Mutha-trucking biting!

[Bridget and Lupin]

I've read any and all posts/threads/etc on puppy nipping and biting and I'm still feeling at a loss.  As of tomorrow Lupin will have been with us for 3 weeks and she's nearly 11 weeks old. For the first week or so if I'd yelp she'd stop dead, but lately it just winds her up more.  Same if I say NO/OFF/Knock it off!  Her jaws just snap snap snap that much faster.  I have HAD it with 12 hypodermic needles jabbing into the tender flesh at the back of my knees and I tell you what, when she wraps her jaws around my ankles it doesn't feel like a playful "nip"...no it does not.  It feels like a balls out bite.  I'm having some success discouraging her jumping up by standing still, crossing my arms and ignoring her.  I tried to do that with the biting, but please.  I can't stand still for that.  Does the fact that she gets more bitey when I say No indicate some sort of deeper behavioral issue?  Does she have a screw loose?  :-)  Has anyone dealt with a puppy like this?  If so, what worked for you?

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna's nickname was "land shark" when she was  a puppy :)

The only thing that worked with her was to do a really loud yelp ("OUCH!") in a high-pitched voice (like a puppy yelp) then confine ourselves to another room (like a bathroom) for about 30 seconds.  It's much easier than confining the dog and it gets her the message quickly that you don't want to be around her if she's being nippy.

She now (at 2.5 years old) has a VERY soft mouth and if you yelp even a tiny bit if she's playing too rough she stops immediately.  She was about 6 months old when we got to that point - when she was finishing teething.

[Jayme K]

Henry is 13 weeks and it's only been the past few days that his biting is getting better. I also felt like his bites were not very playful and more aggressive. He'd grab my hand or my calf and give it a good 'death shake' and it is super painful. I taught him the 'leave it' command and now when he starts jumping and biting I give him his no noise, cht, and then say leave it and he stops. I did the squirt bottle for a while but I read that poodles are particularly sensitive breeds, Henry is an f1b so oodles of poodle here, and it's best not to do any aversive training. Ian Dunbar also recommends giving them a command to do something else for a treat vs negative punishment. I've found that yelping works only when Henry is in a very calm state. So when he isn't riled up I let him chew on my hands and then if it gets a bit too rough, I yelp and he responds well. IF instead though he is wound up and I yelp it sends him into attack mode!! haha Not good. Like many people posting, my vet also said Henry is going to be a huge problem...but I'm positive thanks to everyone's comments on here!

[Bridget and Lupin]

Thanks SO much to everyone for their advice. Today when she'd bite I would hold her muzzle gently but firmly and say No bite.  Most of the time that was sufficient.  When it wasn't I put her in a 2min time out in her exercise pen.  Overall we had a much better day!  Maybe it was a fluke but it gives me hope!  There were a lot of times when I could see her going in for a bite and then she'd check herself....so it's got to be sinking in somewhat.  Here's hoping! 

[Kristine and Luna]

im on the same boat sista!
Luna is a little terror with the biting im hoping its just a stage (she is only 10 weeks)
Good luck

[Itims]

Hi Bridget,

You're doing everything right! With our puppy, I did a few additional things to make her stop biting me (I grew up with the German Shepherd who nipped my ankles for 2 years! I did not want to go through that ever again). Our puppy, Biba is 16 weeks now and has lost some of her puppy teeth. I don't know if the worst is still to come or not. But we'll all figure it out I'm sure. I don't know which one of the below was truly most effective but I tried them all:

- stopped sitting on the floor to play with her to not give her access to my hands, or back (she liked nipping me from behind on my back). I think this really helped. 

- taught her 'sit' and 'come' and would make her sit and come over and over to distract, tire her and reinforce authority 

- taught her to fetch in return for a treat (again to distract and tire her out )

- bitter apple spray on areas that she bit me

- lift her up in my arms and just hold her snug for 10-15 seconds to calm her down (this worked like 20% of the time only)

- once she had more shots, we took her outside for multiple walks and tiring her out that way really really helped!

- giving her something else to chew on 

- sitting with my feet up on a bar stool (out of reach)

Good luck! 

PS - I'm curious if Lupin is named after the Harry Potter character? 

[Bridget and Lupin]

Nope....Lupin as in the flower.  I didn't know about the HP connection til after I named her....people ask all the time.  Thanks for the additional suggestions!

[BettyAnn, Holmes & Lucy]

I'm so with you! Some days are better than others and sometimes I feel like my puppy is regressing ;( But for sure I notice when he's tired he's way better behaved. Cannot wait to get those last set of shots done with so we can get out more.