What to do :(

OK so Jimmy my dog is now 4 and a half months and he's doing pretty good but the thing is that he is snapping occasionally and bitting me hard like he gets the hand and dos not let go and pushs back so he ters flesh and makes blood! I say NO STOP LEAVE I do everything but he keeps on pulling and growling with those mad eyes
Everybody says so young they don't know what's aggression but this is not normal... What can I do to prevent this can anybody give me advice its like all of a certain he hair s me and wanna shred me into peaces lol (with leach and of)

Oh and by the way this also happends after 1 hour walk so its not for lack of exercise cause I am home a lot and walk him about 3/4 times a day and he still gets his free time etc

When he bites turning your back folding your arms and completely ignoring him when he stops the biting praise him highly

Yes but he has my hand in is mouth and pulling and making blood so its kind of hard to turn my back or do anything by that matter cause I'm in pain

Keep hands and feet away from those teeth. Get him to play with a toy but also train him to drop the toy on command, that way if he does get hold of you during play you can use the drop command. Something like "Leave it" said in a firm way so that it gets his attention and when he drops the toy reward with a tasty treat.

Staffies are quick learners so hopefully you'll get there sooner rather than later

my little puppy is a bugger for play biting. sometimes he gets very hyper and even turning my back doesn't work..He'll just jump up at the back of my legs and nip...To calm him down i've had to spray water in his face...works wonders, and i've only done it a couple of times...He still attacks my feet and hems though....He's only 9 and a bit weeks old so it's all normal..

Sorry, but I really don't like the idea of spraying water into a young puppy's face. Any sort of aversive training has to be the last resort. Especially in a young puppy, you can cause all sorts of problems and it also leaves you nowhere to go. I've had this conversation so many times with riders (I was a horse behaviour trainer) over 'just a little tap' with a whip. The first thing is that if it does work it's because you've caused your horse (or in this case dog) pain/fear/distress. But if it doesn't work, then where do you go? A harder tap, or a closer squirt? It's a very slippery slope.

Puppies do play bite. They are not aggressive, they are simply trying to get your attention to play. I don't think there's a miracle cure. Consistency, making the 'wrong' behaviour not pay but making sure good behaviour does, and playing at your puppy's level when he not jumping up and using teeth are the key. I'd also add some mind games to keep him occupied - cardboard boxes/tubes with treats in are great.

There are some good tips and ideas here:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/stop_your_staffy_puppy_biting

I do have one more thing I've used that can help with mouthing that you can try but VERY GENTLY. I can't stress those last two words enough. When your puppy mouths your hand at all, just the first sign of teeth, VERY GENTLY hold on to his bottom jaw. You don't want to hurt, you just want it to be annoying so he tries to shake you off. Hold for a second or two, then let go. Then - and this is so important - wait for a few seconds and, provided he doesn't use his teeth again - praise and play. The second he uses his mouth, GENTLY hold again.

The objective is not to make him fear your hand, it is simply for him to learn that using his teeth on you gets that annoying response.

The other thing I'd add is to start doing some structured training work. I often recommend Victoria Stilwell's videos, they are really good, easy to do and work! This sort of low key training even early on, as long as it's done in very short bursts, can help give your pup something to think about to do with you and bring variety into your interactions that might also diminish his need to bite for attention.

Good luck!

Brilliant advice from Liz - very normal behaviour.

I was coming on here to ask a similar question so apologies for hijacking the thread. My nine week old puppy seems to enjoy grabbing the hem and trousers of my 5 year old daughter. She has nipped her skin a couple of times. Clearly my daughter was upset by this and now runs when Betty comes near her which accentuates the problem.

I do the whole distraction/ ignore thing but it is hard not to respond when Betty has hold of my daughter's skirt and she is understandably frightened.

Any advice is gratefully received.

Rachel b sometimes the pup will see grabbing your trouser leg as a game and if perhaps you run around it will seem more like a game when your dog starts this get your daughter to sit on a chair very still when the pup starts again a firm No and ignore the pup when he stops biting praise him highly.

Yes. I'm sure she sees it as a game. The difficulty I have is that my daughter doesn't understand and is now scared of the pup. If Betty runs towards my daughter she runs and the game starts all over. I almost feel as though I need to separate them which is a shame.

