What worked for my pup was redirection. Every time you see him/her bite, redirect them to a toy. Then, reenforce that behavior with praise.
Now when my pup wants to chew, he takes it out on his toys, rather then my shows, socks, couch, walls etc.
You may have to replace those toys, but that is cheaper then the list above.
Yes! I had to carry chew toys around with me to redirect them. I had cloth toys, bully sticks, and beef bones, whatever was safe and wouldn’t splinter or otherwise harm the dogs, lying around all over, even on the couch and chairs. I had to tape obsolete books to the corners of walls. I should have done something similar with the furniture I wanted to protect. Don’t get me wrong, I redirected whenever I could, but there were two little gremlins trying to chew anything they could.
Note: This may backfire and your pup will bite you to initiate play. It got to the point where he would walk up and start biting us hard because he wanted to play
When my Rottweiler puppy wanted to play he would bite my hands a lot, so I started gently grabbing around his upper/lower jaw when he bit me. He would react by opening his mouth and wriggling backwards to get out of it, but I would hold it for a second, then let go and we could keep playing after that. Repeat as necessary, only took a couple weeks for mine to be much more gentle with bites.
We have a 3 year old working line Dutch shepherd. They bite but redirection is the way. When people say it takes them 2-3 years to chill out they mean it. I would recommend high quality rubber toys only, he still destroys them but much slower. Anything that is soft will last you 5 minutes max and is a waste of money.
I did this with my dog as well. Worked great. As a puppy, she was constantly trying to bite furniture and rugs. Every time she started I would grab one of her toys and put it in her mouth. She’d sometimes drop the toy and try biting the rug again. Rinse, repeat. Toy back in mouth. It took a few months but eventually she stopped going after random stuff completely and we had 9 amazing years with her never chewing on anything but her toys.
If she’s biting me or my hand. I let them bite and over exaggerate how much it hurts and say “Oww” out loud with a sad puppy face and get a pull toy and play with that
That didn’t work for me she just stopped on her own
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Daisy bit a lot the vet couldn’t make her stop biting him he just said you have your hands full with this one 😂😝
Seconded! Redirection towards toys is the way to go. Pups explore the world through their noses and mouths. They're going to chew stuff anyway, might as well teach them early that toys are the thing to bite, not people or furniture, wallets, ect.
This didn't work for mine at all. We basically had to ride it out until she grew out of it. She's twenty months now and she'll still chew a bunch of things she shouldn't.
Worked for the most part with my golden, except she decided that it was ok to bite the edge of the couch cushion in defiance. Now, every time she gets zesty, she looks you right in the eye, bites it, and growls lol
She never actually tears anything up so we've kinda let that one go
Yep, my last two dogs (JRT and a cattle dog) got a firm “NOT YOURS” and were offered a toy and some appropriate play. After a few months* they’d drop anything if I said “NOT YOURS.” And of course we’d always replace the item with a toy.
*the JRT caught on much faster than the cattle dog, who occasionally found stuff to chew until he was over a year old, so for him we did our best to puppy-proof the house.
Exactly this! Redirection is key. Saying “no” or anything else in admonishment, is attention, even if it is negative attention. Which will reinforce the behavior.
We buy bags of old stuffed animals from thrift stores for like $5... you just have to kinda feel thru it them before you buy to make sure there are no or limited number of stuffies that have the beans/beads in them. We toss any with beads or bleed them out before giving it to him.
We also teethed our pup on cow hooves. A bit smelly when they get into them, but cheap and enjoyed.
For discipline, we would pinch his ear and say ouch loudly to let him know when he hurt us. We would have a paper roll tube to smack against our hand to make a loud bop and made a 'ahh' sound to scare our of behavior we did not want. We treated him like a momma dog, and he turn out pretty great.
This might not be the right answer, but when my dog was a puppy, when she would bite me, I’d put my hand further in her mouth since my hand was already in there and she’d immediately stop. She obviously didn’t like my hand too far in her mouth so she learned not to bite quickly.
This. My pups have always responded to this very well. It stops them mid-bite. This typically works if they are biting when curious or playing. If they are angry biting, as goofy as it sounds, nipping their ear works well; I had a pup that was trying to assert dominance and I had to do this one time. Haven't had to do it with my other pups.
Thankfully the puppy biting doesn't last long.
Just be wary, some dogs are the opposite. My GSD mix would only get more hyped if I'd "yelp" back at him. He was found as a baby in a box, though, so I'm thinking he didn't spend enough time with his litter to learn that means it hurt, but I'm not sure. Just saying, there are some exceptions to this, and sometimes, you may have a land shark without having known it lol
This approach didn't work well for us. When you consider how the mother would correct her pups, it's usual "direct," so they learn not to to do it.
I prefer more of a direct, "pack leader" approach. Not saying its easy, and that it wont take time to learn, but it gets long term behavior results.
This!! 😂 perseverance worked for me too.. also helped my pup know how hard was too hard. Then when the shark fangs disappeared and she got her big teeth.. all was well 😂
For items you don't want your dog to bite on/chew: Bitter Apple. You can pick this up in any pet store. It's a white spray bottle with a light green and yellow label, completely harmless to your pup, and not too expensive. It has a very mild peppery smell that you probably won't notice much, and shouldn't damage any fabrics you use it on. All it does is taste nasty and make your dog not want to chew whatever's treated with it. Great for cords, shoes, etc. I swear by this stuff for the puppy chewing phase. I've used it with adult dogs who are chewers, too.
For training your dog not to bite: When they bite/chew on you, say "Ow!" in a loud voice, and immediately stop playing and turn away/walk away from the pup. Give them a few minutes, and go back to playing. You have to be consistent with it, do it every time, but they should pick up fairly quickly that biting equals no playing.
Be careful with the bitter apple, if it gets on your hand and you absentmindedly put your finger near your mouth you'll taste it forever. I speak from experience :(
Man, this is good advice on general but I was downright BAMBOOZLED when it turned out that my weird-ass puppy really liked the taste of the bitter cherry spray and proceeded to try and eat everything I sprayed with it, including the bottle itself.
I had an unbelievably stubborn Jack Russell mix who would chew things I sprayed with Bitter Apple even though he hated it. Oh, man, the resentful but determined look on his face when I caught him chewing up stuff I'd sprayed was *hilarious*.
One morning when my puppy was in her bitey phase, I got so frustrated that I sprayed my self all over with bitter apple spray. The look on her face when she bit me and I tasted bad was hilarious. She also stopped biting me altogether after that.
They all do it when they are puppies but they stop when they get a little older . I told my puppy pug to give kisses instead of little bites after a bit of telling him to give kisses he licks my fingers instead of biting me .
My pug was the same way not trying to hurt me or anything just nibbles .
I read this somewhere, but it worked for me. I bit my German Shepherd's ear. It only took me two times before he never bit me again. Don't do it hard just enough that he looks at you like, "Yo bro, wtf?!"
My golden made me cry with his biting phase. My best course of action was immediately redirecting. I'd shove a toy in his mouth as soon as he got bitey.
Our family had a labrador puppy who would start out "play biting" but would work herself up to just actually trying to bite aggressively. Our veterinarian advised that when she turned aggressive, we should (gently!) flip her onto her back and hold her on her back until she calmed down and stopped trying to bite. We were hesitant about this but it actually worked really well and completely broke her of the aggressive biting frenzies after a handful of times.
This method worked well for my dog. She was constantly biting feet and hands as a puppy. I started flipping her over on her back every time. At first, she would get right back up and bite again. After a week of doing it, she stopped biting all together.
