Biting!

We have a puppy (Bullmastiff), he will be 5 months tomorrow and he is in a real "biting" phase and I don't know what to do.
He is teething...his teeth are falling out, so this part we understand.
However, he has this thing with me (only me not even DH ),
when I get on the phone or have "things to do" he will bite onto my clothing and start pulling at me!
I know I'm the one home most of the day with him, but he is getting really big (he is about 60 lbs now). Any other time he is totally fine...its just those momnets.
Any suggestiosn of what I can do?

Re: Biting!

Reprimand him immediately! And be consistant.. I know its so hard when they are too darn cute but you really must obtain your pack leader status with such a strong breed.. you have to..

Re: Biting!

Yeah....I have been doing that! I have read, they DO grow out of this!

Re: Biting!

I would carry a little water bottle with you. This is how i got porter out of his bitting phase. I tried bitter apple but he like bitter apple. I just squirt a stream of water by his mouth said NO in a deep voice and he would stop. After a week or 2 he got the picture

Re: Biting!

He's trying to dominate you.. You have to put him in his place immediately.. YOU are the boss not him.. you have to give him stern NO's

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we would grab char's muzzle, hold her mouth shut, say NO in a loud/stern voice and we even took her own paw a few times and put it in her mouth -- and lightly "mimicked" the biting. so that she would understand that it hurts and it is not tolerated.

be very very very tough w/ those kinds of dogs - they are head-strong and will try and dominate. if you show them who is boss they will respect you AND be better behaved b/c they WANT someone (you) to be the pack leader -- they don't want to feel like they don't know who the leader is. they like to have a "master" and they enjoy pleasing.

for char, and i always say this - but the can of coins worked with every single bad behavior and biting was one of those behaviors. just fill a coffee can half way with coins and shake violently at them when they do something wrong. good luck - be consistent!

Re: Biting!

You might also want to make sure you have plenty of bones and chew toys out. When Bella was a puppy and she nipped, I would immediately give her a bone to chew on. It worked really well. Good luck!

Re: Biting!

Thanks for the responses.
We did the coin in the jar....he just jumps up to the jar. Nothing seems to phase him anymore (in terms of fear). The water bottle was working, but I think he caught onto it!
He now stops and puts his mouth on it to "catch" the water.
TOYS...OMG...I feel like we have children the amount of toys he has


Its just very strange he only does it to me. I will keep on trying eveything. Now I make him have a "timeout" when he does it.
Have a great evening!

Re: Biting!

Yea coins and waterbottle didnt work with Maverick

I just gave a stern no and held his mouth then i shoved a toy in his mouth to let him know u can bite this. I did not play with him and the toy I just gave it to him and walked away

Re: Biting!

If he's only doing it to you it may be more of a dominance thing than teething. Someone else mentioned that earlier. He may be testing you to see if he ranks above you or not.
Definitely keep reprimanding him so he knows you are in charge. Also, make sure you are letting him know you are the leader at other times too walking on a leash, giving food and so on.
Obedience classes might help with this a lot. I'm not sure where you are but I used a lady out east that I loved. She was great with the dogs. I know she also suggested to add a little lemon juice to the water bottle, he probably won't like the taste of that and it won't hurt him.

Re: Biting!

thanks for the suggestions! I will try the lemon juice.
YES...it is only with me, then again I'm the one home with him all day!

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OMG I HAVE A BULLMASTIFF AND I CAN RELATE!!!!
Pics in album)!
I went for MONTHS with torn shirt sleeves and pants legs! After awhile I would just drag him around with him attached to me because he would not stop! (He will, trust me!) I tried reprimanding, squirting water in his face, held a toy or bone in front of him to distract him from biting on me, nothing worked. He never was aggressive, but his playful biting had me all cut up. He was and is afraid of DH since DH has a deeper stronger voice, but me he would just go to town! At 5 months old he went to obedience school (they trained with a shock collar). We had a bad experience with the school, but I defniitely recommend enrolling your dog SOON. He calmed down, and is the best dog Iever met. Sweet, gentle, friendly, loyal, affectionate. You can put your hand in his food, take bones, etc..from him, touch him anywhere. I LOVE the breed. But I cannot stress enough that you must reprimand him as many times as it takes they are very stubborn and very smart. We also crated trained him, but he had a bad chewing problem when left alone loose. He destroyed countless shoes and 3 beds we bought for him, he has a clothing/cloth fetish! Onlynow that he is almost 2 can we leave him loose and he still will chew an occasional thing here and there. I can go on and on, FM me!!

Message edited 10/7/2008 4:50:13 PM.