Dealing with arousal biting?

remy · Jun 5, 2023

Remy is 5 months old now and he has been such a great puppy! My only issue with him is biting, specifically what I learned is called “arousal biting.” He also gets like this when he’s too tired, so I try to make sure he’s getting naps as well. When he gets in this mood it can be very hard to stop the biting, as even firmly saying “no” seems to work him up more. Sometimes asking him to sit or offering a toy to bite works, but usually it’s only temporary before he wants to bite again.

Now I will leave him alone in a baby gated area, or crate him for a few minutes if it’s very bad. When I come back 95% of the time he is back to his sweet self and gives me kisses. That other 5% of the time he goes back to the biting so I’ll leave again. Sometimes he just seems relentless and will keep coming at me.

One of the situations this happens is when I run with him. We are training for conformation and when I try to do a down & back with him, he will usually jump and typically that is followed by the biting. I almost feel like I should hold off on conformation classes until I can fix/help this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! He is my first puppy (and Doberman) and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

JanS · Jun 5, 2023

I'm sure his hormones are starting to show so he's going to start challenging you soon too.

remy said:
I almost feel like I should hold off on conformation classes until I can fix/help this?

I think if you have a good trainer, they can help stem this so I would keep going.

There's nothing wrong with some animation/enthusiasm in the ring but the biting thing isn't good.

remy · Jun 5, 2023

JanS said:
I'm sure his hormones are starting to show so he's going to start challenging you soon too.

I think if you have a good trainer, they can help stem this so I would keep going.

There's nothing wrong with some animation/enthusiasm in the ring but the biting thing isn't good.

I feel like he is already at the stage of trying to challenge me, unless that gets worse

Sometimes he is just relentless with the biting when he gets in those moods. That’s why I started just to leave him, anything else seems to rile him up.

He has only been to one class so far, and he actually did very good with the running there. Only one time did he jump up (no biting), but the trainer just dismissed it as a “puppy thing.” I will try to talk to her before next class and see if she can offer any further advice!

Ravenbird · Jun 5, 2023

I'd venture to say keep doing what you are doing: misbehave & the fun stops. But do keep training so he can learn by his mistakes! He will definitely try to challenge you in the coming months, so treat his best moments like gold and when he tries to be a bitey dog, full stop, fun ends. I tried too hard with mine to work through the actual misbehavior when all it did was amp her up more. My hindsight tells me I was just providing more fun. I should have put her away.

Kswoodssue · Jun 5, 2023

As @Ravenbird said, it just seems to amp them up when you respond to this behavior. It is a game that they love, because they get an elevated response from you. Short training sessions with lots of reward, and abruptly end training when behavior regresses. It took me quite a while to understand that they love working with you, and the best penalty is a time out away from you. As for the show ring, I would still be drug around and around on my belly without a prong collar on her. She will heal better off leash than on. Good luck!

Ddski5 · Jun 6, 2023

remy said:
Remy is 5 months old now and he has been such a great puppy! My only issue with him is biting, specifically what I learned is called “arousal biting.” He also gets like this when he’s too tired, so I try to make sure he’s getting naps as well. When he gets in this mood it can be very hard to stop the biting, as even firmly saying “no” seems to work him up more. Sometimes asking him to sit or offering a toy to bite works, but usually it’s only temporary before he wants to bite again.

Now I will leave him alone in a baby gated area, or crate him for a few minutes if it’s very bad. When I come back 95% of the time he is back to his sweet self and gives me kisses. That other 5% of the time he goes back to the biting so I’ll leave again. Sometimes he just seems relentless and will keep coming at me.

One of the situations this happens is when I run with him. We are training for conformation and when I try to do a down & back with him, he will usually jump and typically that is followed by the biting. I almost feel like I should hold off on conformation classes until I can fix/help this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! He is my first puppy (and Doberman) and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

5 months is still young for some of these monsters- a lot of maturing and settling down yet to come. Prob still teething some and then will move into Doberteens.

Took my Ragnar 12-15months
Took Freyja 12months.

It was very frustrating, it really seemed that I had hit a road block at times and nothing was working. Then all of a sudden it happened….it’s like it all came together and they finally got it- or I communicated better and they now understood what I was asking.

Just takes time, patience, persistence, consistency and energy. That’s what makes a Doberman so special, the bond that’s created from spending the time together.

Keep doing what you are doing by meeting his needs both physically and mentally through training. But don’t allow rule breaking. Set the boundaries and stay consistent.

Doberman Gang · Jun 6, 2023

Probably still teething at that age. We also freeze wet dish towels and redirect biting to those. If they continue trying to bite us it is a negative marker and small correction usually scruff off the neck or leash pressure if wearing a leash and collar. Teach the rules but remain calm with your commands. Jumping up and hopping during conformation is definitely a puppy thing. Just stop moving saying no or what ever you use for wrong behavior. Then start again rewarding immediately for proper movement. Expecting a puppy to not get excited or distracted, especially during conformation practice, is probably too much to ask. Try sone play sessions off to the side when it’s not your turn and your puppy might do better during the exercises.

