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I have a Shih Tzu and he will be a year the 30th of this month. The past month or so he has gotten EXTREMELY terrible with biting my feet, lunging, using me as a chew toy. I am covered in bruises and nothing I do works. Any suggestions on how to stop it?
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Anonymous 5w

Redirecting doesn’t work, using a frequency remote doesn’t work, training isn’t working, kennel time isn’t working, tiring him out isn’t working, I am at a loss. All the trainers in my area are $3000+ and that’s really out of my budget. I know I can do it at home cause he’s very smart I just can’t seem to find what works for him. Any ideas are very appreciated😭

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Anonymous 5w

is he food motivated? or does he like toys a lot? it seems like you’ve tried everything i can think of so i don’t know what else to suggest other than trying a different strategy for redirecting him. what’s worked for me when nothing else does is just always having my puppy’s favorite toy within reach when im spending time with her so when the teeth come out to play you can just immediately put the toy in front of her face and she’ll latch on. redirecting with treats can enforce the behavior

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Anonymous 5w

socialize a ton with other dogs and puppies) don’t know how hard they’re biting and that it hurts so every time he bites you have to yelp like a dog in pain. it’s supposed to make him feel bad and stop. the absolute most important part of training is consistency so remember that above all else. and make sure he’s socialized as much as possible with other dogs since they might correct him which will teach him it’s not acceptable behavior. i’m sure you already know most of this, you just have to

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Anonymous replying to -> #1 5w

and another thing is when you first feel his teeth go completely still, don’t make eye contact, and be silent. he won’t understand why you’re doing that and this will make him frustrated at first so he might bite harder and unfortunately you just have to deal with it. eventually he’ll get bored and discouraged and stop. then you resume, and after enough time and repetition, he’ll learn that teeth = no play. and sometimes puppies (especially if they’re separated from the litter young and don’t

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Anonymous replying to -> #1 5w

apply it all at the same time. sometimes you can be doing everything perfectly and the dog still just isn’t going to get it so don’t beat yourself up too much, it seems like your dog is already doing that for you. good luck

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