Canine Paws Academy: Teaching Puppies Not To Bite Feet

[ashy250]

i have a 13 weeks old american bulldog cross boxer, she tends to bite feet and act up while taking her for a walk, and sometimes barks. she doesnt always do this but most of the time she does. she does display dominance but shes never aggressive when were at home, shes very loving and always shows affection. she does bite feet at home sometimes and chews hands/clothes on the odd occasion. any help would be appreciated

[CaninePawsAcademy]

@NathanTheGr8 this dog should not be allowed on the bed or under the blanket until it has learned the "off" command and can be restrained or confined in the bed. Having a leash and tethering the dog can be a good aid but risky to have a leash in bed with you. Try practicing the "leave" or "off" outside of the bed first and limit bed time to PREVENT the biting to begin with - rewarding all good behaviour. The dog may be acing possessively over the bed or in fear so don't allow it on the bed.

[dsfan888]

I have a boxer puppy who loves to bite almost anything, and gets hyper sometimes

[CaninePawsAcademy]

@dsfan888 make sure to play the jazz up / settle down game :) I play with my dogs and get them hyper on purpose and say "lets play", then say "chill out" and ignore them only to reward them with attention and more play as soon as THEY settle down.

[dsfan888]

@CaninePawsAcademy

thanks for the tips =)

[CaninePawsAcademy]

@dsfan888 you're welcome! There's more training stuff on my other channel: canine paws academy

[eph9000]

The problem is with this technique is my 10 week old Lab now knows to bite my feet to get treats. It's the whole cause and effect game.

[cwagner87]

If your puppy is biting then you are doing the exercise wrong. The best way to avoid biting feet is:

- Prevention: avoid getting the dog overly aroused, this can promote feet biting, stop the puppy before it gets rowdy

- Time: practice this "leave" exercise not only on your foot and when the dog is aroused, but also when the dog is calm and not intensely biting. For instance, if your dog just looks at the foot, or sniffs it, say "leave" and click / treat for response.

[cwagner87]

- Redirection: make sure to redirect your dog's attention on something else like a tug toy, ball, or stuffed Kong (r)

Remember your are doing multiple things: eliminating the undesired behavior and redirecting the natural response to something else. If the dog has nothing else to do after your get him to stop biting feet, he will go back to doing what he was because this is often a self reinforcing behavior.

If you need further help, I do online training sessions over skype.

[cwagner87]

1. Basically, say "Leave" when the dog is not biting, and drop a few treats, try 10-15 times

2. Next say "leave" when the pup is biting, and drop the treats away from you, repeat 5-10 times

3. Then, say "leave", if the dog is nibbling on your feet, wait for the dog to move away, click and reward away from you

(you can also use a verbal marker "yes")

4. Make sure to manage play. Avoid over arousal, and give the dog something else to do than bite feet :) If the dog does not back away try again!

[angelkissedredhead]

Nice, I haven't seen this technique before. I have an 8 week old lab/st bernard mix who loves to bite shoes and socks. I'm gonna try this out!

[iloveoreos93]

Could you do a video on teaching puppies not to pull on the lead?

[cwagner87]

Thanks for the request! I will be doing a video in the near future for puppies pulling on leashes and teaching a loose leash walk. I recommend you go out and get an "Easy Walk" harness made by the Gentle Leader company. I will be using this and a plain leash to teach my Terrier how to walk politely.

[CaninePawsAcademy]

@iloveoreos93 I have done an updated video on my new training account Canine Paws Academy on loose lead walking. You can check it out on my new channel!