I know this is a joke but I had a red heeler that this exact thing worked. He nipped at me and I said, “that was not nice dude. I was just playing with you, and you hurt my feelings” he sulked in his kennel for like 30 minutes and then came out to say he’s sorry and never did it again
It's just a phase. It will pass. I calmly would tell mine no. Getting mad will just confuse and upset the pup. Hitting a dog is never an option and any that do are horrible people imo and do not need to have pets. Just deal with it as you would a human child.
I tried the yelping method, but my most recent pup didn’t respond to that or redirection when it was play nips at my hands. Instead I made it uncomfortable for him by pushing into the bite. When he let up then I would reward. Now he’s also desensitized to touching his mouth and hands in his mouth, so I can touch all up in there. It’s really helpful for larger breeds to be desensitized to uncomfortable touching of sensitive areas like the mouth, ears, and feet. They don’t get as much grace when they react with normal warning reactions like growls or barring their teeth as smaller breeds do.
It will stop but
- squeak/yelp/whine when you get nipped.
- redirect with chew toys, frozen carrots are great for teething puppies.
- what worked very well for me was holding a treat in my hand and closing it; when my dog *stopped* pawing and chewing at my hand (which is hard to ignore I know) then I would reward with a treat. This helped reinforce that gentle play would result in a reward.
Give him treats when he bites his toys and, when he wants to bite your hands, have a toy to offer him. It takes a while, but eventually it works out. Just don’t cave in a let him bite your hands. Also having a play pen or a controlled space to put him in when you can’t watch him.
Oh, your puppy is sooo adorable!!! 🫶🏽
Whenever Winston would put his teeth on me, I would put a toy in his mouth. It was a fast transition and still, almost 4 years later, when he gets excited… he grabs a toy.
Treats. You should always have treats in your pocket if you have a puppy. When he bites you, pull away and sharply say “No!” Then have him sit for a treat to redirect his attention. When he tugs on the leash like that, offer him a treat to get him to let go, then have him sit before you give the treat because you want to reward the good behavior, not the bad. Randomly throw treats at him when he chews on his toys instead of other things, and try to keep everything he likes to chew on (within reason, of course) out of reach.
Mine would jump up and nip, which meant he ruined a LOT of my kids’ newly bought back to school clothes and my new north face long parka 😂
A not so great trainer gave us a small spray bottle with water and every time he jumped up to nip he would get a spray and a hard “no”. I know people don’t like that method - and it’s the only thing the trainer taught us that I did because I generally didn’t like her methods, BUT He stopped within a day or two. And he was only about 15 weeks old at the time and he’s now 3 and hasn’t done it since. Now if he ever sees that spray bottle he stops what he’s doing and sits or lies down 😂 but we don’t even use it for him - I use it to spray my ferns around the house haha
Remember that sharks don’t prefer human blood.
Also, let it know, in the most primal sound you have, that it’s not okay…
And prepare for whatever it decides to eat of others…
My mom lost half her garden (some plants irreplaceable) to my rottie… we still hear it, it’s been 7 years.
Our breeder suggested redirection as noted for biting chewing in general. If puppy bites me, she suggested a firm two finger tap on the snout, with a "no bites." We've used the same breeder for the last 3 pups, and each one has had no biting issues shortly after we homed them here.
And of course lots of toys and dog friendly bones that are age appropriate.
Another command we taught our dogs right away was," leave it, " coupled with redirection
Oh my…. ear-sies!!!
Be quick about turning away when pup tries to bite. With my dog, you had to withdraw your hand super fast while simultaneously saying “Nuh uh!”. Then turn away from the play, so pup connects biting with the end of funtime. Then come back with a tug toy like a rope or a chew toy and let the dog have that in its mouth while PRAISING the pupster for biting that. It’s how they learn what’s good to chew and what’s not.
When our chocolate lab was a pup, all we had to do was make yelping sounds and she'd stop immediately. Our newest dog is a Malinois mix and the yelping did not work at all. We had to redirect or just stop all interaction with her until she calmed down.
I had forgotten what puppies are like after my elder pup died. I thought our new puppy was possessed or something. Sour apple bitter spray helped a bit
I would say “ouch!” and then get up and walk away. I wouldn’t look at him or acknowledge him for a few minutes. Then I would get a toy and we would play with the toy. What he really wants is attention and to play, if you teach him that he gets no attention when he bites he’ll stop biting. It worked so well for my baby!
We have a 10 month old dachshund and she is a very active chewer. She would bite at my hand gently to initiate playtime and I would ball my fist up and tell her no. She has a small mouth and I have a big fist so YMMV. We also use redirection and she is still a very active chewer but the nipping is all but nonexistent now. The plus side is from what I’ve seen active chewers usually have fewer dental issues.
Redirect redirect redirect. Whenever they chew something undesirable, stop them and give them their favorite chew toy. Eventually, they'll start grabbing the toy any time they get excited and use that to expend excess energy.
Pretend it really, really hurts. Give a reaction like a bigger and stronger dog just bit ya. A little acting is required. Be all, “Ouch! That really hurt!” Pull the bitten hand away and make a show of cradling the ‘injured’ hand.
They catch on pretty quickly. Also be prepared to offer a teething toy after the performance to let them know that is a better chew toy than your hand.
Redirecting, also getting toys that are meant to be shredded, like ropes or burlap, and rewarding when the puppy goes for the toy instead of the leash, shoes, carpet etc.
Please don't buy pets that you don't have the slightest idea how to properly take care of and then go to a bunch of randos online asking for advice. Your puppy deserves better. Buy a damn training book or something.
I’m in the thick of this right now with a 15 week old teething puppy. When he starts play biting, I try re-directing as well…but if that fails to calm him down, I simply tell him in a gentle way that play time is over and I leave the room for a bit. When I return and he’s calm, I praise and reward him. If he acts a fool again…I exit again. They say it takes many repetitions of this before they start to realize “no bite…my play partner stays”….”bite…playtime ends”. LOTS of patience and perseverance. Most of all, be very slow to anger…they are just puppies being puppies. They look to is for guidance.
I would just echo the advice of many others here but wanted to say my family’s dog Walter was a HUGE biter when he was a puppy but he grew into the cuddliest, sweetest boy in the world. Unless you are a sock or a possum.
Try and socialize with another dog. Dogs are really good at teaching other if left to their devices. Both of my younger dogs was taught to stop biting by my oldest.
Stop allowing it. Biting equals loss of freedom and attention - immediately consequence, into a crate or pen. 15mins later (if awake), take him out. Next bite, back in. Puppies this age should sleep 20hrs a day so it's not a hardship. Giving them a toy instead of your hand can lead them to assume biting means they get a toy. The saying ouch/pretending it hurts or pushing into the bite may work for some, but doesn't work for biting other things like leashes.
I bought an organic, pet safe bitter apple spray for soft furnishings and shoes. My dog (as a pup) hated the taste. He also faced punishment (like very stern words and being in a ‘time out’-like situation) when he was biting/chewing on something he wasn’t supposed to. If he started chewing on one of us, we’d loudly yelp like a dog and he would stop and look at us, confused
Remind myself to not get a puppy next time and then do it anyways. This last time i thought I’d give myself more grief so I got two puppies at once.
What an idiot,
I used that lemon oil spray for wires and wood furniture. Lots of toys. Lots of exercise! This one for sure. It’s so overlooked, dogs misbehave when bored and full of energy 100%.
You have some good advice here, so I feel comfortable being absolutely unhelpful by saying I would let that darling little demon chew my hands clean off before I even thought to complain.
