just dont be afraid to socialise him he needs that to learn and i am shocked by the puppy class instructor to give up so easily , in fact Trouble did do exactly the same with a gsd i have to say the other owner and i were a bit shocked but the puupy class instuctor assured us both that it is normal and he wouldnt have hurt him seriously and that this is how they learn to behave . try and walk your pup at the same time in a park so you get to meet the same dogs and try and socialise him with as many as your friends dogs . time out is good , i didnt to a wimpering sounded i do a firm EH EH and he knows when i do that that he is about to cross the line . as for allowing him to bite you i am not to sure my imstructor said that a dog should never mouth and that the teeth should not have any skin contact but i went against her advice i wanted to teach him to be gentle as i needed to cos we had a rabbit at the time . he mouths me now and this how we play he is as gentle as anything (if you had asked me when 12 weeks old would have been different) . so dont give up dont get disheartened as many of us have been there and now have the most wonderful gentle dogs

As Galadriel has said, at 12 weeks, it is not aggression. Your puppy is just trying to learn. I would socialize him with older dogs who are large and will accept the play but put him in his place if he needs it and other confident, playful pups. As for the mouthing, I agree with Jstaff. I wouldn't allow it at all and would completely ignore him when he starts, or give him a toy to chew on instead.

It sounds like he is a happy, confident pup who just needs to be taught a few manners. Be firm and consistent with your training and he WILL get there. He's still very much a baby, he just needs your time and patience. Good luck

The likes of Gwen Bailey do say you should never allow a pup to even mouth you but others, Ian Dunbar included, says it's one of the biggest mistakes people make and I'm inclined to agree with him. Especially in powerful breeds, they need to know to control their bite.

Have a read of these:

http://www.siriuspup.com/pop_biting.html

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition

http://www.apdt.com/veterinary/assets/pdf/Ian%20Dunbar%20Dog%20Bite%20Scale.pdf - this one is regarding adult dogs but interesting all the same

"No matter how well you try to socialize your dog and teach him to enjoy the company and actions of people, the unforeseen and unpredictable happens. Here are a just a few case histories:

• A friend of the owner unintentionally slammed a car door on a dog's tail.
• A woman wearing high heels unintentionally stepped on her sleeping Rottweiler's thigh.
• An owner grabbed his Jack Russell by the collar.
• A groomer was combing out a Wheaten's matted coat.
• A veterinarian was fixing a Bernese Mountain Dog's
dislocated elbow.
• A visitor tripped and flew headlong to butt heads with an
Airedale chewing his bone.
• A three-year-old child (who shall remain nameless)
wearing a Superman cape jumped from a coffee table and landed on the ribcage of a sleeping Malamute.

The Rottweiler and Bernese both screamed. The Bernese lay perfectly still and did not attempt to bite. All the other dogs Grrrrwuffffed and quickly turned their muzzles towards the person. The Malamute got up and left the room. Both the Rottweiler and Jack Russell snapped and lunged, but neither made skin contact. The Wheaten took hold of the groomer's arm and squeezed gently. The Airedale nicked the visitor's cheek. All of these dogs were pretty friendly most of the time, but what is crucially important is that they had all developed stellar bite- inhibition in puppyhood. Despite extreme fright or pain, bite inhibition instantly clicked in (within 0.04 seconds) to check the bite. Consequently, none of these dogs caused any damage and all were successfully rehabilitated.

The dog with the trapped tail mutilated the person's arm with multiple deep bites. This dog was a breed most people consider to be extremely friendly and had been taken on numerous visits to schools and hospitals. Indeed, the dog was extremely friendly, but she had no bite inhibition. During puppyhood, she did not play with other dogs much, and her puppy biting behavior was infrequent and gentle. Because the dog had never displayed any signs of unfriendliness as an adult, there was no warning that she might bite. And because she had never snapped or bitten before, there was no warning that her bite would be serious. For a dog that is likely to spend a lot of time around people, being well-socialized but having poor bite inhibition is a dangerous combination." - Taken from http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AFTER%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf page 79 onwards.

At his age I very much doubt that it's aggression - it's more likely to be over enthusiasm. Staffords play really hard & will grab the scruff of another dog quite hard. I think your instructor just doesn't know how to handle a stafford pup. Are there any other training schools you can try?

It would also help if he could play with rock solid, older dogs that will put him in his place without doing damage.

