Q. How do we stop our 2 month old Shepard/retriever mix from biting?

ANSWER : A. If puppy was too early separated from bith and siblings it can have problems with biting to strong. You should not let him allow to do this. show him that it hurts you, say firmly “no” and stop playing with him if he will bite you. Give him a toy that he will be allowed to bite and chew. If it won’t help see a behaviourist.

ANSWER : A. Bite inhibition is a great way to stop mouthiness that occurs often with teenaged dogs. There are several training techniques that can be done to help teach your dog how to play nicely! One is to teach a “Leave-it” command. Begin by holding a treat in your hand and asking your dog to “leave it”. If he attempts to chew or bite, a high-pitched YELP! will help. Once he backs away or ignores the treat, ask him to “take it” and offer it to him. Another useful way to teach bite inhibition is through the use of a tug toy. Again, the “take it” and “leave it” commands are used. During a tug session, ask your dog to “leave it” or “drop” and exchange with a treat. If he lets go of the toy, reward him! One final option is also “airplaning” treats. This method involves having your dog sit and then slowly lowering a treat toward him. If he goes for the treat, back away and start over. Once he can sit calmly and not chew on you, reward with the treat! All of these techniques are great for helping teach dogs bite inhibition. 🙂

ANSWER : A. For the most part, this sounds pretty normal to me. English Bulldogs can be like this. What you can do is teach him bite inhibition. He needs to know that biting gets him nothing. Each and every time he nips, even gently, you immediately yelp like a puppy would, stand up, cross your arms, and ignore your puppy. Once he is ignoring you, go back to calmly playing with him WITH A TOY. Remember to always use a toy when playing with/petting/interacting with puppies. They will be teething very soon, and they don’t understand that biting you is inappropriate, so using a toy to redirect their attention is important. He needs SOMETHING to bite, or else he will choose your hand. Give him more options.

Another thing you can do is have a toy that YOU OWN. This can be a soft braided rope toy or something of the like. Dot not allow your dog to have this toy whenever he wants. This toy disappears when you are done playing with him with it, and reappears when you want to play. Never allow him to “win” games with this toy. Eventually, the toy will hold so much meaning, when he sees it, he will be instantly interested in the toy instead of your hands.

It also helps to have two bags of toys. Bag#1 is full of chew toys/rope toys/soft toys/etc. It comes out for one week, and then disappears and out comes Bag#2. Bag#2 has the same types of toys in it. This will keep the toys feeling like “new” to your pup and make him less likely to chew on you during play!

ANSWER : A. When greeting your puppy, you should present an appropriate alternative for him to chew on. This can come in the form of toys. It’s normal for this age for puppies to be bitey. When you greet him, immediately offer a toy for him to chew on and calmly pet him. If he bites you instead, there are a few things you can try. You can yelp loudly startling him just as a sibling would do. You can freeze not jerking your hand away since that can likely become a game to him and you can also keep him secured in a play yard where if he bites, you can simply remove yourself from him so he learns all a attention goes away when he bites. Only give attention when he is calm.

ANSWER : A. Is it still a puppy? It is a lot easier to stop a puppy from doing it than an older dog that has been doing it for sometime.
Try this…..as soon as it play bites or jumps up at you. Stop playing immediately stand up and turn your back on the dog, ignore the dog, even carry on with other tasks, or talk to someone else. Once dog stops then try stroking it again, as soon as it play bites again, stop and keep repeating until he doesn’t do it anymore. For it to be successful EVERYONE needs to do it EVERYTIME. Even with a young puppy it may take a couple of weeks. But it will take longer if you don’t persevere.

ANSWER : A. It is possible it could be play behavior but without seeing it in person, hard to say. Is the male kitten neutered? You may want to consider doing so. Also, try re-introducing the kittens slowly by creating a safe space for the new kitten behind a closed door in a room. Keep her there for at least a week so she is protected but your male is still able to smell her. After a week or 2, you can then graduate to using a baby gate so they can then not only smell each other but safely see each other as well. If that is going okay, after another few days you can bring the gate down. Also, be sure to have feeding bowls in separate locations and at least 2 litter boxes.

ANSWER : A. It is recommended to worm a puppy every 2-3 weeks initially and then every 2-3 months so you don’t have to give her worming medications every week any longer.

ANSWER : A. Biting and nibbling is very common in puppies, as like infants, they tend to explore their environment with their mouths. As a puppy hits about 5-7 months of age, her adult teeth will also begin to come in, making his need to chew even higher! Providing plenty of distracting chews as well as teaching some bite inhibition can help to save your fingers! Chew toys such as thick canvas toys, toys that can be cooled in the fridge to soothe sore gums and toys that treats can be hidden in make for a great chew experience. If your fingers and hands are the target, letting out a loud “YELP!” and walking away can also teach your puppy that you do not enjoy her nibble sessions. Another way to teach bite control is through “air-planing” treats which involves slowly moving the treat down to your dog’s nose. If she jumps or gets too excited, remove the treat and start again. If she stays calm and doesn’t lunge, award her the treat. This can help teach her patience and control when playing with people!