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My pup is 4 mos old and I understand he has to have something in his mouth to chew on pretty much whenever he is awake.
The problem is when he gets excited he tends to nip out at everything. I like to give him affection when he is calm, which usually means he is gnawing away on something appropriate. For instance, I am giving him affection, he has a variety of chew toys nearby and is possibly chewing on one, and then one of our kids comes over and, in the appropriate manner, starts to give him affection. He gets pretty happy and excited at the attention and drops the chewie, flips around and starts mouthing at everything, shoes, feet, legs, arms, hands, etc.... Editing to add: its not just the kids, though he gets more excited with them. He can get too excited just with one adult.
He is over 40 lbs and while he does not bite, in the sense of a bite that is intended to do damage, no one likes it (of course - who wants a dog chewing on your hand?) and its really way too much for the kids. He already outweighs 3 of the 4 kids.
I know if we handle it properly this is something he will outgrow, but beyond saying no, with redirection to an appropriate chewing toy, is there anything else we could be doing? I have tried yelping, like puppies do when they play bite each other and learn about bite inhibition, but I wonder if at this stage, something else is more appropriate.
We have one more month til we start obedience training so any appropriate stopgap measures are much appreciated.
I am curious to see the answers you receive. I too have a 4mth old puppy that does the same thing. Puppy teeth are really sharp and I am tired of having small cuts on my hands, tears in my clothes etc...
Those puppy teeth are little needles!
What happens when you yelp? Does he stop? Your puppy is older, maybe he needs a redirectional hand at the scruff of his neck?
We blurt out a shrill yelp, but also firmly say "no bite." The puppy stops.
We offer him something else to chew.
Elwood (our adult mastiff) lifts his lip, maybe even snarls a bit, and the puppy gets it and retreats.
We have the same problem. We asked our trainer today what we should do and she said to yelp when we get nipped. Then, get up and walk away and ignore him completely. Once he realizes that playtime is over because of the nipping, he will stop the behavior.
^^^I agree with what has been said. Also remember it takes some time for this to sink in. You must be consistent and do this each time and so must everyone who is with the pup. It will eventually work....maybe not tomorrow but it will work.
We have the same problem. We asked our trainer today what we should do and she said to yelp when we get nipped. Then, get up and walk away and ignore him completely. Once he realizes that playtime is over because of the nipping, he will stop the behavior.
That is exactly right. Act hurt and then ignore him. Dogs hate to be ignored. Also, you can spray that bitter spray on your hands and when he nips, it'll taste awful. Our 4 month old puppy pretty much doesn't bite anyone anymore. She has to get really jazzed up to open her mouth in an uncontrolled manner now. All I did was the yelp/ignore technique.
This is another instance of needing to teach bite inhibition. From one of my posts in reply to another member, elaborating on the yelping when your pup clamps down too hard:
You have a little puppy, and she needs to learn bite inhibition. Normally, puppies learn this from littermates and mom, but if she was taken from them early (like at 8 weeks), she likely didn't have a chance to learn this. Rather than put her in her crate, you can TEACH HER bite inhibition:
Have her with you in a completely puppy-safe place, where she can be left alone (outside the crate) and can't see or hear you. This is important.
Start playing with her. When she chomps down too hard, YELP, loudly, like another puppy, and, without a word, get up and LEAVE. Completely. Out of the room. Just for a minute.
She'll quickly learn that when she bites too hard (normal for a puppy!) she loses her most precious resource: you. It's important that she not be able to hear or see you during that minute that she's left alone.
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I agree with the yelp/ignore/playtime over technique. I'd also suggest more exercise on a regular basis. I know it seems rather simplistic; but in my experience, exercise cures a variety of doggie behavior problems. I'd even go so far as to say that a dog who is worn out by the end of the day is a very happy, well-behaved dog
Thanks for the feedback. I have a perfect room for the suggestion made by viral.
It will be hard for me in my schedule to give him more exercise. I already walk/run him on leash 2-3 miles each morning plus 1/4 mile walk every 2 hours or so during the day (our yard is 1/4 mile total perimeter). We are not 100% fenced yet (when the ground thaws we can gate our driveway) so when he is out in the yard with us, its on leash or a tieout. We try playing fetch but he is a little gun shy about reaching the end of the tieout (who could blame him). I look forward to the day we are 100% fenced and he can run all over the property to his heart's content, chasing rabbits.
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