Biting Barking and more Biting

[baybpaulsmom]

Duke is an 11wk English Mastiff. He is a sweet boy but lately he's been biting like crazy. Not teething biting either like nipping at you as you walk by. He runs right at you and just bites your leg, etc. I am at the end of my rope bc let's face it... It hurts!

Also he barks all the time. We Go thru the list of possible needs and he still barks. He just sits and barks at you nonstop.

I know he's a puppy and he's playful and I thought maybe he was acting out but there is always someone home with him and giving him attention so I am confused

Thoughts? Or ideas? Anything will help. My arms are all sliced up from him biting and the barking is driving me nuts!

Thanks

 

[musicdeb]

He's playing. To stop the biting, redirect it to a toy (stuffed animal, kong w/ treats, rope, nylabones, frozen washcloth, ice cubs with treats). When he bites, yell OW and tell him no (stern no).

Start OB training now. Teach him "focus/look at me" first. This will teach him to focus on you and not the distraction. Once he masters a command, do another one. Teach one command at a time for about 5 minutes a day and increase the time as he gets older. Teach him sit, stay, come, leave it, drop it.

Hope that helps. FYI: Mastiffs are extremely stubborn. When he's bored with training, he will stop. Mastiffs will feel your frustration and shut down. When you become frustrated, walk away for few minutes.

 

[DennasMom]

What Deb said!

We had good luck with a high-pitched "yipe" (like a fellow puppy) to get the puppy's attention and stop the biting. It did take a lot of repetitions, though. And, if he's running after you grabbing pant legs and such... he's most likely trying to play and get your attention - and it's probably working. Even if you are giving him negative feedback... it's still feedback.

When he's barking and you're "going thru the list of possible needs"... are you suggesting he can bark to get what he wants/needs?
At our house, the dog must SIT to get what she wants. Denna sits for EVERYTHING. If we're ignoring her (because she's being pushy trying to get our attention), she'll eventually stop and sit - and just look at us... THEN she gets attention - lots of praise and love for a nice quiet sit.

And I agree on the 'stubborn' aspect of mastiffs - but I call it "persistent, strong-willed" behavior. You just have to be more persistent that your puppy. They're also crazy smart, so they get bored with things easily (i.e. on the 4th time you ask for a sit... they might decide "been there done that... I'm outta here to find something else to get into...". So, be prepared to keep training lively with high value treats - and keep sessions short. Then you can always give the puppy a frozen-stuffed-kong to snack on while you relax for a bit.

Another idea on the barking, is to teach him to "speak". When he barks, say "good speak" and give him a treat. Once he makes the connection between the word and the action, you can ask for a "speak" - and treat when he barks. Now... as soon as he stops barking to eat the treat, "good quiet!"... so he learns the opposite of speak. Soon, you can ask for the "quiet" and give treats (and/or pets and love) for not barking.

Good luck! They do grow out of this phase, too... but you need to stick to your guns now, so they don't try and push you around later (when they might out-weigh you).

 

[musicdeb]

How's Duke doing?

 

[baybpaulsmom]

Thanks for checking in! He is getting there. We went with the "OUCH" followed by "NO". He seems to listen to the husband more than me, but then again no one listens to me. LOL. I have noticed Duke seems more aggressive with my son than anyone. It is only with my son that the biting is accompanied with growling and tugging. But I think they are just buds and he is trying to play.

Def making progress.

 

[musicdeb]

Glad he's doing better. Does your son get on the floor to play with Duke? Might want to avoid that until the biting stops because Duke sees him as a fellow playmate and he will bite because that's what puppies do when they play.

 

[baybpaulsmom]

Ah Yes. That happens all the time. I feel like I am always saying "get up off the floor!"

Not real sure how I can settle the kid down *short of physical restraint which I'm told is frowned upon*

We will get there soon enough. Patience is a learned behavior.

 

[Crystalanya]

Try deeping your voice. That's likely why he's listening to your husband more than you. There's been a lot of studies done on this and unfortunately people aren't well aware of it (like screaming high pitched at the dog park when two dogs snark at each other--absolutely wrong thing to do). I have what I call my 'naughty lab voice'. It's deep but it's effective. And like other said, try to ignore the barking. Mastiffs are stubborn and smart. I was very care to not reinforce negative behaviour, but I gave into the whinging when he wanted attention. So now, he'll come sit next to me, paw me (like he wants to shake) and cry until I get up, hold his paw and then give him a hug. After that he'll go back to sleep. Normally not a big problem unless I'm on a teleconference. Then it's a problem.

 

[baybpaulsmom]

Thanks for the advice. We are making progress. I decided to try my "mom" voice since it works on the kid and it seems to get his attention for sure. lol

 

[musicdeb]

Mom's voice can be more fierce than Dad's voice.

 

[VentiandMe]

I love Duke's face!

Is he still barking non-stop? Or has that gotten better as well?

 

[baybpaulsmom]

I love Duke's face!

Is he still barking non-stop? Or has that gotten better as well?

Thanks for checking in! He is getting better at barking. He reserves it for letting me know that he "needs" something. Sometimes we will get the PAY ATTENTION TO ME barks but those are slowly falling off... thank goodness!