Stop Biting!!!

Daniel J

I have tried everything I have read or heard to stop a puppy from biting and all it does is make her think im playing a bite more! She is in puppy classes at petco and i have gotten some suggestions of things to do there, from puppy books, from shiba specific books and no matter what I try, she just wants to bite my hands my feet, my sides when im sitting on the couch... it doesnt end! i have tried yelping like im hurt and she ignores it, turning my back and ignoring but she doesnt realize what im doing so she just keeps playing. Ive tried spraying water which i think she actually likes, ive even tried holding her mouth closed when she bites, which worked with my brothers shiba, and that again just makes her bite harder. I understand playing but those teeth HURT, my girlfriend doesnt like playing with her and she obviously attracts ALOT of attention walking around NYC and im scared to let anyone pet or touch her! I mean i know its not aggressive and she just wants to play play play but she has to learn whats appropriate and i dont know how to teach her that!! Any other suggestions?????
Thanks everyone!

CrimsonO2

Leave...(no don't leave the forum). My dog still does the same thing from time to time, nip to get attention. I physically leave the room and close the bathroom door behind me for a few seconds. The other alternative to this method was to put the dog in timeout but in a room by themselves (not in the crate, like put the dog in the bathroom instead of me), but they are harder to catch than just getting up, walking away, and leaving the room. Timing is everything. You can wait for 10-15 sec in your timeout room, but don't wait too long, otherwise the dog loses the association and goes and finds toys to occupy themselves with. Another way to make it easier is to start gathering up all the toys while she's in this biting session so when you do leave, she doesn't say, "Oh well, I'll go chew on my chew toy". My universal advice is patience, the punitive method of holding her mouth down will only increase her defiance in "the mouthing game". It may take a while for your dog to get this (our dog took 30 min. of the leaving treatment in one biting session).

Another suggestion would be to grab her favorite toy and as soon as she bites, you yelp, ignore, and when you are done, you give her her favorite toy and give praise.

And another suggestion would be to buy some Bitter Apple, spray it on your hands, feet, and sides (i.e. where she bites you most) and see if that'll get her to stop. Bitter Apple only lasts for a day so you'd have to be dilligent to reapply (out of her vision if you can) if she acts up. There are some rare cases that dogs actually like the taste of Bitter Apple so this isn't a panacea. As soon as she discovers she doesn't like the taste, this would be an opportune time for you to give her her favorite toy, and when she turns her attention to it, give her lots of praise.

Again, lots of methods but I suggest you try and stray away from the forcefully punitive ones and work on getting her to figure it out for herself. Shibas have a lot of fight in them (as you've found out) . If it's any consolation, they are a mouthy dog throughout their lifetime, but it should decrease as they get older if you keep up your efforts in training (hopefully positive reinforcers).

Good luck and let us know how it goes,
Jesse

tobyshiba

Well, no one said Shiba puppies were easy. Toby used to throw tantrums and bite me until I bled. Now he's the sweetest doggie ever.

The best way that I found is to either totally ignore them and go in the other room for a few moments, or leash your puppy around the house and just 'restrict' by holding her in a lay down position to calm herself. These worked out really well for me, but all Shiba puppy situations are different. The best way to go is to not freak out, but to be calm and don't say anything to her when you perform the actions.