Aggressive puppy biting

  • Aggressive puppy biting

    Posted by William on August 30, 2021 at 12:45 PM

    My 9 week female Malinois sometimes tries to bite and very aggressively — not the usual puppy biting. My breeder says it’s a lack of respect and I need to deal with it more harshly. But exactly how? She’s not an aggressive puppy but at times, such as picking her up for any reason, she really tries to tear into me. Help, please.

    William replied 2 years, 6 months ago 5 Members · 13 Replies
  • 13 Replies
  • Gene

    Member
    August 30, 2021 at 1:45 PM

    I don’t have the access to a video, so from your post I don’t think it is a good idea to deal with this behavior in a harsh manner. If this is a working line Malinois you have your hands full. She may be starting to teeth at this age so she wants something to chew on. It is probably a high drive dog and is burning off some energy. Give her frozen wash cloths, frozen bananas etc the cold is a pain reliever. Nine weeks is too young to use harsh corrections.

    She may be trying to show affection or initiate play. At such a young age I would try some dog language: a) 1 or 2 fingers to bop her on the head, b) pick her up and lay her down on her side (gently) hold her there until she calms down, that’s what her mother would do. c) when it hurts AAAEEH! turn and walk away , playtime is over for 5/10 minutes, then resume. Her litter mates would yelp and go to the other side of the pen indicating she is playing too rough. I’m sure the breeder knows more about the breed than I do, but at nine weeks the dog probably doesn’t know what it is being corrected for. Also as always there are great videos on the sight to get more info.

  • Gene

    Member
    August 30, 2021 at 4:55 PM

    One more thing I forgot. It is important to continuously hand feed her at this age. This indicates that good things come from you, it also builds respect as she sees you as a provider. There are plenty of puppy videos on the website and hand feeding is always streesed.

  • Ed

    Member
    August 30, 2021 at 5:05 PM

    Check out this video… is that the mouthing you are seeing? https://youtu.be/4HicIEayBdY

    • William

      Member
      September 1, 2021 at 6:39 PM

      Thank you for that YT video. That’s exactly how Zoe acts up, though with one exception: she doesn’t like to be picked up and will really try to bite my face. Not an experience that will help me to trust her.

      • Ed

        Member
        September 2, 2021 at 4:18 AM

        My suggestion would be to check out her channel https://youtube.com/c/MaligatorMom to get a better idea of what is ahead. She is also on this site. That behavior is within the range of what you expect for a mal, meaning there may be easier dogs, but quite likely there is nothing wrong with the one you got. You could watch the videos in her channel that deal with the more challenging parts, as opposed to just the accomplishments… I think she has 4 of these dogs, so obviously she is not a normal person. Being that she is only 9 weeks you have a decision ahead of you, do you return the puppy or do you gear up for what is ahead.

        • William

          Member
          September 2, 2021 at 8:14 AM

          Returning my puppy is not an option.

          • Ed

            Member
            September 2, 2021 at 11:12 AM

            That is cool. Perhaps other owners will jump in. From the description it seems that the behavior is normal. If I put my face in front of my puppy he will take little nips at it. He will chew up my hands, clothing, everything. It is a 11-week rottie. The approach I’m taking for mouthing is to bear it and/or redirect by offering an alternate toy, rag , or bone. No corrections other than redirection as I want a confident puppy and eventually a confident dog. You are everything you puppy has, and he is trying to engage with you in the only way he knows. Knowing that it is normal takes away the pain and the frustration.

            • William

              Member
              September 3, 2021 at 6:12 AM

              Thanks for reminding me that I am all Zoe has, and she’s connecting with me in the only way she can — even if it hurts like hell sometimes. Her puppy phase will soon pass, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

        • William

          Member
          September 22, 2021 at 10:53 AM

          Thank you for taking the time to encourage and support me.

  • Misty

    Member
    September 2, 2021 at 3:17 PM

    My mail just turned 12 weeks, he was/is the exact same. I have got him (mostly) over the feet biting. He does get aggressive and it seems to be more when he is playing with his toys. All of a sudden he leaves his toy or chewy and comes at me instead. This only happens when I’m sitting down so I get up, tell him NO and try to distract him somehow. He gets plenty of exercise and is a great pup other than the aggression that comes out. He starts training this week so I’m hoping to get some feedback as to how to handle this. So basically I have no advice but I feel your pain lol.

  • Laura&Zed

    Member
    September 20, 2021 at 9:08 PM

    Hi William. Try not to worry . My High drive Border Collie was awful with severe biting from the moment I got her ay 7 weeks. Drawing blood every time, to the point my Doctor thought I was self harming. I gave Zed loads of “time outs” behind the baby gate so she was excluded but I also got her a bite cushion so she had an outlet for her need to bite. Regards the “time outs”. I have a tiny kitchen and would literally pick her up by the scruff of her neck , give a little shake and tell her “No Biting”, put her behind the gate till calm. I had to do this up to 30 times on some days. Then with the bite pillow I would tell her “Good Bite”. She soon learnt she was only allowed to bite the pillow. I moved her on to a punctured soccer ball which she kills daily and rags it to death. Just so you know , she is a lovely dog now, so stick with it. I hope this is of some help. I have trained dogs for 49 years since I was 6 years old. Wishing you success, Laura and Zed.

    • Ed

      Member
      September 22, 2021 at 6:33 AM

      We are going through the same thing and we decide to let him bite. Reason being we did not want to inhibit the instinct and we also want to maximize the pup’s confidence. General picture is that of the lion in the savana, he lets the cubs abuse the hell out of him until he does not. Other considerations, like visitors and such are secondary at this point — the pup is family, the visitors are not. So it is sneakers most of the time… though boots maybe better. Finger biting is a not a big deal compared to feet, ankles and ear lobes. The fingers, half the time, we just push laterally all the way to the back where there are no teeth yet, and that seems to be very satisfying to him and not painful to me at all. Face biting on the chin is common, sometimes frantic, and often followed by little kisses. When it gets to be too much it is a strong physical push away, if that does not work, crate, so that he learns to settle a bit. He does very well on the crate. We are also doing the frozen bananas Robert recommends, plus knee bones and rubber toys. The pup has been a real joy, even though he bites the hell out of you. When we do have to have people come over crate is the solution. We worked very hard to find a pup with strong nerves and lot of drive. So we do not want to squander that.

    • William

      Member
      September 22, 2021 at 10:54 AM

      Thank you for encouraging and supporting me. Zoe is a joy to have.

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