My dog won't stop barking and biting people. He doesn't bite me or my husband but he does everyone else, including the kids. He doesn't draw blood or leave marks but it still drives us crazy.
Does anyone have any helpful suggestions, to help our 3 year old German Pincher with his nibbling problem?
04-11-2014, 11:08 PM, (This post was last modified: 04-11-2014, 11:09 PM by Ofnir.)
Thinking back, I recall that my own dog went through a "nibbling" phase where she would bite a lot, though this was focused on the feet and more frequently the toes. Where is your German Pincher biting most often? It was a long time ago but I think she eventually outgrew it or my mom used positive reinforcement eg; rewarding her for not biting or stopping after she would loudly say "NO, STOP.". Has your dog had any other behavioral problems, is she an outside or inside pet? All of these factors can influence a dog's behavior. She could just be playing, in that case positive reinforcement might be the best way, she doesn't mean any harm.
A dog should never be allowed to bite, even in fun. they need to learn manners, just like kids do. Almost every little kids tries to bite his/her family members when they are a toddler; and has to learn that this is totally unacceptable behavior. Dogs are no different, and they have to be disiplined when they act aggressively towards other people.
I suggest putting the dog on a leash so you can control them when someone comes, and then make the dog sit quietly and not bark or lunge at the visitors. If your dog is not leash-trained, then this should be done first, so that the dog knows and obeys basic obedience commands, such as "sit" or "down".
When the company arrives, keep the dog beside you, and sitting or lying down, and scold him if he barks or growls.
Soon, he should learn what is expected behavior around other people. If he does not respond to voice commands, then a training aid, such as an ultra-sonic trainer might help. I got one from Amazon and it stopped my dog from barking right away, and it is harmless to the dog.
Your dog should definitely not be biting people. If he were to bite a stranger, they could call animal control and your dog could be taken away, and maybe even euthanized. You don't want that. There are many reasons why your dog could be biting people. It doesn't sound like he wants to hurt anyone, but is biting to appear intimidating to them. It would be best for both you and your dog, to find a professional dog behaviorist that can go out to your home and evaluate your dog. Once you know what is causing the problem, you can work with your dog to fix it, with the help of the dog behaviorist. It can be a little bit pricey, but it would be well worth it to fix this behavior. Good luck with your dog.
Does your dog have any chew toys and you may really want to consider training, it worked well for me. My boxer had a real problem with chewing on things; we would have to spend a lot of time redirecting her and giving her a chew toy to keep her entertained.
Chewing and biting are two whole different things. Sometimes, puppies will just take your arm in their mouth and try to chew on it. This is different than a dog trying to bite you and acting agressive towards you, but chewing on people (or furniture) is a very bad habit, and needs to be discouraged right away as well.
One really simple way to get a dogs attention when he is chewing , is to loudly say "NO! ! ", and then squirt them with a spray bottle. This doesn't hurt them, but most dogs hate to be squirted, especially in the face area, and they will immediately stop what they are doing. You will have to keep repeating this until they learn not to chew on people or furniture.
Getting the puppy plenty of chew toys is also a good idea, so that he always has toys or bones to crunch his teeth on when he is growing up and getting new teeth.
I can't tell from your post if your dog is biting in an aggressive manner or if he is being playful.
You did note that he bites the kids but "not hard." That would indicate that he is mouthing. That is how dogs play, they mouth each other, gently bite.
There are a couple of ways to stop this. I would try the first one before I try the second.
Look at how dogs react when they are together. When one dog bites another too hard, the dog yelps and stops playing for a moment.
When your dog bites, yelp. Use a higher pitch. I just say 'Ow!' The dog should be startled and stop. (think of a dog yelping - high pitched)
If the dog does not stop, use a stern voice to say 'Stop!' Don't yell. Don't make your voice high pitched. Keep it low (think of a dog growling a warning - low pitch)
Then break contact. Don't look at the dog or talk to him. Break all contact for about 20 seconds or so. If you have to, walk away. You don't have to yell or hit. That's how humans communicate.
I'm not sure this works with older dogs, I mean other than puppies that are up and running around a lot, that age of mischief
But I lived out in the hills at one time, and out neighbors had 4, grown dogs that were really well-behaved. They were always with the people on the property, roaming with them, just, good dogs and all larger breeds.
We had a puppy that was constantly chewing on us, and it hurt, sharp, little teeth. Our neighbors asked if our pup could run with the big dogs each time we met up for a visit, just around the yard etc. Well, the pup not only had a blast, but he also learned from the bigger dogs that biting hurt. He stopped biting at us within just a couple times spent with these adult dogs.
I don't know if this is typical, and as I mentioned, I don't know about a 3 year old, or other than a puppy.