How do you teach a puppy not to . . ..

[Huginn]

Hahah you are such an overprotective mother

But I know exactly why.

[Huginn]

How old is your pup? Tucker's biting was dramatically better around 4 months (we got him at 10 weeks old) and 100% gone shortly thereafter. He kind of made me hate puppies just because of the first month we had him lol. Like if we had gotten him at the point he was at by 4 months I might like puppies, but alas, he was such a terror he has scared me for life. So many bites.

He is right around 12 weeks, will be 13 weeks on Monday. I have had him since right before he was 10 weeks. The biting started about a week ago.

[Dude and Bucks Mamma]

With Buck we just straight up ignored him. He could latch on all he wanted but he got NO response from us. He could gnaw on us all day long and we wouldn't move a muscle. He picked up (and VERY quickly, I might add) that biting meant no attention. Being smart, he would sit back and stare at us for about 2-3 minutes like he was trying to figure something out. It took much less time to discourage him from biting by ignoring him than it took me to do the same with Dude when he was a puppy by disciplining him in any way (even just the thumb trick). It can be pretty painful at first since you just have to ignore it but the biting stops very quickly.

The only contact skin has to teeth is when I tell him to "hold my hand". He grabs my hand with his mouth and holds it very firmly but gently. It's too funny. "Let go" is the release command.

[bridget246]

I think it is most important to figure out the cause behind the bite. Bridget had a few. One of the major ones was her trying to take over the house. She wanted to be alpha and wasn't going to deal with anything else. I seriously doubt she was playing with me. Toys didn't work, she didn't like them then and she still doesn't like them now. I didn't get any marks on me but my gf did. Bridget didn't just nip at me or others. There were times when she went all out. Only thing I could do was hold my ground as it seems like she was trying to dominate me. I've went to a number of trainers about my problem without success. Exercise was hard with the biting but we still did it several times a day and jobs, she had tons of jobs before I even knew they were called jobs. Nothing at all would work for me. How do we put a dog in the corner that is not going to stay? It didn't seem like she was going to grow out of it. Two professionals recommended the alpha row as the only solution as she tried to bite them too when they told her no to something. Either that or send her off for training where someone else would have used the Alpha Row on her instead. Only difference was they were professionals and could do it correctly, or so I was told.

Keep in mind that I like to keep a calm peaceful house. I'm hardly ever stress. I just didn't know what happened to my dog before I got her. Mines came from the pet store at a huge discounts because of this very problem. I always wanted a GSD and my gf didn't. I kept teasing I was going to adopt one when my gf went to the store and actually saw one she wanted. I jumped at the chance to get a GSD because she actually wanted this one. I thought once home she would calm down with good food and a nice loving family with plenty of stuff to do. It wasn't quite that easy.

Dogs bite for many reasons. Bridget had more than one trigger. Took me awhile but I think I got them all expect for 2, with 1 of those 2 being worked on now and the other one I had to put on hold until after my recovery. My dog is so nice now that a part of me misses the old puppy that caused me so much grief. She had a deep lack of trust in all humans. I recommend anyone going through a dog biting situation is to watch. Take note of anything and everything that happened before this. Even small things like your body language, distance from the dog, other noises, other people or animals, location, and other things. The changes in the dogs body language is also important to note. The more information you can get on what is happen the better others here can help you and your dog out. The fact that the op is being active about seeking help probably means he will be just fine.

Last note. Ignoring the bites might have worked. My problem was my dog was too strong when I brought her home. Ignoring them then would have been a health risk.

[bridget246]

I love the look of the little dog. I doubt your problems are going to grew into anything to be worried about. Just try to stop the rough play and everything should be fine in my opinion.

[Liz]

We start considerably younger to teach them not to put their mouth on a person (6 weeks) generally if they start biting I will just place them beside me until lying down until they are calm and then they get lots of slow, calm petting (massaging) and are allowed to go play. That is harder with the older pups though I would leave the area for starters so he learns that is unacceptable to you. It has worked for my collies and shelties. Some dogs are tougher than others though. Also try not to get excited, stay calm and relaxed and just deal with him, he will know if you get to emotional about it and carry on biting and trying to get a reaction. Don't let anyone else rough house with him, he doesn't understand. JMHO (IF this seems harsh to some - having bigger dogs, I am very wary of allowing any mouth on human behavior for any reason.)

[MollyWoppy]

Honestly, I think you are over worrying, just enjoy it, your pup will learn, he's a smart little so and so and he's pushing your buttons. He's only a baby, and babies play and push the boundaries. I hate to tell you, but Mol was probably over 6 months old before the tazzy devil sort of went away, it was no big deal to me, I enjoyed every second of her puppyhood, I swear that this dog has an awesome sense of humour. Now I can roughhouse like anything with her and even though it does not worry me in the slightest to let her teeth contact my skin, she is as gentle as anything.
Seriously, enjoy it, it's just a stage, he will be absolutely fine in the end and before you know it, he will be 5 years old and you'll be pining for the days he was a devil of a pup. Trust me.
Oh yeah, I'm willing to bet you a thousand dollars that, by the time he is a year old, he's going to be the most lovable, attentive, intelligent, mischevious, little $hit out there. Wait and see.