will not stop nipping/bitting

[Dorothy Chan]

HI,

My male lab/sheppard spaniel pup is 11 1/2 months old and will not stop nipping/bitting, his nipping really hurts....i've tried so many tips from the website and vet advice but nothing seems to work, I realize he does this for
attension and i give it to him (Play ball) until the nipping/bitting gets to much. He bits on my hand, fingers and pulls on my pant leg. I'm so frustered with him and get turned off.
my question is at what age should this nipping stop?
Over almost 10 months i've tried repeatly....
say no....don't bite!.
say no...gentle!...
use hot sauce and bitter apple on my hands.
Hold his snout and say no bite.. even pinching it.
everyone tells me...to be patient...it easier said than done.

[Rowena Fry]

Dorothy,
You said that when he nips you at first, for attention, you give it to him. Have you tried ignoring him and leaving the room for a couple of minutes when he first starts nipping you, so as to teach him that nipping = no play? It seems to me that the attention you have been giving when he first starts nipping has taught him that it works, which is why he's kept it up, and once he gets excited during playtime, I'm sure his nips get harder too!

My pup was very mouthy when she was younger, and I tried yelping like a puppy when she bit me, but that just made her more excited and bite more! So instead, I started leaving the room (make sure it's puppy safe!) whenever she bit.

This is how it went: she nips me, then without saying a word or looking at her, I get up, walk out of the room and close the door. I would hear her on the other side, crying for me to come out, but I'd stay in there for a whole minute. Then go out again, but if she did it again, I'd go back into the room, this time for TWO minutes, and so on. She caught on SO quickly, cos she didn't want to be left alone. I seriously think it took her half a day to figure out it was a big no no.

Oh yeah, also be aware of extinction bursts. It is when a dog has learned that a behaviour will get certain results, just before it will stop the behaviour, it will try its little heart out just one last time to see if it works. But if you're consistent in your training, your pup will get it!

Good luck!

[Renee Premaza]

Hi Dorothy!

I think every new puppy owner complains about this typical behavior more than housetraining accidents. It is the toughest thing to have to work with during the puppy stage. Please go to our articles pages and click on the PUPPY PACKET. There is a section in that packet devoted to teaching bite inhibition. It's not only important to teach the dog to stop biting, but it's even more important to teach him to soften his mouth.

Avoid holding his snout when he bites, because that will make him want to bite even more, but more to defend himself against that type of punishment. He's mouthing now because (1) that's how he played with his littermates, and (2) he's teething.

I posted a reply to Ursula's question about this same topic, so if you want to answer the same questions I asked her about the biting, do that I'll look at your answers and reply back, okay?

HI,

My male lab/sheppard spaniel pup is 11 1/2 months old and will not stop nipping/bitting, his nipping really hurts....i've tried so many tips from the website and vet advice but nothing seems to work, I realize he does this for
attension and i give it to him (Play ball) until the nipping/bitting gets to much. He bits on my hand, fingers and pulls on my pant leg. I'm so frustered with him and get turned off.
my question is at what age should this nipping stop?
Over almost 10 months i've tried repeatly....
say no....don't bite!.
say no...gentle!...
use hot sauce and bitter apple on my hands.
Hold his snout and say no bite.. even pinching it.
everyone tells me...to be patient...it easier said than done.