How to Train a Chow Chow to Not Bite

How to Train a Chow Chow to Not Bite
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon3-10 Weeks
Behavior training category iconBehavior

Introduction

A friend comes over to visit you. You're sitting together, having a good time, when she suddenly reaches out to pet your Chow Chow. Your normally sweet pup turns and gives your friend a warning nip. Your friend draws back, scared, and you scold your Chow Chow. But a few weeks later, it happens again. Chow Chows are big dogs. A bite from your dog could cause serious damage. All of the sudden, you're nervous. What if my dog really hurts someone?

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Defining Tasks

Training your Chow Chow not to bite is very important. Chow Chows were originally bred to hunt and as guard dogs. Due to this background, Chow Chows are highly prone to aggression and can be very territorial of their home and their family. While your pup may be friendly with you, she is more likely to become aggressive with other dogs and unfamiliar visitors. Ideally, Chow Chows should be trained not to bite when they are puppies, but if you have issues with your adult dog biting, training can help.

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Getting Started

Chow Chows tend to respond well to positive reinforcement. When training a Chow Chow, be sure to avoid punishment, as it can feed into the natural aggression of your dog. Instead, establish fair but consistent rules about biting and be patient with your pup as she learns the rules of the house.

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The Walk Away Method

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Dogs are social creatures

Dogs, like wolves, exist in a pack. They crave social interaction and a feeling of acceptance. One method of training your dog is by taking away something she wants: your attention.

2

Play

Start a game with your dog. Play with her until she starts to get riled up. She will probably try to nip or bite your hands as you play. As soon as she causes discomfort, let your hand go limp and remove it from her mouth.

3

Take the fun away

Get up and leave the room immediately. Don't make eye contact with your dog either. Go into another room and close the door. Stay in there for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

4

Try again

Start up the game again. Follow the same method as before. If after a few tries, your Chow Chow isn't getting the message, try saying "ouch" or yelping when she bites you to emphasize what behavior is causing you to leave the room.

5

Be consistent

You should always have the same reaction to your Chow Chow biting you. Encourage others in your house or any visitors to do the same. Over time, your pup will learn that biting ends the game and isn't worth doing.

The Alpha Method

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Figure out when your Chow Chow is biting

If your dog tends to bite when you try to make her obey, she may believe she is the alpha of the family. In these cases, establishing yourself as dominant figure in the "pack" can help put an end to biting.

2

Change your demeanor

Pack leaders are confident and don't answer to anyone. When you are around your Chow Chow, stand tall with your shoulders back. Use a deep, firm voice with your dog. Make sure to use a tone of command when you tell her what to do, rather than one that implies a question. Your Chow Chow can tell the difference.

3

Teach your dog that she needs to earn her place in the family

If your dog is already biting, she will probably need more than a change in attitude to stop. Use the 'sit' command to show her that she needs to follow directions get good things, such as treats and praise from you. Do not use physical punishment with your Chow Chow.

4

Make her sit for everything

Make your dog sit before she gets her dinner. Make your dog sit before she goes outside. Make your dog sit before you pet her. This consistency lets her know that there is no free ride and she needs to mind your directions.

5

Keep working until her behavior changes

Over the next few weeks, you should start to see an improvement in the behavior of your Chow Chow. Make sure everyone in your dog's life is consistent with her and makes her sit before giving her treats and affection. Having an aggressive Chow Chow is dangerous to everyone around her. Asserting your place as alpha can help her understand her role in the family and improve her behavior.

The Yelping Method

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Use nature as a guide

If your Chow Chow was still with his mother and littermates, they would use signals to let each other know when play fighting goes too far. Dogs typically make a yelping nose when something hurts them. You can use a similar noise to indicate to your dog that she is playing too rough.

2

Play

While you are playing with your dog, she may nip at your fingers as part of the game. As soon as she causes you discomfort, yelp loudly and let your hand go limp.

3

Stop the game

Don't pull your hand away immediately, as this action may make your Chow Chow bite down harder. Instead, leave your hand limp until she lets go and then stop playing with her for thirty seconds or so.