Nor Cal wrote:Also, regarding his mouthiness with humans, the instructor encouraged us to let the puppy bite hands and that he will learn to control the force of his bites.

Galadriel wrote:The instructor is right about letting him mouth you. I wouldn't yell though, that will excite him more. When he's mouthing, wait till he bites down pretty hard then just get up and ignore him for a minute. Repeat this each time for the harder bites.

I don't agree with this at all. Every dog I've ever had has been taught the "No", turn away & ignore, and all of them have developed bite inhibition quite naturally without being allowed to bite.

If you go down this route you will have to keep your dog away from children etc for some months until the bite inhibition is strong enough that they don't hurt a child. Also, many dogs brought up this way will continue to 'mouth', albeit fairly softly for their whole lives - this is something that frightens a lot of people & can lead to misunderstanding as to whether a dog has bitten someone or not.

Caryll wrote:At his age I very much doubt that it's aggression - it's more likely to be over enthusiasm. Staffords play really hard & will grab the scruff of another dog quite hard. I think your instructor just doesn't know how to handle a stafford pup. Are there any other training schools you can try?

It would also help if he could play with rock solid, older dogs that will put him in his place without doing damage.

Nor Cal wrote:Also, regarding his mouthiness with humans, the instructor encouraged us to let the puppy bite hands and that he will learn to control the force of his bites.

Galadriel wrote:The instructor is right about letting him mouth you. I wouldn't yell though, that will excite him more. When he's mouthing, wait till he bites down pretty hard then just get up and ignore him for a minute. Repeat this each time for the harder bites.

I don't agree with this at all. Every dog I've ever had has been taught the "No", turn away & ignore, and all of them have developed bite inhibition quite naturally without being allowed to bite.

If you go down this route you will have to keep your dog away from children etc for some months until the bite inhibition is strong enough that they don't hurt a child. Also, many dogs brought up this way will continue to 'mouth', albeit fairly softly for their whole lives - this is something that frightens a lot of people & can lead to misunderstanding as to whether a dog has bitten someone or not.

I agree with Caryll , but I suppose it depends on your circumstances , for us nipping , mouthing has to be discouraged as soon as possible (my toes hurt !!) my OH is a childminder and I can't possibly allow the pup any where near the kids to practice mouthing them. Luckily for me we have a good older dog in Tilly that ours can learn with and it is coming on.
Regarding all the comments about roughness, it is normal staffy play, I was quite shocked myself as how brutal little tommy can be with our older dog, and Tilly is covered in battle scars all over her cheeks and jowels alread after ony 1 and half weeks , but they are staffys , not chiwawawawawawahs . I don't believe your trainer knows how to handle the breed and has probably spent his life with Border Collies and Labs etc.

Caryll wrote:If you go down this route you will have to keep your dog away from children etc for some months until the bite inhibition is strong enough that they don't hurt a child. Also, many dogs brought up this way will continue to 'mouth', albeit fairly softly for their whole lives - this is something that frightens a lot of people & can lead to misunderstanding as to whether a dog has bitten someone or not.

I disagree, firstly, it takes a similar amount of time to teach a pup to inhibit it's bite enough (so that it doesn't hurt a child) than it does to teach it not to mouth at all if you go down that route. Secondly by the age of 4 or 5 months max, you should've taught the pup it must never use it's teeth to touch any human without being invited to do so. Properly trained, a dog who's taught bite inhibition will not just start mouthing people willy nilly throughout it's life.

First a diclaimer-Callie is my first Staffy so I am only speaking from our experience with her.
At about 11 weeks she was growly and snarly with other dogs, and very dominant and bitey when she had a play date with her sister. After 4 weeks of dog day care 2 days a week (and meeting lots of people and "nice" i.e. well-behaved dogs) she is completely different. I have seen other dogs growl at her and she just trots away now.
It's natural to worry because a few Staffies are dog-aggressive, but hang in there and find some nice calm dogs to teach Bacon manners, like your friend. The suggestion about older, calmer dogs helped us too.

The suggestion about socialising with older, calmer dogs is a good one.

