Biting, biting

[Edyna]

Whenever he is in the park off leash he will find something to eat. He will never leave it and if I'm catching him he will bite me. Actually he is biting me all the time I'm trying to forbid him to do something in the park (in that moment I'm not anymore his friend, I become an impediment in his way). He never does this to my husband.

Always when he wants our attention or especially when he wants to go outside he will chew our hands. The same way he wakes my husband up every morning, just waiting for his palm to appear.

Did you have this kind of problems? How did you get rid of them?

[siberian_wolf]

hmm, we had the odd play bite a few times from Gizmo but nothing major and he soon stopped as we passed the chewing onto his toys.

It sounds to me like he is trying to be above you in the pack and bossing you around but Im not completely sure.

A few methods Ive seen around here to stop biting is:

1) Hold the mouth gently closed and give them a firm "NO"

2) When they start to bite you, try to encourage them to bite their toys and not your hand and give them loads of praise when they do bite the toys and not you.

3) If they bit put your hand to the back of the mouth so can't close it

4) Gently put slight pressure on the bottom jaw by holding it

5) Simply try and get some brain teasing toys or something where they can pass their biting too and that will kepp the brain occupied

[Koda&Zikka]

When we got Koda he was terrible for biting - i think he was playing mind but at 9 weeks or so them little pins could really hurt! we constently told him off for biting us with a stern NO and a gentle tap on the nose then we would walk away and not play with him. Every time he licked we told him he was a good boy and treated him.

The above worked a little too well as now when we come home or we have guests he will sit there licking their legs or hands or face, which is a nice welcome for us but not for our guests

[Edyna]

siberian_wolf, sometimes I also think that he is taking me like his pack colleague (and my husband as our Master ).

He is chewing his toys as well (actually destroys them) and his bones but sometimes he is interested in anything else but our palms.

Thank you for the advices, I will definitely follow them. But what to do if we are outside, he is off leash and I have to stop him immediately from doing something bad. Maybe I don't have to grasp him by collar, but what else?

Koda&Zikka, unfortunately a firm NO doesn't work in this case, he will stop and in few minutes renew his activity. Anyhow, licking is better than biting isn;t it .

[Koda&Zikka]

the only other time Koda went to bite me was when he was not well, he was lying on the sofa feeling very sorry for himself and when i went to move him he turned aroung and put my arm in his mouth.

He didnt put any pressure in it as i am sure it was just a warning however i then pushed him off any way by his scruff (they do not wear collars in the house) and lay him on his side with me pushing his neck so it was flat to the floor.

i then told him to stay which he did until i told him he could go. if they move you must push their neck to the floor this shows you are in charge and in the wild the lead of the pack would do this only with its teeth and in a far more aggressive manner.

needless to say it was only after this did if find the two piles of sick behind the sofa which made me feel a little bad as i am sure he was pretty sick.

[mbb23]

Hey,

Grey can be terrible for his biting he more does so when bored and wanting to play but I put alot down to his age(9 months) I would say do what siberian-wolf says, when biting hold mouth shut and give a firm no! we do this with Grey and it kinda helps. Also keep an eye out for signs of aggressive behaviour

i.e- aggressive over food, toys, children or even a member of the family if signs of this start to show then you might want to get a Dog behaviour consultant in to help. (bare in mind the breed have very much a mind of its own and can be hard to train) I think your sibe is more trying to test you and this a dominant thing which most sibes will show at some point.

Grey also like to push his luck with me but not with Tony as he knows and see him as the boss of the house(top dog)

have a look at this it might help-

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Dominant-Dog-Dealing-with-Dominance-in-Dogs

Hope I have been some help. Let us know how you get on. Good luck

Mary & Grey

x x x x x x

[Edyna]

Thanks for the link, Mary.

You are right, he is testing me in many situations and there are a lot of things he will never do to my husband. ... but, still sometimes he is checking if the rules are the same, or maybe he can take the leadership in his paws...

he is not agressive at all (exept from when I;m interrupting him doing something wrong in the park), I can take away from him his food, the toy he is playing with, or the bone he is chewing, but dominant, yes.... Iyou can see it from the way he is playing with other dogs...

I was also advised to give him some food from my hand. What do you think?