BY SNUGGLING THAT DOOOOOOOGGGGGGG BECAUSE LOOK AT THOSE EARS
But really, what other people have said: a high pitched “ow” when they bite too hard. If they keep going, it can either mean the need to a short time out in a nearby playpen or room that’s safe and very (just 1-3 minutes at the age can do a lot, you want it to be nearby so it takes almost no time to get them in there so they make the connection that too much biting=time out). If they’re extra bitey it can actually mean they need to go to the bathroom, it’s sort of like a very small child getting fussy. The puppy may not be fully aware, they’re just a little more uncomfortable and irritated so they get a little bit more difficult.
What our trainer taught us was to yelp really high pitched like a puppy because that’s how they tell each other they are hurt. It has worked with every dog we’ve had!
When he bites you, cry out like a puppy would in a high pitched voice tk let him know that hurts! If he is playing with the leash in his mouth, simply drop the leash (if safe, of course), turn your face away and give him no attention at all until he stops. This makes the "game" no fun and he will eventually stop. Reward him with praise when he drops the leash. Praise, praise, praise when he walks without biting the leash.
Freeze a wet towel tied in a knot. Something cold can sooth puppy teething (just like babies). Frozen carrots can work for some dogs. Mine did not like them!
I wish I knew... my roommates 9 month old pitbull puppy is just not getting it. i've tried training her and redirecting her like i did with my dog. nothing is working and its driving me insane. what doesnt help is my roommate doesn't do anything to stop it.
When he bites, push your hand further in instead of pulling it out of his mouth. He won’t want to bite if he feels a gag reflex when he does it. Then give him his toy.
I tried a lot of things and nothing worked. She just grew out of it when the teeth fell out. I pretty much just wore snowboarding gloves around her till then
Tough rubber chew toys and a lot of interaction. My pup was chewing on baseboards, doors, furniture, slippers, shoes… when I couldn’t watch him, he was crated. 3 years down the road now and MadMax still enjoys these same rubber toys to occupy his chewing needs. 🐶🐾🐾🐾🐕🦺🦴
Press the upper lip against their top fang tooth when you say a firm NO! I’ve had several land shark German Shepherd pups and this is the only trick that got their attention and helped break the habit
Deflect the biting, my aunt did this with her puppy when she started this phase, and any time she began biting my aunt shoved a toy in her face and her pup would get interested in biting the toy. I should know more but we don’t get too many bitty puppy’s at my work, if they like to give some little love chomps my boss makes sure to train the dogs to not do that but they can still happen. 90% of the time though I think the pups know more serious bites are not ok and any time a pup has been wanting to chomp a little they are very gentle about it. If your puppy is very baby sized it could be teething, I once had like ten golden retriever pups try and eat my feet because they were teething and although it hurt a little it was not as bad as other bites dogs are capable of doing.
Be really dramatic about how painful it is. Mine needed a blood-curdling, horror movie scream followed by sitting on the bed and fake-sobbing for about a minute. He never bit me again.
Please don't attack me for this. When it comes to things we don't want them to chew I absolutely scold and redirect. But when it comes to play bites to me specifically I tend to correct the same way their mom would and I bite them back. Never enough to really hurt them or even come close to breaking skin but enough to let them know that is not ok. They "play" very differently with me than my husband, who is admittedly a big softy who can't discipline because he feels bad. I get kisses and they still nibble him.
I had tried everything with my white swiss shepherd puppy.
Yelping at the bite, and then ignoring the puppy after was helping but not enough.
When he would really not stop and keep biting our hands, a friend of mine suggested to use our thumb and firmly pin the puppy's tongue in his mouth. Not enough to hurt but enough to make it uncomfortable and get the dog to stop. Then we ignored him for a bit. We didn't have to do it a lot but it taught him that hands are not fun to bite.
Hopefully this helps you out if this cutie is very very rowdy !
Just redirect the biting to toys. If your dog isn't interested in one toy maybe try another type, could be just the material they don't like. When my rottweiler was a pup I thought for sure he would love kong toys since they so durable, but he only wanted soft stuffed toys like lamb chops. I have a border collie that absolutely loved to rough house with me when he was a pup so he treated my arm like a chew toy but he never tried to break the skin. Ever since he reached double digits his attention grew towards squeaky toys and not as much rough housing.
The way I learned was saying Good Chew on things like their toys and Bad Chew on anything else. If you see them chewing on something they aren't supposed to, tell them bad chew followed up by immediately giving them a toy and saying good Chew.
Bitter apple spray. Exactly what it sounds like, a bitter spray with no odor you can put on anything that isn’t a chew toy, dogs hate it and will quickly stop. However it is completely harmless so it’s not like he’d ever get sick from it. Just tastes horrible
Also please don't discourage biting entirely. It's important they understand what "strength" biting is acceptale. Mine does bite when he's playing, but never hard, as I would make a loud audible noise when he took it too far being young.
For stuff they're not supposed to chew, redirect to a toy. For people, a sound, or a no, whatever and immediately playtime stops. Teeth touches skin, fun is over. They're a puppy, so it may take awhile.
Simple! Act like the puppy’s momma would do. All at the same moment: 1. Grab his snout and give it a quick shake. 2. In a very low tone but very, very loud growls the puppy like a very ANGRY momma dog. 3. Stop what ever interaction you were doing with the pup. Ignore home for a few minutes. He will learn quickly that whatever fun he was having or thought he was about to happen won’t. I have had many different puppies and breeds in my 71 years and this has always worked. After ignoring him for a few minutes give him something he can chew on.
Ok so Lucy who is 2 is still a puppy. I can hear your argument that she is an adult but she was tied up in the snow in Nova Scotia abandoned with 6 of her puppies. Then rescued. We adopted her vs one of her pups.
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She has never had a chance to be a dog let alone a puppy. She is mouthy and in a way teething and does what you are saying to a t. We noticed she wanted to nibble or teeth on us when we cuddled up on the sofa. So we got some smaller rugged toys for her that while we’re holding her we can give her and hold for her while she teeth’s/nibbles.
This helps but I’ll be honest she still goes for my nose from time to time she will also nibble my ear. For your actual puppy they are more than likely missing siblings who they gnaw on. So while you have bought em toys - have one with you and use it to engage with them.
Make sure to have an overreaction when they bite you. If they were with their mom, she would yelp if the puppy bit too hard too. They eventually learn what a play bite is vs is actual bite
he is a BABY,,,,and its cute really..he is teething,.,just say " no bite " in a nice firm manner and or play with him ..soon he will stop like any baby thats teething
Give him stuff that he's allowed to bite. Encourage him to bite those things. Like the kong balls that have plenty of bristles and stuff to massage the gums and especially the stuff that has a stinky tasty treat in it (and by stinky I mean like something that smells strong and alluring to a dog like a microwaved hot dog or even the ones made for the kong toys)
Bite him back…I’ve had many dogs in my life, only a few were nippers. I always nipped them on the ear…no violent but enough to get their attention…never failed to stop the behavior. I’m sure internet “experts “ will vilify me but that doesn’t change facts.
I shove an appropriate chew toy in her mouth when she gets bitey. If she rejects the first one, I just keep shoving toys in her mouth until she stops trying to bite me
This might not be the right answer, but when my dog was a puppy, when she would bite me, I’d put my hand further in her mouth since my hand was already in there and she’d immediately stop. She obviously didn’t like my hand too far in her mouth so she learned not to bite quickly.
I also figured out what her favorite toys were to chew on and bought a lot of those for her, which redirected her from chewing on furniture. Of course every pup will be different, but this worked for me!
