# 8 month old biting "episodes"



## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Berkeley's freak out episodes are not really new but they are sure getting old. The main problem is when he is walking with my wife in the mornings. After he plays with another dog and they leave he freaks out and starts biting her and the leash, jumping everywhere and just being generally out of control. This morning she came back with some pretty bad marks on her arm, but he didnt break the skin. The biting is the main problem, he will find a way to clamp down on her arm at some point and although i dont think he is using all his strength, it's still leaving marks. The odd part is that he still has the freak outs when I walk him alone but he will never try to bite or nip me.

Does anyone have any suggestions on why he would think it's okay to bite and nip my wife but not me? She does a great job of being assertive when he is being naughty and he listens to her. Originally i thought he was just testing her and maybe im harder on him than she is but i dont think that's the case. Also, when we take walks together and she is holding the leash he still tries to bite her during an episode, even if im there. Im guessing he freaks out due to over-stimulation (he does it when it starts pouring down rain too). The episodes are managable but not when he is biting.

Maybe strength is a factor? I can manhandel him a bit easier than she can, since im 5'11" and 200 and she is 5'2" and 105.


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

I'm trying to find the picture I took of what Watson did to my arm when he was around 8mo... it looks vicious and it hurt so much, if I didn't know better, I would think he was deliberately trying to hurt me. It was on a walk as well, and some neighbours were saying hello to him. He got riled up and as soon as we went on our way - he exploded. 

He has never done this with my husband who is more like your build, but has done it with me - more like your wife's build! Neither of us "man handle" him (especially while he's in this state) b/c it doesn't work. I chalked it up to him trying to get me to play with him while in an excited state. I calmly step on his leash and though that doesn't stop him from chewing at my shoe and the leash until he settles, it does save my arms! I then give him something to do "sit", "heel" etc. and use positive reinforcement "good boy" or a treat. At 11mo he's quite a bit better. Right now we are working hard at our walk to heel, and it's helping loads with keeping his mind busy and focused while we're out. 

Just as a note, at 7-8mo, we upped Watson's training - especially the basics. Even though they still have puppy brain, they no longer look like puppies, and what was cute when they were 20lbs is a nightmare at 60lbs . Everything is practice and patience with these dogs. Things eventually begin to click with them, and what a great feeling when it does!!


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## Jrod (Dec 12, 2012)

Watson is "on the money" when it comes to stepping on the leash. It prevents your pup from building the momentum to jump up on you or others and allows you to get him to a calm (er) state of mind. 

You can distract their attention from whatever is exciting them by using a toy they like or I find that Miles (my boy) responds very well to his treats in those moments. Whenever I walk him I always make sure to have a couple on me.

Once they are less bouncy, Watson again was right on, redirect that energy into something creative. Commands, exercise or play! As always, keep a positive attitude and know that it will be over soon!

Jrod


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Here's a pic


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

It sounds like Berkeley is getting over stimulated when he plays with the other dog and is expressing that with your wife. Why he does it with her and not you is not entirely clear.....everyone concludes that when stuff like that happens it ''must'' be a sign of weakness..but its not necessarily the case. A young dog that is over stimulated isnt thinking very clearly, so its frankly doubtful that at that moment he recognizes or cares its her and not you. I;d suspect the difference is that she probably lets the play go on longer and therefore B is more over stimulated, which causes him to express that extra steam with her.

I like the idea of stepping on the leash as a preventative when he's over stimulated..but maybe the best prevention is awareness of B's limits and intercede before then..even with the best things in life, there's a time when it's enough...and stop the play after only a minute or two and slowly build up time as he shows better self control afterwards.


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## abatt (Jul 10, 2012)

Just be careful when stepping on the leash. Our pup slipped out of his collar few times when I tried this technique. He even managed to wiggle out of his harness, which was fitted well both by the store employees when we got it and later by our trainer. We then proceeded to clip the leash to both the collar and the harness. He couldn't wiggle out of it, so he just went for my legs.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

My pup only did this with me and not my boyfriend. I used to carry a small (2") waterbottle in my pocket. I would give him one squirt to the face and ignore him. This worked. I then realized that it was knowing I had the power to get him to stop. I admit, I was afraid of those shark teeth! As I got more confident, I could give him a command and stop the behaviour before it started.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

We just went through this with our 8 month old V. Between 5.5-8 months, he was **** on wheels with me. I got major bruises and tore multiple shirts due to his antics.

He only ever did it with me, not my husband. My husband is definitely the alpha and not afraid to show Wilson's who is boss, but I am definitely the weaker, gentler soul. 

One day, I was really fed up with Wilson starting to jump and chew on me, so I literally dumped a nalgene bottle full of water (I had brought this to the park with me to drink) onto his head. It totally snapped him out of it and we walked home without incident. After that, I carried a spray bottle (just a cheapie $2 I picked up at the grocery store), and maybe once did I need to squirt him. I talked to our trainer about this and our training confirmed that: 1) he was throwing a tantrum because he didn't want to stop doing the fun stuff he was doing, and 2) that the water method was totally fine.

I'm happy to report that pretty much immediately after the water bottle incident, Wilson never shark attacked me again. He thought about it a few times, but the squirt bottle was a good deterrent. Now, one month later, it is summer and I am wearing short sleeves without worry.

Good luck!


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

I just want to point out that you should be careful of what ways you correct any behaviour. You don't want to make the pup scared of something in your search for finding the perfect method. (i.e. being scared of water because you punished him with it or being afraid of loud noises because you banged pots together or whatever) Just something to think about.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Thanks for all your help! Lots of great things to try.


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