The Urge to Bite Anyone!

Joanielim asks:

We have a problem with our Bichon. We bought him at eight weeks old. He is now one and a half. We are seniors so we are at home and not out alot. We didn't take him out in other company much. Now, he wants to bite everyone. He is so loving and cuddly with us. We have never spanked him or mistreated him. When we take him for walks, he wants to bite anyone and everyone we meet. We have him on a leash. We tell him no but it makes no difference.
How to we stop this bad attitude? We need your help. Thank you. Joaniekim

Kristens Sled Dogs responds:

In my opinion, biting should not be tolerated at all. I've used these methods with my Inuit Dog and others, and they've helped a little.

1) Hold the dog's mouth closed and say "no" in a firm voice when the dog bites someone. Then ignore the dog for a while.

2) Fill a squirt bottle with cold water (not freezing, just a little below lukewarm) and a few drops of lemon or bitter apple. When the dog attempts to bite, squirt the dog in the face and say "no" in a firm voice. Use the squirt bottle until the dog understands "no", and will not bite if told "no".

I used method #2 on my Inuit Dog puppy, and it helped a lot.
She only got sprayed once before she figured it out.

Kristen & The Dog Gang

Fudgie responds:

Hi, I have a 3 yr old Bichon who hates men and I mean hates them!!!
She has bitten 3 repair men and one of mygirlfriends"s husband.
I am at my wits end with her (otherwise she is a perfect fluff) I love her very much but I am to the point I hate to have company because she gets so upset.
Someone said a man must have been mean to her, but I have had her since she was 8 weeks old and it is only the 2 of us in thehousehold.
Naturally she is spoiled rotten!!!! I will try the bitter apple on her. thanks, Pat

GidgetLpM responds:

No tolerance for biting here!

Sorry but when Bailey nips the kids while playing, we shut him down right away!!
We say "NO BITE!!" (never use long sentences...two words max).... then we stop the play, we walk away, and thats it. He gets the picture!

He only ever nips while playing (as he would another dog), because that is how dogs play with each other.

I also heard of the lemon juice....it works! I even put it on my door frame now, when I go out so he won't chew it.

Just dilute it in case you get his/her, very sensitive, eyes.

Make sure you hold together that snout when they bite (as previously mentioned).
This is what the mom dog does to her pups. This tells him "enough".

So it would be like this: He bites...you immediately grab the snout holding it firmly for a minute while you say NO BITE!.... He may yelp, but that is okay, it won't kill him.... It lets him know that biting is not acceptable behavior.

They do sell little halties for small dogs too...this is not for biting like a muzzle but so they don't pull. The good thing is, I don't think they can bite while in it and its only used when taking them for a walk... its worth a look/see. Maybe try petsSmart?

Good luck.