WANTED · Jun 6, 2023

remy said:
Remy is 5 months old now and he has been such a great puppy! My only issue with him is biting, specifically what I learned is called “arousal biting.” He also gets like this when he’s too tired, so I try to make sure he’s getting naps as well. When he gets in this mood it can be very hard to stop the biting, as even firmly saying “no” seems to work him up more. Sometimes asking him to sit or offering a toy to bite works, but usually it’s only temporary before he wants to bite again.

Now I will leave him alone in a baby gated area, or crate him for a few minutes if it’s very bad. When I come back 95% of the time he is back to his sweet self and gives me kisses. That other 5% of the time he goes back to the biting so I’ll leave again. Sometimes he just seems relentless and will keep coming at me.

One of the situations this happens is when I run with him. We are training for conformation and when I try to do a down & back with him, he will usually jump and typically that is followed by the biting. I almost feel like I should hold off on conformation classes until I can fix/help this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! He is my first puppy (and Doberman) and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

I think ur on the right track...gate, NO loudly, knee in the chest and no when he jumps. Consistency, consistency and consistency while remembering he's a male Dobie. My girl is 25 months (3rd Dobie) and starting to really calm down, males usually longer. My male took almost 3 yrs to calm down. I always say Dobermans aren't dogs they Dobermans and unique, I love them.

remy · Jun 6, 2023

Ravenbird said:
I'd venture to say keep doing what you are doing: misbehave & the fun stops. But do keep training so he can learn by his mistakes! He will definitely try to challenge you in the coming months, so treat his best moments like gold and when he tries to be a bitey dog, full stop, fun ends. I tried too hard with mine to work through the actual misbehavior when all it did was amp her up more. My hindsight tells me I was just providing more fun. I should have put her away.

He sounds like your girl, anything just amps him up further. I’ll continue what I’ve been doing and hopefully with time and consistency things will improve!

remy · Jun 6, 2023

WANTED said:
I think ur on the right track...gate, NO loudly, knee in the chest and no when he jumps. Consistency, consistency and consistency while remembering he's a male Dobie. My girl is 25 months (3rd Dobie) and starting to really calm down, males usually longer. My male took almost 3 yrs to calm down. I always say Dobermans aren't dogs they Dobermans and unique, I love them.

I will continue doing that! I know a lot of it is because of his age too.

remy · Jun 6, 2023

Doberman Gang said:
Probably still teething at that age. We also freeze wet dish towels and redirect biting to those. If they continue trying to bite us it is a negative marker and small correction usually scruff off the neck or leash pressure if wearing a leash and collar. Teach the rules but remain calm with your commands. Jumping up and hopping during conformation is definitely a puppy thing. Just stop moving saying no or what ever you use for wrong behavior. Then start again rewarding immediately for proper movement. Expecting a puppy to not get excited or distracted, especially during conformation practice, is probably too much to ask. Try sone play sessions off to the side when it’s not your turn and your puppy might do better during the exercises.

The jumping doesn’t bother me too much, but I know it leads to him biting which is hard to stop once he starts. I know it’s mostly an age thing! He does really well at the classes, but he is the youngest one there, so the instructor had us take a break about halfway through to play. I do think sometimes I expect too much! I’m not used to puppies, all of my previous dogs were adopted as adults.

remy · Jun 6, 2023

Ddski5 said:
5 months is still young for some of these monsters- a lot of maturing and settling down yet to come. Prob still teething some and then will move into Doberteens.

Took my Ragnar 12-15months
Took Freyja 12months.

It was very frustrating, it really seemed that I had hit a road block at times and nothing was working. Then all of a sudden it happened….it’s like it all came together and they finally got it- or I communicated better and they now understood what I was asking.

Just takes time, patience, persistence, consistency and energy. That’s what makes a Doberman so special, the bond that’s created from spending the time together.

Keep doing what you are doing by meeting his needs both physically and mentally through training. But don’t allow rule breaking. Set the boundaries and stay consistent.

It does help to know it’s a temporary phase, some days it can be frustrating like you said. He is definitely teething bad right now, so I am making sure he has plenty of toys and bones to chew. I do notice that he is worse on days he gets less exercise. Usually taking another quick walk or playing with the flirt pole for a few minutes helps a lot! He is such a wonderful dog though and has made me love Dobermans even more!

Ddski5 · Jun 7, 2023

Yeah, they definitely get better. Esp if you stay consistent with the training.

Don’t let up. Your dream Doberman is right around the corner!!

Remember..what you put in, is what you will receive.

Doberman Gang · Jun 7, 2023

remy said:
The jumping doesn’t bother me too much, but I know it leads to him biting which is hard to stop once he starts. I know it’s mostly an age thing! He does really well at the classes, but he is the youngest one there, so the instructor had us take a break about halfway through to play. I do think sometimes I expect too much! I’m not used to puppies, all of my previous dogs were adopted as adults.

It’s funny you say the word instructor had you take a break and play. As a trainer/instructor, I have gone round and round with sone of the places I used to teach at. When I teach puppy class I believe sessions should be 30 minutes tops, not enough emphasis on how to play with your puppy. Too much trying to teach commands and exercises. Thru play we can manipulate positions and reward with fun, this builds attention and a bond with us. Once they understand play and positions we can add commands and they learn them so much faster than boring repetitive training.
Then there was the letting the puppies play together for the last part of class. This ends up derailing everything your puppy learns with you.

