I have recently got a labrador puppy who has absolutely no idea what NO means.

She doesnt even seem to acknowledge the change in tone of my voice.

If anything saying no or shouting seems to make her do it more.

We have actually only had her for a week and she's only 8 weeks old.

Am i expecting too much of her too soon.

You've not had her long enough for her to have properly settled in yet, and she's just a baby right now - give her time!! :)

Annette

thats what I thought.

dont want to rush her but she is biting our hands and feet quite a lot and even though she's only tiny its like having a mouthful of needles embedded in your skin. It actually really hurts especailly when she shakes her head.

how can I get her to stop

if you tell her know she barks and growls at us

Racheal
there is a thread further down this page -called advice for new puppy owners and it covers biting and mouthing ( it is normal ) just say no and remove your hand .
If you've only had her a week she is still getting used to the sound of your voice :)
hth
Liz

Had the same problem with my lab -- don't worry, it's very frustrating (and painful!) but also very normal. Keep saying "No bite!" and pull your hand away sharply -- she will get the point soon enough. My lab did not stop mouthing until he was around 6 months, and it was a gradual thing. It wasn't until his milk teeth fell out that he stopped completely. Make sure that she has lots of bones and toys to chew. Whenever she goes for your hand, try sticking a bone or toy in her mouth. Remember that 8 weeks is still very, very young. Don't play tug of war with toys or wrestle with them -- it just gets them excited and teaches them that rough play is okay, which inevitably leads to biting.

At 8 weeks no pup will understand "NO" - and yes, frequently saying this, and using assertive body language will often make a pup much worse because they are just learning about the world and don't have any idea what si the correct thing to do.

In my view, you can use any words you like, but you have to train the pup to understand the language :) Be patient and consistent and try not to get too frustrated :D :) :p

I would highly recommend buying a good puppy book such as Gwen BAiley's "The Perfect Puppy" which explains how to bring up a puppy well, how to train, and how and why to do everything from socialise to dealing with adolescent behaviour (which will be the next exciting phase - wow! lucky you!!! :D)

Also do remember it is imperative your pup gets used to other strange dogs and people so have a think about a good pupppy class - one that emphasises socialisation at first, but will go on to do good basic pet obedience.

And - have fun ;)

LIndsay

It also helps to socialize your puppy around other dogs, but you should try to make sure that these other dogs are socialized as well. Our lab puppy used to spend a lot of time with a very gentle female collie mix, and although she was patient with him (most older dogs seem to know that a puppy biting is not aggressive biting), she would often "put him in his place." It seemed to help a lot with the mouthing because he learned that he can't just do it to whomever he pleases -- dogs or people! Lindsay's post is right -- if you use "No" too much, it loses all meaning, especially since they're not sure what it means anyway! Don't just follow them around shouting "No" all of the time. Practice commands with her -- labs love to train!

Rachael
we had exactly the same thing with our puppy - I think everybody does .
You go through a phase where you think your pup will never learn the word NO and that he's the only pup that bites .
Our pup is now 13 weeks old and he HAS learnt the word NO!!! :) although sometimes he can be a bit selective whether he takes notice or not .
Honestly bear with it , and one day you just realise that the biting has lessened and he responds . There is LOADS of advice on here .
Good luck
;)
Lel

...and when i attended the puppy class at the vets, I can assure you that every single owner - and there was a good mix of owners and dogs: Cocker, BSd, Bc, Shih Tzu (sorry I never can spell that! :P), poodle, fox terrier and briard - was most worried about this.

LIndsay

Hi Rachael
Link to Mouthing and biting mentioned above

Christine