My puppy has a nipping problem - advice?

[mvd]

It's not a malicious nipping and biting problem - my Goldendoodle Gordon loves people - but he play nips and bites, and also does it to get out energy. We've tried a lot - firm "no bites," time outs, ignoring him - but he doesn't seem to want to learn. I think he thinks he's not below the people in the family.

Does he need obedience school? He's 4 months old now, and shows no signs of stopping. He's so good with everything else - sleeps well, is pretty much housetrained, doesn't wreck the house, etc.

[warrior1]

1. Typical puppy misbehaviors and their causes – Part 1

http://pets.yahoo.com/blog/cesarmillan/5972/typical-puppy-misbehaviors-and-their-causes-part-1/

For many new dog owners, the behavior of their new puppy is a concern — what is normal and what isn't? To help you proud new pack leaders along, here are some typical puppy behaviors and their causes:

Chewing, mouthing, & nipping
"Inhibited biting" is common in puppies. This kind of play biting is done for many reasons — exercise, boredom relief, to soothe teething discomfort, calm hunger, and to explore the environment.

If a puppy is teething, provide safe toys or objects for chewing to help ease mouth pain. When the puppy begins play biting with humans, correcting the behavior immediately can prevent nipping problems later.

http://www.squidoo.com/aggressive-biting-puppy

[mvd]

2. That's a good read

I'll keep trying putting toys in his mouth. So far, he'll chew the toy for a bit and then go to nipping again.

[Kali]

3. I know I will stir the shit for saying this but

add a smack with a rolled up newspaper to your "firm no." Ignoring won't work that is for sure.

Some swear by the jangle can, but in my opinion a rolled up newspaper and your obvious displeasure is more effective.

"Mom" dog would pin a wayward biting muzzle with her teeth and give a firm growling before biting back herself if the warning didn't work.

[mvd]

4. I think part of the problem was he was taken too soon..

from his mom. Mother dogs do have a way of reducing the puppy's biting.

[femmocrat]

18. Never hit a puppy. With anything.

There are better methods.

[trof]

19. You did stir. No weapons, ever.

Grab by the snout and in a firm voice say NO!
They desperately want to please you and they'll quit after you do this a few times.

[Mutley]

20. Glad I'm not a dog in your house.

[warrior1]

5. watch what a mom's does with her pups

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6128146112633179933&q=+mom++puppies&ei=N3aDSKulCaG-qgOCsaicBQ&hl=en

[mvd]

10. Cute video!

The stare that the mom did was priceless.

[PassingFair]

6. We trained our puppy not to nip by....

putting him outside everytime he did it.

He loves being around people, and exile
was VERY effective.

You needn't leave him/her out there for long,
about 3-5 minutes is enough.
(You don't want him to forget why he's out there....)

[Orrex]

7. Too bad Temeah doesn't post here anymore

Oh wait. Nipping problem. My mistake...

[jobycom]

8. Duct tape.

No, no advice. Sorry.

[Raven]

9. This has worked with every dog I've ever had. Take its mouth

and gently hold it closed and say very crisply, "NO BITING". Keep holding the mouth until it gets annoying/uncomfortable for them (but never painful) and then give them a hug and a kiss. Worked for me.

[EFerrari]

15. That does work only I use "Name, no bite!"

Pain is not good, it only freaks the babies out. (As it does anyone.)

[one mean sheath]

11. puppies!

i love them.
with both of my pit bull puppies, they really liked nipping and nibbling. when they were babies we'd use a squirt bottle or put them in another room for five minutes if they were really pushing it. once they were bigger and their jaws were consequently bigger we made them sit down and hold their mouths closed (light pressure cause messing with the nasal cavities would be mean) and tell them no biting. and sometimes i'd just push my hand or arm to the back of their mouth so they couldn't close it.
the nipping stopped pretty young but they both loved nibbling stuff - they'd nibble the fuzz off of tennis balls. weird shit.

[truedelphi]

12. Dogs do not understand "NO!' all that well

Have plenty of chew toys. When puppy starts in, grab a toy and say "Chew it sweetie!" Have the toys available to guests as well.

They like praise and they like toys.

And if you get "Animal Planet," on your cable, they have a program or two abt training dogs. One is called "It is me or the dog" and it has pretty good advice.

[Raven]

13. It's the tone of your voice, not the words. n/t

[EFerrari]

16. Giving them something they CAN bite is so important.

That's very true. During the early months of puppyhood, there have been chewing things all over my house and in every room. lol

[truedelphi]

21. Two or three weeks ago, I would have told the

Puppy-chewed up crowd that they should forget abt dogs and just have cats.

Then about a week ago, Cellbie decided that the best way to show his feline love for me is to wait until I am dozing on the couch, and take the sharpest claw in his possession and just jab my thigh muscle with it. It is done with the same finesse one would use when sticking a steak on the grill with the uber fork.

After i come down from the ceiling, he has this look of total innocence that is all "But don't you see how much I love you??"

