Hi.

I have a 11 week old Labrador bitch.
I have read all of the previous posts on stopping puppies biting too hard but they are not working with Darcy.

She has toys galore but seems to have a real fetish for human skin.

We've tried all of the high pitched yelping and NO but both seem to make her more excited and to bite harder.
If you take your hand away and tell her no she just barks at you and will lunge for your hand again

We stopped her constantly biting our feet by putting her out of the room everytime she did it and that worked but she is being very stubborn about biting hands and the same thing is not working.

I know she's only young and that I have to be patient with her but now she's growing it is starting to really hurt. My hands are covered in puncture marks. I know longer have to pretend to cry out becasue it hurst enough I do it automatically.

If anyone has any other tips I would be very grateful

sorry I have just read some recent posts. havent been online for a few days and realised everyone is probably sick to death of this subject.

I seem to have tried all of the suggestions. I guess I will have to hope she grows out of it.

The weird thing is shes as gentle as anything with my cats.
She nudges them every now and then but as never ever bitten them

Mouthing/biting puppies are really awful and a puppy that keeps biting really get you down.

A friend of mine had a puppy that kept biting her hands and nothing worked until she rubbed some chilli oil on her hand and encouraged the pup to bite it. He bit her once, backed off and started sneezing then came back to see if it happened again. When he realised that it was going to taste the same he backed off and never bit her hands again.

The only problem with this type of method is that the dog will never learn bite inhibition but it did stop the biting instantly and meant that my friend kept her puppy rather than returning him to his breeder which she had been going to do.

I hope you do get this sirted out,

Fiona
x x x

HI there,

One comment I would make is that at 11 weeks, many pups are still doing this. Training advice generally given to stop this does take time and patience to implement, and that can be the frustrating thing for people who have "bitey puppys". I had THE Mad Bitey Puppy and my preferred method was to put her calmlyout the room, time after time, and the nipping was just a little less each time :) She was pretty good, by about 20 weeks, and that was what I was aimingfor so was happy.

Some pups will get frustrated and go through a bit of an extinction phase where it all gets worse.

You've read all the advice adn I know it is hard when pups have sharp llittle needle teeth - so I don't see anything wrong with putting chilli oil or Bitter Apple on your hands. We are all human and can only take so much.

Also try re-directing her onto a toy. This often works well. After a time you may find she grabs her toy when she feels a nip coming along!!!

Good luck :)

Lindsay

Just so you know, this is actually mouthing, although it may feel like biting. As long as the dog isn't growling or baring her teeth, it's actually mouthing (although it feels like biting!) I would say that it sounds like you have an perfectly normal lab, especially since you say she is so gentle with the cats.

Keep trying. I know it's hard, but your lab is still very young. Although it may not seem to be working, it is. This isn't like a sit or lay down command that a lab can learn right away. It's instinct for them, and it takes quite a while for them to learn it's not acceptable with humans. I was terribly frustrated with our lab, but he slowly stopped doing it. By the time he was six months old, he almost never did it, or he would slowly put his mouth around our hands, and look at us, as if to say "Is this okay?" Which, of course, we would say "No" firmly and he would let go. Don't get discouraged -- it's very normal and if you're consistent, she will eventually stop. I would say that if he's still doing it at six months, consult a trainer or behaviourist.

Keep your hands out of the way so the opportunity for her lunging and jumping to bite them does not present itself as often. Tuck them under your armpits and turn away from her.
There's nothing weird about a dogs healthy respect for a cat. They have a few *points* of defence when it comes to protecting themselves :D My own German Shepherds hug the wall and avert their gaze when they walk past my cat in the house, if he's in their bed they'll lie on the hard floor instead and if he's in their kennel they won't even go in :D Yet the cat is genuinly fond of them and seeks out their company :)
Lara x

I just wanted to check cos she is actually biting so hard she is drawing blood.

If you say this is normal I'll just have to accept it and be more patient. I just hadnt expected her to bite so hard.

