Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 9 week old Beagle that is wonderful with the family except that his mouthing/biting behavior is out of control. We can't even hardly pet him without some pretty intense biting. He has repeatedly drawn blood on my 10 year old son. I'm sure it is just a phase but I am not sure how to make this behavior stop. I hesitate to put him in his crate as punishment and I have tried saying "No biting!" and handing him a toy whe the behavior starts. I have also tried frozen peanut butter inside a toy which keeps him busy for a while, but not long.

Please help me break him from this. We are about at our wits end!

BTW-he is also in a puppy kindergarten class.

Good for you with takign this puppy to classes.

I would suggest you ask the instructor how to go about it because s/he has met this puppy.

Genreally speaking, puppies are very mouthy overall. It's your job to teach them that humans have very sensitive skin and teeth are not appropriate ways to play with humans.

The way I do this is to take myself out of the situation when the puppy gets this intent using me as a chew toy. I will just stand up, walk away, sometimes replace me with a chew item and let the puppy calm down for a few minutes. When the puppy is no longer soliciting my attention, I will go back to playing. If again he insists on using me as a chew toy, I do the same thing again. If it gets worse, the puppy has earned himself a "time out" to settle down in a puppy proofed area (my bathroom) or a gated kitchen. I don't talk with the pup and it's very black and white.

If you are consistent and patient this behavior will get better. It's also a very tough phase for puppy and owner alike.
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PHReign
Email me: HReign@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHReign@pethobbyist.com
Dear dog,
I can not buy anything larger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to your fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straigt out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing more than doggy sarcasm.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and hope for the best.

I wouldn't put him in the crate as punishment--as you're hesitant to do--because the crate should be his safe place. But some other place for a "time out" can help him calm down. I agree with PHReign: I'd stop playing the second he bites and ignore him. It takes time and patience, but if you say "no bite" and get up and either walk away or put your dog in a time out, he'll get the point that when you bite people the fun stops. I know what you're going through. . . When my dog was a puppy, she was very nippy. With training, they grow out of it, but I seriously contemplated kevlar (sp?) gloves!

Thanks. I did want to keep the crate as a safe place. Do you think it's excessive to put him in a time out in, say, the bathroom every single time it happens? Getting up and walking away doesn't usually work except for maybe a VERY short time.

I appreciate the replies.

Scott

I think you have to do it every time. At first it will feel excessive (you'll feel like you're walking back and forth to the bathroom!), but puppies need consistency. If ignoring him and walking away doesn't work, I think a time-out is appropriate.