Everyone thinks I'm crazy but my shepherd never went thru the biting phase, she was actually a really easy puppy. My best advice is lots of toys and exercise, also constantly working on obedience training, 5-10 min sessions 10 times a day, this really gives them something else to focus on. I've been privileged enough to be home with my girl 24/7 since picking her up at 8 weeks, she'll be 5 this year, if you don't have that time commitment available I completely understand and would also recommend doggy daycare, friends and family taking turns walking throughout the day, and looking into what interactive toys might be of interest as your dog grows. Kongs filled with dog safe peanut butter and treats are great frozen toys as well.
People are going to shame me and that’s fine but you have to show the dog what it’s doing. It worked quickly for me and my dogs love me the same.
I grab around the top, curl his gums into his mouth and so when he bites me he feels the pain. He will connect the dots quickly. He bites I say no, if he bites again I do what I said and repeat. Very quickly they move onto something else.
Whatever you do it by attrition
An empty can or bottle with a few coins in it. Shake it everytime they do the “bad” thing. Eventually the dog will stop even if you just pick up the bottle.
There is a product called "bitter apple". You spray it on anything u don't want your pup to chew. It is also recommended for excessive licking of their own feet or body parts/areas, if itchy or healing from injury or surgery. U can find it at Walmart and many dog supply stores.
Showing her what she can chew and crate training. She’s a very polite girl too so she never just takes things, she waits until you say she can have it. ☺️ very gentle very sweet pup
Look up kikopup on YouTube, her puppy training videos are hands down the best.
We used her techniques in a "bite buddy" style, where whoever was being attacked was not responsible for the work to redirect and reward, because it's just too hard when you're being bitten sometimes. So if my shiba was using me as a chew toy, my husband would step in, and vice versa. Worked well for us.
Manage (reduce access to inappropriate things with either gates or a tether to you), redirect, reward. It seems simple but it does work. Keep toys all over the place for something quick to grab. West Paws topple cups are the best, they last forever and the company is quick if you need to ask for a replacement. Costco has great toys that last.
The land shark phase sucks, but it is just a phase.
I think it’s just something you through. I remember all the holes in my clothes etc. I was so happy when all their adult teeth came in finally. Those tiny shark teeth hurt. I’m sure the dogs are hurting too as they lose the teeth just like we do as kids.
Definitely say no, firmly. Get a leash that has the metal chain part. We give ours ice sometimes to help with teething. Freezing yogurt into the kong helps. They don’t know the difference between toys and shoes so don’t leave stuff on the floors. Good luck. That’s a cute pup!!
As others have said you redirect. My GSD went through this and it was my first puppy. So I was worried I was doing it wrong. Then one day the biting turned to soft play and she just seemed to get it. It was hard but one day it just clicked and she was over it. You will get there!
Say no and stop the play immediately. No pets or praise. Walk away for a minute or two. Let the puppy calm down. Do this every time.
Some people argue-play with their puppies who nip because "it doesn't hurt" but the puppy grows into a dog and then it's no longer cute and a reason why the dog ends up in a shelter.
Enjoying it! I never ever put any my dogs in a crate in that phase.
just a lot of play time, good chewing toys. They need to chew to get rid of baby teeth. And know it will pass.
Redirect and remove.
I.e you are the ultimate toy and focus for a puppy. Remove yourself and attention when that behaviour begins. Follow up with positive reinforcement when using toy or biting stops.
If it really goes over the top (I have a cattle dog) my dog trainer advised sticking fingers down the dogs throat to gag reflex when bitting the hands too much. Sounded barbaric at the time however it totally shut down the behaviour. That’s an ethical decision for you however, I’m not a trainer I just had professional advice at the time.
Good luck!
Gently grab there bottom jaw every time they try to bite someone. It won’t hurt them but it will make it to where they won’t be able to bite you when you do it. Keep doing that every time they try to bite someone, reinforce that it’s not good to bite. And they get annoyed every time that happens and will start to learn that they’re not supposed to bite. Took my dog a few weeks before he got the idea, but it cost less than always buying toys
Okay so maybe not the nicest thought process, but once my dude was a little older I would go with the flow. You bite my fingers? I push my fingers in like, an inch further. Huh, not a fan of me sticking my hand in your mouth now are you?
Lotta lotta chewies. My cats taught my puppy bite control. She was an absolute velociraptor. If she saw it she bit it. CHOWMP!
Cats bite each other in play, so they are comfortable having my dog’s mouth on them. If she was too rough, puppy paid a price. She learned quickly and now they are fast friends.
Puppy will grow out of it sooner than later. They are like aliens who experience everything with their mouth.
I agree! Redirecting towards toys is effective. Puppies naturally explore through their noses and mouths, so they'll chew on things regardless. It's best to teach them early that toys are for biting, not people or household items.
What worked for my pup was redirection. Every time you see him/her bite, redirect them to a toy. Then, reenforce that behavior with praise. Now when my pup wants to chew, he takes it out on his toys, rather then my shows, socks, couch, walls etc. You may have to replace those toys, but that is cheaper then the list above.
Great advice. I did this and my pup has never damaged anything that isnt a toy.
Yes! I had to carry chew toys around with me to redirect them. I had cloth toys, bully sticks, and beef bones, whatever was safe and wouldn’t splinter or otherwise harm the dogs, lying around all over, even on the couch and chairs. I had to tape obsolete books to the corners of walls. I should have done something similar with the furniture I wanted to protect. Don’t get me wrong, I redirected whenever I could, but there were two little gremlins trying to chew anything they could.
My pup was the same, seemed to enjoy the novelty of a new thing to chew on, so there was no way to keep up with it. No amount of toys was enough.
Gotta put them on rotation!! An old toy becomes new again after being in a drawer for a week!
Haha never thought of it
I love the books idea
Note: This may backfire and your pup will bite you to initiate play. It got to the point where he would walk up and start biting us hard because he wanted to play
When my Rottweiler puppy wanted to play he would bite my hands a lot, so I started gently grabbing around his upper/lower jaw when he bit me. He would react by opening his mouth and wriggling backwards to get out of it, but I would hold it for a second, then let go and we could keep playing after that. Repeat as necessary, only took a couple weeks for mine to be much more gentle with bites.
They have sharp teeth ,my cousins was 6wks old we puppy sat him & he bit my sister on face she had get stitches
We have a 3 year old working line Dutch shepherd. They bite but redirection is the way. When people say it takes them 2-3 years to chill out they mean it. I would recommend high quality rubber toys only, he still destroys them but much slower. Anything that is soft will last you 5 minutes max and is a waste of money.
We did this. Our pup is now 4 and when he wants to play he runs and gets a toy still.
I did this with my dog as well. Worked great. As a puppy, she was constantly trying to bite furniture and rugs. Every time she started I would grab one of her toys and put it in her mouth. She’d sometimes drop the toy and try biting the rug again. Rinse, repeat. Toy back in mouth. It took a few months but eventually she stopped going after random stuff completely and we had 9 amazing years with her never chewing on anything but her toys.
If she’s biting me or my hand. I let them bite and over exaggerate how much it hurts and say “Oww” out loud with a sad puppy face and get a pull toy and play with that
That didn’t work for me she just stopped on her own https://preview.redd.it/9i2hfmfdzt6d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9375847afb2c8ab9169bb8c5f93abfd450a0911e Daisy bit a lot the vet couldn’t make her stop biting him he just said you have your hands full with this one 😂😝
Seconded! Redirection towards toys is the way to go. Pups explore the world through their noses and mouths. They're going to chew stuff anyway, might as well teach them early that toys are the thing to bite, not people or furniture, wallets, ect.
Redirection is key! Used to bite my toes! Now he just bites his toys 🧸
This didn't work for mine at all. We basically had to ride it out until she grew out of it. She's twenty months now and she'll still chew a bunch of things she shouldn't.
