Biting - issue or just puppyness

[CleverQuacks]

My puppy is a 11 weeks old whippet. She is a typical puppy and chews everything, including hands. I am not worried about that because I know puppies chew.

However she has started biting really hard. This happens when I am sitting on the sofa. She leaps up, yapping and bites my hands and arms, she also lunges for my face. I am trying to ignore her and just put her on the floor but she gets more and more worked up and it really hurts! I don’t think it’s aggression, more playfulness but I am worried because as she gets bigger it’s going to hurt more and more.

Am I managing this right? Ignoring and putting her on the floor or should I do something else? It just seems to work her up more. I don’t want to put her in her crate cos I want that to be a positive place rather than a punishment.

I used to use timeouts for biting so it was clear that fun stopped when that happens.

I used both baby gate and crate for timeouts because if I didn't remove him from me or me from him he would get more wound up. Distracting with toys didn't help either.

Whilst I understand you not wanting to use the crate I viewed it in the same way that children don't get upset going to bed just because they were given a couple of mins timeout in their bedroom. If you don't want to use the crate could you use a baby gate etc to seperate you both for a few mins.

Do you have toys for her to chew and things like lamb tails, pug ears etc for her to chew? They keep them occupied for a while. Our trainer said just cross your arms to chest and turn your head and be still. If she gets you then give a little yelp to show it hurts you. Works well with our pup.

You need to be giving her a firm no and put her in the crate I'm afraid.

I disagree with putting dogs in their crates when they've been badly behaved.

It sounds like she's just instigating play as she would with her litter-mates. Ours is four months and still has bitey moments - we deal with him by standing up immediately, arms folded and looking away. When he calms down and puts all his paws on the floor, we praise and give a treat (we use his daily kibble allowance throughout the day for treats/training as well as meals).

If we're playing and he gets too excited, we get up and stop play and give him a chance to calm down again. He's not being vicious at all, he's just playing and wants attention but he needs to learn the right way to get it. Similarly we try not to let him jump up at visitors or strangers. He needs to learn that jumping up at people won't get him attention - unfortunately, he's cute and because he's just a puppy, people let him get away with it which doesn't help!

At home, he has to sit down calmly before he gets a fuss. Jumping up at us doesn't get him any attention at all. It's working slowly but surely, you just have to be consistent.

Stop letting her bite your hands. No dog should never bite/mouth/play with any part of you. Make her life easier by giving clear boundaries - has she learnt 'no' yet? I've always found a low pitch, long 'no' to work well - covers everything!

No dog should never bite/mouth/play with any part of you.

Did you miss the bit about her being 11 weeks old? ALL puppies bite and mouth. It's how they learn and explore the world.

Thanks all. I will keep trying to ignore and move away when she does it. My hands are covered in scratched and scabs from where she has got me and it does really hurt, puppy teeth are sharp!!

My lurcher was very bitey when he wanted to play as a pup. Even now as a one year old he can be "mouthy" when he's hyped and ready to play.

I taught him "go get your toys" so now when he's got a glint in his eye I just excitedly tell him to go get a toy and he'll bring something back that he can play tug of war with.

Puppies do bite hard. Its not a sign of aggression if done as part of a game. You just have to teach them to play appropriately. Apparently the most worrying thing would be if it was scared and biting in fear.

Ah I know how you feel OP. Ours is seventeen weeks and they bloody hurt! We redirect to a toy every time or stop play if he's getting too rough. He's slowly understanding not to bite but it can be hard to calm him down when he gets over-excited!

Redirecting is fine for amateur biters, but the more determined puppies need to be told "no" very firmly. Use your body language to show your disapproval: stand up, hands on hips, deep voice. Your pup will learn the word quickly, and know it's not on.