help with stopping a puppy from biting

susieanne

The puppy is 9 weeks old and i say biting its more nipping at our ankles but it can hurt , we have tried hitting its nose gently with a newspaper and saying NO but it thinks we are playing and bites the newspaper . I picked it up the other day and it was trying to chew my hand as i say its teeth are like little niddles and it can hurt . It has lots of toys but would prefer to bite our feet , any ideas how to stop it ?

gratefulforhelp_2

Please don't hit it. When it bites (these are play bites I expect, its not trying to hurt you, but they can hurt) just say "ouch" sharply or squeal and stop playing. Turn your back and ignore it for a moment.
When its back to doing as it should, give it lots of praise.

julesmby

also please stop with the newspaper, we used the yelp like the littermates would make also then give a toy that is for chewing, we also used a sharp no then time out on his own in the kitchen only a couple of mins then give the chewing toy,it does stop in the end just takes some longer than others;)

hethmar

Have you never had a puppy before - this is normal behaviour, he is learning to socialise. Please dont smack him in any way, you could end up with a nervy or aggressive dog peeing himself everywhere and then you will have more problems. Poor little devil.

"I picked it up the other day..............."

Im a bit worried that you call the puppy "it" - are you actually playing and socialising him and making him one of the family or is he desperate for attention. You make it sound like picking him up is a rare occasion!

Personally I LOVE puppies play fighting and hanging on my trouser leg but thats probably cos I usually have older rescue dogs so its a novelty now for me. To stop him biting your hands, make them into a fist when he starts to do it and then he will have nothing to grab on to. Yelp if he nips too hard, you will find he stops and backs off for a second.

BUT you need to get yourself a good book - The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey - you can get it on amazon for a couple of quid second hand - because I feel you really need some information about puppy behaviour as there are going to be a lot more challenges before he is an adult.

gratefulforhelp_2

hethmar wrote: »

To stop him biting your hands, make them into a fist when he starts to do it and then he will have nothing to grab on to.

We call this the fist of power...sounds really violent but isn't;)

david39

"Play biting" is part of growing up for puppies. When they are with the rest of their litter, they do it all the time. When the recipient of the bite squeals, the biter knows that he has gone too far. This is the way puppies learn the difference between fondling and biting for real.

If you do not allow your puppy to learn these levels with you then, one day when he's older and more powerful, he's going to fondle you (or someone else) with his mouth in what he thinks is a friendly gesture but it could be a severe bite to you.

When the puppy nips you a bit too hard, make a screeching sound that shocks him - that will let him know he's hurt you. If he is just gnawing you without hurting, let him know that's OK.

Eventually, the gnawing will stop but by then he will have learned the difference between friendly play and a proper snap.

gratefulforhelp_2

Our pup who is 14 weeks is completely horrified when she gets an "ouch" now, and there has never been any negative consequence for her apart from the game stops and we turn away.

RufusForever

Completely agree with others about not smacking and making a screeching sound when puppy bites - though have to say the screeching made no difference with our lab.
I would also always have your puppies toys to hand and when he/she bites, replace your hand with one of the toys so he/she learns what it's okay to chew on.
Your puppy's only a baby and will get over-tired but still keep going and wanting to play so, just like a human baby, you'll need to put him/her into bed/crate if you use one pretty regularly. Not saying this will stop the biting and nipping but if your pup's well-rested he should be a bit calmer.
Having a puppy is really hard work though, but a few weeks of it being hard going is completely worth it.

DogsBody

gratefulforhelp wrote: »

We call this the fist of power...sounds really violent but isn't;)

Hehe, works quite well for 'mouthy' adults too, and keeps my fingers attached

Agree with 'redirect onto a toy' as well - mine are gundog breeds, so quite big with the mouth, and I find it easier to give something they can rag/chew etc rather than trying to stop it altogether - have had to do this with adolescent kennel inmates who have never learned much in the way of bite inhibition, which is 'fun', but it does work - fun game if you go for the toy, no game and walk away if you go for the fingers, type thing.