# Is This Typical 5 Month Old Behavior?



## [email protected] (Oct 6, 2009)

Samson is a week shy of 5 months old. I have had him since he was 7.5 weeks old. For a few weeks, he did the typical puppy nipping at my pant leg and leg. Each time he did, I would give him a toy to bite in place of my pant leg or leg. After a few weeks, the nipping stopped. Everything, training wise, has been going very well. He gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation and love and attention. But in the past three days he has started jumping up on me and when I place his paws on the ground and say "off" he bites my arms. Where is this coming from? I don't think this is teething because the bite is rooted in him being placed "off" so it is sort of in response to something. Is this typical five month old behavior? I have just gone back to saying "no bite" and giving him a toy in place of my arm. Though sometimes he ignores the toy and keeps going for my arm. Is this the correct thing to do? Or should I do something else? I am hoping this is just a normal stage and that I have nothing to worry about and that I haven't done anything wrong to bring this out in him again.


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## Adhara (Dec 13, 2009)

No You have not done anything wrong and since he is not responding, you may need to get a smidgen more forceful. He is playing he thinks your a giant toy its not uncommon lol Sadie does it allot, but What I do with Sadie and any puppy is when they do bite regardless of the reason, I take my thumb and place it on her tongue and lightly press down in a pinching manner to my forefinger on the under side of her jaw, Then Say "No bite" then give her a toy when she chews on it right after I tell her "Good girl" and treat her or pet her to let her know it was not ok to chew on me. The pinching under Like that they do not like it and it get the message across about biting without hurting them I have found. I have yet to find a dog it does not work on. Obviously it may not be immediate he may try to test to see how far he can take it but just keep it up and you will be fine. You have not done a thing wrong so do not worry ok? ^^


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## lnsmdove (Oct 12, 2009)

First to answer your question, yes, this is certainly typical of puppies this age.

Next as to how to respond. Redirection is a good thing, but with alot of dogs, substituting a toy or chewie for your pants can be rewarding the biting behavior.

Here is how I deal with it. There is another form of redirection that I've had a fair amount of success with that does not reward the biting behavior. The first command I teach all puppies in my KPT classes is sit. When pup is playing too rough, I do use a sharp "OUT" then ask puppy for a sit. This gives me the opportunity to reward/reinforce the sit command and redirect the biting. You can ultimately use the sit and /or down, if the pup knows it, as a short doggie time-out. Using this method you replace a negative behavior with a positive behavior, which is really helpful in the long run with dealing with many "problems. This also works extremely well for dogs that like jumping on people.

I currently have a Lab puppy here for training that had the same issues, he learned really quickly that he only got "loves" when all four feet were on the floor (I do use the "off" command). It only took about 4 reps 2 or 3 times a day for a couple of days for Kili to get it. Good luck.

Susan
Grace, GSD


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: sherri1But in the past three days he has started jumping up on me and when I place his paws on the ground and say "off" he bites my arms.


When you grab hold of his paws he takes that as an invitation to play. He jumps up because he wants attention and you are giving it to him.

When he jumps up on you TOTALLY IGNORE him. Just stand there and don't move - don't speak - don't make eye contact.

At first it may take a minute or two for him to go "What's going on? I'm getting nothing here???" and he will remove his feet from you.

The instant ALL four of his feet are on the floor you can praise and start playing tub with him with a toy.

The reward comes from having all four feet on the floor.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I disagree with the first two responses because 1) I don't like to use physical punishment and 2) because your toy solution is perfect: you're redirecting and not rewarding as the second poster says. 

I agree with Lauri but I add something else. I ignore the behavior and at the same time I give a command that is incompatible with that behavior like, "Go get your toy." He should very quickly learn that when he gets excited he needs to get a toy on his own.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The Gang
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: sherri1But in the past three days he has started jumping up on me and when I place his paws on the ground and say "off" he bites my arms.
> ...










What she said


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I agree that the toy IS rewarding the biting. But I also believe the dog IS teething. What I would do is make sure the pup has several different types of chewable items available. pop some in the freezer and make them cold. This will get him to give his teeth a work out on an appropriate object. 

Next, I would not give a toy when he jumps up and bites, I would ignore it, or say off and move into him so that it is impossible for him to easily remain on you. When his feet hit the floor say Good Off, and if he jumps again, block and ignore. The secret is to be consistant. You cannot pet the dog today when he jumps on you, and expect him to not appeal in like fashion tomorrow. If he does not get the attention he is seeking by jumping up, the nipping follows. 

I prefer to ignore the behavior I do not like and praise behavior I do like and it may take a little longer that a strong correction for the pup to get it. But when the pup does get it, he stops jumping on you because he gets nothing positive from it, while remaining on the floor sometimes gets him toys, praise, or treats.


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