# Keeps biting my daughter



## News up (Jun 7, 2013)

Hi all, just a bit of advice if poss??....my 11wk old puppy is settling in better than I imagined BUT one thing we can't seem to control at the minute is her constant desire to nip/bite my 6yr old daughter. It's becoming quite a concern as we are giving "no biting" commands and praising when she has being nice but can't seem to get past this hic up and my daughter is now fearful of being left alone with her in a room...
Any tips grateful xx Paula


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## SamRinde (Jun 10, 2013)

Unfortunately, the 11 week old puppy usually has a mind of their own. It is just a puppy thing and as long as you are consistent with the training and timeouts, it will be mitigated before you know it. There was probably a 2 week span when Frankie was 12-14 weeks old where we really didn't know what to do. It seemed like we couldn't do anything but stand in the kitchen or lay in bed. Those were the two places he would not bite at us. 

You are doing all the right things, just keep consistent and your pup will get it soon enough. Reassure your daughter that she is just a puppy and is like a baby human - they can't really control their emotions and excitement at this age.


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## News up (Jun 7, 2013)

Thank you ....what did you do for time outs???


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## SamRinde (Jun 10, 2013)

There are different techniques, obviously. Some people put them in their crate for a little bit (never a long time, I think the usual time is 30 sec to 2 min). Frankie has to be in his crate for like 8 hours while the my lady and I are at work, so we didn't want him to ever associate the crate with anything negative. Some people use the bathroom (we tried this, then Frankie discovered toilet paper...) Others just do a holding timeout - that's what we chose to do.

When Frankie would act up, we would pick him up and hold him at our waist and face the corner of two walls. We hypothesized that because doing that would take him away from everything fun, he would eventually understand that biting was never tolerated. We made sure to do it every time he would bite/nip at us. We said a firm "No" at some point during the few steps to the corner and would usually wait for some sort of calming signal while we held him. (A yawn, a deep sigh, etc) He would usually stop when we put him down, if he went back at it, we picked him up again. 

Puppies also need TONS of sleep. So putting the pup down for a nap if they seem overtired is best. Frankie had, and still has, little to no capability of putting himself down for a nap. If we are walking around and awake, he finds it near impossible to lay down and nap, even if he is exhausted. (Luckily, I like taking naps on weekends, so I would just take a nap with him). 

Hope this helps!


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## News up (Jun 7, 2013)

Really helpful thank you !!!!


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## Skyesdog (Jun 7, 2012)

Whenever Lola tried to bite one of us as a pup we would always give her something she was allowed to chew on immediately. Not sure if it was just luck but her biting calmed down pretty quickly. I also taught this technique to my daughters (6 and 3 at the time) so they knew how to distract her. Lola is now allowed on the sofa but at the start she was only allowed on the ground so the girls could escape to high ground if required!! The other thing I taught them was to stand like a tree - very still and quiet with arms above their head if Lola was annoying them and she would almost immediately get bored!! It will pass and your daughter will forgive her all the little nips!


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## SamRinde (Jun 10, 2013)

Skyesdog said:


> Whenever Lola tried to bite one of us as a pup we would always give her something she was allowed to chew on immediately. Not sure if it was just luck but her biting calmed down pretty quickly. I also taught this technique to my daughters (6 and 3 at the time) so they knew how to distract her. Lola is now allowed on the sofa but at the start she was only allowed on the ground so the girls could escape to high ground if required!! The other thing I taught them was to stand like a tree - very still and quiet with arms above their head if Lola was annoying them and she would almost immediately get bored!! It will pass and your daughter will forgive her all the little nips!


We also did this! Give them tons of chews and toys to make sure it's not out of boredom. Definitely a helpful example here as well!


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## RedVelvet (Jul 30, 2013)

The 'stand like a tree' is what our local dog warden teaches the children, they visit school every year and it certainly helped my more anxious boy when he was younger.


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

We also used 'stand like a tree' and time Xouts (told no biting, carried straight to the downstairs loo and shut in there for 2 mins). Interestingly it was our youngest daughter he did it most to so we were advised to let her put his food out for him and also do some training with treats so he didn't think he was higher in the family than her. Billy is now 2 and it all seems a distant memory. Good luck!


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## KGr (Mar 11, 2013)

We had terrible problems with pip nipping & did use time out in her crate (only for a minute) & most of the time she actually chose to stay in her crate & have a nap. So most of her nipping was actually down to over tiredness. 

Interestingly pip was worst with my eldest daughter who's very sensitive & I do wonder if pip picked up in this. My youngest is a lot more bossy & has no problem telling pip off. We've encouraged my eldest to be more firm, give pip her food & also help out with training. Most of the time pip knows her place & doesn't nip & if she does she goes back in her crate. 

At 5 months old pip is still not allowed on the sofa because we want a place were the girls can escape from pips giddiness. But in fairness it's normally the girls winding her up!!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Dexter nipped a lot, everything and everyone. I didn't want to use time out in his crate so I used to shut him in the downstairs loo for a few minutes! I got the idea from someone else on this forum. He soon grew out of it and is the gentlest dog ever. 

Funnily enough when he is scared of fireworks that's exactly where he wants to retreat to! As for Bonnie she never bit us, she used to bite Dexter instead and hang onto his ears and tail and he never retaliated!


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## News up (Jun 7, 2013)

Thanks for all your suggestions, have some great stuff to try out this weekend!


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Rufus used to bite my sons feet maniacally and he was a strapping 200 pounds or so (my son, not Rufus). Giving them a happier way to engage, like a game of hide and go seek, worked well but when time was limited we calmly deposited Rufus in the bathroom, closed the door and waited a bit. The crocapoo stage is but a distant memory now.


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