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HELP! My Pit Pup is Biting Me!

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biting pit pup
23K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  SIAH 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I just bought my first black pitbull puppy! Im super excited. He's about 10 weeks old now and I got him at about 6 weeks.

He is very dominant and so am I, so when we play sometimes it escalates pretty high because I know its important for me to maintain alpha status so usually when he is getting too rough I will put him on his back and maybe growl and he submits. Sometimes I hold him in a cradle position for a while.

Sometimes it will get so bad acts lie he's fighting for his life but all Im doing is holding his chin so he doesn't bite me. He growls and shows me his teeth and tries really hard to bit my hands VICIOUSLY but I will hold him down under his jaw until he calms down but usually I have to slide him across the floor away from me or he'll bite me when I let him go. Then he immediately calms down and starts playing again.

I hold his head so he cant bite me, look at him closely and tell him no but he still growls and waits for me to slip or let go so he can bite me! If he caught me slipping in that moment he would do some damage.

When I slide him across the floor he calms down and wants to play again right away.

How can I make sure he doesn't hurt me or my 3 year old and do you feel I am training him right? I don't want him to turn on me or the kids one day.

Thanks a million.

William
 
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#2 ·
Bite inhibition. You weren't supposed to get him that young. I would try socializing at this time. He will learn whats acceptable from other dogs. This is something that he learns from the litter. Someone else can chime in as well. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
Welcome, a few questions come to mind. Does your pup do that with anyone else? Did this behavior just begin? Did he come from a good enviroment?
 
#4 ·
You have to remember, during the first 8 weeks, the pup learns a lot from the mother and other pups. It's fundamental for the dogs development to stay with the litter for the first 8 weeks. By learning bite inhibition, they learn what's exceptablefrom the other dogs. I personally had this issue. I couldn't correct it. Socialization is what helped me.
 
#5 · (Edited)
First, you should really throw all that Dog Whisperer stuff out the window. Dominance is not established by holding a dog on its back. You establish a respectful owner-dog relationship by controlling the resources and through bonding activities and training. Training with positive methods will yield you much better results than trying to force a spirited puppy to submit. If you are playing rough with him to provoke the escalation and the biting, that is part of the problem. Now you should be able to handle your puppy any way you choose as far as holding him and the like, but that comes with time and trust. You've only had him for a month, so he's got a lot to learn still.

First rule of eliminating biting. If you are bitten, yelp like a puppy. Cross your arms and ignore him. He bites, play stops. By forcing him and getting physical, you only make it worse. Some dogs need a "come to Jesus" moment, but you use that as your trump card. If you're busting out the alpha rolls and things like that right now, what tools are you going to use later if it gets worse?

Read the stickies at the top of this forum. They will help you I hope. And seek an experienced trainer to work with you and your puppy. Because all the internet advice in the world is no substitute for hands-on experience.

http://www.gopitbull.com/obedience-training/16152-my-puppy-bites-me-why-do-puppies-bite.html
http://www.gopitbull.com/obedience-training/19536-nipping-biting.html

ETA: I should add that the yelping thing is not tree-hugger nonsense. It works. Ask my adult dogs. If I say "ow!" in a high-pitched voice, they stop what they're doing and start saying silent puppy prayers because they know mom aint happy and they done screwed up.
 
#7 ·
when your dog is older, after he knows not to bite and you have control after ignoring him and emphasing the OUCH factor, if still gets excited and would nip. at the air, but if my coat or something was in the way he would grab at that too. I would put a ball in his mouth to get him to want the ball when he got excited, and he would just nip that. Not tennis balls, they can chew the stuff off those real quick, but a chuck it ball. They are pretty cheap and last as long as you don't lose them :) Now my pup looks for his ball every time he is excited and I don't have a nipping problem, even when his ball is MIA.

chuck it medium balls: compare prices and read reviews - Bing Shopping
 
#8 ·
I second everything said. Quit the roughhouse play and yelp like a pup when they put their mouth on you.

I keep telling my husband over and over to not roughhouse with the puppy...

Also try to keep playing to an outside activity, this will help make sure your little one is safe to run around. I don't know how many times my two have knocked my 15month down because they thought he was chasing them or something and trying to play.
 
#9 ·
I musta read it different. From the first post it made the dog sound violent and very aggressive. He is stating the fact that he does not want himself or his kids getting "hurt" and that the dog acts in a "VISCIOUS" manner. Sounded almost curr like.

All good posts above me though. Good luck!
 
#10 ·
My dog still nips and I do the "yelp-ignore" technique sometimes he stares at me like he knows he did wrong and other times he will just go run off and play with one of his toys... I chalk it up to him teething, I got him at 2months old and now Ive had him for 3 weeks, so hopefully I can curb this..
 
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