4

Return to the game

Go back to playing with your Chow Chow and repeat the same routine again. Be consistent and always react the same way when she nips you. She should start to realize that biting stops the game.

5

No teeth on me

As your dog makes progress, start yelping as soon as her teeth touch you, even if it is gentle. Follow the same routine as before, stopping the game for a set length of time.

6

Reward the behavior you want

Your Chow Chow may begin bringing you a toy in exchange. Reward this behavior with play, but be sure to maintain your boundaries so your dog doesn't get confused about the rules.

Written by Christina Gunning

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 03/05/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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BLUE

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Chow Chow

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2 Months

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Question

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He doesn't show submission. When I play with him, he likes biting me. If i leave him alone he starts barking uncontrollably. Although he's tamed when he sees me, he's still doesn't responsive to my commands.

Nov. 18, 2021

BLUE's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Cyrine, First, know that at 8 weeks of age, the behaviors you are describing are likely very different than the behaviors and suggestions in the article you read, that's intended for older dogs. Biting is a normal puppy behavior at this age. Puppies learn how to control the pressure of their mouths and interact with others at this age through play biting. That doesn't mean they don't need to learn not to, but almost every puppy does go through this process and have to be taught. It's generally not an indication on true aggression. Check out the article I have linked below on how to address puppy biting. Also, know that it's going to take time and practice pup to learn how to control their mouth better. I would start by working on the Bite Inhibition method found in that article, while also starting the Leave It method, since Leave It is ultimately what you want pup to know but that will take time to build up to, the Bite Inhibition method can be used until pup is good at Leave It. When pup gets too excited and rough, I would also crate pup with a dog foods stuffed kong. Sometimes puppies will act a little crazy when they are actually overtired and needing a break at this age. A puppy this age, tends to need a short nap after about an hour of activity about every hour throughout the day, so it's easy for a young puppy to get overtired. For the barking, that's also normal. Puppies need to experience that when you leave nothing terrible happens and they can actually calm themselves back down. If you return to pup every time they bark, they just learn that barking makes you come back so they get more insistent. Check out the Surprise method from the article I have linked below. This method can be used when pup is in a crate, exercise pen, or other confined area away from you. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate It takes most puppies about six weeks to really learn commands well inside, then another six weeks at least of obeying commands around outside distractions too. They also tend to have very short attention spans at this age, so although pup might seem to know your Sit command sometimes, they probably don't have the skills to be able to Sit when there is something distracting around - even something as simple as another person, a different room, or the TV going. Obeying around distractions comes with practicing in a variety of situations repeatedly. Practicing obedience for just 10-30 minutes a couple times a day can help young puppies learn faster. Incorporating commands they have learn into their day can help pup learn faster too, like telling pup Sit right before you place their food dish down. A good place to start with obedience commands, is teaching pup to look at you when you say his name. To teach pup to respond to his name better, practice saying his name and holding a treat next to your eye. When pup looks toward your eye, praise and give a treat. Practice often until pup consistently looks at your eye when you say his name. Next, pretend to hold the treat by your eye with your hand but actually have it hidden behind your back in your other hand. Say pup's name and praise and reward pup with the treat from behind your back when they look at your eye. Practice until pup looks consistently. Also, practice at random times throughout the day when pup isn't expecting it. Next, simply point to your eye and do the same process until pup is good at looking at your eye then even at random times during the day. Finally, simply say pup's name without pointing at your eye and reward with a treat hidden in your pocket throughout the day at random times of the day - you can also use pup's meal kibble as treats kept in a ziploc baggie in your pocket. Puppy Class videos: Week 1, pt 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnhJGU2NO5k Week 1, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-1-part-2-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 2, pt 1 https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-2-part-1-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 2, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-2-part-2-home-jasper-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 3, pt 1: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-3-part-1-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 3, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-3-part-2-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 4, pt 1: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-4-part-1-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 4, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-4-part-2-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 5, pt 1: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-5-part-1-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 5, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-5-part-2-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 6, pt 1: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-6-part-1-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1 Week 6, pt 2: https://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/week-6-part-2-sirius-berkeley-puppy-1-0 Finally, check out the PDF e-book downloads found on this website, written by one of the founders of the association of professional dog trainers, and a pioneer in starting puppy kindergarten classes in the USA. Click on the pictures of the puppies to download the PDF books: https://www.lifedogtraining.com/freedownloads/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Nov. 18, 2021

