# Biting & Barking (14 week old puppy)



## Buggles

We've had Alfie (shih tzu) for 4 weeks tomorrow, he's now 14 weeks old. He's a fantastic dog. 95% house trained, fantastic in the car, excellent on the lead... now if only he would stop barking for attention. If I'm sitting on the sofa, he comes and sits on the floor, stares at me and barks...and barks...and barks... until he gets attention (usually me telling him to shut up). I know we need to ignore him, but that is easier said than done.

As for the biting. I know its all because of teething but he loves nipping. He follows me round the house nipping the backs of my legs, he'll nip when I play with him etc. I know he's only playing and doesn't mean to nip, but it can really hurt! I have a 4 year old niece and I'm worried he'll nip her and of course it will hurt her.

How can we correct both of these behaviours?


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## Nonnie

With the barking, id remove him from the room, and only let him back in when he is quiet. You HAVE to ignore him, however long it takes.

For the biting have a read of The Bite Stops Here (i tried to link, but it says web page unavialable.



> Puppies bite, and thank goodness they do. Puppy biting is a normal and natural puppy behavior. In fact, it is the pup that does not mouth and bite much as a youngster that augers ill for the future. Puppy play-biting is the means by which dogs learn to develop bite inhibition, which is absolutely essential later in life.
> The combination of weak jaws with extremely sharp, needle-like teeth and the puppy penchant for biting results in numerous play-bites which, although painful, seldom cause serious harm. Thus, the developing pup receives ample necessary feedback regarding the force of its bites before it develops strong jaws  which could inflict considerable injury. The greater the pups opportunity to play-bite with people, other dogs and other animals, the better the dogs bite inhibition as an adult. For puppies that do not grow up with the benefit of regular and frequent interaction with other dogs and other animals, the responsibility of teaching bite inhibition lies with the owner.
> Certainly, puppy biting behavior most eventually be eliminated: we cannot have an adult dog playfully mauling family, friends and strangers in the manner of a young puppy. However, it is essential that puppy biting behaviour is gradually and progressively eliminated via a systematic four-step process. With some dogs, it is easy to teach the four phases in sequence. With others, the puppy biting may be so severe that the owners will need to embark on all four stages at once. However, it is essential that the pup first learn to inhibit the force of its bites before the biting behaviour is eliminated altogether.
> Inhibiting the force of bites
> No painful bites The first item on the agenda is to stop the puppy bruising people. It is not necessary to reprimand the pup and, certainly, physical punishments are contra-indicated, since they tend to make some pups more excited, and insidiously erode the puppys temperament and trust in the owner. But it is essential to let the pup know when it hurts. A simple "ouch!" is usually sufficient. The volume of the "ouch" should vary according to the dogs mental make-up; a fairly soft "ouch" will suffice for sensitive critters, but a loud "OUCH!!!" may be necessary for a wild and woolly creature. During initial training, even shouting may make the pup more excited, as does physical confinement. An extremely effective technique with boisterous pups is to call the puppy a "jerk!" and leave the room and shut the door. Allow the pup time to reflect on the loss of its favourite human chew toy immediately following the hard nip, and then return to make up. It is important to indicate that you still love the pup  it is the painful bites which are objectionable. Instruct the pup to come and sit, and then resume playing. Ideally, the pup should have been taught not to hurt people well before it is three months old.
> It is much better for the owner to leave the pup than to try to physically restrain and remove it to a confinement area at a time when it is already out of control. If one pup bites another too hard, the bitee yelps and playing is postponed while the injured party licks its wounds. The biter learns that hard bites curtail an otherwise enjoyable play session. Hence, the bite learns to bite more softly when the play session resumes.
> No jaw pressure at all The second stage of training is to eliminate bite pressure entirely, even thought the bites no longer hurt. When the puppy is munching away, wait for a nibble that is harder than the rest and respond as if it really hurt: "Ouch, you worm! Gently! That hurt me you bully!" The dog begins to think "Good Lord! These humans are so mamby pamby Ill have to be really careful when mouthing their delicate skins." And thats precisely what we want the dog to think  so hell be extremely careful when playing with people. Ideally, the puppy should no longer be exerting any pressure when mouthing by the time it is four to five months old.
> Inhibiting the incidence of mouthing
> Always stop mouthing when requested. Once the puppy has been taught to gently mouth rather than bite, it is time to reduce the frequency of mouthing behaviour and teach the pup that mouthing is okay until requested to stop. Why? Because it is inconvenient to try to drink a cup of tea, or to answer the telephone, with 50 pounds of pup dangling from your wrist, thats why.
> It is better to first teach the "OFF!" command using a food lure (as demonstrated in the Sirius video*). The deal is this: "If you dont touch this food treat for just two seconds after I softly say "Off", I will say "Take it" and you can have the treat." Once the pup has mastered this simple task, up the ante to three seconds of non-contact, and then five, eight, 12, 20 and so on. Count out the seconds and praise the dog with each second: "Good dog one, good dog two, good dog three" and so forth. If the pup touches the treat before being told to take it, shout "Off!" and start the count from zero again. The pup quickly learns that it can not have the treat until it has not touched it for, say, eight seconds  the quickest way to get the treat is not to touch it for the first eight seconds. In addition, the regular handfeeding during this exercise helps preserve the pups soft mouth.
