Got a Mouthy Pup?

[MattM]

I have a two month old puppy and she is really mouthy, everytime she tries to munch at me I give her a strict NO and leave her alone for a bit, but she doesn't seem to care to much, she just finds something else to play with. am I just expecting to much from her or is this a bad sign?

I know this is a late reply but that is EXACTLY how my dog is and hes 8 weeks (2 months) on tuesday.

[kpcnov]

just be consistent, my pup was being really bad, but after working with her for these last few weeks she is doing a hell of a lot better. she still nipps at other people alittle, but she is gradually calming down

[bonesdaddy]

This post is very helpful, considering the fact I just got my 10 week old puppy. Not to go off the subject of this article but has anyone heard anything about the effectiveness of squirting limejuice in your puppies mouth each time he nips you? I heard to do this from a friend, but havent actually given it a try yet.

[Angels3]

Very helpful article. I used to use feline behavior with my cats, If i got swatted it , They got swatted at. If they clawed while play rough they got scruffed somewhere other than their necks, it works pretty well and they understand that you are athe "alpha" position animal. I hate that term but it is about the only way to explain how they think of you. I will try the article method with Bailey and see how it works.

[jaziraisland]

stop puppy biting in .003 seconds = bitter apple spray

[CALLEN329]

binaca or any mint spray... We use for barking as well.

[Rose]

bitter apple wouldn't work for my pup, she seems to like the flavor.

I understand that a puppy needs to mouth in order to test the water and learn what is, and is not, acceptable behavior. My question on a previous post concerning agression was what do I do when my dog bites down on my hand and won't let go? When this happened to me a few days ago, I tried talking calmly to her, trying to get her to let go. I figured wrestling my hand out of her mouth would cause more damage for me and more excitment for her. I guess I need to work with her on the let go or release command. She's 5 months and I probably should have started working with her on that command months ago. Honestly though, my training with Rosie has been going really slow and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I have another dog in the house and they both have a high play drive. I can't seem to get either to pay attention when they are together.

Any good pointers on teaching her how to release. I know there's more than one way to do it. I'm interested in what some of you have done that was sucessful in the past. I know offering treats would work but I have tried to stay away from training Rosie with food treats for the most part. I trained my other dog using treats and I still get the feeling sometimes that he won't do a thing I ask unless I have a treat in my hand. When I first started with Rosie I thought that I would try it another way, as in a way to insure that she would do what I requested of her to do because she knew that was what she was suppose to do. I would hate to be in a situation with her where she really needed to sit and stay yet wouldn't because I was out of treats at that moment. I have managed to train her with praise and toys so far, very little food.

By no means am I trying to say that training with treats is a bad thing though. I don't know enough about dog training to say what is, or is not, the best. I only started training dogs as a hobby about three years ago when I realized that dogs were the true love of my life, and I needed to help them adjust to living in my house by my rules. Before then I had dogs that stayed outside for the most part. I considered them trained if they didn't poop in the house.

I'm open to all suggestions and opinions. I wouldn't be here if I didn't need the advice of others.

[CALLEN329]

Yelp loudly every time she makes any contact with your skin.

I have a mouthy one as well. I've tried that, I've worked on the "gentle" command when he's taking food from my hand (works wonders since all he wants is food all the time)

The only way I was able to work on "Drop it" was by offering something better in return otherwise, he'd ignore me. Instant gratification...

I do have to say as ridiculous as yelling "ouch" when they've barely touched you sounds, it works as well, but Blu's a big pleaser...

[Rose]

I'm just gonna go ahead and try to keep treats on me and at reach at all times to bribe her until she atleast learns what "let go" means. I've just got to figure out how to keep them concealed and undetected by scent. If she knows my pockets are loaded down with treats she'll try to pull my pants off. She can be a bully when it comes to food.


I read on another thread where someone suggested calling the dog a jerk and walkin gout when they bite. I like that idea.

[Rose]

sorry about the typos. I meant this thread.

[kcurry]

My puppy is 8 wks old and he's very mouthy! It's way too young to worry about it being real aggression, isn't it? I think sometimes he thinks I'm playing with him and he gets more aggressive.

[Osiris]

My 6 1/2 week old is showing alot of signs of aggression. Whenever we play,especially tug, he growls extremely fiercely.

My biggest problem with this post is that if I leave osiris alone, he'll just chew on something else and not care.

Is it just his age? I sometimes get the impression that the growling is part of the playing, but then he doesnt growl when playing with other dogs....

[SpeakingForLoki]

my girl got too excited with her brother while I was laying on the floor with them. They usually try to get me involved, except this time my girl jumped up and chomped my ear. I screamed OUCH really loud and picked her up and put her in her crate, then I shut the door to the bedroom. We gave her a couple of minutes to think about it and then I went in and let her out and played very calmly with her and let her lick me while telling her "Good girl". This seemed to get through to her pretty good as to what hurts and what doesnt. Does this sound about right?

In all the training articles I've read it says not to lock them up, for any reason. Her crate should be a good place, where she sleeps and where she can go if she wants to rest. A dogs bed should never be used as a punishment. The most comprehensive article I read said to say ouch or yelp when they bite, and if they continue walk away from them for a minute(It is what another puppy would do if bitten to hard) After "licking your wounds" resume play. If the biting continues grab the scruff of the dogs neck and give it a stern shrug. Not painful or overly aggressive, but it is the same way a mother teaches he puppy not to bite to hard while nursing or playing.

Not an expert but I hope this helps

[saraltx]

my 6.5 month old girl was mouthing a lot when she was younger. Yet now only when I thought she had calmed down, she is starting again and since she is stronger now, it can actually hurt. Mainly, when she is outside, she chases my legs and jumps up to hold on to my pants, but she snaps for my hands, too. I immediately walk away when she gets in that mood to show her that it is not appreciated, but I'm unsure if it is helping at all. She is a great pup and readily obeys other commands, but with this one she is really having a hard time.

[AndieWoodard]

My 5 month old guy has taken to chewing on our 1 year old lab's skin (and her nipples!!! YIKES!) I try to watch and correct him, but she doesn't seem to mind. I don't want to get him in the habit of chewing on other dogs, does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop it??