Mouthing advice, for the sake of my flesh!

scats said:
Well she's still doing it. We've got really tough with her and she's been shouted at sternly, bum flicked (lightly but enough so that she felt it) and taken into another room for a couple of minutes. Nothing has worked, she has a massive temper and just comes back at you within seconds. So this issue is still a work in progress!
I've also tried clapping loudly to scare her, she looks a bit shocked for half a second and then dives back on me and sinks her teeth in straight away.
She's currently having a major tantrum because I've just put her on the floor because she was savaging me and my clothes.
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Please please please seek out a decent trainer who does not want to tackle your pup head on.
How much exercise does the pup get?
how many other dogs and how frequently does the pup get to meet and play with?
How long is pup left for daily?
What's it fed?
You sound like you are well on the way to creating a lifelong aggressive biter, pup sounds scared and defensive to me and all the head on aggressive approaches people are advising are unlikely to make pup happier with people.
 
twiggy2 said:
Please please please seek out a decent trainer who does not want to tackle your pup head on.
How much exercise does the pup get?
how many other dogs and how frequently does the pup get to meet and play with?
How long is pup left for daily?
What's it fed?
You sound like you are well on the way to creating a lifelong aggressive biter, pup sounds scared and defensive to me and all the head on aggressive approaches people are advising are unlikely to make pup happier with people.
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Thanks for all your comments. She's definitely not scared or defensive- she's a very lively pup, very confident with people (strangers coming in the house she loves, but she will try to mouthe and play bite almost instantly with them). Perhaps I'm not explaining it very well, I certainly have no concerns that she's going to be a aggressive dog, but she's just a bit over the top with her puppy biting and chewing, more so that any of our other dogs have been.

It's me who she is biting most, she targets me the second I am around. She's currently only left for an hour a day, we are gradually building it up over the next couple of months. I'm a teacher so I'm off for summer and my parents are semi-retired so there's usually always someone about, give or take an hour or two.

She's actually fine to be left, she happily goes into her bed with a toy and is still there when we come back.

We have a Great Dane x Husky who is amazing with the pup. The puppy is so well behaved around her because the dog will growl and warn her if she oversteps the line.

Pup is having second jab this week, so can't go out on walks yet, but we live in a large detached house with a big garden and she has been given the run of the patio, decking, side passage way and obviously our dog toilet area. She has lots of playtime and lots of garden time.

She is fed Royal Canin dry food.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Its taken time to get to this stage so it will take time to stop. She's been getting away with it and now the rules are changing.

Pick something and stick to it. Don't chop and change, it's not fair. On a related matter, where was she before you put her on the floor? Because that's where she should be staying in my opinion.

Is this the Corgi x Cockerpoo? That's a feisty mix and if she was farm bred you're fighting a combination of an opinionated little moo with feral tendencies.
(Apologies if I am mixing you up).


What kind of training are you contemplating to get her to accept being handled? Which to me is a bigger issue than the biting, which is a manifestation of your main problem.
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Yep she's the corgi x cockerpoo and she was farm bred.

Its just aswell she's cute, when she's asleep, she's the most adorable thing in the world!
 
Interestingly, she doesn't bite my dad. Well she tries but he tells her no sternly and she stops.

I will show these comments to my mum, it's actually her puppy, I had nothing to do with this one (for once!).

I think we will enlist the help of a trainer and will keep you all updated.
 
scats said:
Interestingly, she doesn't bite my dad. Well she tries but he tells her no sternly and she stops.

…….. .
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It would seem that she listens to 'Head-on'. It isn't the only way, obviously, but it is the shortest and most certain route to the puppy learning respect. It isn't a case of causing pain, but one where the puppy will start to think for herself, which is never a bad thing I've always found.

Alec.
 
