Nipping feet

[Benti]

Do they normally bite your feet all the time? She is 10 weeks old and is constantly biting everyone's feet. We try to redirect her with a chew toy but the feet and legs and pants are winning. Help!

[tanza]

Yes it is normal for any puppy to bite feet, hands, legs, pants… etc. You just need to keep working on the redirection

[lisastewart]

Trog tried to chew on our wrists till be was nearly 4 months. Kept saying no and redirecting to a toy

[Benti]

That's what we are doing. Thanks for the input.

[bewler]

Yup, when Cody was 14 months he not only bit feet, but would blind-side us by biting our rear ends and thighs as we were walking away from him. Some basic obedience and patience took care of it! Now he only tries to nip after we have gotten him riled up with rigorous play, and even then, it's pretty mild - more a threat of a nip than an actual nip! Good luck!

[Benti]

Thanks for your advice

[Benti]

In your experience is the nipping constant, we can't even pet her or hold her without biting. I am not sure if this something we should be concerned about. I figured a little bit here and there but any contact we have with her seems to invite this behavior.

[tanza]

All petting/holding stops when she is nipping, tell her "no bite" in a firm stern tone, turn your back on her and ignore her. She will get the idea that this is not acceptable behavior.

Was this litter born at Doris's? How old was she when she left her littermates?

[Benti]

She was born at Doris's. We got her at 9 weeks. We are firmly telling her no, it doesn't always work. We do try to redirect her with other toys but it seems she likes to play bite people a lot more. I hope this is a phase and it passes. I appreciate everyone's input as this is all new to me. Do they grow out of this and how do I know if it is out of control?

[tanza]

Well it will not always work…. just keep on with what you are doing....

[Kipawa]

We have had Kipawa do this on occasion, usually when he has been in a particularly silly mood (like right after a poop!). If I walk at a regular pace, he has tried to grab the back of my heel or calf. He gets NO attention when he has done this. What works for us is either to slow the pace right down, or stop. If I stop walking, he is trained to sit at my side, which he does. If I slow down, he just doesn't see slow movement as much fun.

Also, in making the correction, try not to make the correction itself sound like too much fun. She might be linking it all together, seeing the correction as fun/play time. If re-directing, do it in a matter-of-fact way. Hope that makes sense.

This can be a tough one, but work hard on it now so she understands that action is not acceptable. Because sad to say, there are people out there who if subjected to this, 'could' report your dog as a biter. Not everyone understands dog play. :(

[seaslugg]

I have a 10 week puppy too, so I can tell you you're not alone. I play a hard game of fetch with her, give her lots of chewies and I'm lucky enough to have an older basenji that loves to play. But she tends to get really crazy when she is tired and will bite anything that moves. That's when I know it's nap time. Making sure she is well rested has helped me a lot. Good luck! :)

[Benti]

We are doing everything you say. I hope it's just a phase.

[Benti]

There are definately times she is worse than others, literally biting anything around her but I haven't been able to associate it with anything yet. Maybe she's bored?

[tanza]

Did Doris have any of her littermates there when you pick up your girl?

[Benti]

Yes she had another girl from her litter, and I boy she had brought in from another breeder.

[dcmclcm4]

If you do not break them of the habit, it will only hurt more when they get adult teeth.

Jennifer