Puppy biting - trying everything!!

Oh my GOD my puppy wants to rip me to shreds.

I've already consulted with my trainer and followed her advice and, near as I can tell, it's making things worse.

Granted, my puppy is just over two months. I'm not expecting perfection, not by a long shot. I know she's learning and exploring and all of these things. What I'm looking for is even the slightest indication from her that JUST MAYBE, massacring my feet, hands, legs, pants, face and hair aren't her reason for being.

I've tried "yipping!" in a high pitched voice when she bites. She like this.

I've tried ignoring her. She doesn't notice and will continue to bite my leg for another 2 minutes after I turn away from her.

I've tried quick time outs in her playpen after the 4th, 5th, 6th time she's bitten me. She comes out of the playpen just itching to sink her teeth into me. I can put her in the playpen several times in a row and she still wants to eat me when she gets out.

I've tried clapping loudly near her face to just jolt her for a second to get her teeth out of me. No. She likes the clapping.

My husband says "HEY!" when she bites him (which is RARELY!) and she stops immediately. When I say "HEY!" she doesn't react. Period.

If I try to remove her teeth from my pants/shirt/skin she just bites my hands.

The biting is getting worse the more I try to stop it. She almost never bites my husband, so it's obviously something I'm doing.

Suggestions?

for feet/leg biting, I stamp my feet. HARD, while moving into the puppy to make it back away from me. I am CAREFUL not to step on the puppy.

Since you always have treats in your pocket (Right? Having a pup this age, you should ALWAYS have rewards on you), as the puppy starts to move back away from you, give it a name: GET BACK, smile, say GOOD PUPPY, make it happy and a game. After a few steps, put the treat on the nose and lure a sit. Praise.

For the other biting, please read the links on the sticky about how to stop puppy biting in the Puppy forum. There are many great suggestions there.

she's biting you? I'm shocked ))))))))) I'm just kidding here..

Masi is now almost 5 mths old, and she is still mouthy at times,,but I'm always trying to redirect,,or I tend to wear her out GOOD,,a tired puppy is a good puppy)

I redirect with alot of chewie things,,altho sometimes that doesn't work..Probably why your husband is having better success,,tone of voice,,try using a deep "I MEAN IT" voice, that may help,,,as well as others that have suggested things
diane

I still get the occasion spazy nip from my 1 year old min pin. One of the things that worked the best for us was when he'd get all nippy I'd start working the commands that he knew. 8 weeks is not too young to learn sit or wait or one of the simple commands. The other benefit of this is that you can start asking for a sit or down before every good thing happens. If you've read any of the stuff about Nothing In Life Is Free, that is the basis of what I'm talking about here.

Also, look at how you do play with her. Are you all amped up and wrestling? Playing rough and exciting games? I'm thinking she sees you as more "littermate" and your husband as more "mother." Pedro absolutely cannot control himself with rough and tumble games so we don't play them. He gets his rough and tumble stuff out when we are at mom's with the other dogs. They tell him off when he gets too stupid and he listens! I'm slowly getting it through my head that dog training is a good part human training (aka environment management). Figure out what triggers her to be a little shark and you'll have half the battle won.

Try this...........its my method and I have never had it fail, even on older dogs.

First you control all play, you start it, you end it and all toys go away.

I use a clicker but you don't need to. But you have to train anything, sitting, eye contact etc with a marker i.e word like Yes, or a clicker (marker).
The dog/pup HAS to understand that by saying Yes! or clicking that a reward is going to follow. This is very important.

Lots of very small soft treats that the pup really values and best when the pup is hungry.

Soft toy that the pup really likes.

Hold the toy in your left hand, get the pup to grab on and pull, don't pull back because you can pull out teeth.

As the pup is pulling on the toy, put your finger from your right hand into the their mouth, don't push it in or pinch or press on the gums, its not ment to hurt or scare the pup.

All dogs or pups for that split second will avoid your finger, at that time you say Yes and/or click then give them a reward.

Within a few tries all dogs and pups will immediately open their mouths, sit down and look for that reward.

As I already stated it has worked awesome for me.


For pups going for your feet, pant legs etc, teach them how to focus on you instead, redirect it, train them a behaviour like sittting etc and reward for the redirected behaviour.
Put your pup on the Nothing In Life Is Free method, feed her by hand EVERY meal, kibble by kibble.............teach her basic obedience, come, sit, down, puppy push ups, turn in circles and heel work off leash.
Do the It's Your Choice game with the pup, that teaches them self control.

I was lucky ,,,, sure I had puppy times , but with other dogs around they quickly learned !