[EFerrari]

34. I have one that just started loving me that way, too, except he

tries to "pat" my face and he has six toes on every paw. :)

[truedelphi]

35. I now envision you going off to bed

With your head encased in one big bandage, much like "The Mummy"

[NNN0LHI]

14. Spank his ass

Just kidding. Please refer to post # 1 in this thread for some great advice.

Don

[femmocrat]

17. Goldens are very "mouthy" -- typical puppy behavior.

Hold him by the scruff of the neck for a second or two while you loudly growl, "nyaah"! That is similar to what the mother dog does.

He will outgrow it. Make sure he has a lot of things to carry around in his mouth. One nice thing about goldens is that they don't usually destroy their soft toys. They love to walk around with a plush toy in their mouth.

I always recommend Obedience training. You can start him in puppy kindergarten at 6 months or so (maybe sooner). He is going to be a big dog, so you need him to follow commands at an early age. He'll soon be an "adolescent" and will start some "rebellious" behaviors. Plus the poodle part is going to be full of mischief!

Enjoy your lovely puppy! :hug:

[mvd]

25. He's very sweet and comical

I'm enjoying him a lot despite the biting problem. Sometimes he'll have a sock and toy in his mouth and still bark - adorable. If he doesn't stop by 6 months, he'll definitely need obedience training IMO. :hi:

[flvegan]

22. Is it nipping and biting or is it mouthing?

Whichever it is, if you want him to stop doing it, you have to be consistent with your "NO!" commands.

Actually, I prefer "Nah!" because "NO!" is also "know" and "no". That's just me, though (rhymes with no).

[mvd]

24. More nipping and biting

He doesn't bite down as hard, but he has sharp teeth, so it cuts the skin. Thanks for the advice, all.

[AbbeyRoad]

23. I can share some advice from my hours watching Animal Planet...

particularly the show "It's Me or the Dog" with the British trainer Victoria Stillwell. I think I've seen her use a couple techniques. I think there was one show where a dog had been taken from its litter too early, and she said that in the litter the litter mates help set boundaries for each other on nipping. I think on that episode she told them that when the dog nipped you can let out a high pitched yelp kind of like a puppy would do to let them know it's not okay. The startling yelp kind of makes it a doggy aversion therapy technique.

I think there was another episode where she used another technique on a dog who nipped its owner during play. She got a toy the dog really loved like a rope bone or something and played enthusiastically with him until he nipped her, and then she dropped the bone and turned her back. He got the idea that if he wanted to keep having fun, he'd better not bite.

My dog's an old lady now(she's 11 this year) but I remember back in the puppy days her teeth were like little razors. She ripped one of my shirts when she nipped me one day. She must have grown out of it on her own because I can't remember doing anything in particular to make her stop. Good luck with your puppy.

[NewEnglandGirl]

26. I have the same problem with my new little one

He's three and 1/2 months old. He's a rescue, part lab, part pit (I think). I know he's teething but he seems to be doing this more than any of my others ever did. I think obedience school is good for all pups and I've tried the water spray, the grabbing of his muzzle and the thing that has worked the best is yelping and then ignoring him for a while when he does this biting thing. He likes a lot of attention so I think that gives him a message. The thing that's concerning me a little more than that is that he growls sometimes when he doesn't like something like being picked up or having the leash put on.

My vet says it's really important to stop the biting behavior. So good luck with Gordon and if I find any magic cures with Chester, I'll be sure to share.

[mopinko]

27. time to show his belly.

this is the kind of thing where i would grab him by the scruff of the neck and roll him over, and in your most growly voice, let him know you are the big dog. he should stay on his back until he is still and submissive.
also just basic pack leader stuff is important- he eats after you are done, he lays or sits on command (with whatever gentle assistance he needs) and he never goes through a door before you.
biting is a big, big no in my book.

[applegrove]

28. Try over exaggerating the pain you feel when he bites. Yelp. Then pull your

hand away and hold it moaning. Stop playing with the puppy. Soon he will learn that nipping is no fun at all and ends all play. I read somewhere to do this with cats. I hope it works for dogs too.

[bif]

29. Pepper spray

[undeterred]

30. Nip him back.

Nah, he'd think that was great fun. He needs another dog to play with.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. I broke one of my puppies (he was younger than yours) of nipping people's hands by using a water

pistol when I told him 'no bites'. It only took about 3 times of squirting him in the face with it and he stopped.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. I've encountered this problem before. As soon as the puppy would

start biting on my hands I would make a loud noise of displeasure and stop playing with them immediately. If they persisted I would give them a time out, just like I would do with my children. They soon got the idea that if they wanted to play they could not bite. I have used this method with every puppy and kitten I've ever had with good results.

[dropkickpa]

33. High pitched yelp/scream

It's very unpleasant, and it lets the dog know that their action causes this unpleasant sound. You get a nip, let out a yelp/scream (I always screech "OW!) and stand up and walk away from the puppy. Works fabulously, I've never had an issue breaking a puppy of nipping using this method, and it works quickly (works on babies and toddlers, too!!!).