[mbb23]

Thanks for the link, Mary.

You are right, he is testing me in many situations and there are a lot of things he will never do to my husband. ... but, still sometimes he is checking if the rules are the same, or maybe he can take the leadership in his paws...

he is not agressive at all (exept from when I;m interrupting him doing something wrong in the park), I can take away from him his food, the toy he is playing with, or the bone he is chewing, but dominant, yes.... Iyou can see it from the way he is playing with other dogs...

I was also advised to give him some food from my hand. What do you think?

When he is good you could try rewarding him by hand with his fav treats so that the msg sinks in that you are boss over him and not the other way around (This also comes down to the cliche- "Never bite the hand that feeds you")

Hope it work out for you!! keep me posted

Mary & Grey

x x x x x

[Sarah]

Great answers guys, added to rep.

With regards to being off leash - for one, i don't think this is a great idea as huskies are not the best for recall, but having said that - other people do have different opinions which is fine

Have you ever and again I know some people won't agree with me on this, put him in a down - i.e on his side? I'm concerned that if you don't get this sorted soon that it could turn into a different form of aggression.

Try one thing at a time though don't try 3 or 4 ideas in a day, keep consistency and he will soon learn, don't despair

Please let us know how you get on xx

[siberian_wolf]

great advice Mary and Sarah added to reps

I agree sometimes by pinning them down and holding them there until they have calmed will sometimes help overcome the problem but in some situations like when the aggression escalates pinning them down doesnt always work.

Also, as sarah suggested, take it one tip at a time otherwise you can cause confusion. Give each tip a few days, if need be a week, and if they prove to work keep it going and if it doesnt change to another.

Keep us updated

[Bec]

How old is the dog in question?

If your posts are any indication, he is pushing the boundaries and has no respect for you.

Pushing him down on the ground won't change the fact that there is something you aren't doing properly with your daily interactions with him to get him to see you as the boss. Alpha rolling is only good for one thing and that's getting bitten. I'd rather not take that risk and instead analyse where it is I'm going wrong to create the situation we have in the first place.

What happens if the OP does try to alpha roll the dog and it decides to take her up on the challenge and bites her? Or is too strong for her to push down? This is exactly what I've seen happen with numerous dogs including my youngest bitch, whose behaviour escalated from a simple warning growl to biting when I followed through with the advice that I scruff her and force her to comply with me. A truly dominate dog would not lie down without a fight... and even if it did, it's not going to change the fact that you are still going wrong somewhere in the first place.

We should have no problem handling our dogs and moving them around if we have to, I can get my all my dogs to lie on the ground and roll onto their backs without a problem, but forcing them into that position will not magically get them to respect or want to obey me.

if they move you must push their neck to the floor this shows you are in charge and in the wild the lead of the pack would do this only with its teeth and in a far more aggressive manner.

Actually the alpha in a dog or wolf pack doesn't need to physically dominate lower pack members - they willingly submiss. The reason the above myth started was because researchers would see lower pack members approach the alpha, the alpha would stand over them and the lower pack member would roll over and submiss purely out of respect to the alpha - no force necessary, in fact the alpha won't even so much as touch the lower pack member, because a true alpha does not need to use physical force to control lower pack members.

Each to their own if some people feel it's a successful way to manage their dogs, but I've not yet worked with a single trainer or behaviourist who agrees it's a good or safe method to use. It's also one that is so commonly recommended over the net and on this forum - which we need to be careful about as it is incredibly dangerous considering the possible reaction you can and do get from the dogs when you alpha roll them - even Cesar Milan is regularly bitten when doing so! But also because not one of us has met the dog in question nor the OP to be able to suggest a method that has as much risk attached to it as the alpha roll is the right method for this dog, or one that the handler can easily follow through with safely and successfully.

In this instance, before jumping to suggest a punishment for the dog, I'd want to know about how old the dog is, what kind of training the OP does with the dog, what their daily interactions are, how these interactions differ between the OP and the husband who does not have the same problem with the dog etc. Ultimately, in cases where the dog is showing serious aggression, we will never be able to give a diagnosis over the net as it's one instance where you need to see the dog to be able to understand the behaviour. It could very well be that the best and safest suggestion we can make is for the OP to consult with a reputable trainer or behaviourist.

