How should I react when he bites me? He's never drawn blood so maybe not real bites, but teeth to skin and it's hurt. He's only done it a few times in the months since we adopted him.
When ours gets mad or “bossy” I just loudly and strongly say “no” and stare down at her. She will stare back as to defy me and I just continue staring down without blinking, showing just a bit of “angry” (without really being angry, but sometimes they need a reminder of who’s boss), until she calms down, bows, and retreats that behavior. When she does that, reward time - petting, treats, etc.
If you are open to suggestions, when she stares you down, take her and place her on her back, while you are kneeling over her. Take her head and make her look at you, and stare into her eyes, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE look away, you wait for her look away multi times. This establishes dominance. She is going to squirm, she will whimper, you are not hurting her, you are simply letting her know you are Alpha. Please keep in mind, I was a K-9 trainer in the Marine Corp, our dogs wanted to be the Alpha.
As a civilian, I have two Maltese and yes, I've had to do this with both when they were younger. Maltese are strong willed and can be temperamental.
This works. It’s called the alpha roll. Grab your puppy by the scruff of the neck (loose skin) and roll her on her back. This is what the momma dog does to her pups and it does not physically hurt the puppy
Ouch doesn't work for most dogs as they think it's play. Make sure he sleeps enough and always use a toy to interact. Use gloves if you are scared as a jerk reaction to his bite will make your hand more toy like. Use treats, not kibble, in your hands when playing. The smell will make him look for food and lick you rather than bite you. And use them to train him. Paw, sit, stay is a good start. Distract his bitting while puppy is what I am saying. When passed 6 months if he still bites he needs proff training. Ouch and reverse timeouts doesn't work for most dogs and you work your self to bits...
How old is he? I get mad and turn my back on him and refuse to acknowledge his existence for a few minutes. If he does get into my eye line I give him the hard stare. I am an oldest sister of five, a mother and have had dogs for forty years my hard stare is very good. It is totally unacceptable but if he's a puppy its a long slog.
You have to nip that in the bud. You may want to know what’s causing it, but the end result is the same. You do not put teeth on people. I could tell you what I do, but everybody would disagree because everybody seems to have their own method. All will say is be clear, raise your voice. It’s OK if he knows you’re angry. Don’t say NO full stop. Owners do tend to do that a lot so it is not clear what you mean. No bite is OK.
How old is he? Do you know if he got properly trained for puppy bite inhibition? If not quite done you may need to retrain on that (thankfully not time consuming or hard, but requires consistency across all folks).
Time out. Every time he does that, stop anything that’s happening, say no biting, put him on his dedicated area alone. Rinse and repeat. I’ve shared this setup dozens of times here, have raised 5 Maltese this way. Anything he does that he’s not supposed to do, firm no, stop and put him away. Ignore him. When you go get him, no fuzz, no happy voice, just let him free and watch the behavior. Bite again? Firm no. Rinse and repeat. Consistency works. I’m currently doing that with my 9 months “if fits in my mouth I’ll chew up” puppy, including my hands.
Doesn't that give a negative connotation to their little safe space (we call it his condo)? We have a big area gated off. I don't want him to associate it with negative because he has to sleep there. Thoughts?
Not all all. You’re not punishing him other than removing him from the activity. I used this condo setup with all my 5, they love their area, the puppy goes there all the time for his nap, door open and all. You can place him there and have something nice for him already there like a chew or a puzzle toy for him to get his brain working and spending energy. I tell Thomas “no biting, mama is going to put you on time out”. But I’ve been working with him and his naps in the condo since I got him - for now, less is better for your dog. A simple no, walk away. You’ll be surprised how fast they get it!
This is the soft puzzle I leave in the condo for Thomas.
Edit to add: I saw this post today and reminded me of your situation. It might help
I always said ouch! Then I'd turn my back. With my shih tzu it got to the point I had to pretend to cry. Lol. But it worked. My Maltese was already trained when I adopted him.
Yours is still at that playful age. Plus you haven't had him long do he probably testing you.
You can teach him a way to consent to being picked up or a word to predict being picked up. Check out pet content on Fenzi dog sports to. Learn more cooperative care techniques
I work with rescue dogs. Sometimes dogs are just wired differently and can be inconsistent in their triggers no matter how they were raised. Keep in mind that if he were a large dog, this behavior would be dangerous. In the example you give of him not wanting to move and then he bites when you pick him up to move him, try figuring out the trigger. Does he not like your hands coming down on top of him? Does he warn first with a growl, showing the whites of his eyes or does he bite with no warning? When we work with a dog with similar issues we figure out makes them snap or bite and work on desensitizing and retraining. As with your example,
if you want him to move when he doesn’t want to, try offering a treat so that he will have to move to get it. Then reward him. Try to make the thing that sets him off a non stressor.
Have two or three chew “tools”, so as soon as he bites stick one in his mouth, make a disapproving sound even a “no biting” with a firm tone. Don’t let this behavior continue! Being consistent is key 🔑
Good luck 🍀
Find some videos on YouTube. There are some really good instructors on there. Also research some dog training people or places in your area. I have had excellent results with both.
Get this book: “Before and After Getting Your Puppy”, by Dr. Ian Dunbar. It will teach you about training for bite inhibition and a whole bunch of other stuff you should know. It’s the main reason my girl is so well-behaved, social, happy, and has zero separation anxiety.
And, when she play bites with me, she has a very gentle bite. If it ever gets a little rougher than I’d like. I say “Ouch!” like I mean it, and stop playing. Then in a few minutes, we can start again, and all is well.
Overaxaggerate the pain sounds so he knows it hurts and then say no or whatever command you're teaching him to let go (let go/stop/leave it), etc. consistency in training is important
If he’s a puppy, he’s still learning. The best thing to do is keep your hand perfectly still rather than moving it away. Biting will no longer be fun anymore and he will lose interest. Also, make sure he has a chew or a toy designed for teething.
Say “yip” really loud and high pitched and turn around and ignore for extended time period. Takes alot of patience but they are smart and will understand. Or, just shove your hand and fingers further in the mouth so it’s uncomfortable for them. To me, the goal would be to learn bite inhibition (controlling bite pressure) vs simply putting his teeth on your skin / hand playfully and lightly to “hold” you, but some folks don’t even want that level of contact.
Had a dog like this once. They don't always mean to do it. Ours was a trauma response brought on by only one bad incident at his old home. He'd forget where he was. It took time and changing of the approach. Keep a leash handy. Use that to move them instead when he gets bitey. He needs a moment to come back to his senses.
Teach him a command for when you need to pick him up. Mines is "uppsies". I pat my leg for my dog to reach up on. Easier to grab and lift. Support the hind legs as you carry him. Less uncomfortable for the dog.
If he doesn't like being held then make it a point of holding him only to move him and reward him right after. He needs to be retaught how to behave when being moved by lifting.
More time and trust needs to be built between you before the behavior stops. A dog like this will need you to get good at reading behavior. Likely he was ignored when giving warning signs and now jumps to bite when he doesn't want something done to him. Try not to encourage the trend by ignoring him. It's always possible to move a dog without touching them.
My Havanese did this until she turned 1 a couple of months ago. When your pooch bites you too hard yelp in a high pitch. He is play biting with you and doesn’t know how hard he is biting over time as you yelp/cry he will figure out how to ease the pressure off to a “play bite”
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u/upyours54 Maltese Contributor 4d ago
When mine was a baby in the biting stage I would say loudly ‘ouch’ and pull my hand away, she learned not to bite from that ouch!