# Biting during walks/when we leave/when we enter the house



## Superrodris (Jan 2, 2011)

Hi, it´s been long since I wrote here =S Or since I visted the forum 

Anyway, Hamlet is 7 months old now, and getting more beautiful as months go by. But we've got a huge problem. I'm getting a trainer as of Monday, but I still wanted to ask a question here.

When we're leaving for work/to the shop/when we're going anywhere, Hamlet bites, and bites, and bites. He first jumps at us, and bites our arms. I've been told to put him aside, brusquely but not hit him (God no). I push him away, but then he comes lunging at me even worse. I finally get to go, but with a huge effort cuz he keeps biting me. And when we come home, it's the same deal. He's inside during the day, but at night I let him out for at least 2 hours in our garden, and when I let him out, he starts biting my feet and my leg. I close the fence (he still sees me) and he lunges at it. When I open it to let him come inside again, he bites my feet and keeps biting.

When we go on walks, everything is ok. The issue comes when he starts biting the leash. I get it out of his mouth and try to keep walking, but when I finally get it out, he starts jumping on me and grabbing my coat and trying to bite my arm. And I push him off, but he jumps even higher and gets my coat again. It's horrible, because there's no way I can calm him down...I've tried pinning him against the floor, to show him he's not the alpha, but when I release him, he starts jumping on me again with his teeth bared and looking really angry.

Is there any advice? I'm getting him on behavior classes, but still...I wanted to know if any of you had had this issue, and what you had done. Thx for reading this


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## Anjulian (May 28, 2011)

You will get some answers on here from more experienced trainers than myself. One thing I would say is that it is generally considered old hat these days to pin a dog down, and can in fact escalate aggression. I believed all that dominating stuff when my oldest one was a pup,and he just got worse, although was never at that level, with him it was more insistant behavior like grabbing my hands and trousers,not biting,he was mouthy, and would not stop. Now at 21 months, he does not do it. I learned more relaxed way of dealing with him, and stopped trying to dominate. Hopefully more info will come along in the next couple of days. Best of luck with him. He is a teenager now and needs a firm hand and a consistant hand.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

It sounds like he is very excited and he is biting/nipping/lunging out of excitement. It also sounds like he is not getting enough exercise and is just amped up all the time.

It also sounds like you need to take more control of the entering/exiting of your home for anything. He clearly doesn't want you do go and is super excited when you come home. If you allow this to happen it will manifest.

When I come home Sonar is super excited to see me he runs around barking and going crazy. I walk in a put my stuff down ignoring him and then I go to the cookie jar and begin commands to regain control of his behavior. This allows him to calm down then I give him love and say hi once he is calm. 

I think consulting a trainer is the best to get you back in control of him.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

Hello, I'm reviving this thread since I'm having a similar issue with my 4.5 old female. 
I can't stress enough how intolerable it's become to walk with her outside. The moment we walk out our door, she will grab hold of my boot and pull/bite/drag, and simply not let go. She wants to toss my foot around like a rag doll. It's embarrassing to walk down the street with her. People think it's either "cute" or i have a mad dog. But walks have become simply intolerable.

Today she spent an hour in the park playing with another dog that wiped her out, the moment we got to our block, she went for my boot. It's like a cue. 

I stand like a statue and wait and then she gets bored and leaves my boot alone. I start walking and she starts again. I've tried giving her commands such as heel and stay to distract her but it doesn't work longterm. And get this, my mom and dad says she does it with them sometimes but they say no, pull her leash and she stops. She doesn't listen to me. I'm the primary person in the household who trains her, plays with her and does everything proactive with her. She's established my dad as the alpha. My mom mostly takes her out for potty breaks and feeds her. They say she sees me as a littermate but how do I stop this behavior. What do I do??


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I'm not so clear on the "revival" poster's situation, but the initial poster's dog saw this as a huge wonderful game. 

I'd say -- Up the training and train a bit when you are on walks. I throw in some training on walks almost always. I train primarily by rewarding good behavior and trying real hard to ignore the bad. One of the first things I train is focus and my training often is 1. dog volunteers behavior (they do, eventually, volunteer the behavior) 2. I name and reward that behavior & 3. praise like crazy. Over and over and over again.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

For Athenaclimbs:

My dog is the same age, and he does this sometimes too. I hold the leash out and pull up at the same time so he can't quite get my leg (if I lean just right he can't really get it) and say "NOOOOO...(in a low tone) NO BITE!" If I stand stock still and look the other way, he stops. It sometimes takes 4-5-6-7 times, LOL, but he does, then we can continue on. I make him do a few sit stand downs before we start actually walking. I think you might need to start verbally correcting her, so she knows you don't like the behavior. You just have to be careful not to make _too _big a deal out of it. I try doing some clicker training for a minute or two, with some really high value treats. Also, try a new place, even if you have to drive to get there. I know you live in the city, but the same ol same ol gets boring FAST to a little pup.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

*progress!*

middleofnowhere, I meant that I'm reviving the thread because I'm in a similar situation.

