Mouthing vs bitting

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

When does mouthing cross the line into bitting. Yeti has started a nasty phase where he comes at us mouth open all the time. I still consider it mouthing because he hardly ever uses a noticeable amount of pressure. There are the rare occasions (if he gets worked up aka if we're playing with him) where he will actually bite down. It is getting to be a lot to handle. It used to only happen when we would tell him no, but the constant mouthing has become a pretty regular thing these days. He will be 6 months tomorrow. I know he is still teething so we give him lots of chew toys including Frozen kongs and frozen dish towels. None of this seems to help. He used to play bites but would lick after when we would ask for kisses instead of bites. He hardly ever gives us kisses anymore he always just wants his mouth around our wrists. Does anybody remember about the age when their dogs stopped mouthing as much and is this mouthing considered biting or no ?

[Nancy & Echo]

I have a 7 month pup, and saying OUCH! and 'licking your wounds' helps for me.  Different trainers differ, and different techniques work for different puppies. 

This, for example, is what Ian Dunbar suggests:  http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Pupp...  (pg 79).

It may or may not work for your pup. I still have some work to do in this area too.

[Sam&Bella]

When dogs "mean" to hurt you,(that usually only happens with bad dog owners) that is usually "biting". I remember that when Bella was that age, she used to get so involved with a wrestling game, that she forgot what she wasn't supposed to do. When she bit us "hard" we turned our backs and ignored her for 30sec. Then we would continue,but if she didn't listen to "no bite" we would ignore her again. She eventually understood what no bite meant.

I hope that helps!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

It is basically just how they play.  We had two puppies from the same liter originally, and they would play this way.  So rough we actually worried about it ... however, they never seemed to cross that line where they hurt the other puppy to the point it would yelp.  I think once their puppy teeth come out it gets better.  I would encourage you not to play rough with the puppy ... no tug games and things like that as you would just encourage him to play rougher.  Keep a stuffed toy handy and when he starts getting rough just put the toy in his mouth.

[Gigi Bradley]

Our 12 month old is still mouthing and nips at bike riding kids heals to get them to stop. HELP!!!

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

One of my boys was very mouthy until he was about 15 months old. The other one really never was very mouthy.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I also think this is a puppy behavior...it's how they play and explore.  It often escalates when they get overly excited....excitement usually is a trigger for lots of bad behaviors.  Have you started any obedience training yet?  I think six months is the perfect time to begin some real training.  You might stop whatever you're doing when the mouthing begins, throw a tab or leash on him, and do some simple obedience exercises.  That will redirect his thinking.