> Once the pup understnads the "Off!" request, it may be used effectively when the puppy is mouthing. Say "Off!" and praise the pup and give it a treat when it lets go. Remember, the essence of this exercise is to practise stopping the dog from mouthing  each time the pup obediently ceases and desists, resume playing once more. Stop and start the session many times over. Also, since the puppy wants to mouth, the best reward for stopping mouthing is to allow it to mouth again. When you decide to stop the mouthing session altogether, heel the pup to the kitchen and give it an especially tasty treat.
> If ever the pup refuses to release your hand when requested, shout "Off!", rapidly extricate your hand and storm out of the room mumbling, "Right. Thats done it, you jerk! Youve ruined it! Finish! Over! No more!" and shut the door in the dogs face. Give the pup a couple of minutes on its own and then go back to call the pup to come and sit and make up. But no more mouthing for at least a couple of hours.
> In addition to using "Off!" during bite inhibition training, the request has many other useful applications: not to touch the cat, the Sunday roast on the table, the table, the babys soiled diapers, the baby, an aggressive dog, a fecal deposit of unknown denomination Not only does this exercise teach the "Off!" request, but also to "Take it" on request.
> Never start mouthing unless requested. By the time the pup is five months old, it must have a mouth as soft as a 14-year-old working Lab; it should never exert any pressure when mouthing, and the dog should immediately stop mouthing when requested to do so by any family member. Unsolicited mouthing is utterly inappropriate from an older adolescent or an adult dog. It would be absolutely unacceptable for a six-month-old dog to approach a child and commence mouthing her arm, no matter how gentle the mouthing or how friendly and playful the dogs intentions. This is the sort of situation which gives parents the heebie-jeebies and frightens the living daylights out of the mouthee. At five months of age, at the very latest, the dog should be taught never to touch any persons body  not even clothing  with its jaws unless specifically requested.
> Whether or not the dog will ever be requested to mouth people depends on the individual owner. Owners that have the mental largesse of a toothpick quickly let play-mouthing get out of control, which is why many dog training texts strongly recommend not indulging in games such as play-fighting. However, it is essential to continue bite inhibition exercises, otherwise the dogs bite will begin to drift and become harder as the dog grows older. For such people, I recommend that they regularly hand-feed the dog and clean its teeth  exercises that involve the human hand in the dogs mouth. On the other hand, for owners who have a full complement of common sense, there is no better way to maintain the dogs soft mouth than by play-fighting with the dog on a regular basis. However, to prevent the dog from getting out of control and to fully realize the many benefits of play-fighting, the owner must play by the rules and teach the dog to play by the rules. (Play-fighting rules are described in detail in our Preventing Aggression behaviour bookelt.*)
> Play-fighting teaches the dog to mouth hands only (hands are extremely sensitive to pressure) and never clothing. Since shoelaces, trousers and hair have no neurons and cannot feel, the owner cannot provide the necessary feedback that the dog is once more beginning to mouth too hard. The game also teaches the dog that it must adhere to rules regarding its jaws, regardless of how worked up it may be. Basically, play-fighting teaches the owner to practice controlling the dog when it is excited. It is important to refine such control in a structured setting, before a real-life situation occurs.
> In addition, play-fighting quickly becomes play-training. Starting the games with a training period, i.e., with the dog under control in a down-stay, produces utterly solid stays at a time when the dog is excited in vibrant anticipation of the game. Similarly, frequent stopping the game for short periods and integrating multiple training interludes (especially heel work and recalls) into the game motivates the dog to provide eager and speedy responses. Each time the owner stops the game, he or she may use the resumption of play as a reward for bona fide obedience. Everythings fun!
> Potential problems
> Inhibiting incidence before force A common mistake is to punish the pup in an attempt to get it to stop biting altogether. At the best, the puppy no longer mouths those family members who can effectively punish the dog but, instead, the pup directs its mouthing sprees toward those family members who cannot control it, e.g., a child. To worsen matters, parents are often completely unaware of the childs plight because the pup does not mouth adults. At worst, the puppy no longer mouths people at all. Hence, its education about the force of its bite stops right there. All is fine until someone accidentally shuts the car door on the dogs tail, whereupon the dog bites and punctures the skin, because the dog had insufficient bite inhibition.
> Puppies that dont bite Shy dogs seldom socialize or play with other dogs or strangers. Hence, they do not play-bite and hence, they learn nothing about the power of their jaws. The classic case history is of a dog that never mouthed or bit as a pup and never bit anyone as an adult  that is, until an unfamiliar child tripped and fell on the dog. The first bite of the dogs career left deep puncture wounds, because the dog had developed no bite inhibition. With shy puppies, socialization is of paramount importance, and time is of the essence. The puppy must quickly be socialized sufficiently, so that it commences playing (and hence, biting) before it is four-and-a-half months old.
> If a puppy does not frequently mouth and bite and/or does not occasionally bite hard, it is an emergency. The puppy must learn its limits. And it can only learn its limits by exceeding them during development and receiving the appropriate feedbacks.