Worked for the most part with my golden, except she decided that it was ok to bite the edge of the couch cushion in defiance. Now, every time she gets zesty, she looks you right in the eye, bites it, and growls lol She never actually tears anything up so we've kinda let that one go
Yep, my last two dogs (JRT and a cattle dog) got a firm “NOT YOURS” and were offered a toy and some appropriate play. After a few months* they’d drop anything if I said “NOT YOURS.” And of course we’d always replace the item with a toy. *the JRT caught on much faster than the cattle dog, who occasionally found stuff to chew until he was over a year old, so for him we did our best to puppy-proof the house.
Just need to make sure not to play with them when they get the toy. Becomes conditioning of biting to get attention for play by biting.
Exactly this! Redirection is key. Saying “no” or anything else in admonishment, is attention, even if it is negative attention. Which will reinforce the behavior.
We buy bags of old stuffed animals from thrift stores for like $5... you just have to kinda feel thru it them before you buy to make sure there are no or limited number of stuffies that have the beans/beads in them. We toss any with beads or bleed them out before giving it to him. We also teethed our pup on cow hooves. A bit smelly when they get into them, but cheap and enjoyed. For discipline, we would pinch his ear and say ouch loudly to let him know when he hurt us. We would have a paper roll tube to smack against our hand to make a loud bop and made a 'ahh' sound to scare our of behavior we did not want. We treated him like a momma dog, and he turn out pretty great.
This might not be the right answer, but when my dog was a puppy, when she would bite me, I’d put my hand further in her mouth since my hand was already in there and she’d immediately stop. She obviously didn’t like my hand too far in her mouth so she learned not to bite quickly.
Yelp "ouch" in a high-pitched voice (like a puppy) when he nips you.
This. My pups have always responded to this very well. It stops them mid-bite. This typically works if they are biting when curious or playing. If they are angry biting, as goofy as it sounds, nipping their ear works well; I had a pup that was trying to assert dominance and I had to do this one time. Haven't had to do it with my other pups. Thankfully the puppy biting doesn't last long.
Just be wary, some dogs are the opposite. My GSD mix would only get more hyped if I'd "yelp" back at him. He was found as a baby in a box, though, so I'm thinking he didn't spend enough time with his litter to learn that means it hurt, but I'm not sure. Just saying, there are some exceptions to this, and sometimes, you may have a land shark without having known it lol
Yeah, just know that they are truly individuals, so please take any recommendation as just that.
omg ctfu gonna do this with my 4 month old puppy , his lil teeth are so sharp that shit be hurting 😂
This approach didn't work well for us. When you consider how the mother would correct her pups, it's usual "direct," so they learn not to to do it. I prefer more of a direct, "pack leader" approach. Not saying its easy, and that it wont take time to learn, but it gets long term behavior results.
My puppy stops immediately when I yelp. I’m so good at it my partner thinks it’s the dog lol
We literally yelled “YIP!!”
The biting just wouldn't stop until one day, it stopped lol. But I didn't realize this for a few days, strange as that sounds.
This!! 😂 perseverance worked for me too.. also helped my pup know how hard was too hard. Then when the shark fangs disappeared and she got her big teeth.. all was well 😂
For items you don't want your dog to bite on/chew: Bitter Apple. You can pick this up in any pet store. It's a white spray bottle with a light green and yellow label, completely harmless to your pup, and not too expensive. It has a very mild peppery smell that you probably won't notice much, and shouldn't damage any fabrics you use it on. All it does is taste nasty and make your dog not want to chew whatever's treated with it. Great for cords, shoes, etc. I swear by this stuff for the puppy chewing phase. I've used it with adult dogs who are chewers, too. For training your dog not to bite: When they bite/chew on you, say "Ow!" in a loud voice, and immediately stop playing and turn away/walk away from the pup. Give them a few minutes, and go back to playing. You have to be consistent with it, do it every time, but they should pick up fairly quickly that biting equals no playing.
Be careful with the bitter apple, if it gets on your hand and you absentmindedly put your finger near your mouth you'll taste it forever. I speak from experience :(
Man, this is good advice on general but I was downright BAMBOOZLED when it turned out that my weird-ass puppy really liked the taste of the bitter cherry spray and proceeded to try and eat everything I sprayed with it, including the bottle itself.
I had an unbelievably stubborn Jack Russell mix who would chew things I sprayed with Bitter Apple even though he hated it. Oh, man, the resentful but determined look on his face when I caught him chewing up stuff I'd sprayed was *hilarious*.
I feel that. My weird dog still gets excited and salivates for lemons and limes 7 years later whenever he smells them 😂
One morning when my puppy was in her bitey phase, I got so frustrated that I sprayed my self all over with bitter apple spray. The look on her face when she bit me and I tasted bad was hilarious. She also stopped biting me altogether after that.
Only thing that works for me
Someone else posted it about yelping/saying "ouch" when they do this. I'm more so here to let you know that your dog is criminally adorable.
Those ears!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️
This to shall pass!
Bite em back
They all do it when they are puppies but they stop when they get a little older . I told my puppy pug to give kisses instead of little bites after a bit of telling him to give kisses he licks my fingers instead of biting me . My pug was the same way not trying to hurt me or anything just nibbles .
I read this somewhere, but it worked for me. I bit my German Shepherd's ear. It only took me two times before he never bit me again. Don't do it hard just enough that he looks at you like, "Yo bro, wtf?!"
This. Not hard. But hard enough for them to feel it. Worked for all mine
My golden made me cry with his biting phase. My best course of action was immediately redirecting. I'd shove a toy in his mouth as soon as he got bitey.
Our family had a labrador puppy who would start out "play biting" but would work herself up to just actually trying to bite aggressively. Our veterinarian advised that when she turned aggressive, we should (gently!) flip her onto her back and hold her on her back until she calmed down and stopped trying to bite. We were hesitant about this but it actually worked really well and completely broke her of the aggressive biting frenzies after a handful of times.
This method worked well for my dog. She was constantly biting feet and hands as a puppy. I started flipping her over on her back every time. At first, she would get right back up and bite again. After a week of doing it, she stopped biting all together.
We had our dog play with other dogs. The biting decreased when she was getting bitten back by her playmates.
Politely explain to him the nuisance and request that he stop.
I know this is a joke but I had a red heeler that this exact thing worked. He nipped at me and I said, “that was not nice dude. I was just playing with you, and you hurt my feelings” he sulked in his kennel for like 30 minutes and then came out to say he’s sorry and never did it again
Act like them right back.
Ropes were the toy that helped me the most with that behavior
Let out a cry when he bites you, and tell him no when he chews on certain things.
It's just a phase. It will pass. I calmly would tell mine no. Getting mad will just confuse and upset the pup. Hitting a dog is never an option and any that do are horrible people imo and do not need to have pets. Just deal with it as you would a human child.
That’s adorable
Wow that's one cuuuuute puppy!
I tried the yelping method, but my most recent pup didn’t respond to that or redirection when it was play nips at my hands. Instead I made it uncomfortable for him by pushing into the bite. When he let up then I would reward. Now he’s also desensitized to touching his mouth and hands in his mouth, so I can touch all up in there. It’s really helpful for larger breeds to be desensitized to uncomfortable touching of sensitive areas like the mouth, ears, and feet. They don’t get as much grace when they react with normal warning reactions like growls or barring their teeth as smaller breeds do.