Don't try and find other dogs that play really tough as that will teach your pup to play even rougher. Well socialised dogs that play gently are the best teachers for young pups of any breed

Kodi is slightly older than Bacon, he starte "over powering" and fairly wat seemed "aggressive" at puppy school, he put his hackles up etc, but everytime he growls (lots not a mild playful growl), bites throats, climbs on top to dominate etc I step in (or the trainers) with a firm NO and he goes back on lead for a few seconds, after 4 weeks hes totally different and instead of being pulled out every 5mins its now only once or twice in the hour

He also kept biting my daughters expecially the 11yr old not the 3yr old, same again firm NO and put him in the kitchen (behind stair gate) for a few mins, hes now pretty much stopped that too, he was a nightmare at first chasing 11yr old and grabbing anything legs, arms, shins, feet to a stage she didnt want to come near him, but as I say now hes 99% better

Galadriel wrote:

Caryll wrote:If you go down this route you will have to keep your dog away from children etc for some months until the bite inhibition is strong enough that they don't hurt a child. Also, many dogs brought up this way will continue to 'mouth', albeit fairly softly for their whole lives - this is something that frightens a lot of people & can lead to misunderstanding as to whether a dog has bitten someone or not.

I disagree, firstly, it takes a similar amount of time to teach a pup to inhibit it's bite enough (so that it doesn't hurt a child) than it does to teach it not to mouth at all if you go down that route. Secondly by the age of 4 or 5 months max, you should've taught the pup it must never use it's teeth to touch any human without being invited to do so. Properly trained, a dog who's taught bite inhibition will not just start mouthing people willy nilly throughout it's life.

I appreciate your opinion, but dogs taught your way will always feel that it's right to mouth, albeit softly. Sometimes that just can't be allowed. Had I followed the route you sugest my current dog would have inflicted serious damage on several people.

Caryll wrote:

Galadriel wrote:

Caryll wrote:If you go down this route you will have to keep your dog away from children etc for some months until the bite inhibition is strong enough that they don't hurt a child. Also, many dogs brought up this way will continue to 'mouth', albeit fairly softly for their whole lives - this is something that frightens a lot of people & can lead to misunderstanding as to whether a dog has bitten someone or not.

I disagree, firstly, it takes a similar amount of time to teach a pup to inhibit it's bite enough (so that it doesn't hurt a child) than it does to teach it not to mouth at all if you go down that route. Secondly by the age of 4 or 5 months max, you should've taught the pup it must never use it's teeth to touch any human without being invited to do so. Properly trained, a dog who's taught bite inhibition will not just start mouthing people willy nilly throughout it's life.

I appreciate your opinion, but dogs taught your way will always feel that it's right to mouth, albeit softly. Sometimes that just can't be allowed. Had I followed the route you sugest my current dog would have inflicted serious damage on several people.

Sorry but I don't see how that would be the case unless you only completed stage one and didn't teach stage two which is not to mouth at all unless asked to.

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree

But I covered stage 1 and 2 with the way I did it anyway. So why do two things when one will do it quicker & just as efficiently?

P.S. the example you use about the dog with its tail caught in a door is a little misleading. Any dog in a situation like that is likely to react & bite, even one that has been taught your way. It's an instinctive thing.

Caryll wrote:But I covered stage 1 and 2 with the way I did it anyway. So why do two things when one will do it quicker & just as efficiently?

P.S. the example you use about the dog with its tail caught in a door is a little misleading. Any dog in a situation like that is likely to react & bite, even one that has been taught your way. It's an instinctive thing.

How did you do stage 1 without allowing mouthing?

It's not my example BTW, that's a quote from one of Ian Dunbar's books (that I linked to) and the point is that many dogs will react in a situation like that it's just the extent of the damage inflicted will vary depending on the level of bite inhibition a dog has, hence why it's so important to teach good bite inhibition.

I'll quote further from the same book:

"Well-Socialized with Good Bite Inhibition

The very good is a wonderful dog that loves people and is highly unlikely to bite. Even if hurt or frightened, the dog is likely to yelp or move away. With extreme provocation, the dog might take hold, but it would be very unusual for the teeth to break the skin.

During puppyhood, the dog enjoyed many opportunities to play-fight with other puppies and dogs, and to mouth, play, and train with a wide variety of people.

Even though this is a wonderful dog, remember that socialization and bite-inhibition training are lifelong endeavors. The dog may "bite" anyone but is unlikely to cause any harm.

Poorly Socialized with Good Bite Inhibition

The good is a dog that might snap, nip, or bite when provoked, but it is unlikely that the "bites" would break the skin. The dog is standoffish with strangers, prone to run away and hide, and only snaps, nips, or bites when pursued, crowded, or restrained.

