How do u get pups to stop biting/mouthing/nipping?

[BigBoi]

our pup is about 2 months old now. She has a habit of biting/nipping at us whenever we are just sitting there, trying to pet her, or playing with her. We got her when she was about 3 1/2 weeks old and she was supposedly abandoned with her litter (so she may have not been around her mother long)
I know it is partly her playing, but I want to stop this habit before she gets older and thinks that it is ok to bite. I have read to grab their upper lip and tell them "no", been told to smack their nose, and we are currently trying a spray called "bitter apple".

Any other ideas that have worked for you?

Thanks

[JustinSane110™]

The pop on the nose thing worked for my Schnauzer when he was a puppy, and telling him to "Calm down" at the same time so he learned what it meant. He's 7 now and if he's playing with me and gets too worked up I just tell him to calm down and he chills out right away. Also works when I'm giving him some table food like a french fry, most of the time he'll get excited and try to snap it away really fast and I just gotta tell him calm down and he takes it away so gentle hehe.

So just try the smack on the nose along with a command so she'll learn word association and then you can cut the smack on the nose out completely after a couple days if she learns it pretty quickly. Good luck.

[Nittanys1]

that what a puppy does, they will grow out of it...my new dog does the same thing and bites the crap out of my hands!!

[uncle_el]

some also say to ignore the dog, and he/she will get discouraged and learn/realize the tactics don't work. i think that's way easier said than done.

some use that bitter apple spray you mentioned. some people just use water in a spray bottle. some people use the noise makers/pennies in a coke can for it. once you learn what your pet does or doesn't like, you can pretty much use it for all discipline. my dog hates a squeak toy i bought him, and i use it for discipline and it works really well.

[Nittanys1]

you dont want the dog to see you when you spray them or make the noise that scares them, cuz they will associate this with you

[MSTANGSALEEN]

The Bitter Apple is good but you also need to place in the commands. I have alays taught "enough"- it is better to use 1 sylable words, it is clearer to them and makes for faster learning. Don't ever let them win- you need to show you are dominant. Holthem on the floor andlet them struggle, cry, they may even urinate, but these are all strategies to be dominant. when you do these things a few times and they realize you aren't going to hurt them and it's ok they will be a better pet.
You also need to start now with trimming their toenails every week and not letting them struggle out of it... you don't want to have to fight them when they are older... always remember that the things you let them get away with now you will have to deal with for the rest of their life... or have a really hard time retraining the right behaviors... and you may have a large dog and a Great Dane with an attitude problem is not fun to take in public or get off your couch if he doesn't want to.
Dogs in the wild teach each other the who is the boss... you need to do the same with your puppy... and don't be afraid to spank them.... dogs bite each other in the wild to discipline. (I'm not saying to bite your puppy lol)
Anyways... good luck with it.

[The Ren]

I've done a bit of training with one of the top AKC trainers in Ga (who also trains the conyers K-9's) If its a lab.. they LOVE bitter apple.. and its only good for toys and that sort of thing. If you are trying to keep puppy from biting you the best thing to do is whine/cry when the puppy bites you then step away. The point of this is making it seem like the puppy hurt you. You can also gently pop is on the nose and say "no bite" then give it a toy which you will allow it to play/bite on. The main thing is no to intimidate the puppy but to teach it what you want. Remember the next 4-5 months will determine what kind of dog you will have for the next 11-15 years. Play with the paws.. if he tries to bite you continue to play with them. Make sure you can stick your fingers in the puppys mouth (this will come in handy for brushing teeth and removing sticks or other objects). Whatever you want puppy to do when its grown.. do now.. if you want it on the couch when he/shje is big.. let them now.. if not.. do not let them now.. puppy wont realize when he is full grown why he cant get on the couch anymore. Same with leash walking and biting. ( Can u tell I give this speech alot??? LOL ).. Feel free to PM me for anymore questions...

