How do I limit puppy biting???
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Hello! My little girl Nyla is 11 weeks old today. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to stop the puppy biting or at least manage it? It’s so bad sometimes. I’ve tried the frozen wash clothes, ice cubes, toys, and even holding her and putting her in the crate (calmly) to relax. Any suggestions are appreciated!
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Get the butcher to give you a bone. A raw beef bone. Take all the fat off it (you can render it down as dripping - delicious for roasting potatoes !) and make sure no jagged edges. She can chew on that and save your ankles and fingers.
It is a bit too early for her to be teething, but watch it, those front teeth will be coming away soon which means there will be new 'grown-up' teeth coming in behind them. Just as children, pups do experience aches and pains around teething. You may need to get the vet to give you something to rub on those sore gums.
But, like snow and adolescence, this too shall pass. . .
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You need to act like her Mom or Littermates.... when they bite or get over excited, all play stops and the pup is ignored (as in turn you back to them) with very, very loud yelp and NO Bite... That is what Mom's would do or their littermates.
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@basenjinyla said in How do I limit puppy biting???:
I’ve tried
Have you tried saying, "no", firmly (not yelling). Then gently guide the pups chin away from your body. If possible, offer a fun toy or chew to the pup and tell them, "okay". Theoretically, the pup will connect: biting human, bad; biting toy, good. It does work, the toy might not always be nearby, but dogs do seem to understand a firm, gentle, approach.
I agree with @Zande on the bones. In the U.S., you should be able to get "neck bones" (bone scraps from bone in chuck roasts, or scraps from Tbones) at your local grocer. Mine charges ~ $1#. I freeze them, storing them in zippered bags, and give them to my girl frozen (with the meat and fats still attached).
@tanza's approach works well also. I have yelped an "ouch" a time or two and doodle stops dead in her tracks.
The frozen washcloth will help when your dog starts teething. Avoid picking her up, comforting her, or holding her. These responses will teach her that biting is a good way to get a little love.
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Yelping may or may not work, depends on the pup. Some just think "squeaky toy" and bite again. Unless Mom is very tolerant she would likely discipline an annoying pup by snarling and possibly pinning him down. Ignoring him and stopping play may work, but if he is persistent best to physically restrain him from biting, gently of course, and tell him "no" firmly. Repeat as necessary. Make sure when he is being good that you give him lots of attention, as biting may be his way of getting it. Of course, teething comes into it and biting on a bone should help with that.
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All those things work but it takes time. Don't get discouraged. I wore long sleeves to protect my arms all the time when Piper was little. It takes effort to find a toy that consistently brings teething comfort. Bully sticks and yak cheese were her favorite when she was younger. Diversion from your body and consistent reaction to her biting helps. It will get better. Puppies explore with their mouth. Best of luck with your new sweet baby.
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Bully sticks saved us with Trigger
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it's been relentless here too ...mostly with my husband who is untrainable who does all the wrong things. the "yelp" method has never worked for me and is, like someone said, too much like a squeeky toy amping up the biting. I'm not a big fan of "no" either finding it useless. At this point I simply and calmly pick her up and put her in her xpen with some chew toys. Works like a charm. She calms down and comes out. Repeat as necessary.
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I never quite know what people mean by "biting". All puppies will gnaw when they play. That's not a big deal. Actually biting with an intent to injure is something quite different. From the tone of your post I'm assuming it's the former.
In which case it's time and maybe a pair of gloves. Not sure when you got her but puppies learn to pull their bites between about eight and twelve weeks. The earlier you get them the more you rather than their littermate get to be their learning prop.
My approach is to go with @Zande and understand that it's part of growing up. She'll be finished soon enough and you might even miss those super sharp little puppy teeth.
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time to see the vet ???
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@morsesa - Why would you say see a Vet? This is a normal puppy doing normal puppy things? Puppy teeth are quite sharp... more like little needles... They learn "bite inhibition" from their Mom or other adults and littermates. Bite to hard, littermates scream and also stop playing... Adults will put a puppy in it's place and refuse to play with that pup. Humans when you bring a puppy home need to do the same. Remember that puppies explore with their mouth.
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Put your toys on a string so she cant bit you when playing
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@beth314 said in How do I limit puppy biting???:
I'm not a big fan of "no" either finding it useless.
It will be useless until your pup understands what it means and learns to generalize it. Don't use the word when you are not in a position to enforce it. Consistency will teach the pup that "no" means stop what you are doing right now. Dogs are like kids. If they know you aren't going to do anything when you say "no" they learn to ignore you.
The same thing applies to other important words, like "come". Don't use them when you can't get compliance. Your dog needs to learn that certain things are not "optional", so there needs to be consistency until the word is known and responded to reliably.
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It will pass. 11 weeks is still very young. My pup's nibbling was particularly bad with my bf and he was starting to get concerned, but it all stopped! I can't remember what age but I think it was after teething finished around 6 mths. I bought anything and everything that was safe and tasty for my pup to chew and also walked away from him if the biting ever got too much. I do believe it will get better in time - keep the faith!
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Like much internet advice I find short answers incomplete - and mine was. I really want to ad that making a crate/xpen/gated puppy area should never be seen as "punishment". These partitioned puppy areas should be conditioned to be safe places for a puppy/dog. Mine, thankfully, tolerates and even likes her xpens probably because it's where she eats, receives treats, sleeps, chews and even plays. This took about a week or so. Now she voluntarily goes into her xpens (in my case) on her own and when she's put there involuntarily she might whine for a minute before settling down with a chew and/or going to sleep.