Try not to push her away when she does this - many dogs see the pushing as a game which they love and come back for more. If a yelp sound excites her, try a loud gruff "NO!" and go away from her. (I'm sure you've tried that too, but maybe not loud enough - you must startle her.) She must learn not to bite hard, and she will, but some dogs learn quicker than others ;). If it's any consolation they often become much more gentle when they change their teeth - and the adult teeth aren't as needle-like as the puppy teeth as well - 2 bonuses!

Hope this improves soon. :)

Hiya...

Just thought I'd let you know I'm in exactly the same boat. My lab puppy now nearly 17 weeks is still biting. In fact to be honest he has regressed a bit as far as biting is concerned. It seems to happy when he gets overly excited. He got better for a while but started again...even bitter apple ain't stopping my pup. But I keep trying...the wop method worked for a while, the fly swat worked for a while and my voice is useless so I'm now either leaving him alone or putting him outside whenever this antisocial biting occurs. He obviously dislikes this but it gives him time to calm down and when he returns inside he is much better. The thing is I hate doing that, I'd rather he responded to all my attempts at a deep hard voice!

Anyway...sorry this isn't positive...just thought I'd let you know your not alone. My arms are covered in marks too!

Francy

Rachel - this is advice I have supplied to another forum - hope it is of some help to you. Drawing blood is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately.

Mouthing/Play biting in your puppy
Almost all puppies will nip, mouth or play bite. It is perfectly normal behaviour. However, unless you control it, it can get out of hand and turn your puppy into a menace who you no longer enjoy. It’s a problem that differs in severity with each puppy, but you need to take firm control from the start.

The biting can happen for a number of reasons including becoming too excitable in play, being encouraged to play rough, being tired and wanting some peace and trying to be the boss. The main thing to remember is control and consistency. All family members must treat the puppy the same. No one must accept any biting of a person at all. Whenever a puppy puts his teeth on you, you need to stop and teach it “NO”.

Play-biting – when a puppy is playing they can become excited and start to nip. In this case it is up to you to spot when this is about to happen. Change the activity from jolly play to gentle play or let the puppy rest in his bed. If a nip happens before you can stop/change the play, stop immediately, say a very firm “no” and turn away from the puppy. Totally ignore him/her. Do this any time it happens and he will soon learn what has caused you to turn away. It is preferable though to stop a nip even happening. Learn how much stamina your puppy has and to spot the signs of him becoming tired or bored. Change the activity or put him to bed. Hopefully the nip won’t happen.

Playing rough – the simple answer here is don’t play rough. If you or someone else goads the puppy on it will respond in the only way it can – a nip that can soon turn into a bite and a problem dog. Don’t allow any rough play at all. Encourage chase the ball games instead or teaching obedience.

If a puppy gets over tired – particularly when young children won’t leave him alone, again it is likely to nip. That too can turn to biting. The puppy must be allowed to rest and have it’s own space where it can be alone.

Persistent biting/mouthing – if your puppy is persistently biting/mouthing, try the above technique of saying no and turning away. If that does not work, you can put the puppy out of the room. Again, don’t look at him/her or acknowledge him in anyway. Put him out of the room and leave him for a couple of minutes. Do this every time he doesn’t stop at “no”. He will soon learn what is happening. The puppy wants to be with you so he will learn that biting gets him taken away from you and the biting should stop. Do not try to stare at your puppy. He may get confused and feel threatened and react even more badly.

Dominance/Aggression

This FAQ is not intended to deal with issues of dominance or aggression as they can be much more complicated and affected by so many variables. If you feel your puppy/dog is showing signs other than those of play biting or normal puppy behaviour then please ask a specific question giving as much detail as you can. We will try to help but you may need specialist help. Don't be afraid to ask though.

This stage if handled correctly passes quickly. Most puppies have found their place by the time they are about 6 months or so old. Those who are still having problems are often not being given consistent messages from all those around them. Be consistent and don’t be afraid to back to stage one if problems start to re-occur.

hope this helps - you must control any biting. Good luck

Pam n the boys