Help! he wont stop biting!

My new boston terrier will NOT stop biting... weve tried holding his mouth shut and firmly saying "No" but he just runs right back at us. Hes a persistant one, with razors for teeth. Does anyone know any other ways to stop him from biting?

Please do a search on the internet for "BITE INHIBITION"

How old exactly is your puppy in weeks, and how long have you had him?

Hes about 9 weeks old and Ive only had him for 3 days now...

Its normal for a pup to nibble and chomp on your fingers as long as it is not aggressive in anyway. I would do some research as well, but he is young and would be playing with his littermates roughly so he is using you instead unfortunatley I wouldn't worry about it, is it your first dog? I would tell him "NO" and ignore him after that. Practice NILIF

My two are slowly growing out of that phase. Cody is finally out of it (he just turned 1 year old). Rya is just now starting to come out of it (she is 5 months old). It should die down as your pup matures.

If he's really hurting you, be an actress, cry a little bit! Lol, it sounds ridiculous but he'll probably stop, look at you and start licking or sniffing you. He just doens't know that he's hurting you, he's still getting to know his grip.

Fozzie has completely stopped biting us, and he's 12 weeks! We really, really do not tolerate it ever. I think some people get lenient... if they're in a good mood, it's cute to play with your hands; if they're in a bad mood, they freak out about it. Whatever method you choose, stick with it and be consistent! I noticed that, for my pup, making yelpy noises didn't have a huge affect. He has been way better when we say "Nooo" in a deeper, growly voice. Make sure that the first few times you do it, shock him! He needs to know that is very bad and he'll get reprimanded for it. If he's trying to chew, grab a chew toy and shove it in his mouth. If he spent enough time with his mom & littermates and if he had a good breeder, he should already know how to inhibit his bites. Also, teaching my puppy how to kiss helped, because I tell him to give kisses instead of biting.

It is important for your pup to learn that little razor teeth on human skin hurts. For the first few weeks when he play nips, it's best to yelp and stop all interaction for a few minutes. Boston's are great little dogs, and although they aren't really a terrier as the name suggests, their tenacity is so much like a terrier that I think the name is fitting. Everyone who interacts with your pup should be consistent whenever he nips or he'll just get confused though so make sure everyone in your family is on board with training too. I just graduated a little boston named Betty, top of the class and an absolute doll. Good luck

This is what seemed to work on my Tink, she's almost 9 weeks, there was a recommendation when she grabs my finger, to push farther into her mouth, kind of "sticking" her mouth open gently, till she gets grossed out and tries to get my finger OUT of her mouth- it's working well, i tried the yelp, no dice, then I tried the NO,but we're working on a different naughty behavior with that one, and didn't want to freak her out with that word ALL the time-
I do it sideways, i don't choke her, just sort of like a bone sideways- and only for a few seconds-but she has gotten to the point where 80% of the time, when faced with a choice of my fingers or a readily available chew toy, she picks the toy...Thank goodness!

BITE INHIBITION.

Do a search, and you will find good info on how to teach your puppy to have a SOFT MOUTH.

i had the same problem and it was very hard to deal with. we almost had to give little laney away. it was so frustrating. i searched the net and asked everyone i knew for info... this is what ended up working for me:

when she bites, i yelp and then WALK AWAY. when i walk away, she really responds and i can actively see her trying to be more gentle. there was a great site about it, but i can't remember...

the second important thing i learned was from the natural dog training book. that's kevin behan... he says never tell your dog NOT to bite. puppies NEED to bite.. it's like a little baby mouthing everything.. they just need to know the limit (thus the yelp and walking away)... but the puppy needs to know that the owner supports their drive... so even a "good dog" is alright when the puppy is biting.. then give the dog a chew toy. i found that has worked great! behan suggested too that i might be overstimulating the puppy so she's basically flippen' out. so i stopped touching her so much and playing with her inside. that helped too! his book has been very helpful.

i also found having chew toys around helps. my puppy didn't like any toys so i felt very stuck, but then i tried bones and she loves them.
ALSO... i found she bites a lot when she's tired, when she has to pee, AND when i take her toys away from her outside ( you know, when she's caught the ball and i want to throw it again... and she wants to sit and chew on it a bit...). learning to read her has helped tremendously.

everyone i talked to had a different opinion and i tried them all... i just had to find what worked for Laney B. and me... i wish you success and peace!

Thanks guys for all your suggestions, I really appreciate them! I think hes slowly getting better... it does help if I act like he really hurt me. He's starting to lick more which is good. The only time hes really bad is as soon as we come home, he gets very excited and a little carried away. Its hard to get up and walk away from him cause our house is very open and he just runs after me and chomps on my ankle! Im sure it will die down with age... he is only 8 weeks! And I know its a playfull bite, not aggressive so thats a good thing!

He is really cute! I love Bostons!

One thing that we have done in the past that seems to work is make an "ackk" sound (the trainer called it the angry duck sound). The point is to make a noise that will distract him from what he is doing and he will immediate stop to pay attention to the noise.

I think the success of this technique is based upon the temperment of your dog though. Kovi was always sort of a scardy cat, so it worked for her. Good luck with that cute little guy.

I'm glad it worked for you! My girl is older now and we let her play bite but the main thing is teaching them (if you don't mind play biting) is what's acceptable and what's too hard. It shouldn't take him long to figure out that when he bites this hard we keep playing but when he bites this hard you yelp and don't play anymore! Well that's no fun!!! lol..good luck I'm glad it seems to be working for you!