play biting

[sweeps mum]

Our cocker spaniel Sweep is now 5 months old. The problem we are having with him is he has started to play bite more and more. It usually happens first thing in the morning and in the evenings. He will jump on us and then try to bite our hands - not hard but just mouthing really. We are trying to put him back on the floor saying a firm no and also put him out of the room but a lot of the time when we let him back in he starts again.
He is also waking us up at 5am each morning. Once we have been downstairs and let him out he settles for another hour or so. He is dry and clean in the day when left but has usually done a wee at 5 am. We wondered whether he is trying to tell us either he needs to go or that he has gone to the toilet. He has a crate but isn't shut in at night.                    

[LindaW]

You must stop the playbiting now.  The best way to deal with it when he starts is to yelp or cry and turn away from him and ignore him.  Do not touch him or react with him otherwise you are effectively "rewarding" him.  Hope you can understand that.  Only respond to him when he is calm.

If the play biting is very persistent then as it begins quietly take him out of the room and close the door on him for a few minutes.  He will learn that playbiting ends the game eventuallu.

When you allow him back in the room, greet him pleasantly.

As for the needing to be let out 5.00am for a wee - he may well have got into a habit that is quite hard to break.

Hope this helps                    

[s baxter]

Alfie play bites a little but we still act the same ,when he`s going to do it ie the open mouth we distract him  with a chewy toy failing that cry out  in pain if he still does`nt stop ,up we get and off we go out of the puppy pen and out of the kitchen,it may be hard work ,loads of ignoring him ,and going in and out like a yoyo but it will pay off it has with us you must be strong and stick to it,you`ll be surprize how it can turn their behavouir round.remember nip it in the bud now no one want a grown up cocker that wants to play bite