Constant Biting and jumping visitors

by Robin H
(MILLEDEGVILLE, GA)

I have a 3 month old male maltipoo and he continously bites me and jumps on visitors. I don't know what to do to stop this behavior. It is beginning to be very frustrating.

I have begun using treats and constant Nos and IT seem to be he just stops long enough for treats and he instantly begins the behavior again (biting) THAT IS. AND FAR AS the jumping on people he doesn't listen at all. He just keep right on jumping and biting nonstop.

Help I love him but its beginning to be too hard.






Hi Robin
Jumping and nipping are very normal puppy behaviors, but they can most definitely be frustrating!

Correcting them takes a lot of time, patience and repetition and some pups are more stubborn about it than others and take longer to learn, or resist your efforts for a greater length of time.

All the tips and advice you need to deal with the nipping is on my Puppy Biting page. You just need to pick one correction method and stick with it, through thick and thin, until he gets the message. If you keep switching tactics, or occasionally don't correct him, or get angry, frustrated or inconsistent in any way, then it will take longer to train him. If there are other people in your home it's important you're all on the 'same page' and correct him in the same way.

As for the jumping, again it will take consistent and extended corrections to make him understand that this is not allowed. I strongly recommend that you enroll your pup in a basic obedience class and get some 'hands on' help with this. It's much easier to be shown how to do something, and to practice it with a professional/experienced dog trainer, than it is to be simply told how to do it.

It's important to always stay calm when correcting your pup, because he's jumping and biting because he's excited and can't control his emotions. If you let yours get the better of you too then it 'ups' the emotional level of the situation and will only increase the problem, not reduce it.

Try putting a long leash on your pup when people are due to visit and use it to correct his jumping. A short, sharp 'pop' of the leash combined with a firm 'no jump' will get his attention. Keep correcting him until he stops jumping up, then tell him to 'sit' and only then does he get a treat.

It will take a fair amount of time, lots of practice runs and a ton of patience, but you will be able to stop this behavior if you stick with it. It's up to you to help your pup to understand and follow the house rules. If it's getting to be too hard for you to do alone, get some professional help from a puppy class and I think you'll find it will help a lot.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your puppy.