9 Week Old puppy always biting

[Adam & Winston]

Hi Everyone, 

I've been reading DK for over a year now and all the information here played a huge part in me finally taking the plunge and getting one of my own. So far, he's been a pretty good boy. He took to the pee pad right away, he's not fearful of other dogs and he really enjoys human contact. He has one glaring problem; his obnoxious and constant nipping/biting. He'll bite at heels, toes, hands, faces...pretty much  anything he can get his paws (and mouth) on. At times, he's like a piranha. He literally jumps leading with his mouth to bite at you. He will also not let go and you have to yank away. 

Through my own research, I think I've found the root cause. The breeder accidentally turned him over to us at 7 weeks instead of 8. From what I've gathered, that last week is crucial for puppies to develop bite inhibition. He goes to puppy kindergarten once a week and he's generally pretty good, but he was attacking a pug half his size pretty hard and he was relentless. Other than the pug, he was the smallest puppy there and I think he goes after her because she's smaller. 

I've tried the yelping. It doesn't seem to work. I've tried the timeout, but I live in an apartment and his only timeout area, is the crate and that doesn't seem to be working either. I've tried redirecting, and he is definitely more interested in biting my hands than his rope. Anybody have a magical cure?

All help is appreciated!

[Julie and Charlie]

The only thing that cures puppy nipping is time; in the meantime, keep redirecting and training things that are incompatible with teeth on people! 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Also, be sure you just redirect the biting, not pull away from it or engage in tugging.  That turns it into a game.  Try and keep a stuffie or something on you at all times and when he is nipping, just put the stuffie in his mouth.  If he is grabbing your pants legs, stop walking and stand still.  Julie is right, only time is going to stop this but you can make it a little more tolerable with consistency.  Use the words "no bite" each time.  Praise him when he is good.  

[Lois Williamson]

What worked for us at this stage with all 3 of our doodles was saying... AHH AHH.. in a low but firm voice and then redirecting with a toy followed by praise when they accepted and chewed the toy! We also used  ICE.. and lots of it :) I had forgotten how needle sharp young puppies little teeth are this age but when our 3rd came home to us in mid-September... my memory was jogged!!!! Our newest, Rudy, had swollen gums as his molars were coming in and ice cubes were always available  and a HUGE hit.. no doubt they also soothed his swollen and uncomfortable gums! Rudy will be 4 mos old tomorrow and we have not had any nipping for over a month... try ice cubes.. we put them in a low dish on the floor and all 3 of our doodles help themselves! Good luck.. this stage will pass! P.S. We also have these dinosaur teething bones that also provided relief :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

First off there is a huge difference between a bite and puppy nipping and this can be confusing. Nipping with those razor sharp baby teeth is incredibly painful and destructive. I still have several pairs of PJ's with holes in them and trousers that have long gone to the trash!  Biting is behaviour that is dangerous and from an aggressive or protective stance and comes in older dogs. Puppy nipping is normal behaviour and some puppies are worse than others depending on their bite inhibition as you so rightly point out. Riley came to me at 9 weeks and I had no nipping issues ever, Boris was 8 weeks and he was worse although not as bad as some of the Piranha pups I read about here. It does pass and I suggest you take this post to the Puppy Madness group and also do a search here on DK where you will find lots of others who have been through the same challenges coming out with well adjusted calm pups on the other side. 

[Leslie J]

That's why they're so cute!!! They can be so troublesome. I used to keep Cocoa tethered a lot when she went through the nipping stage- if I was sitting on the sofa I'd tether her to it. I always held a toy that was "chewy" when I pet her so if she started nipping I could pop it into her mouth. This is a long stage... but it will pass!

[Chris & Abby]

Adam, I could have written your exact words about my Abby. I also got her at 7 weeks and I agree that's a big factor is the uncontrollable biting. My arms and hands were shredded until just recently...Abby is now 23 weeks. She still bites and charges at me but I believe she's trying to play. It's a miserable time waiting for them to outgrow the crazy biting and mouthing. I know your pain and frustration!

[Adam & Winston]

Thanks for all the help everyone! From what I've gathered, its a stage he'll grow out of and all I can do as of now, is to curb it a little.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Adam ~ all puppies nip and bite as that is how they play when in a litter.  I agree on the redirecting, I had a squeaky that I kept nearby when Charlie and Beau were puppies and would quickly squeak it and toss it a foot or two away.  They learned to retrieve this way too and it also took their minds off of hanging on your pant leg etc.  This will pass - it is just a phase.  It can get frustrating at times, but always try to remain calm, kind and positive in your training.  It pays out in the long run. BTW - Winston is a cutie!  I love his color!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I am afraid your theory of why he bites is just playing the blame game--I raise pups and I have 6 here who are almost 8 weeks old--they will go home in a week or so--they yipe when another pup bites too hard and the other pup will usually back off, but when i go in the pen to play with them, I get bitten...ALOT! They like to bite toes, my hair, my backside, whatever they can get to---9 weeks is way too early to expect the puppy to be able to behave--it will take a lot more time to teach him the appropriate behavior--there is no magical cure, but patience will come in handy!

By the way, if he is attacking the pug and is relentless in class, you need to step in---I am sure he is having fun, but if the pug is not, than you need to stop it and get him to calm down--these things can get out of hand as the dogs get older...but as he learns commands, there are things you can do to distract him and get him act more calmly.  Make sure that you get him to a good training class as he gets older, as it sounds like he is a high energy guy---and remember to exercise him as much as you can--our mantra is "A tired puppy is a good puppy".

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

it is not biting, it is mouthing and this is how puppies PLAY!    It passes but it will be awhile.  There is nothing you can do.   For example, just because a human baby has legs does not mean they can walk.   Well, same goes for a puppy.  This is how they explore their worlds.

IT PASSES and I have to say, nicely, Get over it because there is no miracle. It is very trying but understand   your dog will be a more mellow and easier dog in the future. Just not now.  Always have something in your hand when you are near your puppy.  Give him a toy for his mouth. If the mouth is busy with a toy, it cant bite you

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.

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/excessive-biting-behavior-...

[L.B. Roemer]

First post worked for me, keep a toy handy. Redirect as soon as possible. Working okay for me. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Mine is 14 weeks and the same way and I brought her home at 10 weeks. Sometimes redirecting only makes it worse. Lately when I am holding her, she has taken to jumping up and nipping at my ear. I put her in time out for a couple of minutes, but doesn't seem to phase her any. When she gets really bad, I think it's because we have been playing and she is over stimulated. I put her in her napping place and she usually goes to sleep for awhile and then is good to go when she wakes up. Mine has done both bite ad nip. The bite is usually accompanied by growling. I bought some pet corrector that hisses when sprayed and that has seemed to help. She still has her moments, but I don't have any new bites on my hands. There for awhile, my hands and wrists were covered in bites. At least 10 per hand. We had a trainer come out to the house a couple of weeks ago. She gave us some good tips as well as basic training. She knows sit and drop it. The others are a work in progress. I do think training helps with the behavior. We do a cradle and massage with her. It calms her down and shows her I am the pack leader, not her. She has to submit to me and look me in the eyes. She is getting better, but still has a long way to go. Hopefully time and patience will help. Good luck, your puppy is adorable.