How can I get my puppy to stop biting and humping - Page 1

Hello all, my puppy is 13 weeks old.  He is biting us when he gets mad.  He growls, barks then bites.  I have marks all over my arms from him.  I have tried to say "No" firmly, I have tried to do what I seem on the Internet, which was hold his face out under his arms and keep him there until he stops barking and whining.  This doesn't work.  I don't want him to be afraid of me, nor do I want him to turn out to be mean.  And the humping.... I have also learned that this is not a sexual thing, it's a dominance thing... How do I stop this behavior so he is not an aggressive, mean dog??

** that was supposed to read, hold him face out, away from me by the arms..

You are not associated as pack leader in his eyes. Do some reasearch - watch cesar milan adopt his posture (calm and assertive). You dont have to apply his techniques just understand his method and dog pshychology.  The most important is walking your dog. As pack leader YOU walk the dog nto he WALKS you. You decide when he is allowed to sniff the ground/relieve himself/ meet other dogs ect... Master the walk!! If you are having problems get help otehrwise your dog will eventually injure another dog or human or yourself.

Correct unwanted behaviour: praise wanted behaviour consistantly. And control all resources in teh house. These are: toys, food, water, sleeping areas, couches.. absolutely evrything. Too control these is simple. Stand between teh object and the dog and wait until he goes into a submissive state before being allowed. the submissive state is tailer lowered, head lowered. When it happens it looks liek teh dog is just relaxing. At this moment you can allow him to do what it is you want him to do.

Which ever technique you wish to pursue is up to you they all all work if you understand what you are doing.

All in all a dog that is balanced (well behaved) is this:


Gets regular exercise (not backyard exercise..... going outside of the yard to teh outseide and exploring with you leading the way 100% everytime - no 99. 100%)  
Understands the rules (boundaries limitations)
gets affection (your love) when he is calm and submissive to you.....


Also never give affection to your dog when they are not calm and submissive to you as you are enforcing that particular state of mind he is in.

So basically do your research and understand you animal in and out: not research on breed research on "DOG"

I agree that he is having some problems understanding the pack structure.  Just make sure that you are firm but fair.  remember that without you the puppy gets nothing that he or she needs in life and the dog needs to understand that.  Can you tell us more about "when" he decides to act crazy...lol...are you laying on the floor.  Are you holding him.  Or is he coming after your feet while you walk.  I think that these are all things that need to be taken into consideration. also do you rowl him up with your hands.  Are you making yourself seem like a toy.   I dont think that I would back him away from his things and make him submit to giving it to you.  Just pick them up.  If you do not want him to eat just pick up the food.  Also what are your plans with the dog. 

Jay

What i am referring to is teh state of mind: Submitting to you is having a submissive state of mind not fearful... in this state of mind you can allow your dog to do what ever it wishes.. its kinda of asking for your approval first rather than just taking/doing it

A lot of new owners are not doing teh research and understanding owning a dog actually  means and entails and they constantly look for quick fixes when teh fact of teh matter is the problems that your dogs adopt are all the owners fault not the dogs as he is just doing what is instinctual to him/her, which is maintaining a Pack Order Heirarchy. Without a dominant figure (leader) the Dog takes on this role, which of cause is impossible as humans go to work ect do whatever they want (for dogs Pack leader can go whenever he wwants and come back whenever). So the dog is constantly in mental turmoil because he cannot maintain a pack heirachey and viola anxiety/angression starts to occur because the dog cannot lead his pack.



 

He is a puppy.  He is "testing his boundaries" as he grows.  Leaving
aside the pack-hierarchy, training theories stuff,  what has been said
to you in the above posts IS basically the answer.  You have to be
cool calm & collected, no getting cross and yelling.  You have to mean
what you say, so he knows you aren't gonna back down in ten minutes.
You have to, above all, be [that other 'c' word]  CONSISTENT. 

Say Ouch when his claws & teeth hurt. Always. Then walk away from him.
Make sure he has sufficient exercise to tire him (but be very careful not
to take him too far on walks at this age, you still need to be careful of his
growing joints).  Then let him get enough sleep. (So don't actually WAKE
him to play or fit in with mealtimes etc.)  Let him have his toys; but don't
shower him with them, play WITH him with his toys, and ensure you are
the one who says 'game over' and walks away with the resource.   [Letting
older puppies keep a sleeve in bitework training as a reward is a slightly
different matter and you are nowhere near that stage or experienced enough
to train it. ]

Do not become afraid of your rough-housing pup !  Hesitance on your part
will lead to him bullying you 'because he can', and that way lies disaster.
The breed is way too intelligent for its own good.

Sorry if this sounds at all 'bossy';  its not meant to, its just years of experience,
& trying to teach briefly on the internet what I could show you if I was there !
Good luck, hope this helps.

Feed every meal by hand. Your pup will understand that you are leader in a short time. Add focus and obedience games while feeding if it doesn't want to work for its food, put it up and try again in a few hours. It wont starve by missing a meal or two.

Check youtube for Micheal Ellis videos, to see ideas for training.

Where did you buy him from? If from a decent breeder, contact them and ask for suggestions. It's easier to learn idea's if you can see them in person. The "ouch" as Hundmutter mentioned works well. Ive used it many times. When does he growl at you? That would be concerning (if not in play) and needs to be corrected right away. No laying on the floor with puppy and no puppy on the furniture or sleeping in your bed. If he starts to hump you or ....  get up and walk away. Or push him off and walk away. When HE wants attention, ignore him. He get's attention when its convenient for you.

What breeds of dogs have you had in the past? If you havent breeds like shepherds, I would strongly recommend you do some research. I really like "A Dogs Mind" by Bruce Fogle DVM. It gives you insight into how dogs think. We can only make suggestions here. You will need to do the work.

Barb