Good Morning, Millie is 12 weeks and desperate using sour apple spray, distracting with toys and little time outs is still nipping and mouthing us. This morning we came back from our walk and she was nipping at my feet as she was excited after several doggy encounters and new friends to make and I was trying to pop her in the kitchen for a couple of mins to calm down. She managed to get hold of my middle toe just as I took a step, which resulted in a little chunk being taken out of my toe Am I doing something wrong or is this completely normal? TIA x
Welcome to the forum You're not doing anything wrong and this is completely normal behaviour from a 12 week old puppy. Just keep persevering with what you're doing and the whole ferocious biting stage will pass. In the meantime, sturdy footwear is probably a good idea, and avoiding clothing that flaps or dangles in an exciting way. Do you use a crate? Such a thing can be made to be a safe haven for your pup and also can provide a bit of respite for the humans while the pup chills out in there with a chewy treat Hang in there - it really will get better!
Welcome to you and Millie, don't despair! What you described is absolutely normal puppy behaviour! When we got Odin my wife's arms and legs looked like we adopted a baby tiger and not a cute little labby but as i said don't despair this stage will soon be over and forgotten. I strongly recommend the use of a crate to give you and your pup a chance for time outs!
Welcome to you - and it's completely normal! Here are lots of good articles about puppy nipping - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/
Normal and it does not fade away as fast as you would like. I had to explain to friends that I was not in an abusive relationship because of all the bruises and scars on my arms, hands and feet/ankles!!! I bled every day and wondered what had I done!!! It DOES pass but, while it is happening, it drives you crazy......I put him in his crate for a few minutes, gave him frozen Kongs to chew on, TRIED to distract him with anything I could get my hands on but, for me, the only way to stop it was to put him in his crate where he would usually calm down and take a nap and give me a break! Good luck.....you will have a wonderful puppy in the end....just try to get through this insane phase!!! And welcome to the Forum.
Welcome to the forum from me and my two ten-month old pups. Everyone is right, this is perfectly normal. My mantra was "This will pass. This will pass!" The article Mags (Boogie) posted up is very good and teaches you the importance of teaching your pup bite inhibition rather than preventing any biting at all. It is an important lesson for them to learn how hard they can bite before they inflict pain to avoid potential disaster in later situations. By that note, I certainly wouldn't be using bitter apple on your hands etc (although it can be great for protecting your furniture). When she starts to bite too hard, immediately stand up, with a straight back and arms folded and don't make any eye contact with her. This worked very well with my Willow. I know some other pups will go a bit mad at this and start nipping ankles or clothes, in which case, you need to remove yourself from the puppy. The whole point is she's trying to initiate play and contact, so by ignoring her completely, or removing yourself from the room, you teach her that that is not the way to do it. If you're consistent with this, it should make a difference pretty quickly. Of course, she is still young and will still get over-excited and over-tired, at which points, you'll probably find the biting is worse. That's a perfect time to use the crate as a time-out. Wait for her to be calm before letting her out again. Often, mine would fall asleep in there within a couple of minutes if they were simply over-tired. We brought Shadow home at 14 weeks and he didn't nip at all; he had been taught his lessons by his mum and litter mates. Willow (same litter, but who we brought home at 8 weeks) was pretty bad for a few weeks, but stopped around about 14 weeks. All of us who have been there can sympathise. It hurts and it isn't nice going about looking like a self-harmer. But .... it will pass!
Just adding my voice to the "it's normal" message. I couldn't believe it when my lovely Labrador puppy chewed lumps out of me. It stopped between 4 to 5 months. I would trust that mouth anywhere now.
