I assume you mean you read this sticky: http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/8377-bite-stops-here.html

How often does your pup play with other dogs and puppies? Our pup learned almost all her bite inhibition from playing with other dogs.

 

yes, i've read it. he doesn't have a chance to spend time with other dogs and puppies because we live in the country and none of our neighbors have dogs. his only friends are my two cats.

 

Mine didnt respond well to 'ouch' and walk away either. Whats worked best for me is to have a lot of toys laying around and everytime the puppy opens its mouth to go for you, stick a toy in its mouth instead and praise him. He cant bite you if his mouth is full.

 

i've tried that too, but he usually lets go immediately and goes for my hand instead. but i will keep on doing it, maybe he just needs more time. although, it's very hard to do it all because he tends to get very excited. i also try to keep myself as calm as possible as not to encourage his craziness.

 

So, I understand from your post that you didn't try to get him to stop biting when he was younger. How long has it been since you've been working on getting him to stop?
I find that when most people want their puppy to stop biting they try something, and then they try something else, and then they try SOMETHING else, because they get frustrated when they think nothing's working.
The problem with that is, that's just confusing to the dog. You're actually trying to TEACH him something, and puppies don't learn overnight. Some learn faster than others, but it's not really overnight!

So, the important thing is to pick a method and stick with it! Don't give up. Now, with the method from "The Bite Stops Here", you can tweak it a bit to make it work for you, but the general premise works for MOST people. Not all, though.

I know you said you read it, but I'll just highlight a few things:
- the first time he bites/nips: say "ouch!" or yelp: Some pups get more excited by a high pitched ouch or yelp, so you might have to try a lower, more deep sound.
- if he does it again, make the noise again, whatever ended up working (high pitched or low), and then leave the room for 20-30 seconds: This can be another problem people have, if they leave the area for too long, the pup forgets what happened and they'll never make the connection that you left BECAUSE they bit.
- then, basically start over.

But, consistency is the key. You have to do the same exact thing every single time he bites. Everyone in the household has to do the same exact thing. Also, beware of "extinction burst". It goes something like this (from your pup's point of view):
"I USED to be able to bite and nip all I wanted. Now, they're trying to make me stop. Uh, NO! I like biting, I'm just going to keep trying harder and harder and harder, because I USED to get away with it! "
So, your pup may try harder and harder to continue doing something he likes and used to get to do, before the behavior actually does fade and become extinct.

The other thing is, keep in mind that lots of puppies are teething at about 4 months old. So, this is even more difficult of a time to try to get him to stop. Make sure he has lots of appropriate stuff to chew on. You might try wetting a washcloth, tying it in a knot, and freezing it, then giving it to him to chew.

 

first of all, thanks for the detailed reply. i still do the ouch and walk away thing and sometimes i slip a toy into his mouth, but as i already said, he usually drops it right away. i guess that means i should try with another toy. he already does a lot of biting when he's playing on his own. he has so much energy even though he's active for the bigger part of the day. my point is, i wonder how come he never gets tired and lets me cuddle for a while, but instead jumps at me and bites. anyway, it hasn't been that long since i started training him so i'll be patient and try and try and try. oh, about the extinction burst, i think he's actually doing it. today when he grabbed my hand i started 'ouching' and he looked at me playfully and kept on biting harder. when he finally let go, i walked away and wouldn't look him as he followed (we were in the garden). then after a minute i came back and repeated several times.

 

The best advice I can give, is don't give up! I know it's frustrating! We thought our first puppy would never grow out of it, and it did take about 3-4 weeks (probably because fiance wasn't completely on board in the beginning).

And, really, you can adapt any method to what works for you, I remember one member here didn't just say ouch and leave the room, she had to get very dramatic about it. She used a very dramatic voice, stomped off, and slammed the door. It worked for her!

 

The best advice I can give, is don't give up!

That is pretty much the best advice for any puppy problem, I have found.

Anyway, with Max, he didn't really stop chewing / biting a lot until 6 months of age, when he got his adult teeth. Trust me, it'll get a LOT better after that.

 

Lots of good info here. I've also got a pup nearly 4 months.

I stick with a stern No whenever she tries to have a bit on mine or anybody elses hands. In fact it's a command that she has already learnt because of the countless times I've had to use it.

Whatever verbal command you may use is irrelevant. It's the tone you use and the body language you express. At first she will try to ignore and carry on. Remain the same using the same command and push her away. By raising you tone in any way she will just think it's playtime.

She's only 4 months and teething..everything is play for her and being a totally human dog she doesn't have the opportunity of seeing other dogs and learning. She will learn but it may take a few weeks (which is nothing really). The key is your consistancy & patience.

 

thanks, saying no is slowly working, along with the appropriate body language.

 

because of your fault your dog thinks you enjoy being bitten. you have to prove him wrong.
i've kept reptiles for several years. 'Tokay Gecko' is one my favorite species, they are known as pitbulls of the gecko world.
once they bite they dont let go. even for hours, and the bite is very painful.
the trick to get rid of it is either submerging it in water or to put a drop of vinegar in his mouth.
spray very little vinegar into your dogs mouth when he is going to bite/nip, or some water to his face and see the outcome.

 

spray very little vinegar into your dogs mouth when he is going to bite/nip, or some water to his face and see the outcome.

Why give the dog a reason to bite humans out of fear?

 

Someone once told me to use peanut butter slightly smeared on my hands so as to teach the pup that skin is for licking and not biting. I never tried it as the pup with the issue is no longer with me but with a relative.

