Kace Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Nelson is my 13wk old black labrador. He has so much love to give, and definitely has a beautiful nature and personality. But... I'm having trouble stopping him from chewing my hands... I don't mind him having a bit of a nibble gently while he is on my lap or next to me, but when he gets rough, I stop him with a firm "No" and move my hand... If he continues, I say "No" again and move myself away from him. Sometimes he gets into crazy moods where he'll playfully grab my hand, but it will be too rough and he'll leave marks and scratches on my hand. I point and say "No", but he almost 'backchats' by barking at me and pouncing on/at me like it's a game, he gets really rough, so I remove myself from the situation until he is calm but it just happens all over again when I sit with him later on. Has anyone else had this with their Pups? Any suggestions on what I can do? I know he's still a Puppy and everything is a game for him, but I don't want him to think it's okay to be like this and it turn into a problem later on. He is such a gorgeous thing and he really does have a very outgoing personality, I don't want to break his spirit, but he needs to learn to be gentle and when to calm down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Next time he does it, do what pups do when they get grabbed by their littermates when they are learning how to and how not to use their mouths... give a high pitched squeak and freeze as soon as he lays his mouth on you...you should find that he'll stop dead and look at you a little confused....you've actually just 'spoken dog' to him and he knows what it means......do that every time he does it, but don't say anything else or do anything else except squeak and freeze. When he either nuzzles you or stops grabbing, stroke him slowly...but if he grabs again, repeat the process.....you'll need to be patient, but this is a fabulous way to teach puppies what is and isn't acceptable in the 'mouth on' times that they go through....and will also work when as an adult dog he runs into you because he wasn't watching where he was going.... Patience and lots of luck....I've used it on 5 Dobes and 2 GSP's and it works a treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kace Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Thanks so much, I'll try it later when I go out to him I haven't had a puppy of my own before... My first dog I got when I was 4, and she only passed away the other month, so we had her 16yrs and so I've had no experience with puppies and training as such. It's nice to hear what works for everyone. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 The first thing is you either dont want it to happen at all or you do.You cant accept a gentle nibble but then try & tell her off when it gets rough she doesnt understand that. Labs are gundogs so very mouthy by nature & luv to carry hands,your clothes around even though your attached . He is also teething so chewing is very soothing aswell. There are so many methods you can use but the first one is one rule.Start teething "sit" so when puppy is going over the top you can regain control ,leaving the room can work but you have shifted & the dog is still there.Have a toy near if possible so if dog shows the inclination focus it on the toy with reward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 The thing with puppies, it has to be everything or nothing. You allow a little nibble, then a bit more, then push away. Dog thinks 'ah haaaa we gonna play now are we!" and gets more and more excited. Black and white. Dogs cant think in 'degrees', as in a little nibble is OK but a bite isnt. Dog just sees teeth or no teeth allowed. Same with giving the dog human items to play with, it cannot see the difference between what you give it and other 'no no' items it comes across (like the remote, shoes, clothes etc) they all smell similar! Most of all be CONSISTANT and PERSISTANT. You'll be fine, he looks like an absolute DARLING!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haven Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Also there is no need to wait until the problem occurs to deal with it. The mouthing is normal puppy behaviour but things such as barking at you when disciplined are a potential concern. All dogs benefit from a formal leadership program at it will help you be pro active in dealing with these kinds of problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycow Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 (edited) Kace, I used to have the same problem as you, until puppy school trainer taught me this - handfeeding. If you are feeding kibble, use the kibble, otherwise use treats. Put one kibble in your hand, palm facing upwards, fingers holding the kibble, feed pup. If he bites, scream a LOUD high pitch OUCH and withdraw hand far from him. Have a few seconds break and try again. Keep trying as often as you can until he gently 'licks' off the kibble off your hand, remember to praise him when he do that, this is what you want to encourage - gentleness. And during times when not feeding, everytime he bites, you scream and walk away. Hope this helps you too. ETA: By the way, I don't mean handfeed him the whole bowl of food, just use a few pieces of his food for training purposes. He should really eat on his own. Edited September 14, 2006 by flycow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
he'smyhero Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I don't have any suggestions about the bitting but when my bulldog bitch was a pup she also used to bark and growl back when she was disaplined. We tried everything; walking away made it worse as did growling back and smacking. We eventually used a "naughty room" technique (very super nanny I know). When she behaved like this she was put into the spare room for about 3mins and only let out if she was being quiet. When we let her out no one was alowed to look at or speak to her for a little bit. Pups hate being seperated from the pack, she soon stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stevie'sGreat Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 We had the same 'mouthing' problems with Stevie, we've been told it could be because we got her at just 6 1/2 weeks old and she didn't learn enough from her litter mates. Squealing like it hurt us dreadfully did make her stop. She's still a bit mouthy, always wanting to test new people when she meets them, but getting better. She LOVES having something in her mouth, whenever we walk out in the morning or get home from work, she doesn't come to meet us until she's picked up one of her soft toys to bring with her, I think it's her own way of stopping herself from biting us. The other good thing to know, Kace, is that Nelson's adult teeth won't be nearly as sharp as the puppy teeth - it will get easier on your skin! We didn't know that until it happened. Also the tip about teaching Stevie to take food gently worked really well for us, until the last few weeks where we've been going to obedience class where she gets rewards held in front of her for heal etc - she's been snapping at them and starting to snap at me if I tell her to do something she doesn't want to do. Going to see our one-on-one trainer about it tomorrow, to get that 'nipped' in the bud before it gets worse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maile Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I agreed with the 'loud scream' part. Work wonders with my pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezza Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 We have been trying the loud scream, and it works to an extent, till Hunter gets a bit to boisterous, and doesn't listen. If I growl at him, he will usually stop being a loon, and calm down. I also encourage him to chew his toys rather than anything else. This seems to be working quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I growled at Ruger. He was one of the puppy's showdog described, loved to carry my clothes around in his mouth, with me in them. He was ever so gentle though. I still let him take me by the hand sometimes. They are like horses, ages ago, mine would nibble at me, then get a bit firmer, then he would take a big nip and throw his head as if he knew, dam smart ass - he's testing me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissA Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 The scream didnt work for me at all it was like he just shrugged and decided to do it anyway. But distracting him with a toy or something else much more interesting helped and he eventually stopped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Penguin Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Would this work with my Beagle because she is going past the mouth and biting a bit at the moment, im sure she thinks its a game though because she seems to get reved up when she is doing it. She bit my mums neck yesterday and im a little worried about how to calm her down, yelling or moving her doesnt work, if you move her she continues to bite your hands. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycow Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 have PMed you. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Kace, please don't "skip" Haven's comments as they are extremely important especially if your dog is growling back at you. This is a sure sign of brewing leadership issues which may worsen as he gets older. I suggest you google the word NILIF and follow the program like a religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caspian Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 All the advice mentioned works, it may not seem like it at first, but just be patient and persist. Cherish the puppy time because you will never get it back! Yelping and having a chew alternative toy handy worked for us. Definitely take him to a good puppy pre-school when ready. At beginners/puppy obedience, we could very quickly see which pups went to pre-school, and which ones didnt! Its such a good learning experience for the owner! As for the food thing, make sure you give it to him and do not tease him, otherwise he will learn to snap at the food. Our 10 month old rotty can delicately take a crumb from your fingers without you feeling his teeth! My previous lab was very boisterious and thought he was a pup for about 8 years! One day, he grew up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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