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Piper

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Chow Chow

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10 Weeks

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Hello, We’re struggling with 2 issues with our 10 week old chow chow. Our first issue is she’s a bit of a biter. When she’s tired she is absolutely fine and doesn’t have an issue with it but when she’s very hyper all she wants to do is bite me and my partner and she bites hard too! We have tried the limp hand method and the welping but she actually just bites harder. We’ve tried to walk away calmly too but she’ll bite our legs and ankles as we walk away. She doesn’t seem to be learning, if anything I think she sees it as a game and is getting worse. The other issue is that she seems to pee on the carpet out of frustration. She always walks to the patio door if she needs the toilet but if we stop playing with her or Yelp when she bites, she pees on the carpet to seem to try to get our attention. So we pick her up, don’t say anything and just put her outside but I think she’s related it to getting attention. One good thing is she doesn’t bite us when we pick her up. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Oliver

Oct. 26, 2021

Piper's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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1133 Dog owners recommended

Hello Oliver, For the biting I recommend working on the Leave It method from the article I have linked below. I also recommend teaching Out, and once pup knows Out and Leave It, you can also use the section on the Out article on Using Out to Deal with Pushy Behavior as a gentle discipline for pup no obeying Leave It or Out when told. That method will require pup to leave the area where you are. I would also provide pup with more mental stimulation, such as feeding pup their meals in kibble stuffed kongs, kong wobbles, durable puzzle toys, and having pup work for the kibble as treats given for good behavior, tricks, commands, and socialization. Engaging pup's mind more can help facilitate calmness and teach self-control skills. For the accidents, I would use the crate training method from the article I have linked below for potty training. Right after playing with pup I would pre-empt the accident and take pup potty outside. If pup refuses to go potty when you take them then, follow the crate training method instructions to crate pup for 30-60 minutes to avoid an accident, then take pup potty again, repeating the trips outside and crating every hour until pup goes potty while outside - at which point you can give pup some supervised freedom out of the crate with an empty bladder. An empty bladder = freedom out of the crate. When pup is reprimanded for biting and expected to go potty, I would actually pre-empt that too by either crating pup with a dog food stuffed chew toy when pup is over exciting and biting a lot or going ahead and taking pup potty. Crating pup with a chew toy is actually what a puppy who is overly excited and struggling with self-control sometimes needs anyway, to give them a rest so they can better control themselves once released from the crate again, and to stimulate them mentally with the dog food stuffed toy to work on, and to give pup a chance to calm back down after getting aroused. The crating period doesn't have to be long and be sure to take pup outside right when you let them back out of the crate. If it's been at least forty-five minutes since they last went potty when they are getting mouthy go ahead and take them potty rather than crating right then, even if mouthy and difficult to take out, simply because pup will genuinely need to go then at this age after some excitement. Keeping a drag leash on pup while you are home to supervise and make sure it isn't getting caught on anything would also be beneficial for a while. The leash would allow you to calmly deal with the biting more easily and enforce commands like Out and Leave It. It will also make it easier to take an already excited and bitey pup outside when they are overly excited. Know that the accidents are probably more related to pup's excitement than a behavior issues. While there can be some element of an intentional behavior in the accidents, puppies at this age naturally need to pee after periods of excitement and movement - which means right after play and roughhousing (even if the roughhousing wasn't your idea or welcomed). The excitement sort of overworks the bladder too and if it's been at least thirty minutes since pup last went potty outside that's going to mean the need to pee then. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 27, 2021


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