 

I may be corrected, but I think you can do 2 walks a day, if you keep it to 15 minutes of brisk walking each time. Spreading it out so one walk's in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening might keep him on a more even level of energy.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of no, because it is so ambiguous. It doesn't really mean much, and it's soooo overused. Think about how many times we say no throughout the day. Then, you add it to your dog's training. Yikes! The thing is, we humans are soooo used to saying no, we say it without even thinking. So, if your dog is doing something you don't like, you may say "no" and then if he doesn't stop, "no, no!" "NO NONONO!" And, by then, all your dog is getting out of it is that you're upset. He's not learning what to do.
Dogs learn sounds as opposed to actual words. So to him, "no" is different that "no, no, NO-NO".

Instead, you could do something else: if, say, he's chewing on furniture, don't say no, give him an incompatible command instead. He chews on furniture, you say "sit". He does, he gets a treat. Then, give him a toy to chew on, or do a mini training session. That way, he's totally forgot all about furniture.
If you NEED to interrupt him, you could easily use "ah ah" or "hey" which isn't as overused as "no".

Just my opinion, I know some people feel the same, but some use no. I just feel it's easy to overuse it, and it's easy for your dog to become desensitized to it.

 

ok, at the moment im quite happy that i get so much advice and that i am actually doing most of those things already. totally agree on the no thing. i have also thought about it a lot and i am careful when i use it. basically, for bigger problems like biting i say no, but if he, for example, wants to chew on the plant, i give him a look and say hey or sth similar. i distract him from what he was doing without making a big fuss about it. i will also try with the short, brisker walks and see how it goes. thank you!

 

Just a couple thoughts.....
Have you noticed a pattern of when you are getting nipped more often? Perhaps he is tired! Caeda gets more nippy late in the evening and we noticed often after these nipping episodes she would sleep as soon as she was in her crate. Sometimes some enforced down-time before the nipping starts can help.
Also we taught her to lick, which only works sometimes. We would say "kisses" when she licked our hands, so sometimes if she is mouthing we would pull our hands back and say"no.......kisses" and lots of treats and praise if she licked. It has helped with the mouthing, but not the hyper biting. We used the tether-ignore method (tethered safely!) We do use NO but our rule is, say it once in a low even tone and if she stops her action we praise, it works for minor things.
Don't know if any of this will help, but good luck, the still healing nips on my hands know your pain! lol

 

My puppy is at that age (4 months...) where she really loves biting hands, legs, hair.. but she knows that she's not supposed to and she stops when i tell her too. The toy thing really worked for me, as soon as she started nipping at my hand i'd shove a toy in her mouth and she'd just go to town on it. She's also losing all of her baby teeth right now so i think that has something to do with it. She's almost 4 months. When she gets riled up (by someone who usually is not myself) she kind of goes crazy and will bite anything, including your face, thinking that it's playtime. Sharp puppy teeth in the chin ... I want to take her to training classes when i move this week. She is a good dog, but she knows she is cute... it sucks. the terrible 2's

 

i'd like to thank all of you for the advice you've given me, but i have sad news. despite the amazing week that Dexter and i had, despite the fact that he has learned to calm down when he's asked to, to stop biting and jumping, to sit and wait for his food, not to run into the house...yes, all of these in about ten days...my parents decided that he is too much responsibility for our family and that he needs a new home. since i'll be off to work soon and will be spending a lot of time outside my home, and since they clearly stated that they wouldn't take care of him, i had to agree and i've found him a new home. he's with a young couple now, big garden, love at first sight and, as they've told me, he is handling the change quite well. so although my heart is broken every time i go out into my garden and he's not there, i still hope that he will have a happy life with his new family. they've also said i can come and visit so i probably will, but in a few weeks, after he settles in. i think this is it as far as dogs are concerned, i still have my cats and one day, when i get a home of my own, i will try again. till then, goodbye everyone...

 

Try Rev Up/Cool Down http://www.dogforums.com/dog-training-forum/4915-rev-up-cool-down.html to teach the pup to calm down, and be a tree http://www.dogforums.com/dog-training-forum/93181-tree.html to take away the attention reward. Remember to jackpot reward for CALM behavior and make sure all play ENDS the instant his teeth touch your skin in play, most of all BE CONSISTANT (this means everyone in the family MUST be doing the same thing as well), not doing something will randomize rewards and will slow down/stop training progress.

 

I see the poster has had to give up his dog but I would like to add this for others with the problem.

We were going crazy because the puppy kept nipping and biting everybody, children included.
The vet said to spray in the face with a water bottle, I saved that for the very out of control times because I found something that works MOST of the time and the puppy is about 85% with this:
I learned this from my Quaker parrot who really has a temper!
If I would shout or talk mean in any way, the bird would continue to be aggressive. If I would talk very gently, sooth and say goooood boy, my bird will instantly start to act gentle and loving back.
I tried it on the puppy and it works great!
With the first nip, I say NO! Then do a drawn out goooood boy in a very gentle voice and pet. Now most of the time he stops right away . As soon as I say the good boy he calms down, it is sort of like a warning, not an excited Good Boy!!! like when he does something good. I practice this with my hand in his mouth, as he mouths gently I say GOOD BOY, when he gets harder I go to goooood boy to warn or NO and then the gooooood boy if he doesn't go back to just holding my hand in his mouth.
It has been working great and have only had to spray twice.

 

This is a helpful thread. I feel horrible for bird losing their dog. We've been dealing with this problem as well. Fiona was nipping so much that sometimes we couldn't pet her. We'd yelp or shout ouch but this seemed to agitate her and make her more aggressive.

I realize I'll catch hell for this, but one day after a nip, I tapped her lightly on the nose with the tip of my pointer finger. She stopped and cocked her head to the right. As soon as she did, I marked her stop with our "target" word a generous "goooooood girl!"

This is, by far, the most success we've had in the war on the bite.

This is what worked for us, it is by no means the "right" or even "good" way to do this but she has drastically reduced her biting and has instead, started to lick softly.