-Ren

[Dragonfly5338]

The Bitter Apple is good but you also need to place in the commands. I have alays taught "enough"- it is better to use 1 sylable words, it is clearer to them and makes for faster learning. Don't ever let them win- you need to show you are dominant. Holthem on the floor andlet them struggle, cry, they may even urinate, but these are all strategies to be dominant. when you do these things a few times and they realize you aren't going to hurt them and it's ok they will be a better pet.
You also need to start now with trimming their toenails every week and not letting them struggle out of it... you don't want to have to fight them when they are older... always remember that the things you let them get away with now you will have to deal with for the rest of their life... or have a really hard time retraining the right behaviors... and you may have a large dog and a Great Dane with an attitude problem is not fun to take in public or get off your couch if he doesn't want to.
Dogs in the wild teach each other the who is the boss... you need to do the same with your puppy... and don't be afraid to spank them.... dogs bite each other in the wild to discipline. (I'm not saying to bite your puppy lol)
Anyways... good luck with it.

DO NOT DO THIS OR YOU WILL HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE OR FEARFUL DOG THAT IS SCARED OF YOU AND OTHER HUMANS. Urination is a sign of FEAR and utter complete submission - you don't want a cowering, fearful dog that pisses when you come near her.

Dude, go take a dog training class - you seriously have NO idea how to raise a puppy. I hope you never have kids.

Domination has NOTHING to do with being the dominant member of the pack. You are the dominant because you command RESPECT and take leadership, not because you spank the shit out of your dog.

Definitely try bitter apple, although my dogs just licked it off. The whine/yelp works, but only if they are younger puppies. Older dogs will see it as a weakness. A stern "NO BITE" while removing your hand will sometimes work, also if the puppy gets too hyper and mouthy, put her in her crate for five minutes. A lot of the time they will be asleep when you come back. Just like toddlers get cranky when they get tired, puppies get extra mouthy.

Always play with her with a toy, NEVER wrestle with your hands or use them as toys. Use a rope or sqeaky toy and if she goes for the hand - "NO BITE" and stick the toy in her mouth. When she chews on that, immediately "good (puppy's name)!".

I've raised three dogs, and been to several dog training classes. Although no means an expert, my dogs are trained enough that even when they get wild, they know "NO BITE" means exactly that - no biting.

[BigBoi]

cool thanks for that info.. she is getting better at not biting.. only time she really does it now is when we are playing and she is hyper.

I have already taught her how to sit still when I am putting her food down for her.. then when i say "good girl" she eats.

Another question i have is how do i get her to stop inhaling her food? She chews sometimes.. but most of the food she just swallows whole.

Thanks again for the help

[MSTANGSALEEN]

I can't tell you how many dogs I have trained and I am not a dude I am a woman. I also have a Springer Spaniel trained in agility, obedience and knows about 75 "tricks" He goes to hospitals and does work with children... he is no way fearful or aggressive. I have some trainers that coem to my animal hospital that have tried to use the "positive reinforcement" and it doesn't work... also... the doctors I work with are dominant over their dogs and none of their dogs are fearful or aggressive. You probably agree with the Petsmart theory on harnesses... which are big mistakes... they encourage pulling, not stop it. Labs and Bitter Apple have nothing to do with each other.. it is not breed specific which dogs like it and which dogs don't... they don't all read the book... not just Labs. I trained a chocolate lab last month who would run at site of the bottle he hated it so much so your theory is out the window.

[Dragonfly5338]

So what's the point of holding a dog down while they struggle until they get so scared they pee? That's certainly not teaching them anything besides "BE FRIGHTENED OF ME".

The goal of training your dog should be: Stay smarter than your dog. If you can't do that without bullying it - you're obviously not smarter than a dog.

Sorry if I don't agree with your theories on dog training, but you're out of your mind on some of your viewpoints.

[MSTANGSALEEN]

*sigh* urination does not always have to do with fear; for example, if you have an excited dog and they piddle on the floor... is that fear? When they urinate while struggling it has nothing to do with fear, it is simply the underdeveloped muscles the puppy is using to get up... he is straining and is not old enough to control indavidual muscles.Anyway, I have trained too many dogs with success to argue. There are too many different methods.