Excessive biting behavior. :( Help.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

So, Orwell goes through times when all he wants to do is bite our legs or feet. Even when we sternly discipline him, he continues to do it and will bark and growl at us. I need help to improve this behavior… everyone is getting fed up with it. 

That's all I really have to say about it… if anyone has specific questions about the behavior, feel free to ask. I just can't think of anything specific right now.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

This has been brought up more on this forum than any other topic. 

PUPPIES BITE.  It is as sure as the sun comes up the next morning.  And it passes as sure as the sun sets each night. 

Are you providing chew toys to give each time he reaches for your arm?   It is similar to keeping a pacifier in a babies mouth.  Puppies cut new teeth. It hurts. They want to chew. They have no hands. This is how they explore their new worlds-with their mouths.    Are you taking him out for a billion hours of exercise? Because that helps.   Providing a constant antler or chew toy.  That helps.

How are you dealing with issue?  You say discipline?  What type?  

[Kaitee and Orwell]

We all know puppies bite. However, he has scared my mother with his barking and growling after we discipline him. We discipline him by squirting lime juice at his mouth and hold him still on the ground with a firm, "No bite!" 

We were providing chew toys, but he seemed uninterested in them and still went for the hands. I'll try it again. We give him ice to chew on in his down time as well.

And yes, we go out a lot. I'm with him almost 24/7. As of yesterday I am out for a couple hours a day at school. My mom is with him then.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

If you ever see two puppies play they talk a lot. They growl and bite and roll and tumble. He is trying to play.  His sounds are very normal. 

At what age did you get your puppy.  7 weeks?  6 Weeks? 

Also, by the time you squirt lime juice in his mouth, it is probably too late. Unless you have lime juice handy at all times.  A yelp works much better. It is instant.   

[Kaitee and Orwell]

That's what I thought all along, but I've been getting different pressures from everywhere it seems (family, stress, my rational mind, etc.). It's overwhelming. If it was just me and him, I'd feel better. 

I got him at 8 weeks. He will be 12 weeks on Friday.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Awww. I understand  :)   Pressures at your age, especially from parents are overwhelming.   Parents from other generations raised puppies so different too and not always in a good way.  Heck, I am 55 and my mother still intimidates me sometimes.   

Here is a really cute video on some really younger puppies. Listen  :)   

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Just be gentle. No discipline.  Stick with us here and this way, with confidence, you can tell and show your mother you KNOW WHAT TO DO and show her how to deal with some of the puppy issues.  

We are here to help.   Believe me there is a reason puppies this age are so cute because it really is a horrible time. It passes.   Discipline will only make your dog fear you.  It really  does not work, so you become SO FRUSTRATED.  

If it gets bad take a time out. Put the puppy in the crate with a chew toy and walk away.  You need a break from this horrible stage at times.  Little by little this will pass and you can spend more time together.   Crates are great places for dogs who are too crazy at this age. Go back and get him when he is calm.

When it gets too wild again, place him in his crate

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Sooo cute. (: My mother would like that video. She had a boxer growing up.

I've seen him and his litter-mates fight, so I was aware of the growling and barking… it's just when someone is trying to persuade you differently, it's difficult.

Thanks for the support. (:

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Here:   Hope this helps.  From http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/biting-puppy-how-train-puppy-bites

What to Do About Puppy Mouthing

It’s important to help your puppy learn to curb his mouthy behavior. There are various ways, some better than others, to teach this lesson. The ultimate goal is to train your puppy to stop mouthing and biting people altogether. However, the first and most important objective is to teach him that people have very sensitiveskin, so he must be very gentle when using his mouth.

Bite Inhibition: Teach Your Puppy to Be Gentle

Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, and so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play-like when he’s afraid or in pain.

Puppies usually learn bite inhibition during play with other puppies. If you watch a group of puppies playing, you’ll see plenty of chasing, pouncing and wrestling. Puppies also bite each other all over. Every now and then, a pup will bite his playmate too hard. The victim of the painful bite yelps and usually stops playing. The offender is often taken aback by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment. However, pretty soon, both playmates are back in the game. Through this kind of interaction, puppies learn to control the intensity of their bites so that no one gets hurt and the play can continue without interruption. If puppies can learn how to be gentle from each other, they can also learn the same lesson from people.

When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you, at least momentarily. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping or for licking you. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. Time-outs are often very effective for curbing mouthing in puppies. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I was thinking about this, but I always forget to yelp… "no" always comes out of my mouth. I will work on this.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

You will do fine  :)   We have all been there and we all get it. Just know it passes and we learn each day.   Yelling no is just fine but try to make it sound like a dog instead. For some reason they get dog speak easier   :)   

[Ginny Nightingale]

This is great, Joanne--and exactly what we teach our new puppy parents--I am going to copy it and add it to the written material they get--this does work, but takes patience.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

That's great.  I like the article too. Glad it is going to help your new puppy parents