Very Bitey Pup

[Cactusali]

We have a (mostly) adorable 9 week old Border Terrier. She is massively intelligent - almost always wees and poos in the garden, can follow simple commands, enjoys ‘foraging’ for food in a rolled towel. Loves her toys, antler etc. But she bites me, really hard, and attacks my clothes, ankles and - particularly excruciating - the upper surface of my foot. I try to be calm and to offer alternative things to chew, but she’s frighteningly determined to sink her teeth into my quite elderly and tender flesh. I do all the ‘right’ things, freeze and turn my back, remove myself for time out, but she just starts all over again and doesn’t bloody let go. Any wise words?

Hi what a lovely looking pup.
My three year old black Labrador is such a gentle boy but I remember feeling like I was under attack from him biting me. Like I’d got a mini alligator instead of a puppy. I decided that he'd chosen me as his playmate hence his biting and nipping me and no one else, so I taught him some new alternative games he could play with me - we played kicking balls around the garden and he chases after them.

Gradually it worked and he stopped bitting me but I think I've made a rod for my back as he waits for me to come out to play kick a ball with him every day.

I did other things too, some of them mentioned here, like putting him in his crate for time out for him to calm down and for my own sanity too. I turned away from him and didn't look at him We played hunt the treats - hiding them and he finds them; the frozen tea towels were good too. I found stroking his belly calmed him down too

He doesn't bite at all now - perhaps he grew out of it or perhaps my games playing helped - although I've not yet weaned him off the daily kick a ball game!

If he gets excited now and forgets himself he'll gently nibble my wrist as if he's thinking "hmmm I’m not really allowed to do this" and I gently lift his teeth off me

Good luck, it will get better

Just give this a watch

Ah I feel your pain. My girl (spaniel) is four now. I wouldn’t be without her as she is truly the best girl ever and never bites (apart from when she pibble nibbles - she gently grooms me like she does herself except I’m not as hairy!). When she was very small there was one night I stood there crying as was wondering whether I’d made a huge mistake and felt like a failure as a dog mum - she’d been dangling off my PJs all night with her teeth, had chewed through several jumpers, three pairs of shoes and eaten almost a whole pair of sheepskin slippers (yes the vet who checked her said he was surprised there was no blockage but to expect fluffy poos and keep an eye on her). Lots of chew toys - the rope kind, tightly bound in the shape of animals, really helped. Teething gel. Carrots kept in the freezer. And lots of patience. And she never ever snaps or bites now, that was just a phase which felt like forever but really only lasted maybe a few months. By six months she had stopped the biting. Puppy teeth are like tiny sharp pins.