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Dog always biting / chewing...Any advice most welcome


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Old 19-01-2011, 15:08
Cranberryapple
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My Parents have a lovely little Staffie. She is well fed, well exercised, lots of toys to play with, has a great gentle temperament and always people in the house fussing over her, so don't think she's bored. But she just has to be ( playfully ) biting all the time. Whether it's your glove, scarf, your hand, your shoe, bag, the table leg, anything in front of her and she will have a go. The vet says her teeth and jaw are fine, no teething either as she's now 15 months old. My Mum and Dad have tried lots of things with her but she'd still 'nibbling' at things. Does anybody have any idea as to why she is doing this? Thanks for any advice.
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Old 19-01-2011, 19:02
Snappysnapsnap
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My friend has a staff about the same age, she's terrible for mouthing through sheer excitement. She likes to "carry" your hand around when you go in and insists on putting any body part in her mouth lol. She keeps a tuggy rope by the door and we shove that in her mouth when we go. It gives her something to carry and you can have a game of tug at the same time to keep her occupied.
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Old 20-01-2011, 11:43
molliepops
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Sounds ike you haven't stopped the baby mouthing tbh. When they are very young squealing and removing yourself from them works pretty well but at 15 months it may be a bit late for that.
Personally I think at this stage I would consult a properly qualified behaviourist and get some help with the training. Try and get someone from here as they do the best work I believe http://www.apdt.co.uk/
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Old 20-01-2011, 11:47
Hogzilla
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Sounds ike you haven't stopped the baby mouthing tbh. When they are very young squealing and removing yourself from them works pretty well but at 15 months it may be a bit late for that.
Personally I think at this stage I would consult a properly qualified behaviourist and get some help with the training. Try and get someone from here as they do the best work I believe http://www.apdt.co.uk/
What mollipops said. Staffs do seem to be mouthy - I've had 2 and both of them were but both responded to the sort of training mentioned above and had grown out of it by the time they were adults.

They do need a phenomenal amount of exercise, too. I took up running with my last staff so he'd do a 3 mile run every day but then was good to go another 3 miles and another, half an hour later! They can be obedience trained or you can do fly ball with them - many people don;t think of staffs as 'that kind' of dog but they are so agile and intelligent! Not saying the mouthing is down to boredom but minimising boredom always helps, eh?

I'd do what mollipops recommends - find an experienced trainer to give advice.
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Old 20-01-2011, 12:30
cosmo
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My bull terrier is around five months and did have this issue with biting & strong mouthing.

Mouthing is natural and tolerated in inter-dog play - biting is not. A dog or puppy that is bitten by a playmate will squeal and end the game immediately. In my case this included putting him in another room and closing the door. He learned very quickly.

The next step is to put a stop to all mouthing altogether - and this is much more difficult. I'm at a stage now where he knows that I don't want him to mouth but it's so natural to him that he seems to be getting frustrated when I tell him to stop. I distract him away from mouthing me by giving him toys and chews. When he is mouthing and biting the toys and chews he gets affection. He's cottoned on to this and if I am sitting on the floor he will go and fetch his rawhide bone before coming over and laying beside me. He has made a co-relation between his chewing the bone and me giving him affection by stroking.

As with most things puppy-related it all takes time and patience. Remain calm and in control at all times.
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Old 20-01-2011, 12:41
Hogzilla
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My bull terrier is around five months and did have this issue with biting & strong mouthing.

Mouthing is natural and tolerated in inter-dog play - biting is not. A dog or puppy that is bitten by a playmate will squeal and end the game immediately. In my case this included putting him in another room and closing the door. He learned very quickly.

The next step is to put a stop to all mouthing altogether - and this is much more difficult. I'm at a stage now where he knows that I don't want him to mouth but it's so natural to him that he seems to be getting frustrated when I tell him to stop. I distract him away from mouthing me by giving him toys and chews. When he is mouthing and biting the toys and chews he gets affection. He's cottoned on to this and if I am sitting on the floor he will go and fetch his rawhide bone before coming over and laying beside me. He has made a co-relation between his chewing the bone and me giving him affection by stroking.

As with most things puppy-related it all takes time and patience. Remain calm and in control at all times.
Wow cosmo has a bullie as well! Thought the odds were I'd be the only one! They're all 'interesting' characters, bullies.
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Old 20-01-2011, 13:31
cosmo
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Wow cosmo has a bullie as well! Thought the odds were I'd be the only one! They're all 'interesting' characters, bullies.
He's a cross breed (Staffie/BT).

Yes he's a right character. Everything from laying on his back snoring like a bear to bashing head first into door frames without apparently feeling any effects.

Very loving and affectionate dog. Loves people.
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Old 20-01-2011, 15:21
Hogzilla
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He's a cross breed (Staffie/BT).

Yes he's a right character. Everything from laying on his back snoring like a bear to bashing head first into door frames without apparently feeling any effects.

Very loving and affectionate dog. Loves people.
They're bred to be people oriented apparently as in the old days you'd have to pull them off mid fight (or in my grandad's case, mid ratting) - which meant they had to be easily handleable in any situation. Ironically being fighting dogs/ratters in the oldern days is what makes them so people friendly now - all that selective breeding! I read somewhere that bull terriers of both kinds are also happy to go from one owner's hands to the next and settle well as a rule because they bred from dogs that were winners (ie: would rapidly change hands for a lot of money).

My grandad ratted with his bullies right upto the 1930s or 40s. Our staff once was off lead and, before I had even seen the rat, had found it in a field and killed it instantly. Amazing how those instincts are still there. It was my niece's first time walking the dog and she was horrified. He never did it before or again - but every time he passed that spot he'd always look for The Rat.
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Old 24-01-2011, 12:54
Cranberryapple
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Some great info and advice from everyone. Many thanks. I will pass all this onto my parents and hopefully the 'mouthing' will stop. Just to let you know, I didn't mean she actually 'bit' you, she just likes to have your hand and anything else in her mouth. Bless her
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