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## Buggles

Thank you for that, I've skimmed over the article but will have a proper read when I've got more time.

As for removing him from the room...we have an open plan kitchen/diner/lounge so it would mean putting him in the hall and his favourite thing to do in the hall, is to run upstairs (and he cant get todnw again )

Will give it a try though as the sooner he learns, the better.


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## Colliepoodle

The Bite Stops Here is excellent - read and inwardly digest.

Nonnie is right - you MUST ignore the barking otherwise it will never go away.

I'd also stop him running upstairs - stairs are very bad for the joints of baby dogs and you risk problems later on if you let him keep climbing them.


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## james1

definitely support the above - ignore it and give a command that they understand to be no, dont fuss or give multiple commands that will excite them, you can always pop them in a crate for 10 mins to let them settle and they usually get the hint, but when teething and when very young they are exploring what they can do - so be consistant in what is good and whats not. get some toys for them to chew on too


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## catellkai

I am having the same problems although the barking has only just started its always at night, when i come home from work, but she hasnt barked at all tonight.The biting has calmed down too i covered my hands in chew deterant and let her have a good chew,she didnt chew for long.I even covered the tops of my feet as she was always trying to bite them.


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## Buggles

catellkai said:


> I am having the same problems although the barking has only just started its always at night, when i come home from work, but she hasnt barked at all tonight.The biting has calmed down too i covered my hands in chew deterant and let her have a good chew,she didnt chew for long.I even covered the tops of my feet as she was always trying to bite them.


Alfie isn't biting quite as much now (16 weeks today) but when he does, OUCH does it hurt! The barking seems to be more in the evenings as well.

Had quite a bad night with him last night which is unusual for him. 3am he was barking his head off, came down let him out and he had a drink, put him back to bed (crate) and he barked for 10 minutes then went to sleep again. Then at 6am he was barking again!


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## Spellweaver

He is definitely learning that when he barks, he gets attention! I agree with the posters above who say that you should ignore him when he barks. I know it's very hard (especially at that time in the morning when you have a sleeping family and neighbours to consider) but if you don't do it now and put up with it for a short while until he learns it is unacceptable, then you are lining yourself up for a lifetime of him barking for attention.

Start training him during the daytime. If I were you I would buy a child gate for the bottom of the stairs so that he can't get upstairs, and the minute he starts to bark just say a very firm "No!", pick him up, put him in the hallway and close the door. Don't look at him or even talk to him apart from the "No" command the first time he barks. Once the barking stops, open the door and let him back in; tell him he is a good boy and make a fuss of him. Keep repeating this every time he barks, and he will soon learn that barking doesn't mean that he gets attention, in fact it means the opposite.

Good luck and let us know how he gets on!


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## catellkai

when you let him out this morning did he go toilet?Sometimes they may desperatly need to go and they dont want to go in the house.Your puppy maybe barking cause he had heard a strange noise in the garden,its hard to try and sort which bark is which.I was woken up at 6 with my little one barking.She needed the loo, i am really struggling with neighbours at the back of us due to there ols labrador being outside all night so its yappin can sometimes disturb her too.
My little one barks from about 730 to 8 on a night time, and it is for attention as they are kept in the kitchen,i would love her in the room but it just wont settle down to sleep at all, which is why i dont think i ever got a puppy who just slept all day on the sofa, no mine from the off was extremley hard to control.When we first brought her home her first 4 weeks were most of the time kept in a crate due to the amount she used to bite us,She has practically stopped the biting which is good.
I would really watch your puppy to see what he wants ie toilet or a toy, just so he will get bored of you letting him all the time, try not to give him too much attention either which i no is hard but it may get used to being apart from you and the barking could quite possible stop.
Just some things to think of,


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## catellkai

Does alfie have any toys in his bed? a teddy bear something thats a good size to him some dogs just get lonely and a teddy could just a little reasurrance he is not alone.


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## Buggles

catellkai said:


> Does alfie have any toys in his bed? a teddy bear something thats a good size to him some dogs just get lonely and a teddy could just a little reasurrance he is not alone.


Hi, yes he does have toys in his bed. It's not him barking in his bed which is annoying as he is brilliant in his bed (just not last night!). It's barking in the evenings when he is in the lounge with us (out of his crate), he sits and barks at us until we give him attention which of course is giving in to him. We have started putting him in the hall and that seems to work.


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## catellkai

It will do they say by just putting them out of the family circle will soon make he realise no barking and he can stay all night.Its quite silly how dogs can adjust to not being included.


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## Guest

Sammy is the same with his barking, we can be sitting watching TV...he'll bark and I'll sh*t myself LOL

If I know that he is not needing out then we just put him into hall and ingore him, as sometimes he barks to let us know he needs out


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## dimkaz

Nonnie said:


> With the barking, id remove him from the room, and only let him back in when he is quiet. You HAVE to ignore him, however long it takes.
> 
> For the biting have a read of The Bite Stops Here (i tried to link, but it says web page unavialable.


hi, great piece!

do you have the source of that?
thanks


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