Rachel_B wrote:Yes. I'm sure she sees it as a game. The difficulty I have is that my daughter doesn't understand and is now scared of the pup. If Betty runs towards my daughter she runs and the game starts all over. I almost feel as though I need to separate them which is a shame.

The link Liz posted is excellent. I would advise that you involve your daughter in feeding and training. Also try to keep her off the floor as the pup may view her as a playmate when she is on the floor. Involving her with training and feeding should help the pup get used to listening to her commands.

Thanks and yes, I thought involving by daughter in Betty's training was a good idea. We've started clicker training and are click/ treating when ever she stops jumping up at my daughter (who is sat on a chair out of reach)

Does this sound like a good idea?

Sitting on a chair high up might cause your pup to jump up more, trying to reach the prized object, so I'd just keep things at normal level.

Think more along the lines of rewarding positive behaviour that your pup can relate to rather than rewarding not doing something. That's a hard concept for a dog. I'd suggest 'all 4 feet on the ground' or 'mouth closed', and you can also start asking for sit or even picking up a toy for you to give something else positive to do.

This sort of thing is fun to do with the clicker, you build up from the slightest positive movement - a look at the toy, nose to the toy, etc,. so that they work out what will get them their treat. The key is to click-treat everything, but everything, that gets them thinking in the right direction, then move onto the next tiny step. If you expect too much and they don't get it, they'll switch off.

Do you play fetch? You obviously don't want to be hurling a ball miles for a pup, but you can start teaching the elements of fetch, including leave it, so that you have some fun, slightly more exciting play time that gives you something to do that you can reward, that is fun, and that means the mouth is used for something other than grabbing you.

Back to what Crystal said, try to get everyone - adults and children - to have a very low key reaction to any biting. Squealing, running away, spinning round - what great puppy games! This is exactly what they're after. If necessary, get people decked out in wellies and gloves so that you can just sit there, no reaction, but at the same time redirect attention onto something positive.

We have the very same problem with our little pepsi who is growing fast,now at 13 weeks.we are trying different ways to stop the biting,I think it is a slow and painful job,but we will get there in the end,my advice buy a pair of thick leather gloves......

It's tough isn't it? Betty is learning quickly from me but it is hard to get the 5 year old daughter to understand and not be frightened.

Still....it's early days!

I have already bought a pair of (non fluffy) slippers

I had a similar problem Rachel b my daughters 2 and she didnt understand much when I'm trying to train Marley but she isn't scared of him, I let my daughter give Marley treats when he does a command like site etc and she tells him to now, I also have to tell her to sit on the settee when Marley was running about, as he tended to hang off her nightie etc, but I think because she's young she found it funny and it's harder then for me to tell them both, but having Lacey help feed/ train did help massively now I find that Marley tends to leave her alone or just turn a blind eye to her if she's trying to mess with him or bug him. I tell her off more than I do him now, he's brilliant if I play with him he starts to nip at hands etc but with her he just turns away

Rachel_B wrote:It's tough isn't it? Betty is learning quickly from me but it is hard to get the 5 year old daughter to understand and not be frightened.

Still....it's early days!

I have already bought a pair of (non fluffy) slippers

But if you think about it, if it's hard fora 5 year old human with the benefit of human communications to understand, just how hard is it for a puppy?

Very true Liz P. We will all get there in the end, it's just understanding the best way. I am going to encourage my daughter to feed Betty and we will take it from there :-)

You will get there Rachel. It might seem that this training phase goes on for ages but in reality it doesn't take too long for them to learn and then it's all happy days (Apart from the exploding cushions and missing treat box, oh and the "I'm going this way" and.... "

I did the holding the bottom jaw with Buddy as he is a nipper and it does work - alongside the enough command - now if he gets exited and my hand ends up in his mouth -which it does... I say "enough" and "be nice" and he moves his mouth away .. he tries to have a quick nip but only playfully which I am glad about as he has all his teeth now and they are a bit bigger than his little puppy needles.. he is now 6 months and is pushing his boundaries and opening up all new areas of being naughty!!! still love him to bits though