Puppy won't stop biting

[Amy W]

My 11 week old puppy is biting ALL THE TIME.  I know some biting is normal until they loose their puppy teeth.  But Ruby bites constantly and snaps at us when we tell her no.  She has plenty of toys available for her to play with and we have been telling her "NO" and giving her a toy when she bites but it's not working.  It's getting to the point where we are getting very frustrated with her and I don't want to regret getting her because I'm already attached and want her to be a part of our family.  Any suggestions that I could try?  Thanks in advance for your help!!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

With Luna "NO" just made her bite more.  She's a fiesty one ;)

 

We instead stopped playing with her and removed ourselves from the room for 20-30 seconds.  She soon got the idea that biting meant play time is over!

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

gredat idea.. and I think it will be a good exercise program for me.

[Sharee & "Hope" Peterson]

My 3+mo old Hope does the same thing - telling her "no" makes her even more agressive & "ouch" same agressive behavior. Now I try to capture her & put her in her kennel to mellow out a bit. I want to believe it is working so we shall see. I will keep all informed!
Thank you all for your support and commentary.

[Anne G.]

Standing up and walking away really helped with Murphy too. The good news is that it WILL get much better. Murphy is now 5 1/2 months and still will mouth us if she's in a really energetic state but otherwise she's happy just to chew on her many chew toys. Good luck!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Remember, your puppy is trying to play with you like it did its siblings.  If you have ever watched puppies play when one bites the other and it hurts - the one being bitten yelps and the one doing the biting backs off.  Since she is biting you a lot, you should be prepared when you are playing with her and she bites to immediately grab her by the collar and gently pick her up - not saying a word and calmly put her in her crate for a time out - we are not talking about leaving her in there for a long time - just until she settles down and is quiet (like 5 or 10 minutes).  Try not to get angry with her, just calmly remove her or yourself from the area - she will get the message quickly that biting mom and dad is not appropriate. 

 

Our breeder recommended reading The Puppy Listener by Jan Fennell and it has helped me a lot.

 

The puppy years pass all too quickly - later on you will look back and laugh at all the craziness!

 

[Wendy Shapiro]

I used to wear a glove so that I could remove my hand and not get too bitten up. I too found that if I removed Maddy, to her kennel or even the bathroom,it  helped her to calm down. Maddy is now 6 1/2 months and has gotten much better (if that helps). The Bully sticks also are helpful. I use to freeze a wet washcloth tied in a knot so she could bite on that. Good luck.

[Cathy w/Shiloh~Cody]

I would give my puppy a bully stick to start chewing when he was biting. Or,

I would take my hand over the top of his muzzle and give it a shake and say "no"

and if none of that worked "would put him in his crate" for a nap. My dog

tended to bite when he got to tired when he was young. They do not

seem to have an "off" button to go to sleep. They want to play, play play!
Good news is the older they get the better-hang in there!

 

[Amy W]

Thanks for the suggestions.  We do give her toys and nylabones when she bites us but a lot of the time she prefers our fingers rather than the toys. 

I don't want to put her in her kennel when she bites because she already hates her crate. 

 

I guess I have a lot of work ahead of me... Wish me luck!

[Becky and Murphy]

Hi Amy....this story sounds VERY familiar!  Murphy sounds exactly like Ruby.  He is now 6mos and has significantly slowed down on the biting! (well he still likes to gnaw on us once and a while)  He too would snap back almost as if he was talking back when we said "NO"!   I think you are doing exactly what should be done...by giving him a chew toy to replace the biting...and having plenty of toys available.  I think they just need to go through this phase....to become the wonderful dog they will be!  Murphy is full of energy and love and we get more and more attached to him everyday!  Good luck with Ruby.....she too will be an awesome friend!

[Susie Vetter]

Hi....I have a 15 week old labradoodle. She will be sweet as can be and then bitey and barkey.  My trainer said just fold your hand in from of you and ignore her until she stops.  That has worked, especially if she does it in public. Otherwise walking away, even if she is still attached to the leg and putting her in a time out in the bathroom for about a minute.  Then do not make a big deal of it letting her out. Just open the door and let her follow you back into real life.  It has worked very well. Good luck

[Susie Vetter]

I forgot....Saying no or doing any manual correction or punishment is working against you. a high pitched "ouch" and then letting her lick you while you say "kiss, kiss, kiss" is good. Also putting peanut butter or butter on the back of your hand to encourage her licking you so you can say kiss kiss or good girl is good.  just walking away is productive and the puppy understands it clearly.   This is according to my trainer guru who I really knows her stuff.