Puppy biting, how to stop it

Mrs_Muckle

Our 13 week old puppy is constantly mouthing and biting us. Hands, feet, clothes anything. Tried ignoring it, difficult, rewarding her not doing it! And tried the high pitched squeal as suggested by our vet but nothing seems to work. She starts to chew us as soon as we pick her up even when she has asked to come up!

Any suggestions on how to stop her?

U

thorsoak

Have a look at "The Bite Stops Here" by Prof. Ian Dunbar - it is really really helpful! At 13 weeks old, she is teething and therefore her mouth is really irritating to her.

Here's the link:- http://petskeepersguide.com/forums/Thread-The-Bite-Stops-Here-Teaching-Bite-Inhibition-Dr-Ian-Dunbar

Stevie_Palimo

Was going to say buy some rubber toys for the dog also a gentle tap on the nose with a firm word of no helps, Not too hard though just enough to let them know it is wrong.

krlyr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c77--cCHPyU is a good watch (as are her other videos - a great resource for puppy & adult dog owners)

Person_one

Stevie_Palimo wrote: »

Was going to say buy some rubber toys for the dog also a gentle tap on the nose with a firm word of no helps, Not too hard though just enough to let them know it is wrong.

Don't hit the puppy, you don't want her to be fearful of you.

Positive reinforcement beats negative every time.

thorsoak

Stevie_Palimo wrote: »

Was going to say buy some rubber toys for the dog also a gentle tap on the nose with a firm word of no helps, Not too hard though just enough to let them know it is wrong.

You want a pup to stop biting, so you tap it on the nose? Isn't that akin to biting a baby/toddler who is starting to bite? Absolute nonsense!

teddysmum

The nose bones are also delicate, so easy to damage.


A squeal or shriek, as a response could sound exciting, but a deep voiced 'no' would be more like a dog's growling disapproval, so more effective.

Mrs_Muckle

Thank you for responses. She has loads of things to chew, I do say no and put her on the floor, maybe I just need to persevere but my hands are sore with the biting.
I think Steve Palimo means a gentle tap not a full on braying into the deck.
I will check out the websites.
She is good at lots of other things, I expect they cannot be good all the time!��

Person_one

I would also suggest that you don't pick the puppy up unless necessary (to carry outside for toileting etc.)

Don't even fall for the idea that a 'gentle tap' is acceptable OP, its not effective and it will just mean that your puppy is less likely to trust you and be relaxed around you. You don't want them to flinch from your hand.

Stick with the squeal, but also turn your back and stop interacting at the same time. The squeal mimics the squeal of a hurt littermate, which is how puppies learn bite inhibition if they stay with their mums. The turning of your back lets them know that biting/mouthing means the end of playtime so is not worth doing!

If you stick with this as well as having plenty of chew toys available, your pup will get it in time, but it might not happen overnight, you'll have to persevere and be patient! This is a stage that all young dogs go through, and they pretty much all grow out of it too.

gettingtheresometime

I noticed that our beagle,when he was a pup, used to bite my toes (and boy did he have sharp teeth!) just before his nap.

The hurt squeal did work with him though.

sheramber

She is probably too old now for a shreik to work. It usually works for younger puppies. At her age it could excite her more.

First , don't pick her up. Management of a problem is much easier than correcting it.

Keep a toy she can chew on handy and if she bites tell her sharply 'no; and offer her the toy.

Just telling her not to do something does not tell her what she should do. You nned to tell her don't' do that, do this instead.

If you tell a toddler not to do something he will stop look at you and carry on doing it unless you offer an alternative to take his attention away from what he was doing.

It is the same with a puppy.

When she tkes the toy give her lots of praise.

She will learn that the toy is more fun than your hand.

While teething she needs to chew on things so provide suitable toys- not too hard as they will hurt her,

A wet, knotted tea towel popped in the freezer can be soothing on her gums.

You could also try a carrot out of the fridge, cold bit with some give in it.