Anyway, I'm here today with GREAT news. I think I was making too big of a deal about it (primarily because I was so frustrated). I decided this morning on our walk to change everything about how I was correcting her. From the moment before we stepped through the door, I made her sit and wait until I went out first (so I already had her focus), then I made her heel all the way outside (thank god for treats). She strayed a bit and went for my leg but then I stood there like a statue, calmly repeated NO (for as long as it took; and it took a while the first time around). She stopped and looked at me. Then I said "good" and we started heeling again. The walk was GREAT after that. It's great because we will train outside on our walks all the time now. 

I can't stress how standing still, ignoring her and not making a fuss is such a way to go.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm glad you figured it out. Waiting. In the beginning the waiting seems to take forever. It gets easier every time.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

you are not the dog's prey object . You are not the dog's play toy. 

If you know it happens when you put him outdoors or go for walks , change the situation and put a muzzle on him , preventing his pushing you around and biting . 

That gives you the chance to get some smart obedience in , opportunities for direction , positive engagement and praise.

I am thinking that if you were to push a wheelbarrow he might be fixated on the wheel , all crazy eyed "locked in prey". I have seen this done and the dog refocused on the moving bits . I am thinking that is why he is gripping your feet .

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks Carmen. I think redirection and consistency is key in this case. She's still in the landshark phase but I think putting a muzzle on a pup might be necessary. It will stop her behavior but not correcting her or teaching her that it's wrong.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Athena, I knew why you were reviving the thread - I wasn't as sure as your situation as I was the OP's. 
I'm glad you got it figured out. Now she can move on to the next challenge for you!


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

I used a different approach.
I used high value treats when I started walking Kira. She knew I had something better than my feet, and would pay attention to me, thoughout the entire walk.

Part of our training exercise, involves walking, stopping, then sitting, then treat, and repeat numerous times.
Now she knows that if she walks nicely, I will stop, and give her a treat.
Hotdogs work. They love them more than landsharking.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

She's still doing it. Very aggressively. I distract her with treats and make her heel but I have to do it ALL THE TIME to the point where I can't have a relaxed walk with her. 

Also, lately, she's been more nippy. She always nips at our hands when we take off or put on her leash.

What do I do?


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Athena I soooo wish you could find a place off leash to hike her. I really think that would help tons. Is there anywhere? Also some correction verbally might help too, but I think there's a really fine line between working and making it worse. How about raw bones? That will help with the chewing part of it.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks Rocket. What's funny is she does it all the time no matter if she's tired or not. This time she did it after we took her to a grassy park and she ran off leash for 1.5 hours with 5 other dogs. She sat down so I knew she was pooped but by the time we were entering home, she started. 

I plan to hike with her on the weekends but I can't hike with her everyday (I wish though!). I do verbally correct her, I say NO and OW. I then stand like a statue until she stops but once I start walking again she starts again. And it's hard to stop when we're crossing the stress, she bites at my boot like a mad dog. She looks crazy!


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Hang in there, isn't she really close to the same age as Rocket? He turned 19 weeks on Wed. Do you try the leash hold back and up at the same time so they can't get to your foot? He's really MUCH MUCH improved in the last couple days...I am hoping this is that "magic" where they just kinda stop doing it, LOL, i.e. they grew out of it. He barely tried at all today. Different dogs of course will be on different timelines, and different temperaments, but soon I bet she will stop. :hugs:


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## Judahsmom (Mar 2, 2011)

*biting...*

a repeated incident that got on my last nerve with Judah was after we'd be walking for a while, out of nowhere, he would grab the leash and pull and try to run...like he got a wild hair or something. My trainer suggested that I start taking a toy with me that he could bit and pull on. When I started doing this, all the other behavior stopped completely. I have a toy that has 2 holes in it and he grabs one with his mouth and I hold onto the other...he like to run with it like that with me beside him. This really changed the situation for me. After a while, he'll just drop the toy and he's done. Hopefully this is something some of you can try too.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

My dog is going to be 5 months on the 9th. Which is pretty old for this kind of behavior, right? She has a new job when she find a stick she must carry it at all times, which is pretty cute. BUT, she has to find and pick the stick, I can't give it to her otherwise she'll lose interest. I've given her toys but she just drops those. Maybe a rawhide bone will work.

Any ideas on a good rawhide bone that's good for them?

Also Judahsman, my girl pulls on the leash when she needs to get somewhere but not all the time (that's when she's focused on my boot). But when she pulls on the leash it either means she wants to go home or is pulling me to her peepee spot


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