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Canine Behavior/biting
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Question
I have a 6 month old husky mix. She is a wonderful puppy, but her biting is getting a little hard to handle. I do not think that it is meant to be malicious, but it hurts. When we let her out of her crate, she is so excited she needs to bit me. When my husband comes home she does the same thing, but more aggressive. Sometimes we will just be sitting and she will turn her head and try to bite us (chew on us). We tried the ignorance & it got worse, we tried putting her in her crate every time & no change, putting something else in her mouth and sometimes that worked. In the end she keeps coming back to bit us. Now every time she greets a new person she wants to chew on them. How can I get her to stop?
Often pups develop this behavior because they haven't had the opportunity to learn from littermates and their "mom" that using teeth hurts. Do two things: using positive reinforcement methods, train a simple behavior like "sit". This takes approximately 30 repetitions and should be done in short intervals, 2 to 3 minutes at a time, over several days. As soon as she understands the word (and don't use the word sit, make up another word), you will have a conditioned response. Don't remove the food reward, however. Give it every time she sits on command for a few weeks, then begin to stagger the food reward and finally remove it and replace with praise. Second, begin yelping when she uses her teeth. Show pain by whining and move away from her. Ignore her for ten seconds and then give her the sit command. If she becomes more excited when you yelp/whine (this sometimes happens at first), remove yourself from her presence by closing a door between you. When you reenter the room, give her the command to sit and reward her. You can teach her that her teeth hurt and that she can offer you another behavior (the sit) instead for the reward.
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Answers by Expert:
Jill Connor, Ph.D.
Expertise
I have spent my entire professional life rehabilitating the behavior of the domestic dog and I can answer any question regarding any behavior problem in any breed dog. If you are a caring, committed owner and need advice, I'm here for you. THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES for serious behavioral issues; not only is it unprofessional to offer same, it is also unethical. IF I ASK YOU SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS, I NEED YOU TO INTERACT WITH ME. More information equals more credible answers and a more successful outcome. If you want ANSWERS THAT WORK, participate in any way I request. I'm quite committed to working on this site for YOUR benefit and the benefit of YOUR DOG. Help me in any way you can.
Experience
30 years of solving serious behavior problems in domestic dogs; expert in dog to human aggression; Internet columnist for ThePetChannel.com for 5 years; former radio talk show host, WHPC.FM, Garden City, NY "Bite Back" (1995 through 2000). List owner, international animal behavior experts, K9Shrinks@egroups.com. Seminar leader: "Operant Conditioning and Learning"; "Aggression in The Domestic Dog"; "Solving Problem Behaviors" -- conducted for various training facilities on Long Island from 1993 through 2000. Former clinical director of "Behavioral Abnormalities" in conjunction with Mark Beckerman, DVM, Hempstead, New York.
Organizations
Member, APDT (UK); Psychologists in Ethical Treatment with Animals
Publications
Harcourt Brace Learning Direct: "The Business of Dog Training"
"The Fail Safe Dog: Brain Training, not Pain Training"
Education/Credentials
Ph.D., UC Berkeley
Past/Present Clients
Board of Directors: Northeast Dog Rescue Connection; The Dog Project; Sav-A-Dog Foundation; etc.
Pro Bono counselor: Little Shelter Humane Society
My practice is presently limited to forensics. I diagnose cause of dog bite, based upon testimony before the Court, for attorneys and insurance companies litigating dog bites, including fatal injuries. I also do pro bono work for bona fide rescue organizations, humane societies, et al, regarding such analysis in an effort to obtain release for dogs being held for death in municipal shelters in the US.
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