Hi Everyone! I’m new to this forum but need some words of encouragement. I’m a new puppy owner never having a dog before. I adopted Molly from a shelter at 6 weeks. I know this is too early to be adopted but she was at a shelter and having done my research I thought she would have a better chance with me then a random person wanting to adopt a very young puppy. Now I feel I’m way over my head. The first two weeks I had her I worked hard on teaching bite inhibition, something she would have learned with her litter mates. I thought I did a good job because at weeks 8/9 she almost stoped biting. Now we are at 12 weeks and I feel like I have a KUJO on my hands. All she wants to do is bite!! I’ve seen her chew through left out flip flops In a day, so I know when she bites she is using some self control, but OMG I cannot get her to stop biting!! I’m crate training, so when I let her out of the crate she will come dog hug me, lay down and roll over for a belly rub first and then the chewing begins! Replacing chew bones for my hands do not seem to satisfy her at all!! She wants to chew on me while still wanting her belly rubbed!! She will jump on me for a stretch hug, which I give her cuz i want to bond and then she licks my face and next thing, yup you guessed it face bite!! I know she loves me cuz she loves getting belly rubs and hugs, but how do I stop the biting? I know a lot of it is because she didn’t get to grow up with her litter mates, but is there hope in correcting this behavior?? One more thing, I have an 11 yr old and she essentially uses him as a big chew toy! He is too scared of the biting to do any of the techniques I teach him . Please help! And sorry for my essay.
Yes, it’s very normal Lab puppy behaviour. Anyone who says different has not had a Lab puppy! My Mollie didn’t start her crocapup stage until 10 weeks old, but she was the worst ever. Your Molly will grow out of it, meanwhile be more determined than she is (and that’s very determined!) that she will bite toys and not you. I’d leave the belly rubs out until she’s sleepy - this encourages the play biting. Have a puppy toy on every shelf and in every pocket to put in her mouth. Wear skinny jeans and tight sleeves. With Mollie I even wore wellies in the house! Here is the best advice. I have a pup every year and go back to it every single time - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/ And welcome to you from Mags, Tatze and Keir from Manchester UK Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's four years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Keir is my fifth Guide Dog puppy, a yellow Golden Retriever/Flatcoat cross and he's seven months old.
Yes its normal for a lab pup but it does get better my 11 week old Ella the black lab is in full crocopup mode but will get over it they always do the 4 1/2 year old choc lab beth still will come up and put her mouth around your arm (with no pressure
Absolutely normal. Just have chew toys at hand at all times. Have them handy for your child too. This will all pass in time. It takes a while but they do calm down.
I got my Molly at 7 weeks of age and she was definitely a much worse biter ( my hands were frequently bleeding) than my previous Lab, who was 10 weeks old when we got him. The good news is that she grew out of it -the worst was over by about 14 weeks. One thing I did was to hold things for her to chew, so she still had contact with me. She loved to sit on my lap and gnaw on a rice bone that I was holding -yes sometimes she did grab my hand instead, but I just freed it and redirected to the bone. (It wasn’t always as calm as I’ve made it sound as the bites hurt! However although I’d sometimes squeal in pain, I found that this and also deliberately squealing had no effect, so I tried not to.) I also used rawhide bones in a similar way, although I know they do upset some dogs. I was holding it so I could remove it when it got too soggy and I used the big ones so no small bits to be bitten off. Hang on in there, it will get better.
Thank you so much for the encouragement! I actually didn’t realize belly rubs encouraged play biting so that’s really good to know and I will hold off on those until she is really tired like you said. I will check out the link as well! My friend has a boxer and keeps telling me how bad it is that Molly is still biting. Hearing from someone who actually has labs that it’s normal is very re-assuring. And a warm Hi to Tatze, Mags and Keir from Molly!
Haha I’m glad to hear I’m not alone! Some days it’s just so overwhelming! This week has been the worst so far, because now she is starting to bark as well cuz she gets upset when I don’t let her chew my arm off.
