Hello! I'm new to this forum, though have read quite a few articles on the labrador site and practically all the threads on biting!! I have a 5 month old lab, my first puppy ever, and he's generally a very mellow, sweet guy. He was terribly bitey and easily over-excited as a young pup, and that limited his contact with being petted because he would bite anything that came near his mouth with excruciating ferocity. I feel like he was still pretty well socialized, though I wish it would have been more. I tried my hardest. He still bites/nips at my 3 kids on occasion, but we have been diligently working on stopping play immediately on teeth contact. He has generally a soft mouth now, I have worked a lot with him, hand feeding him, teaching him to wait and take things gently. More concerning is that he often gives snaps to others who reach to pet him, or if he doesn't want them to pet him, even though he happily greets said people and wants attention. Not hard, but like a warning snap I guess. I am not entirely sure that this is normal, or is this what people call nipping? The terminology gets a bit fuzzy for me! I have been trying to work with him this week, moving my hands slowly toward his muzzle, and petting gently on his hind-quarters (he must be sensitive there), and rewarding when he doesn't attempt to nip. I read somewhere you shouldn't train them not to give a warning snap, but I don't want him to snap at people who try to pet him, so I need some help on what to do! There are no animal behaviorists near me in rural Wyoming. He also gets really excited and play bitey with people, especially men and children who are excited to meet him, which can sometimes be a bit hard. I feel like a bad dog owner when he does that!! What's normal, advice please!!
