[kmct]

My puppy is 11 weeks old now and she is really mouthy. This is my first dog and I have done a lot of research, but it's always different when you actually have one! I don't think she is teething, and I know that they are naturally mouthy sometimes, but I'm getting really nervous for when she loses her teeth and actually gets her adult teeth which I expect to be razor sharp. I don't think she is being aggressive, but I don't think she is always playing around either - it's kind of a mix of both.. I have tried to tell her NO! in a loud voice, I have tried yelping like a hurt puppy, I have tried putting her back in her crate, giving her the right toys for her to chew instead, but it won't stop! And it's usually only me, especially when I am on the grass with her and my feet or legs/ankles are exposed. She snaps at my hands too. Is this normal? What else should I try to do? I don't have the money to afford obedience classes, and plus, I kind of want to be able to train her myself. Any advice? Thanks!

 

[Sadie Girl]

Sadie is three and still has this habit. She's a fairly recent rescue and we're working on it, but again it's only me she does this to. She will often grab my hand or arm biting down with gentle pressure them letting go. I'll be interested to read any replies to this thread.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[KentnBarbara]

We went through that with Major....well...mainly ME because I spend most of the time with him. It was really frustrating and nothing I tried seemed to work. Thankfully, he eventually passed through that stage and couldn't be any sweeter now, at 5 yrs old. Hang in there as I think things will get better!

 

[Daegan]

I would recommend a basic obedience class. You learn tools from this class and work and practice at home until the next lesson.

Have you consulted with your breeder?

I would redirect her nipping and provide adequate play and exercise as this may also help. Puppies have their own personalities and often you can see this at a young age. I would practice what you learn in class, redirect when she becomes nippy, and make sure she is getting enough play and exercise

When they are young it is so important not to break their spirits and confidence, play with her and let her win playing tug, etc. Dobermans are an intelligent, energetic breed and with positive reinforcement they are a wonderful breed to own.

 

[dobebug]

My puppy is 11 weeks old now and she is really mouthy. This is my first dog and I have done a lot of research, but it's always different when you actually have one! I don't think she is teething, and I know that they are naturally mouthy sometimes, but I'm getting really nervous for when she loses her teeth and actually gets her adult teeth which I expect to be razor sharp. I don't think she is being aggressive, but I don't think she is always playing around either - it's kind of a mix of both.. I have tried to tell her NO! in a loud voice, I have tried yelping like a hurt puppy, I have tried putting her back in her crate, giving her the right toys for her to chew instead, but it won't stop! And it's usually only me, especially when I am on the grass with her and my feet or legs/ankles are exposed. She snaps at my hands too. Is this normal? What else should I try to do? I don't have the money to afford obedience classes, and plus, I kind of want to be able to train her myself. Any advice? Thanks!

She's a puppy--she's playing like a puppy. Puppies are very mouthy--usually they learn bite inhibition from thier litter mates who stop playing with them if they bite hard enough to hurt. Take a cue from that. When she bite offer her an acceptable toy but stop interacting with her. Dogs, not just puppies, think that any attention is better than no attention and telling her NO doesn't do much--you need to be offering an acceptable alternative behavior. If she persists--crate her until she settles down.

The snapping and biting at feet and legs are all part of puppy play behavior. But you need to do something about it EVERY time she snaps, bites or goes after your feet or legs. Not just sometimes and that's where people fail at stopping the normal puppy behavior. There are about a million threads on here dealing with puppy biting, mouthing etc. Use the search feature and look some of them up--everyone has suggestions and some work better than others for different dogs.

The ones that don't work are yelling NO! (Doesn't tell the puppy what you want at all). Holding their mouth shut (they think it's some sort of recipricol play behavior. Trying to swat them with newpapers--same problem--they think it's some sort of play or you scare them to death so that they don't even want to come near them.

Repeat the normal corrections--most puppies will learn and understand that they should not bite (and I personally don't want my dogs mouths on me at all so I teach them no mouth on my skin EVER--some folks are happy to teach puppies inhibited bites (you may hold on to my wrist or hand but no biting down) or you may lick me but you may not use your teeth no matter how gentle you are.

She's not teething--teething typically starst at around 4 months and continues until 6 months.

Puppy teeth are like shark teeth--and you will actually find that adult teeth are much blunter and less likely shred you the way puppy teeth do.

Better luck than you've had so far.

 

[Pennyrose]

"This too shall pass". Normal behavior...puppy biting.... DoNOT PUNISH but RE-DIRECT ie throw a ball, toy. Be consistent and diligent. Dobe pups teeth fast and hard! My Charlie is settling somewhat and just turned 6 mos. I taught him "kisses" and his mouth/bite got softer. Stay Patient : )


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[doghouse25]

im going through the same thing i have two pups ones 8 weeks and the others 17 weeks ive found that for my two when they mouth me i give them what they should chew or bite or whatever and then completely ignore them for a few minutes, like theyre not even there. its a slow but worth it process

 

[Beaumont67]

kmct - the adult teeth aren't as needle like the puppy ones are, it does get better.

Inside the house, below recap is how I train "puppy soft bite/muzzle control" from day1.
Outside the home, dobe either plays nice or PLAYING STOPS ASAP, quickly they learn the rules with consistency !!
- than one day "I flipped my lid vocally with the highest pitch of disappointment" and pup learned that second (after several weeks)..."enough was finally enough"...with a testy high drive puppy
(now Kelly sometimes "sucks my thumb", while settling down in our master bed at night, for a minute)
- but I never allowed any pointed teeth on anything other than my fingers or hand...all other body parts were totally off limits

Quote: Originally Posted by Beaumont67 View Post

Like the last couple posts, I too stop puppy from constantly biting me, by putting my hand in their mouth...on purpose.
a) place my index finger back behind their molar teeth, and when pup bits down I am not getting hurt, because their gums clamping on me is ineffective
b) make a fist and wedge it in the pups mouth, so the pup is left with a wide open mouth that won't close tight (not deep enough to choke puppy)
c) I will place my thump tip in the very front of pups little front teeth, it doesn't hurt...and hold it there, inside the lower jaw
d) I will grab the big K9 teeth, and wiggle my hand in bite play...pup can't bite back, when their teeth/jaw muscles are being effectively restrained

^^^^ Then I start saying "BE GENTLE" and "You CAN'T HURT DAD", soon they accept that I have some strange "super man" powers and the frequency and severity of biting decreases...now puppy is on the way to learning soft bite/muzzle control.
- because Dad's hand became the bite toy initally, I spared Mom from most of it
- and this direct hand approach, spared the family members from extra bits to the ankles, ass, face, arms, etc...which are off limits
- pup learned quick enough, my hand was the only bite target in the home...now our puppy likes to suck my thumb some...

 

[nidan48]

Do a little puppy yelp when she bites too hard.
She will probably back off and then lick you.
Mouthing is totally normal.
If you want to correct you can push some floppy lip
against a needle-y tooth until she pulls away.

Their mouth is their hand. I've had dobies who would
take my hand, gently, briefly, like they were leading me.