Top tips for puppy biting

[snapdragongirl]

Please can you share your top tips for puppy biting? Currently 9 weeks and she is mostly sweet and calm but prone to moments of craziness and can get very bitey. I know it’s normal, but want to make sure I’m dealing with it the best way.

We try to respond calmly rather than to yelp (hard when it hurts!), to redirect to a chew toy, try to ignore for a while. She gets plenty of sleep and is happy in her crate (so am reluctant to use it for a time out, but when she is insistent on keeping biting all of us, is it ok to pop her in there for a minute until she seems calm then try again?) It is also hard when she is physically attached to your sleeve/trouser leg/dressing gown! You need to detach her before redirecting or whatever.

All tips and advice gratefully received!

I did time outs behind a stair gate when puppy was in full on attack mode.

This topic was discussed quite recently. Have a read of this thread.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5518871-what-to-actually-do-about-ankle-biting

Time out to reset them - really works. We used to just step out the room and shut the door - just for a minute - it works. They are much worse when tired and really don't underestimate how much sleep they need - the puppy has no idea!

We used to use brain puzzles to tire her out - so hiding treats in paper in toilet rolls or a box. Using a puzzle mat. Frozen damp teatowel. Freeze some non salty stock in a yoghurt pot and give that to them. Frozen carrot or a brocolli stalk to chew on.

Also it doesn't last for ever.

Thanks both - I appreciate this!

I don’t crate pups but I do have a little dog safe utility room off the sitting room which I have a dog bed in. Ultra biting puppies go in there and usually fall asleep. My last two dogs were very bitey pups and the only advise I have is wait it out, it honestly just gets better ( around a year for my latest dogs)
I did try the loud sort of ‘owch’ but that made them worse. It was really just maturity that sorted it ( oh and everyone always wore feet coverings as our ties were being badly nipped)

I just divert them into a training session. If there's one thing a Golden Retriever puppy loves more than mouthing, it's food. A quick waft of roast beef under the nasty little ankle-biters nose and they're always willing to do anything I tell them for about 10 mins. They might have a manic minute after that but then they go to sleep so after the training session I just ignore them whilst they bite at me, and then they give up as I'm not entertaining enough.

And if that doesn't work, I set mum on them. But that is admittedly not something many can do 😁

I’m the OP from the post a few days ago asking what to actually do about ankle biting.
We now rarely get ankle biting! I think it’s due to a combination of the time outs, us being more aware of his trigger points, including the need to calm him down after a play session. We also got a flirt pole with a variety of attachments (Amazon) and that’s brilliant as we can have loads of attack style games with him but he’s never near our bodies or
clothes so they don’t accidentally get in the way. He still gnaws on our hands sometimes if he’s having a cuddle but it seems affectionately rather than frenziedly and it’s easier to re-direct to a toy. We also stocked up on a couple more rope toys as they seemed to be his favourites as well as a coffee wood and olive wood chew sticks (Amazon again) which our dog trainer recommended. Finally, we’re now giving him a lambs tail chew for 20 - 30 minutes in his last awake spell of the day (from about 9:30pm) and that followed by the ever faithful frozen tea towel seems to get him through most of the witching hour

Ours is 4 months and during the manic biting phase in the morning we are redirecting to sit/treat or a toy that she likes to chew. Kongs with frozen Greek yogurt have been a blessing at times too

@snapdragongirl just to caution against using a flirt pole as @FoxandDuck has suggested. If only as I am pretty sure you mentioned a while ago you'd be getting a Golden Retriever, and they can cause significant damage to growing dogs joints, and Golden's joints are incredibly fragile. The chasing a flirt pole (and indeed chasing balls/frisbies etc), and sharp movements and sudden stops etc can cause life-long damage in their joints so better to avoid to be safe

A very good point from @TheHungryHungryLandsharks. I hadn’t spotted that you had a GR. We are using ours very gently as I’m conscious how delicate puppy’s joints are so we’re only using it on the ground and for relatively small movements

Often can mean overstimulated and tired so crate wouldn’t be a time out it would be helpful for your puppy to learn to switch off. They will grow out of it I promise!

I found with mine, he was biting because he was overstimulated and tired. I'd put him in his crate, shut the door and sit beside him for a minute until he went to sleep

@FoxandDuck I only know as OP mentioned it on a previous thread (and I'm creepy and remember people with the same breed as me), so you weren't to know! 😁