Frequent & Persistent Biting With a Puppy
Hey Guys!!!
New bull terrier owner here and was wanting to know what types of things you implemented and had success with??
We have a 10 week old male that loves, loves, loves to PLAY!!
That is all good however his idea of "playing" usually consists of biting VERY hard and causing blood 
We don't want to take it "hands on" but are really running out of ideas that will sink in with him. We have tried the stern "No!!!". This just got more hops out of him. We implemented the "No!!!" a little louder while pointing a finger in his face. Again, not much difference in reaction. We then began the "No!!!" while clapping our hands loud in his face. This results in him closing his eyes and laying his ears back however, instead of running off, he jumps right back in and starts chomping. We then implemented the shaker can while shouting "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" All of which have proved ineffective at this time.
Some other tactics we tried was putting him back in his crate when he plays too rough, getting up and walking away from him but this just results in him chasing after us and nipping at our legs.
We know that a certain degree of play mouthing/biting is all a part of puppies but when does it give?? What can we do different to help this all sink in with him so that we can move on oto more quality time??
Also worth mentioning is that he has numerous chew toys to assist in distraction and teething exercises.
Comments
With a 10 week old puppy he's got a lot to learn and no yelling or shouting is going to be understood. However, in due time they will start to understand the word "No."
When I have a puppy that is so excited that he or she decides to run a muck, nip, and bite with the intent to stir up a wrestling match that's unwelcomed, I will simply grab the puppy as he tries to jet by me or while he's nipping and flip him on his back or side and hold him against his will to the ground while saying "No." Once the puppy settles down and understands he's completely under control I will let him go with another "No." Usually the puppy will look around a little embarrased and slow his ropes. If he decides to test his nasty behavior again I'll pin him again until he settles down and submits. It won't take long for him to realize that every time the puppy bites or gets out of hand he's going to be submitted which they do not enjoy.
Puppies go through many stages and in their early stages they all like to nip and bite. To them they are playing and having a blast doing so. I can't tell you how many times I've had a puppy attack my socks while I walk by them in the house. Yes, those teeth are needle sharp and they have no idea they are causing pain when they bite.
Some people will pinch their lip every time they nip or bite. I haven't had too much success doing this because they just make attempts to bite your fingers when you do so. However, some puppies will understand your intent and figure out your not happy when they bite.
On a positive note - Just realize they will grow out this stage and the more time you spend with them letting them no it's unacceptable the quicker they will adjust their play habits and conform to harmless antics. Just remember a 10 week old puppy is still used to playing rough with their litter mates and played by nipping, biting, and tackling each other.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Also rember to more excited/upset/angry you become-the more it edges them on to take it further and further.
if you have ever watched puppies or dogs play, they tend to try to match eachother in energy. when one puppy starts getting frustrated or more excited-so does the other.
now watch mom when pups try to edge her on to play and she doesnt match them? isometimes they simply walk off and ignore her and sometimes she will give a quick and stern snap-and go back to what she was doing, which is remaining calm,cool and collected, ignoreing her pups.
young puppies are not always capible of telling the differance between anger and frustration from excitment and so you flailing around yelling "NO!" angrily only causes more excitment, your pup thinks "they wanna play harder okay!"
#1. dont become anything but calm, no anger, no frustration, no being upset.
also alot of people dont realize that when you pull your hands away when the pup is biting you-it causes the instinctual "prey drive" reaction of lunge forward to chase and grab, so when your puppy bites you and you pull away, its like a great game to them.
#2. dont pull your hands away or flail them around, this only encourages a chase and more excitment.
dont push your puppy away, Bull Terriers in general LOVE to play shove eachother to test eachothers strength, they will climb on eachother and use there faces to shove eachother around, when you push your puppy away to make them stop-this is precieved as...A GAME! so your puppy wants to join in and play to letting you know how strong they are and often times come pushing right back again, and again, and again, sometimes even mouthing to say "okay stop this nonsense, we both know im stronger"
#3. dont push your puppy away unless you want him to bounce back like a yoyo pushing harder then ever.
never yell at your puppy, what do puppies do when they are really excited? they growl, snarl and bark at eachother thats what. so when you yell, even firmly and ldly it can be precieved as "they are barking at me, they must want to play like that!"
#4. no yelling loudly or even firmly.
what i did when Chimera was young was, always stayed calm, never yelled, never yanked my hands away, never pushed her away from me to stop her from biting.if she were to bite me or mouth me i simply kept my hand or foot or arm still while using my other hand to nudge her off, over and over and over again, never getting upset, it didnt take her long to get the message and become bored as heck trying to get me to play with her.
BUT, i also never played wrestling games with her when she was younger, some people do this and then expect a young pup to understand that only somtimes its okay and other times its not, i never roughhouse with pups till they are older and understand that i like mild games, with no mouthing.
if you have already been encouraging roughhouseing games, itll be a bit harder to stop the persistance to get you to play.
He'll grow out this stage anyway but it's always good to train him early so he doesn't think it's acceptable behavior.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com