ETA: I hope I haven't offended anyone, as what works for one person may not work for the other and vice versa, I just wanted to give another view and suggest perhaps in this situation, we should get as much info as possible from the OP before suggesting a training method If I've stepped over the line flame away lol.

[Bec]

needless to say it was only after this did if find the two piles of sick behind the sofa which made me feel a little bad as i am sure he was pretty sick.

He probably snapped at you because he was uncomfortable or sore - Micha has never snapped at me, but he has done a funny sort of growl sound if I've grabbed him by his back end. It's not an aggressive or dominating growl - he does it because he has arthritis and it hurts if someone grabs him there. In fact, it was the fact he was clearly uncomfortable being touched around his back end that led me to suspect something wasn't quite right, which our vet later confirmed.

It's certainly not uncommon for dogs to cry, snap or growl if they are in pain, something to think about if it happens again I guess I would never punish Micha if he growled at me because I'd (inadvertently) hurt him. I realise you probably know that now in hindsight, but it's just something for others to consider if their dog ever growls like that in a similar situation.

[Bec]

Whenever he is in the park off leash he will find something to eat. He will never leave it and if I'm catching him he will bite me. Actually he is biting me all the time I'm trying to forbid him to do something in the park (in that moment I'm not anymore his friend, I become an impediment in his way). He never does this to my husband.

When you say 'he will find something to eat', what do you mean? Is he off leash somewhere food is available, or does he find things he wants to chew on? What is that he finds he wants to eat? What exactly do you do when you catch him eating something - do you yell at him to drop it, run over and grab him etc? Are there any other times he bites you in the park - or is it just over food?

Don't think about being his friend - he's a dog so he won't ever see you as a friend, he will see you as a pack member - where he sees you in the pack is up to you. What does your husband do differently to you, that means the dog has more respect for him?

[Dunc]

On here you will find some of the best ideas on the net and you are right to ask but looking at your pic you sibe is only a puppy so my 1st question would be have you been to training ? the most amazing thing we found by going to puppy classes was its more for you than the dog which is what most of us need.

Plz it really does sound like you need professional help and there are classes in every town.

[Bec]

Dunc - I totally agree! Training classes can have a huge benefit, not just because it can increase the dog and handler bond, but also because the dog gets used to being trained and having to focus in what is often a high distraction environment.

[mbb23]

Thanks guys for adding to rep

xx xx xx

[Edyna]

Thank you much to all of you for the advices. I read it through carefully and will write something tommorrow morning.

Wishing you all a nice evening,

[Edyna]

I'm really sorry I couldn't write more yesterday, had a hectic day.

Leo is a 7 months old puppy.

We are looking for a trainer, but for a professional that has experience with huskies, and it is not at all because of our puppy, but it is us who need some support for better understanding him. I'm quite sure that he is biting me in those specific situations because I do something wrong. For now I read a lot of speciality literature and count on your experiences and advices. Many thanks for it.

I want to specify, that this is a problem for me now, but it is not an ardent one. I understand very well, that I have to do something now in order to avoid facing a serious problem.

I spend a lot of time with him, playing and training him. He is doing everything I;m asking him, inside or in our yard, of course, but now he is getting better in places with more distracting factors. I can get him easily to lie on the ground and roll onto his back, but when I follow how is he playing with other dogs I see him dominant, he will never accept to be under them, but he is not aggressive and he is avoiding loud dogs, or dogs that seems to him aggressive.

I unleash him only in secure areas.

The parks in our city are not to clean. There are some bushes in the park I'm taking him to, where he always can find some leftovers (pieces of bread, sausages, bones, pieces of plastic, paper...). Don't ask me why people throw them over there and not in trash cans standing few meters away.

When he starts to eat something I will say Leo, No in a lout voice, and approaching him Leo, leave it. But I know that he will not leave it and I know as well that the thing he is trying to swallow can be dangerous, so I'm grabbing him by the collar, when he is biting my hand. He is trying to bite me only if I want to stop him from eating (usually garbage).

a very good question Smeagle, What I'm doing different from my husband. Hmm, I don't know. Probably, Leo just feels him stronger.