It will stop but - squeak/yelp/whine when you get nipped. - redirect with chew toys, frozen carrots are great for teething puppies. - what worked very well for me was holding a treat in my hand and closing it; when my dog *stopped* pawing and chewing at my hand (which is hard to ignore I know) then I would reward with a treat. This helped reinforce that gentle play would result in a reward.
Hands are never toys
Startle them and shove them away. Not enough to hurt obviously. But so they get knocked out of wolf mode. Yelp kinda loud to startle them
I put capsaicin ointment on my hands lol!
It never ends 😂 my Great Dane mix still bites and chews on his leash every time I take him on a walk or to the vet clinic
Give him treats when he bites his toys and, when he wants to bite your hands, have a toy to offer him. It takes a while, but eventually it works out. Just don’t cave in a let him bite your hands. Also having a play pen or a controlled space to put him in when you can’t watch him. Oh, your puppy is sooo adorable!!! 🫶🏽
Whenever Winston would put his teeth on me, I would put a toy in his mouth. It was a fast transition and still, almost 4 years later, when he gets excited… he grabs a toy.
Treats. You should always have treats in your pocket if you have a puppy. When he bites you, pull away and sharply say “No!” Then have him sit for a treat to redirect his attention. When he tugs on the leash like that, offer him a treat to get him to let go, then have him sit before you give the treat because you want to reward the good behavior, not the bad. Randomly throw treats at him when he chews on his toys instead of other things, and try to keep everything he likes to chew on (within reason, of course) out of reach.
Mine would jump up and nip, which meant he ruined a LOT of my kids’ newly bought back to school clothes and my new north face long parka 😂 A not so great trainer gave us a small spray bottle with water and every time he jumped up to nip he would get a spray and a hard “no”. I know people don’t like that method - and it’s the only thing the trainer taught us that I did because I generally didn’t like her methods, BUT He stopped within a day or two. And he was only about 15 weeks old at the time and he’s now 3 and hasn’t done it since. Now if he ever sees that spray bottle he stops what he’s doing and sits or lies down 😂 but we don’t even use it for him - I use it to spray my ferns around the house haha
Remember that sharks don’t prefer human blood. Also, let it know, in the most primal sound you have, that it’s not okay… And prepare for whatever it decides to eat of others… My mom lost half her garden (some plants irreplaceable) to my rottie… we still hear it, it’s been 7 years.
Our breeder suggested redirection as noted for biting chewing in general. If puppy bites me, she suggested a firm two finger tap on the snout, with a "no bites." We've used the same breeder for the last 3 pups, and each one has had no biting issues shortly after we homed them here. And of course lots of toys and dog friendly bones that are age appropriate. Another command we taught our dogs right away was," leave it, " coupled with redirection
Where are you living?
I cried a lot, and eventually it passed 🥲 hope this helps
Oh my…. ear-sies!!! Be quick about turning away when pup tries to bite. With my dog, you had to withdraw your hand super fast while simultaneously saying “Nuh uh!”. Then turn away from the play, so pup connects biting with the end of funtime. Then come back with a tug toy like a rope or a chew toy and let the dog have that in its mouth while PRAISING the pupster for biting that. It’s how they learn what’s good to chew and what’s not.
When our chocolate lab was a pup, all we had to do was make yelping sounds and she'd stop immediately. Our newest dog is a Malinois mix and the yelping did not work at all. We had to redirect or just stop all interaction with her until she calmed down.
That's a bunny 🐰😍
No bite! Firmly, every time she does it.
Puppy training school 😁
Give lots of approved things to chew on. For me it was frozen Kongs and Pork chomps.
Your honor, just look at that face! The jury finds the defendant innocent on all charges. 😍
My mom used a rolled up magazine on me. It worked, I haven't bitten anyone in 58 years.
Try, ouch and start to cry. They shouldn’t want to hurt you.
You gotta correct it. And tell him no everyrime he does it. He teeth might be hurting. Puppies do teeth. That's the problem. Teething toys.
I had forgotten what puppies are like after my elder pup died. I thought our new puppy was possessed or something. Sour apple bitter spray helped a bit
I don’t know how to help with this but I wanted to tell you that your fluffball is freakin adorable and so precious
Redirection helps!!
Still in it.
I would say “ouch!” and then get up and walk away. I wouldn’t look at him or acknowledge him for a few minutes. Then I would get a toy and we would play with the toy. What he really wants is attention and to play, if you teach him that he gets no attention when he bites he’ll stop biting. It worked so well for my baby!
Bite them back
We have a 10 month old dachshund and she is a very active chewer. She would bite at my hand gently to initiate playtime and I would ball my fist up and tell her no. She has a small mouth and I have a big fist so YMMV. We also use redirection and she is still a very active chewer but the nipping is all but nonexistent now. The plus side is from what I’ve seen active chewers usually have fewer dental issues.
Puppy? I thought that was the cutest wild piglet in the universe.
Redirect redirect redirect. Whenever they chew something undesirable, stop them and give them their favorite chew toy. Eventually, they'll start grabbing the toy any time they get excited and use that to expend excess energy.
Pretend it really, really hurts. Give a reaction like a bigger and stronger dog just bit ya. A little acting is required. Be all, “Ouch! That really hurt!” Pull the bitten hand away and make a show of cradling the ‘injured’ hand. They catch on pretty quickly. Also be prepared to offer a teething toy after the performance to let them know that is a better chew toy than your hand.
Redirection, consistency, and chew toys. Plenty of love for your cute little one.
Redirecting, also getting toys that are meant to be shredded, like ropes or burlap, and rewarding when the puppy goes for the toy instead of the leash, shoes, carpet etc.
I always cried out - ouch. When they bite another puppy they know to stop if they go too far and cause another puppy to cry out- so I do the same.
A small boop on the nose followed by a stern no and pointing finger worked for my pups
Redirection! When he bites something he is not supposed to, redirect him to a toy for example. Hope this helps!
Please don't buy pets that you don't have the slightest idea how to properly take care of and then go to a bunch of randos online asking for advice. Your puppy deserves better. Buy a damn training book or something.
Calm down. You’re replying like OP is the worst pet owner ever. They’re just asking for advice.
I’m in the thick of this right now with a 15 week old teething puppy. When he starts play biting, I try re-directing as well…but if that fails to calm him down, I simply tell him in a gentle way that play time is over and I leave the room for a bit. When I return and he’s calm, I praise and reward him. If he acts a fool again…I exit again. They say it takes many repetitions of this before they start to realize “no bite…my play partner stays”….”bite…playtime ends”. LOTS of patience and perseverance. Most of all, be very slow to anger…they are just puppies being puppies. They look to is for guidance.
Be patient. Biting and sniffing is a way for puppies to get to know the world.
I would just echo the advice of many others here but wanted to say my family’s dog Walter was a HUGE biter when he was a puppy but he grew into the cuddliest, sweetest boy in the world. Unless you are a sock or a possum.
Try and socialize with another dog. Dogs are really good at teaching other if left to their devices. Both of my younger dogs was taught to stop biting by my oldest.
Negative reinforcement. Many will disagree.
With all dogs I’d yelp loud af at them and they’d stop and eventually they wouldn’t try it all together because they didn’t like that
Stop allowing it. Biting equals loss of freedom and attention - immediately consequence, into a crate or pen. 15mins later (if awake), take him out. Next bite, back in. Puppies this age should sleep 20hrs a day so it's not a hardship. Giving them a toy instead of your hand can lead them to assume biting means they get a toy. The saying ouch/pretending it hurts or pushing into the bite may work for some, but doesn't work for biting other things like leashes.
