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nipping shih tzu: teething or a behavioral issue?


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

My wife and I are new to the world of dog ownership. We recently got a shih tzu. He is now four months old. My problem is that when I play with him, he will attempt to mouth and bite my hands. I have tried the technique of yelping as another dog would when bitten, but that does not seem to be doing the trick. When he does this, should I cease playing with him immediately? Any help would be appreciated.

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Guest Anonymous

Yes, excellent idea to stop playing with him when he is biting. At four months, he bite inhibition should be developed---that is too say he should have a soft mouth, no hard bites. As younger pups it is actually good to let them mouth you to some degree so they can develop/learn what a soft mouth is. But now, at 4 months he should be learning that teeth aren't to be used in play on human skin. I would do as you said....cease all play. Leave the room for a minute or so & come back and play again. Teeth=you leave again. Often, the more repeitions of this the faster they learn that teeth=you leave & no play.

A good book on the whole mouth issue is What to do After You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. Plus, lots of other good info in there.

Have fun w/ your bundle of fur! :)

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Plus, at four months, he is in all likelyhood starting to teethe, a wet washcloth that's been frozen and tied in a knot should help, along with plenty of appropriate chew toys. Pups chew to relieve the pain of the new teeth cresting, and continue to do so even after the new teeth come in, a dogs teeth don't set firmly in the jaw until 12 to 14 months of age.
Enjoy your new pup :D !

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when he bites, stand tall, turn your back, cross your arms and put your hands in your armpits, put your heels and toes together, and look slightly up. it takes seconds to get into this positon, and it leaves the dog isolated. for me, yelping has just never worked. correction tends not to work, because they're not sure what they did wrong. "Isolating" them when they nip works because it is immediate and they gradually draw a connection...nip...no play...no nip...keep playing! it took minutes for my apbt to learn this, and I let her teethe on my knuckles when she was a baby.

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  • 3 years later...

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