It sounds to me as if Dad and the big dog have the right idea!
Take a leaf out of their book and you won't need a 'trainer', who incidentally won't train the dog but will train you to train the dog. You already have two very good trainers in your house, follow their example, instead of encouraging the pup to bite you. Terriers are bred to hunt, so of course yelping etc is just encouraging her, at this stage she *is* playing but this needs to be stopped asap before it becomes serious.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
It sounds to me as if Dad and the big dog have the right idea!
Take a leaf out of their book and you won't need a 'trainer', who incidentally won't train the dog but will train you to train the dog. You already have two very good trainers in your house, follow their example, instead of encouraging the pup to bite you. Terriers are bred to hunt, so of course yelping etc is just encouraging her, at this stage she *is* playing but this needs to be stopped asap before it becomes serious.
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It seems the assumptions that the pup is a terrier is wrong. Corgi x cocker x poodle shouldn't be showing terrier traits, but it is a mix of breeds all of which were bred for working so this is maybe
a bright pup who is working out how to be in charge

I agree, the older dog and your dog seem to be getting the measure of the pup, trying and follow their guidance.
 
scats said:
Interestingly, she doesn't bite my dad. Well she tries but he tells her no sternly and she stops.
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Well that's positive at least, no need to feel too hopeless as it sounds like your dad has found the way to explain to this particular dog what is wanted! Have you tried "man voice" (what I call it anyway!) when you say no to her? I've found it works very well if you have a naturally higher pitched voice (as lots of women do) - just drop your voice as low as it will go and use that low "voice" for tellings off. Our puppy responds much better to a very low pitched telling off - I don't know why though, I must go and Google it. Maybe because dogs have a low pitched growl for tellings off?
 
Forgive me if I am wrong, but it sounds like you have tried a multitude of ways to get this pup to stop puppy biting but haven't stuck to one method. The key with most dog training is consistency. Choose a particular method of dealing with the pup and stick to it. I have had success with the loud "OUCH!" method and replacing my arm, ankle, trouser leg etc with an appropriate dog toy (puppy tugs are great for this as it gives the puppy the outlet to legitimately chew and bite which all pups instinctively want to do). I have also used a short, sharp tug on the scruff of the neck in frustration, but I prefer not to get into conflict like that if possible.

The thing to bear in mind when you feel at a loss is that pups do tend to grow out of mouthing and biting as they get older, but obviously the quicker you can help that process the better.
 
I think you've had lots of helpful advice and don't want to muddle things up but hopefully this will make you feel a bit better...

My nan and granded recently got a cocker spaniel pup. Absolutely gorgeous but at a few weeks of age he mouthed like ANYTHING. It was terrible. The first time i met him he would not stop biting anything and everything. He didn't just go for hands, it was any bit of you he could get in his mouth (tummy, leg, arms, boobs!!!). It wasn't aggression and was definitely just playing but it was constant and his little teeth were so sharp. Every time he did it we would tell him off, stand up/grab a toy and divert to that but it was difficult. I went back a few weeks later and was prepared for the worst but he barely mouthed at all, since he could now go on walks he had calmed down so much. They also take him to puppy classes now and train him a lot at home so he spends time being mentally stimulated which seems to calm the biting!

It is doable don't worry!!


I would agree with pick a method and stick to it, consistency (and tiring them out) is the key I think!
 
A little update on Bess. Parents had a good chat with the vet while having her jabs, she assured us that the puppy is not dangerous or scared (this was after the puppy had been passed around everyone in the surgery for a cuddle and play!) but simply just an overly mouthy puppy with a bit of a temper when she is told no.

What has worked for Bess, we have discovered, is time out in our downstairs loo. It's a small room, nothing fun to do, but equally nothing to chew. We always put he light on for her in there. If she starts biting or going for clothes, she is told no sternly. If she carries on, she is taken to her time out room for a minute. When she comes out, we pretend nothing has happened and continue as normal with her. If she carries on with the behaviour, she goes back in for another minute. Within a day of this, we had a different puppy on our hands. Don't get me wrong, she still gets over excited at times and tries to play bite with us, but now the warning of 'no' is usually enough, because she knows what the next step is and obviously finds sitting on her own for a minute extremely boring.

I'm actually getting to have cuddles with her now and bond with her much better as a result.

She's grown so much in 3 weeks-

images uplod
 
Oh she is cute, isn't she!

My terrier who had stopped mouthing/biting has recently decided it's a fun game again at 6 months! It's definitely not allowed, but they can't help by try it on these temper puppies. Mine only bites me and the other dog, no one else. We spend the most time with him and have the most trouble disengaging, clearly!

Glad things are getting better for you.
 
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