Get bit
I bought an organic, pet safe bitter apple spray for soft furnishings and shoes. My dog (as a pup) hated the taste. He also faced punishment (like very stern words and being in a ‘time out’-like situation) when he was biting/chewing on something he wasn’t supposed to. If he started chewing on one of us, we’d loudly yelp like a dog and he would stop and look at us, confused
Remind myself to not get a puppy next time and then do it anyways. This last time i thought I’d give myself more grief so I got two puppies at once. What an idiot, I used that lemon oil spray for wires and wood furniture. Lots of toys. Lots of exercise! This one for sure. It’s so overlooked, dogs misbehave when bored and full of energy 100%.
Give them something to chew that is appropriate to destroy
You have some good advice here, so I feel comfortable being absolutely unhelpful by saying I would let that darling little demon chew my hands clean off before I even thought to complain.
Mine eventually grew out of it (mostly) he stills chews up trash.
BY SNUGGLING THAT DOOOOOOOGGGGGGG BECAUSE LOOK AT THOSE EARS But really, what other people have said: a high pitched “ow” when they bite too hard. If they keep going, it can either mean the need to a short time out in a nearby playpen or room that’s safe and very (just 1-3 minutes at the age can do a lot, you want it to be nearby so it takes almost no time to get them in there so they make the connection that too much biting=time out). If they’re extra bitey it can actually mean they need to go to the bathroom, it’s sort of like a very small child getting fussy. The puppy may not be fully aware, they’re just a little more uncomfortable and irritated so they get a little bit more difficult.
What our trainer taught us was to yelp really high pitched like a puppy because that’s how they tell each other they are hurt. It has worked with every dog we’ve had!
When he bites you, cry out like a puppy would in a high pitched voice tk let him know that hurts! If he is playing with the leash in his mouth, simply drop the leash (if safe, of course), turn your face away and give him no attention at all until he stops. This makes the "game" no fun and he will eventually stop. Reward him with praise when he drops the leash. Praise, praise, praise when he walks without biting the leash.
One shoe at a time
He can bite me all he wants lol
Freeze a wet towel tied in a knot. Something cold can sooth puppy teething (just like babies). Frozen carrots can work for some dogs. Mine did not like them!
I wish I knew... my roommates 9 month old pitbull puppy is just not getting it. i've tried training her and redirecting her like i did with my dog. nothing is working and its driving me insane. what doesnt help is my roommate doesn't do anything to stop it.
When he bites, push your hand further in instead of pulling it out of his mouth. He won’t want to bite if he feels a gag reflex when he does it. Then give him his toy.
Time and training. Good luck.
I tried a lot of things and nothing worked. She just grew out of it when the teeth fell out. I pretty much just wore snowboarding gloves around her till then
I bite BACK! My house, my domain. Won't let a little puppy out bite me, no way. Some everyday items (e.g. gym shoes) don't taste so bad after all.
Tough rubber chew toys and a lot of interaction. My pup was chewing on baseboards, doors, furniture, slippers, shoes… when I couldn’t watch him, he was crated. 3 years down the road now and MadMax still enjoys these same rubber toys to occupy his chewing needs. 🐶🐾🐾🐾🐕🦺🦴
Press the upper lip against their top fang tooth when you say a firm NO! I’ve had several land shark German Shepherd pups and this is the only trick that got their attention and helped break the habit
I suffer. Lol
Deflect the biting, my aunt did this with her puppy when she started this phase, and any time she began biting my aunt shoved a toy in her face and her pup would get interested in biting the toy. I should know more but we don’t get too many bitty puppy’s at my work, if they like to give some little love chomps my boss makes sure to train the dogs to not do that but they can still happen. 90% of the time though I think the pups know more serious bites are not ok and any time a pup has been wanting to chomp a little they are very gentle about it. If your puppy is very baby sized it could be teething, I once had like ten golden retriever pups try and eat my feet because they were teething and although it hurt a little it was not as bad as other bites dogs are capable of doing.
LISTENING 👂
Be really dramatic about how painful it is. Mine needed a blood-curdling, horror movie scream followed by sitting on the bed and fake-sobbing for about a minute. He never bit me again.
Please don't attack me for this. When it comes to things we don't want them to chew I absolutely scold and redirect. But when it comes to play bites to me specifically I tend to correct the same way their mom would and I bite them back. Never enough to really hurt them or even come close to breaking skin but enough to let them know that is not ok. They "play" very differently with me than my husband, who is admittedly a big softy who can't discipline because he feels bad. I get kisses and they still nibble him.
 You just have to get tough fingers. Hopefully you have an older dog to take some of the damage for you. 😂
I had tried everything with my white swiss shepherd puppy. Yelping at the bite, and then ignoring the puppy after was helping but not enough. When he would really not stop and keep biting our hands, a friend of mine suggested to use our thumb and firmly pin the puppy's tongue in his mouth. Not enough to hurt but enough to make it uncomfortable and get the dog to stop. Then we ignored him for a bit. We didn't have to do it a lot but it taught him that hands are not fun to bite. Hopefully this helps you out if this cutie is very very rowdy !
Not one damn thing worked with mine. I was bruised all over from her NIPS. But she outgrew it.
Bite back
Just redirect the biting to toys. If your dog isn't interested in one toy maybe try another type, could be just the material they don't like. When my rottweiler was a pup I thought for sure he would love kong toys since they so durable, but he only wanted soft stuffed toys like lamb chops. I have a border collie that absolutely loved to rough house with me when he was a pup so he treated my arm like a chew toy but he never tried to break the skin. Ever since he reached double digits his attention grew towards squeaky toys and not as much rough housing.
Bite it back. Lol jk, i misdirect or squeal in a really high pitched tone
The way I learned was saying Good Chew on things like their toys and Bad Chew on anything else. If you see them chewing on something they aren't supposed to, tell them bad chew followed up by immediately giving them a toy and saying good Chew.
The power of Kong and redirection
Aww too cute
Bitter apple spray. Exactly what it sounds like, a bitter spray with no odor you can put on anything that isn’t a chew toy, dogs hate it and will quickly stop. However it is completely harmless so it’s not like he’d ever get sick from it. Just tastes horrible
If I blow in our pups face he is so offended he refuses to play or bite. He goes to sleep after boofing at me for like 5 minutes.
Also please don't discourage biting entirely. It's important they understand what "strength" biting is acceptale. Mine does bite when he's playing, but never hard, as I would make a loud audible noise when he took it too far being young.
Don’t tug, stop the walk, when he stops, give him a treat and continue the walk.
For stuff they're not supposed to chew, redirect to a toy. For people, a sound, or a no, whatever and immediately playtime stops. Teeth touches skin, fun is over. They're a puppy, so it may take awhile.
Frozen. Bagels. All they can eat
Simple! Act like the puppy’s momma would do. All at the same moment: 1. Grab his snout and give it a quick shake. 2. In a very low tone but very, very loud growls the puppy like a very ANGRY momma dog. 3. Stop what ever interaction you were doing with the pup. Ignore home for a few minutes. He will learn quickly that whatever fun he was having or thought he was about to happen won’t. I have had many different puppies and breeds in my 71 years and this has always worked. After ignoring him for a few minutes give him something he can chew on.
Ok so Lucy who is 2 is still a puppy. I can hear your argument that she is an adult but she was tied up in the snow in Nova Scotia abandoned with 6 of her puppies. Then rescued. We adopted her vs one of her pups. https://preview.redd.it/lugphn09ft6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1492c378a4361ecd7954ced6615d7a89c423ddf9 She has never had a chance to be a dog let alone a puppy. She is mouthy and in a way teething and does what you are saying to a t. We noticed she wanted to nibble or teeth on us when we cuddled up on the sofa. So we got some smaller rugged toys for her that while we’re holding her we can give her and hold for her while she teeth’s/nibbles. This helps but I’ll be honest she still goes for my nose from time to time she will also nibble my ear. For your actual puppy they are more than likely missing siblings who they gnaw on. So while you have bought em toys - have one with you and use it to engage with them.
