Biting, biting... and more biting.

So my boyfriend & I have had our little corgi Remy for about 4 days now & he's 12 weeks old. For the past two days or so he's been biting like CRAZY. x_x I know this is completely normal with puppies but I don't know how to deal with it. :/ I've tried saying "No bite" in a stern voice & ignoring him until he calms down but he just starts back up again. I've heard of holding his mouth shut but that doesn't seem too promising. He also only bites me but no one else. He follows me the most & pays more attention to me so maybe that's why he bites me so much?

Thanks to anyone who can give any suggestions! (:

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on October 4, 2008 at 11:41pm

First, don't hold his mouth. It will frustrate him and he'll bite more, not less. (Think of it as tying your dominant hand behind your back all day.) Two things are happening here: 1. He is teething. Get him lots of good stuff to chew on and play with, i.e. Kongs, stuffy animals, teething rings, etc. No rawhides, bones, etc. 2. You are his play toy. This is especially true if anyone is playing with him roughly or around his muzzle. Try squealing - like a yelp - to break his attention. You're doing right by putting him down, walking away, and giving no attention until he's calm. As for biting only you, are you the one who feeds, plays, walks, pottys, etc. him? Then you've been tagged as a litter mate! LOL

You're on the right track with him! Use your yelp. Take away attention. Praise him for being calm. And be patient! Besides, once you get the puppy teeth teething over with, then we get our adult teeth!!!! LOL

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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on October 5, 2008 at 10:01am

I recommend making sure you have a chew toy on your person whenever you are playing with him. When he tries to bite your fingers/arm/hand entice him with the chew toy and praise him for choosing that. If he bites you, yelp and withhold attention for 30 seconds to a minute and then start play again.

Praise and reward your dog for choosing to chew on his own toys. He needs to know those are appropriate and he will be rewarded for that.

Teething will be going on for a while - be patient and get lots of enticing toys he likes to chew on and play with. I love rope toys, nylabones, tuff toys, and frozen, wet, washcloths. Find out what your puppy likes best!

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Permalink Reply by Skullfab on October 6, 2008 at 1:21pm

Really, frozen, wet, washcloths? I might have to try that too!

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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on October 6, 2008 at 4:23pm

Some puppies like the way it feels on their gums. I'd recommend they only be given with supervision so they don't ingest the fabric or threads. I soak mine up, wind them into a roll and then freeze the crap out of it. They go nuts for them.

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Permalink Reply by Nicole on October 7, 2008 at 7:20pm

Ein loved those. We also bought him something called a Chilly Bone from Petco. Toy bone you wet and freeze.

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Permalink Reply by Alla on October 5, 2008 at 10:36am

I second what Cinndi and MagnoliaFly said, and.. what worked for us is the advice from the book. Every time puppy tried to bite, I was saying A-a-a-a-a-ack! - with a ve-eeery unpleasant loud voice.

"No bite command" is good but it's short and sounds regular. This A-a-a-a-a-ack! should be pronounced not like a song, but with "a"s in increments. It worked very well for us. We got him at 12 weeks, and biting stopped in a week or so.

Also what worked good too - every day we brought (and keep brining) pieces of brushwood from the backyard. He likes them for chewing even more than toys. And... large cardboard boxes. those unconventional "toys" worked miracles for us.

Your puppy likes you, but he has troublesome itching growing teeth!

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on October 5, 2008 at 2:20pm

Maybe try naming his toys and praise in a very pleasant voice he is chewing on it. "Remy is that your bone?" Good boy chewing on his bone!" "Look at Remy chewing on his bone!" When he gets attention for chewing on his toys, he will want to do it more.

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Permalink Reply by Cj & Lizzy on October 5, 2008 at 4:10pm

The yelping like a dog thing has been working pretty well for me! (: He's getting better already! Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

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Permalink Reply by Ross on October 11, 2008 at 2:10am

Yelping made our guy more excited, it works for some and not for others. We made it very clear that whenever he bit us (in any kind of rough way, I let Atlas naw at me if its very gentle) he gets ignored. Apart from supplying your puppy with a vast array of chew toys, if he bites you get up and walk away. Ignoring and abandoning sends a quick message to most dogs, especially one's that are very attached to their owners.
I should mention that I got this tip from a dog trainer friend of mine.