Loco Mini-Dachshund

[crazybagladies]

I have a 11 week old mini-dachshund (female) and she is ultra-aggressive with her biting and barking.
i have tried just about everything known to mankind to stop the biting - but it seems more than just teething - she is VERY aggressive - as though she wants to bite and inflict pain. She seeks you out to bite...
Her barking, even when ignored, continues....
She is so aggressive I cannot let her around any of my children or my large shar-pei because he will get fed up and go after her.

ANY suggestions?
I'm so tired and fresh out of ideas.
I need this biting to stop.

I have tried:
giving her a toy in place of my hands (bones, chewy toys, etc..)
spraying my hands with bitter apple (didn't work)
saying "No Bite" sternly and ignoring her for a few minutes.

I did not try hot sauce as I think that sounds inhumane.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Toaster]

Wow... I have a mini dox and he is the most gentle dog ever... and at 11 weeks he didn't make a sound.. he didn't start barking until he was 7 months old or so... so I'm shocked to hear about her behavior.

The only thing Stogie does that I don't like is when he's resting on someone, and anyone comes to get him from that person - he'll growl, but a nice stern STOGIE NO! puts a stop to that usually.

He nibbles on us, but its absolutely playful... I have a 3 year old nephew who plays with Stogie (and stogie loves him btw) and I have absolutely no reservation leaving them two unattended.... neither one would hurt the other one.

I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions, but I know if Stogie ever bit out of anger, it would hurt! so becareful, especially with your kids. Sounds like maybe she need to be punished for being too agressive? I know most people dont agree with that, but ---- what else can you do?

 

[crazybagladies]

Thanks for your note...

I'm so confused as to what to do.
I'm trying everything but nothing seems to work.

My Shar-Pei is so laid back - I only wish my doxie would be more like him.
He's a puppy too...6 months.

If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE share them. If I can't get the aggression and barking under control, I'm gonna have to find her a new home.
She is really a bad biter/barker. All she does.

Looking forward to more replies..

By the way, Stogie is beautiful

I'll attach a pic of Symphony - This was at 7 weeks - she is beautiful though.

 

[Sugardog]

Your puppy is adorable

There is one thing that you haven't tried yet and it is gauranteed to work as long as you follow the steps exactly.

If you are playing with your puppy and she bites, simply say "oops!" or "whoops" in a normal voice (not yelling or anything) and then get up and leave.

If she follows you when you leave and continues to bite, or if she just approaches you and bites for attention, just flat out ignore it. Don't say "no" don't even look down.

It will take some patience, and it will take you having to sacrafice a little more skin, but it works and here's why.

She bites because it gets a reaction. If she bites while you are standing or sitting doing something else and you bend down to say no or push her away, you have just rewarded her. If your timing isn't good and you give her a toy after she bites you while playing, again you are rewarding her. In fact, puppies can take you grabbing their muzzle, wagging your finger at them, flipping them....anything like that can be perceived as a reward to a puppy.

Now remember, don't just ignore, get up and leave completely. She nipped you, the fun is over and your done for at least 5 minutes (or 5 minutes after she leaves if she follows you and pesters you). Go back to playing again and if she nips a second time, same deal. Say your marker word (like "oops") get up and leave. Continue to do this over and over and be consistent. She will soon learn that if she wants your attention, then her teeth must never come into contact with your hand.

 

[puppyluv2004]

My 6 month old mini doxie, Hula, was very much the same way at 11 weeks. I dont know what to tell you when it comes to the barking. I guess just keep ignoring it as much as possible. I'm sure someone will have better advice for you on that. As for the biting...what's been working for me (Hula still bites sometimes when she gets really excited while playing) is to just say "no biting", give her a toy to chew on, and ignore her until she settles down. Your girl is still very young, and will learn that biting is not ok...Just be patient and keep working with her. She's absolutely adorable, by the way! Hula's a smooth black and tan, like Stogie.

 

[Toaster]

She's adorable! I'd love to get Stogie a "wife" that was about a year old or so... then let them have puppies.

I wish I could give you better advice on Symphony... I never had to deal with those problems, so I don't have any remedies. The only real issue we had (have) with Stogie is using the bathroom in the house. He still doesn't completely understand bathroom inside is bad, either he doesnt understand or he doesn't care.... eitherway he's still pooping in the house when we're not watching him.

Stogie says THANKS to all of you who think he's good lookin'

GOOD LUCK AND KEEP US POSTED.

 

[Doberluv]

In addition to Sugardog's excellent advice, be sure to show her what behavior DOES bring her what she wants, your attention/affection. (And even a special treat) Anytime she is calm and gentle, even if it's only for a few seconds, calmly reward her. The instant she hurts you with her teeth, repeat what Sugardog said. You'll be jumping up and down from the couch (or wherever) like a jack rabbit for a while. But you need to be consistant, not only in removing the play and attention, but in reinforcing the good behavior.

Meanwhile, are you teaching her the basic obedience skills, like sit, down, come? When she'd like some attention, give her an alternative BEFORE she bites or grabs you. "Sit." Then reward. In other words, show her alternative behavior which DOES work to her advantage.

Give her plenty of exercise so she's not so wound up, physical and mental. They're both very important. And give her a chew toy, maybe a Kong with a little peanut butter smuged in it as another alernative for her chewing needs. Puppies do this. It's not abnormal. They play and they play roughly, some more than others until they learn bite inhibition better. You can do a search on that here or online. It's very important for a pup to learn how to regulate the pressure of her bite.

She's only a baby and growing up takes time. Have patience. This will pass. I admire you for not resorting to Tabasco sauce. You don't want your pup to have pain and erode her trust in you. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[MisssAshby]

It sounds like you have gotten some excellent advice from some knowledgeable people.

The other thing I used and it seemed to work is when our male would nip we would use "ouch" in a firm tone and then put him down off of the couch or whatever and ignore him. Pretty much the same thing as already mentioned but using "ouch" instead.

It got to the point that we could predict when he was going to do something and would say "ouch" before he did it and he would know he couldn't do that.