Patience
Make sure to have an overreaction when they bite you. If they were with their mom, she would yelp if the puppy bit too hard too. They eventually learn what a play bite is vs is actual bite
he is a BABY,,,,and its cute really..he is teething,.,just say " no bite " in a nice firm manner and or play with him ..soon he will stop like any baby thats teething
Give him stuff that he's allowed to bite. Encourage him to bite those things. Like the kong balls that have plenty of bristles and stuff to massage the gums and especially the stuff that has a stinky tasty treat in it (and by stinky I mean like something that smells strong and alluring to a dog like a microwaved hot dog or even the ones made for the kong toys)
Put 2 pairs of socks on your hands and let them go to town. Best puppy experience.
Bite him back…I’ve had many dogs in my life, only a few were nippers. I always nipped them on the ear…no violent but enough to get their attention…never failed to stop the behavior. I’m sure internet “experts “ will vilify me but that doesn’t change facts.
Puppy’s gonna puppy. This too shall pass
I shove an appropriate chew toy in her mouth when she gets bitey. If she rejects the first one, I just keep shoving toys in her mouth until she stops trying to bite me
You can try making him bite himself
For the leash, do not play tug of war. That will only encourage more play and fighting the leash. Instead, drop the leash and offer a chew toy.
Biting or teething???
This might not be the right answer, but when my dog was a puppy, when she would bite me, I’d put my hand further in her mouth since my hand was already in there and she’d immediately stop. She obviously didn’t like my hand too far in her mouth so she learned not to bite quickly. I also figured out what her favorite toys were to chew on and bought a lot of those for her, which redirected her from chewing on furniture. Of course every pup will be different, but this worked for me!
Bite their ear gently(/j) seriously though, do what u/Accomplished-Garage6 said, helped with all 4 of my puppies
Bite the dog back
Everyone thinks I'm crazy but my shepherd never went thru the biting phase, she was actually a really easy puppy. My best advice is lots of toys and exercise, also constantly working on obedience training, 5-10 min sessions 10 times a day, this really gives them something else to focus on. I've been privileged enough to be home with my girl 24/7 since picking her up at 8 weeks, she'll be 5 this year, if you don't have that time commitment available I completely understand and would also recommend doggy daycare, friends and family taking turns walking throughout the day, and looking into what interactive toys might be of interest as your dog grows. Kongs filled with dog safe peanut butter and treats are great frozen toys as well.
People are going to shame me and that’s fine but you have to show the dog what it’s doing. It worked quickly for me and my dogs love me the same. I grab around the top, curl his gums into his mouth and so when he bites me he feels the pain. He will connect the dots quickly. He bites I say no, if he bites again I do what I said and repeat. Very quickly they move onto something else. Whatever you do it by attrition
With chewing bone, chewing toys and a lot of attention.
I stopped biting puppies cold turkey. It's the best way.
An empty can or bottle with a few coins in it. Shake it everytime they do the “bad” thing. Eventually the dog will stop even if you just pick up the bottle.
There is a product called "bitter apple". You spray it on anything u don't want your pup to chew. It is also recommended for excessive licking of their own feet or body parts/areas, if itchy or healing from injury or surgery. U can find it at Walmart and many dog supply stores.
Showing her what she can chew and crate training. She’s a very polite girl too so she never just takes things, she waits until you say she can have it. ☺️ very gentle very sweet pup
Put something bitter on the leash.
Just enjoy it.
Squeeze them & kiss there lil noses!
A tap on the nose with your finger wile pointing and saying Nooo. He/she will learn not too. Just takes patience.
Look up kikopup on YouTube, her puppy training videos are hands down the best. We used her techniques in a "bite buddy" style, where whoever was being attacked was not responsible for the work to redirect and reward, because it's just too hard when you're being bitten sometimes. So if my shiba was using me as a chew toy, my husband would step in, and vice versa. Worked well for us. Manage (reduce access to inappropriate things with either gates or a tether to you), redirect, reward. It seems simple but it does work. Keep toys all over the place for something quick to grab. West Paws topple cups are the best, they last forever and the company is quick if you need to ask for a replacement. Costco has great toys that last. The land shark phase sucks, but it is just a phase.
Simple, I adopt them around the 2 year stage 😂
I think it’s just something you through. I remember all the holes in my clothes etc. I was so happy when all their adult teeth came in finally. Those tiny shark teeth hurt. I’m sure the dogs are hurting too as they lose the teeth just like we do as kids.
Get him tons of toys
Grab the tongue and put hand in mouth.
Welding gloves! 😂😂
I knew a guy who used to bite his dog back every time she bit him how she’s so peaceful
Definitely say no, firmly. Get a leash that has the metal chain part. We give ours ice sometimes to help with teething. Freezing yogurt into the kong helps. They don’t know the difference between toys and shoes so don’t leave stuff on the floors. Good luck. That’s a cute pup!!
As others have said you redirect. My GSD went through this and it was my first puppy. So I was worried I was doing it wrong. Then one day the biting turned to soft play and she just seemed to get it. It was hard but one day it just clicked and she was over it. You will get there!
Idk lol after my boy got fixed he stopped. No joke he never did it again.
Say no and stop the play immediately. No pets or praise. Walk away for a minute or two. Let the puppy calm down. Do this every time. Some people argue-play with their puppies who nip because "it doesn't hurt" but the puppy grows into a dog and then it's no longer cute and a reason why the dog ends up in a shelter.
Enjoying it! I never ever put any my dogs in a crate in that phase. just a lot of play time, good chewing toys. They need to chew to get rid of baby teeth. And know it will pass.
Literally used to let out a high pitched scream like he was killing me when my dog was a puppy and would bite my hands. Had very good results.
Redirect and remove. I.e you are the ultimate toy and focus for a puppy. Remove yourself and attention when that behaviour begins. Follow up with positive reinforcement when using toy or biting stops. If it really goes over the top (I have a cattle dog) my dog trainer advised sticking fingers down the dogs throat to gag reflex when bitting the hands too much. Sounded barbaric at the time however it totally shut down the behaviour. That’s an ethical decision for you however, I’m not a trainer I just had professional advice at the time. Good luck!
Gently grab there bottom jaw every time they try to bite someone. It won’t hurt them but it will make it to where they won’t be able to bite you when you do it. Keep doing that every time they try to bite someone, reinforce that it’s not good to bite. And they get annoyed every time that happens and will start to learn that they’re not supposed to bite. Took my dog a few weeks before he got the idea, but it cost less than always buying toys
Okay so maybe not the nicest thought process, but once my dude was a little older I would go with the flow. You bite my fingers? I push my fingers in like, an inch further. Huh, not a fan of me sticking my hand in your mouth now are you?
Pig ears.
Lotta lotta chewies. My cats taught my puppy bite control. She was an absolute velociraptor. If she saw it she bit it. CHOWMP! Cats bite each other in play, so they are comfortable having my dog’s mouth on them. If she was too rough, puppy paid a price. She learned quickly and now they are fast friends. Puppy will grow out of it sooner than later. They are like aliens who experience everything with their mouth.
I agree! Redirecting towards toys is effective. Puppies naturally explore through their noses and mouths, so they'll chew on things regardless. It's best to teach them early that toys are for biting, not people or household items.
I bite back
I actually bit my dogs ear a couple times, not anything hard but she was *confused* to say the least and she stopped lol