I figured the young age is contributing to the problem . I’m glad to hear that your Molly grew out of it and sure hope mine does too! I like the idea of holding toys while letting her chew on them. I’m going to try this out!
Hi @janesolo you've already received good advice from @Boogie to help with the puppy biting and it really is a matter of time and consistency in approach that will see the end of this essential learning period. Puppy biting is not something that only affects Labradors- all puppies bite regardless of breed, some more than others. The most bitey pup I've had the pleasure (!!!!) to work with was an English Springer .
Bailey is now 15 weeks old and still in full biting mode! She gets really crazy when she’s tired so I usually give her a frozen Kong so that she bites that and usually calms down by the time she’s finished it and is ready for a snooze. I’m hoping she’ll grow out of it soon but this is standard lab puppy behaviour, if anything Molly’s perfectly healthy Molly is a great name by the way.
My puppy was CRAZY at 2 months. Zoomies, constant biting, never sitting still, stealing shoes, destroying anything he could get in his mouth. I cried almost daily because he was so much work. Nobody believed me that he was so “bad” (really just being a puppy) until some of my sisters babysat him for me. I never thought it would ever end. But now, at 8 months, he is beginning to grow up and calm down so much. He enjoys napping on the couch with us now, and he only nibbles a little when he’s very excited that we are home. I don’t really know exactly when he stopped biting, but we did a lot of the toy-offering when he bit or just ignoring him. I understand feeling overwhelmed. Just be consistent, and as your pup grows, she will outgrow some of those puppy behaviors
Thank you for the encouragement! I think part of my frustration is coming from my friend who is a dog owner saying I need to get her to stop biting ASAP, so I feel like I’m doing something wrong as a dog owner! I even googled aggressive puppy behavior at one point lol. Reading all the responses and seeing that other labs in fact behave the same is making me feel much better!
Thank you! I really like Bailey as a name too! It’s really nice to hear other lab owners having the same issue/non-issue lol. This being my first lab came as a BIG surprise. When I researched labs everything I read talked about how great of a dog they are and nothing mentioned this crazy behavior. So when it first started I was like why can’t I get her to stop biting me and the bites HURT! My arms look like I got into a fight with a cactus.
I wonder if the extra biting behavior is because they are hunting dogs. English springers are such beautiful dogs!
You're definitely not alone!! In the first year I had Bowie (he's almost 2 now) my arms were full of scratches and bite marks (most were accidentals esp. when he got too excited!!). It'll get better in time but we also learnt that teaching him to be 'gentle' helped a lot. At first we would yelp and stop the play/cuddle straightaway when Bowie got bitey or rough. We then reinforced the word 'gentle' (in a soft, non exciting voice) and when he was gentle, we praised him (still in a soft, non exciting voice) and continued the play/cuddle. He soon learnt the word and be gentle to us. What can help too is when I give him his treat with my hand, he needs to be gentle first with his mouth then he can get his treat! Good luck and hope this helps!!
Thank you for encouragement. I’m honestly feeling so much better with everyone responses. Knowing there is an end in sight helps a lot.
Thank you! That helps a lot! My arms look like I got into a fight with a cactus plant right now. I have been stopping playing as soon a she bites and usually turn around and ignore her, she barks at first and then goes to a toy. I’m going to try to reinforce being gentle with a treat and praise like you recommend!
It’s really encouraging to hear that it’s normal! I will continues being sturn knowing she doesn’t actually want to attack me.
You are literally describing Molly! My friend who has a boxer makes me feel that something is wrong cuz she keeps saying it’s not normal. I am going to direct her to this post now lol. I cannot wait to be able to enjoy some normal quiet time with Molly without being attacked lol. I just really feel so much better! Thank you!
Hi and welcome! As you've already heard, this is quite normal behavior, and generally speaking will get a lot better once the puppy's big teeth come in (at around 16 weeks or so).