The dog was raised with ample opportunity to mouth and play with other dogs and family members, but he did not get the opportunity to meet many other people during puppyhood.

The dog's scared and standoffish behavior provides repeated clear warning that the owner needs to rehabilitate the dog. Good bite inhibition enables the owner to socialize the dog safely. The dog's scared behavior provides ample warning for potential victims to stay away, and the dog's standoffish behavior normally keeps the dog away from strangers. Most likely victims are people who have to handle and examine the dog, such as, veterinarians and groomers. This dog is likely to "bite" strangers, but is unlikely to cause much harm.

Poorly Socialized with Bad Bite Inhibition

The bad is an apparent canine nightmare: a dog that doesn't like many people, barks and growls frequently, and is likely to lunge and bite and inflict deep punctures. Usually, initial incidents comprise a vocal lunge and a single deep bite, often with tearing as the dog pulls his head away in preparation for a hasty retreat.

Most likely the dog was raised in a backyard or kennel, or was confined indoors with limited contact with other dogs or people. Puppy play-biting was discouraged altogether.

The dog's saving grace is that he loudly and obviously advertises his lack of socialization, so that few people are silly enough to approach within biting distance. Consequently, incidents involving strangers are rare and involve extreme irresponsibility on the part of the owner, who has had numerous warnings to keep the dog away from people. In incidents with strangers, the dog usually makes a hasty retreat after a single bite. Usually, owners are the bite victims since only they are regularly close enough to the dog.

Well-Socialized with Bad Bite Inhibition

The ugly is the real canine nightmare—an extremely dangerous dog! The dog's pleasant outward demeanor camouflages the real underlying problem—poor bite inhibition. This dog loves people and enjoys their company. He is unlikely to bite unless seriously provoked, or in extreme pain. However, should he bite, the punctures are deep and the damage is often extensive.

During puppyhood, this dog enjoyed many opportunities to play and train with a wide variety of people, but the owners
probably discouraged mouthing and play-biting. Dog-dog socialization was insufficient and play-fighting was probably not allowed.

Anyone who enjoys socializing and playing with the dog may be bitten, including children, friends, family members, and strangers. Each incident may involve multiple bites since the dog is in no hurry to retreat.

Many people consider a dog a "good dog" until he growls or bites, whereupon he is branded a "bad dog." However, it's not really a case of "good" or "bad" dogs, but rather a case of "good" or "bad" socialization and bite inhibition training. A dog's level of socialization and whether or not he ever growls, snaps, nips, or bites depend on how well he was socialized in puppyhood. The degree of puppyhood socialization depends on the owner. But much more important than whether the dog growls and bites is whether the dog causes injury when he reacts defensively, that is, what level of bite inhibition he acquired in puppyhood. The level of bite inhibition determines whether the dog will simply growl, snap, and lunge (not making skin contact), nip (not breaking the skin), or bite and inflict deep punctures. Acquisition of bite inhibition in puppyhood also depends on the owner."

galadriel wrote: How did you do stage 1 without allowing mouthing?

If a pup of mine mouths or bites he's told "no" and I turn away & ignore. I don't allow mouthing, although a couple of my dogs in the past (namely the GSDs) have mouthed softly as adults, but they've always been discouraged because a dog cannot understand that it's ok to mouth family, but not strangers/visitors/children.

I'm not a huuuuge fan of Dunbar - he has some good points, but there are plenty of things he says that I don't necessarily agree with. Still, he's better than Cesar Milan!

If you stop them from mouthing from the word go then you don't do stage 1

I know they can't understand it's ok with family and not visitors, that's why you train that mouthing any human isn't acceptable unless asked to do so in stage 2, that they can understand.

I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Ian Dunbar either, he's a bit too dramatic but his methods are science based; the only thing I don't agree with, off the top of my head, is how he house trains (I think it's confusing for a pup to have an indoor toilet area) although I'm sure there are a few more.

Hey ho, we'll have to agree to disagree

Hi,
I have just read this thread and to be honest it has really confused me?? I dont let Bella bite as it bliming hurts! She doesn't play fight with other dogs as we don't know any and she is well socialised with children etc: Does this mean that she could be the worst type of dog if provoked? I'm totally lost and feel I am doing things all wrong!!

Don't panic!

She really needs to be socialising with other dogs and puppies though as much as possible, can you not take her to classes or a puppy group?

