Hi Murphy Is 3 months old now, toilet training, sit and walking on the lead are coming along great. However she is quite bitey, she can chomp down quite hard and she hurts and can draw blood, I've tried no and ow really loud, but these seem to make her worse and growly but I think she thinks this is part of the game. I have plenty of toys and chews, so she's got plenty to chew, but she prefers us, and pulls on sleeves. I've been saying bed and putting her in her bed when she gets a bit much, does anyone have any other suggestions to help, as otherwise she's a fantastic dog x
My lab Axel was really mouthy. I have the war wounds all over my arms to prove it Our trainer told us to buy one of those little lemon or lime squirt bottles. So anytime our little Axel did something we didn't like, which was really only biting too hard (but you can use it for when she grabs your clothes too!) We would squirt it in his mouth. He learned very quickly! But it can take a couple of weeks. You have to be consistent. Carry it around with you so it's there when you need it until she gets the idea. Now he knows he can mouth gently while playing but otherwise that's all he does. He's 4 months old now
This is very normal, and won't last forever Sleeves are fun because they pull back and the wearer often makes exciting noises I'd probably go with taking your attention away, and your entire self away, when Murphy bites. You are right that yelping etc can be seen as part of the game and it can just makes them bite harder! It stops some puppies, but excites other puppies. But pretty much all puppies dislike it when you take your attention away or when you stop the 'game' by walking away (and going into another room and shutting the door for a few moments if you need to). They learn that if they bite too hard they don't get any fun at all, and that is effective at reducing the motivation for biting. Providing lots of toys that it is ok to bite on is a good thing that you are already doing. This phase will pass so hang in there!
Hi Fran, puppies can be really bitey little monsters but the good news is that they do grow out of it. @Oberon has given some really good advice so I would just add a couple if tips - wear tight clothes (nothing flapping for puppies to grab) and always have a toy at hand ready to re-direct those needle sharp teeth . It has been known for forum members to wear welly boots to protect legs from teeth. There is a thread under the puppies tab called something like 'will things ever get better' which is all about this phase and bite inhibition. You might find it reassuring that there is an end to the phase I wouldn't recommend the use of sprays into a puppies mouth to stop behaviour as it isn't regarded as a positive reinforcement training method, using sprays is regarded as aversive, and can lead to unfortunate associations.