Kaiser2016 · Jun 8, 2023

remy said:
He is my first puppy (and Doberman) and I want to make sure I am doing things right

First time Dobering is no joke! :pullhair:

Keep asking those questions.

remy said:
I feel like he is already at the stage of trying to challenge me, unless that gets worse

It does get worse :rofl:

Kswoodssue said:
As @Ravenbird said, it just seems to amp them up when you respond to this behavior. It is a game that they love, because they get an elevated response from you.

^^^This! It's easy to forget when you react because the frustration levels can run high, but you have to stay calm as they pick up on your energy.

remy said:
I do notice that he is worse on days he gets less exercise.

True, but at this age, you could walk him all day long. It's the mental exercise like the flirt pole that will wear him out.

Doberman Gang said:
not enough emphasis on how to play with your puppy

So agree with this. Much easier to teach with play and build a bond versus trying to command them around.

Cranekc35 · Jun 8, 2023

Now I will leave him alone in a baby gated area, or crate him for a few minutes if it’s very bad. When I come back 95% of the time he is back to his sweet self and gives me kisses. That other 5% of the time he goes back to the biting so I’ll leave again. Sometimes he just seems relentless and will keep coming at me.

Keep doing this! It seems like it never ends and you need to do this 100 times! LOL Consistency is key. It does get better. You are doing everything correct. He will definitely try and challenge you, just stay calm and assertive as everyone has said. My boy made 2 years old in March and he still has his days of testing the boundaries, but nothing like before. Best of luck to you!

Also, check out Dobercademy on Facebook, IG and Youtube. This lady shows a lot of videos on training Dobermans.

MichiH · Mar 4, 2024

remy said:
Remy is 5 months old now and he has been such a great puppy! My only issue with him is biting, specifically what I learned is called “arousal biting.” He also gets like this when he’s too tired, so I try to make sure he’s getting naps as well. When he gets in this mood it can be very hard to stop the biting, as even firmly saying “no” seems to work him up more. Sometimes asking him to sit or offering a toy to bite works, but usually it’s only temporary before he wants to bite again.

Now I will leave him alone in a baby gated area, or crate him for a few minutes if it’s very bad. When I come back 95% of the time he is back to his sweet self and gives me kisses. That other 5% of the time he goes back to the biting so I’ll leave again. Sometimes he just seems relentless and will keep coming at me.

One of the situations this happens is when I run with him. We are training for conformation and when I try to do a down & back with him, he will usually jump and typically that is followed by the biting. I almost feel like I should hold off on conformation classes until I can fix/help this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! He is my first puppy (and Doberman) and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

When did Remys biting calm down? Idk if Pepper is starting her Doberteens or what, but when I reprimand her, she bites me. She’s been challenging me a lot lately with commands and only on the house.

She’s now attempting to get onto the kitchen table and when I say NO, OFF she’ll come at me and bite me. Always biting me when I’m the one who does all the work with her. She won’t bite my husband or my boys. Although, if I see her biting playing with them, I say NO, and move towards her and she looks at me and stops.

I’m feeling a bit bummed because I do it all with her and yet she bites me. What am I doing wrong?

Cranekc35 · Mar 4, 2024

MichiH said:
When did Remys biting calm down? Idk if Pepper is starting her Doberteens or what, but when I reprimand her, she bites me. She’s been challenging me a lot lately with commands and only on the house.

She’s now attempting to get onto the kitchen table and when I say NO, OFF she’ll come at me and bite me. Always biting me when I’m the one who does all the work with her. She won’t bite my husband or my boys. Although, if I see her biting playing with them, I say NO, and move towards her and she looks at me and stops.

I’m feeling a bit bummed because I do it all with her and yet she bites me. What am I doing wrong?

How old is Pepper?

MichiH · Mar 4, 2024

Cranekc35 said:
How old is Pepper?

6 months
It’s not nipping anymore like when teething, she’s randomly biting me, assuming bc she wants something, or biting me because I said NO to whatever she shouldn’t be doing. I also spend all day with her main caretaker.

Cranekc35 · Mar 4, 2024

MichiH said:
6 months
It’s not nipping anymore like when teething, she’s randomly biting me, assuming bc she wants something, or biting me because I said NO to whatever she shouldn’t be doing. I also spend all day with her main caretaker.

I went through this with mine at this age and I was the main caretaker as well. How much mental stimulation are you doing with her? Also, while inside, do you have her on a short leash and outside - a long lead. This assists with a little more control. And have you started training "the place" command?

Dealing with arousal biting?

remy

Notable member

JanS

DCF Owner

remy

Notable member

Ravenbird

Kswoodssue

Ddski5

Doberman Gang

WANTED

Member

remy

Notable member

remy

Notable member

remy

Notable member

remy

Notable member

Ddski5

Doberman Gang

Kaiser2016

Well-Known Member

Cranekc35

Member

MichiH

Cranekc35

Member

MichiH

Cranekc35

Member

Similar threads