Any quick thoughts on the particular type of biting I'm encountering with
our new babies?  I would like to find the emotional root first because
then I think it's easier to figure out how to fix the problem...
 
We adopted a brother/sister pair 3 weeks ago here in Germany.  Fixed but
not descented (not allowed), 2.5 years old, sable, neither deaf.  With
original owner since kits.
 
The girl is easy - she is obsessed with leather and fabric.  She likes
the feel of it in her mouth and bites our socks (with or without feet),
but only stinky ones.  She chews leather shoes and purses, not to mention
"helping me" clean by trying to abscond with the cleaning cloth when I
move it back and forth on the floor!  For her, I fear there are no
12-step programs, only keeping these things away from her.  Bitter spray
doesn't deter her from biting the socks on our feet, so strong is her
obsession.  She understands how to play bite with our hands when we
wrestle with her, but if the hand is in a mitten, all bets are off!
We're going to buy houseslippers...
 
The boy is a little more difficult because he bites flesh.  When we first
met him and picked him up, he bit the heck out of our hands.  He likes
the soft fleshy parts and also your arms, which leads me to believe that
he knows this and is trying to have an impact with his bites (doesn't
bite fingertips when they are offered).  He also has bitten the tops of
our feets, which hurts too.
 
He bites at random times except when he's tired and falling asleep.  Then
you can pet him without any danger.  But otherwise, he'll bite when
you're holding him (I think because he wants to get down) but also just
when you're reaching in the cage or across the floor near him.  Just when
he sees an opportunity - sometimes even when he's not nearby, he'll run
over and bite if there's a chance.  It's very strange.
 
Does anyone have any ideas about what might be in this boy's mind?  He
didn't bite his prior owner and gave her lots of kisses.  I think
sometimes he might be jealous of the physical attention his sister gets,
because she's much more cuddly.
 
Looking for MOTIVATION :-)
 
Thanks, Emily
[Posted in FML issue 4295]