Dogs do learn bite inhibition if they get lots of interaction with other well socialised dogs and puppies so if she's getting that then its not imperative you teach her bite inhibition although I would recommend it.

If she's not getting well socialised with other dogs then I'd really recommend teaching bite inhibition in the way Ian Dunbar describes. I've linked to his full 'after you get your puppy' free book above so have a good read of that although do bear in mind he is a bit dramatic!

supermumb wrote:Hi,
I have just read this thread and to be honest it has really confused me?? I dont let Bella bite as it bliming hurts! She doesn't play fight with other dogs as we don't know any and she is well socialised with children etc: Does this mean that she could be the worst type of dog if provoked? I'm totally lost and feel I am doing things all wrong!!

Just remembered there's a short YouTube vid that might help you to understand the concept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vrPDMc-I-k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Great stuff all... I've got to say that I feel a lot better reading through all of your comments.

Here are some more details:
1. I was taking Bacon to Sirius Puppy classes (Ian Dunbar's company).
2. The reason the teacher recommended that Bacon not attend and go to private lessons is that she said that since he was ignoring the other puppies cries and that he went harder when she started whimpering. She said that his unwanted behavior was being reinforced. So, she said that Bacon should interact with larger/adult dogs who could teach Bacon what is acceptable behavior.
3. Another thing is that Bacon was too excited to pay attention to anything except the other dogs. Not even the most enticing treats could keep his attention...
4. I tend to agree with the instructor and feel that she does understand the breed enough to make a proper judgement. She is a Pit Bull and Rottweiler owner.
5. I can see where both sides of the Biting solutions make sense. I'm kind of torn between the "let him mouth" vs. "no mouthing humans ever". For now I am trying to work on his bite inhibition to keep it consistent.

I am definitely going to give the private lessons a shot. Overall, I am not concerned with Bacon not being dog friendly, but I need to be able to have him respond to me and keep his attention on me! From the looks of it, it will be a challenge as he shows that he is very independent and stubborn !

The main thing is, now is the time to be really trying to socialize and train Bacon..at 11 weeks of age Bacon's little brain is a sponge so this early training and socializing is so important at this age..

I definitely will work on that sponge of a brain... He just got his third round of shots last week and i'm starting to take him on walks now. I guess I just need to be more selective on his playmates for the time being.

Nor Cal wrote:I definitely will work on that sponge of a brain... He just got his third round of shots last week and i'm starting to take him on walks now. I guess I just need to be more selective on his playmates for the time being.

that's the way !!

that's what's working for us, I'm sure it will for you too

It is not a good idea to let your Stafford nip or bite at your hands. One way to train your boy out of this is to hand feed him for a week. Have him in a sit and slowly bring the food (in your hands) down to his mouth with the command "gentle" as you are bringing the food down to his mouth, if he leaps up or nips at your fingers quickly move the food away. Only allow him to have the food when he takes it gently with no teeth.

Also as jstaff said Staffords are rough players, when they are with their litter mates it can sometimes sound like they are nearly killing each other, but they are not, they are learning to be a Stafford and their innate behaviours that they were breed for are coming out. It sounds like your puppy's instructor does not understand the breed. A Stafford is very vocal and has a lot to say, it may take time for you to learn your puppy's vocal range and what he is saying when he talks. Like most pups when they leave their mother and litter they will try to re-establish their placing in the pack (your family). Some ideas you may want to try is to ensure he knows where his place in the family is, for example, while he is learning don't let him share the furnitture with you this puts him at your level, he needs to be on the floor at the bottom of the pack. Be assertive with correction, catching him at something say a firm strong "no" and then redirect him by showing him what appropriate behaviour you do want him to do, and when he does it praise him. This sends clear messages "a no for bad " "a good boy for good."

If he shows you some negative and aggressive behaviour that worries you or he is being too big for his paws firmly place him on his back and be firm with a "no", you are showing dominance and encouraging him to be submissive.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Eddie

Since I created this thread I have seen a drastic improvement in Bacon's behavior. He has cut down his biting by about 70% He only seems to do it when he is super aroused and usually a firm "Ah Ah" or yelp will get him to back off.

I did the best I could with teaching the bite inhibition but have switched my tactics because not everyone in my household was willing to tolerate teaching bite inhibition with me

Now I am trying to get him to stop biting strangers and new people he meets as the next step.

Good to hear that Bacon is showing improvement