Biting

[MyDaisy]

My puppy bites and nips alot, she does this every time I try to pet her, I have tried every training technique to niping there is and nothing works =( she has been doing this since I got her at 4 weeks, maybe I need to give her more time. it makes it hard when you try to love on her though and as she gets older the biting just gets worse and worse. you can only pet her while she is sleeping !

Does anyone have any other trianing tips I could possibly use ? (the saying ouch in a squeal does not work nor does the ignoring and taking her toys way method)


Best Wishes
Ashley M

 

[SnowDove]

I had a complete meltdown a few weeks ago based on the same issue with my Daisy... I had been convinced by others that this meant my dog had natural aggression issues.

None of the methods I tried were working with Daisy, so my instructor has me working on a new one - When she starts nipping, I automatically force her into a "sit and settle". I do this by placing my right hand under her chest and lifting up a bit while holding her right up near me (her head is to my right). At the same time, I work my hand under her chin and hold up on her mouth to prevent her from nipping. I wait until she licks her lips and/or sighs and relaxes her body, and then I let her go. If she immediately goes back to nipping, then she goes straight back into the S&S. Eventually she gets tired of it and goes to a toy or something else.

I'm also going to start doing the "leave/ignore" thing, only I'm going to retreat to the bedroom with my other dog and start wrestling with him so that she'll hear and get jealous. (She always wants to be with her "Uncie Cole"!)

Fingers crossed for both of us that this DOES get better - hahaha!

 

[Doodlepup]

firmness?

my mums boxer pup lily has the same issue and she still does it now, just not so much. we just say ''NO BITING'' in a firm commanding voice. after that she'll just lick us :D when she's been playing with Dood and she's all worked up she goes at it like mad so we occansionaly (and very gently i might add) give her a quick grab of her scruff like her mum would have. when she realises that YOU are in charge and you dont like biting, she's beautiful and very sweet
hope that helps!

 

[Caney Creek]

Regardless of whether firmness, saying "no bite," or forcing the pup to "sit and settle" works in the moment to stop the biting, you still need to teach your puppy bite inhibition. Puppies need to understand that their jaws are powerful and also must learn to control the force that they use. These articles very well explain the importance of bite inhibition, and how to teach it:
Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily
Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star Daily

To the OP, your pup is only 2 months old, I wouldn't give up on the "ouch and ignore" method just yet. Not to discourage but you have many more months ahead of you!

 

[SnowDove]

Puppies need to understand that their jaws are powerful and also must learn to control the force that they use. you!

I very much agree with this, actually. When I realized that our lab mix didn't want to kill Daisy, I was hoping that playing with him would help teach her this; evidently she's smarter than I gave her credit for: She never... NEVER... bites "Uncle Cole". Ever. Always mouth open, even when he has accidentally gotten a bit rough with her. Then, after playing gentle with him, she'll run over and attack my arms. :(
The yelping method makes her very excited, at which point she jumps up and tries to bite my mouth (I guess for making that noise?) ...... so I guess I'll keep trying the leave & ignore method.

In the meantime, Uncle Cole is teaching her that toys can not only be played with, but they can ALSO be torn open and ripped to shreds... Good boy.

 

[Caney Creek]

I very much agree with this, actually. When I realized that our lab mix didn't want to kill Daisy, I was hoping that playing with him would help teach her this; evidently she's smarter than I gave her credit for: She never... NEVER... bites "Uncle Cole". Ever. Always mouth open, even when he has accidentally gotten a bit rough with her. Then, after playing gentle with him, she'll run over and attack my arms. :(
The yelping method makes her very excited, at which point she jumps up and tries to bite my mouth (I guess for making that noise?) ...... so I guess I'll keep trying the leave & ignore method.

In the meantime, Uncle Cole is teaching her that toys can not only be played with, but they can ALSO be torn open and ripped to shreds... Good boy.

If the high-pitched noise is what's making her excited, then try a deeper "OW" or "NO"! Make your face look angry. :mad: She needs to know that you're SERIOUS! The point of making a noise is to act as a marker, so the very second she bites, something happens... since, you can't always exactly get up and walk away within .2 seconds of the bite. It's more to startle her into pausing for a moment to give you a chance to escape.

 

[larrygs]

Ashley, is this a typo? "since I got her at 4 weeks" I ask because that is an extremely young age to be removed from a litter.

 

[Caney Creek]

Ashley, is this a typo? "since I got her at 4 weeks" I ask because that is an extremely young age to be removed from a litter.

Not a typo. I believe the OP's pup came from a rescue situation.

 

[Gilbert]

I got Achilles at 5 1/2 weeks and he was also a nipper. I would get VERY frustrating specially when i was trying to be nice and he wanted to bite. I hated when he would all of a sudden jump into play mode an claw/nip at my face while laying down. Trust me there was time when i thought i made a horrible choice and was not ready for a puppy.

But he is not 5 1/2 months old and things have totally turn out great. He no long nips or claws at me or anyone else.

The first thing i did was teach him the word "NO". I would tell him "NO" when biting, clawing, chewing, and pottying in the house. After he learned the word i would tell him "NO" then get him away from me (get him off bed, or off couch, or put him in a different room) As time passed he slowly began to stop biting me. I would say at about 10 weeks he was no longer biting me and at about 11weeks i got him to stop biting my girlfriend.

 

[Gilbert]

I would also like to add that at first i would tell him "NO" once he bit down on me and it hurt, then slowly i began telling him "NO" sooner and sooner. I read somewhere that you have to let the puppy know how to use his month and how hard he can play with humans. Achilles still puts my girlfriends hand/arm (not mine) in his month but doesn't bite down.