Puppy biting

ecb89

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Hello All
I got my first puppy (9 week old labrador) last week and the biting/mouthing is just getting worse.
I appreciate she is just a baby but it’s getting to point where she has drawn blood. I’ve tried ignoring, doesn’t work she just keeps going, yelping doesn’t work and I’ve read it’s not the best idea, walking away when she’s really bad but she just hangs off my dress, trousers etc, distracting with ‘sit’ doesn’t work, giving her a toy to mouth works for about 2 secs then she drops it and launches at me again, putting her in her crate for a minute time out, sometimes works but I feel mean.
I totally understand she is a young puppy and Rome wasn’t built in a day but I can’t let this escalate.
Obligatory photo of puppy/shark attached
 

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KittenInTheTree

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This is what puppies do at that age. Everything goes in the mouth - siblings, mum's tail, furniture, new human, everything. You must learn to remain calm and redirect her gently but firmly to something more appropriate. Unless you have unusally thin skin and/or a bleeding disorder, then she is unlikely to do you much in the way of physical harm. Remind yourself that she is a baby who has been ripped away from everything that she knew, and that she may find processing her new life stressful. With time and good ownership she will eventually grow out of it. I find that offering a kong or similar smeared with a bit of peanut butter works wonders as a distraction.

Alternatively, take her back to her breeder, and don't get another puppy.
 

CorvusCorax

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Completely normal.

Don't just give her the toy and expect her to please herself.
Give her the toy and engage with her/play with the toy **with her**

I don't hold with the yelping thing, that just makes you 'prey', but if I'm hurt I will issue a sharp verbal rebuke to break the behaviour and THEN turn into Mrs Nice Guy with the toy.

As in another thread, dogs feel the world through their mouths and take out their stresses by chewing, it's nothing to panic about.
 

ecb89

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thank you everyone I will continue with what I am doing. Like I said, I am aware Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ve ordered some more chewy toys for us to play with.
Kitten - I find your last sentence quite unnecessary. I have posted on here asking for help after reading and watching a wealth of information online, most which is conflicting. I know this forum has many experienced dog owners and I would get good advice, not to return my puppy to the breeder!
 

PapaverFollis

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For me a bitey puppy is a puppy that needs a good nap. Redirect to a toy or chew, interact for a short time then crate and ignore. Sleep time you horrible little land shark, wake up nicer! Getting up and leaving the room for a few minutes is also effective (eventually!) But does require ignoring the feet biting. Or just stand up and turn your back and ignore the tantrum!

Don't worry if it doesn't seem to get any better for a while. It is just what they do and as long as you are consistent they do eventually just stop!

It is horrible and can be painful but try to take the emotion out of it. I think a lot of people really panic about the puppy biting (understandable!) but the ramping up of emotions just makes the situation worse. "Grey rock" that land shark! I think gundogs are particularly bad because they are so mouth-focused anyway.
 

CorvusCorax

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I know it's difficult when you're surviving on no sleep (I had to 'sleep' propped up in the hall as mine was separated from nine siblings, for me, two weeks too early but her mother had had enough!! And she was super upset) covered in scrapes and getting launched at by a tiny terrorist.

It's equally difficult when you feel like you're repeating yourself ad nauseum (not to the OP per se) to folk who think their dog is some crazed hellbeast and not a normal puppy.

ANYWAY. This will pass, I promise, in a few months you will look back on this time, with, er, fondness ;)

If I'd have escalated with mine physically, I'd have ended up in A&E lol.
 
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JumpTheMoon1

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Labrador pups are the worst for biting and chewing.Get over feeling mean about putting the pup in the crate - when you feel you have to use the crate.Correct the pup smack her nose gently and say NO.They do grow out of it and its a phase you will have to go through.
 

Pearlsasinger

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The simple answer is just don't let her! Give her something else to chew. I always think that the advice to yelp, or say ow, is ridiculous, so well done for disregarding that. If she persists a firm 'no!' and redirection. Don't feel mean for putting her away from you, as she gets bigger she needs to understand that some behaviour is unacceptable.
 

AmyMay

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Labrador pups are the worst for biting and chewing.Get over feeling mean about putting the pup in the crate - when you feel you have to use the crate.Correct the pup smack her nose gently and say NO.They do grow out of it and its a phase you will have to go through.

Please, please, please go away!
 

SusieT

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Id give her a smack on the nose, not hard and not to hurt but a wee warning
Whatever you do don't do this. This is how its turns into actual biting.

Time out for biting. Lift and remove to another room/garden/crate and leave until she is calm.
That or swap for a toy. +- loud noise before time out to signify that wasn't acceptable.
Practice swapsies with toys will help to realise not all toys/people are for constant harranging.
This is normal for a 9week old puppy. It is normal that it gets worse.
 

Morwenna

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I have a 10 week old labrador. She can be quite bitey, she’s a puppy. Generally if she’s really bad it either means she needs a poo or she’s overtired. So first I take her in the garden and give her the cue to have a poo, if that fails and she’s still being a monster she goes in her pen / crate with something to chew. She does like to mouth things as she’s falling asleep so if she’s with me I have a rope toy or similar for her to mouth. Other than that ignoring it really is the best thing. I know it’s hard, I also have many puppy teeth marks on my arms and I find it really painful when she goes for the tops of my feet but you need to make it really boring / unrewarding for her to bite you. Tapping her on the nose, yelping, pulling your hand/foot/whatever out the way just makes it into a game.
 

misst

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My current young JRT was a devil for this until she was about 9 months and even now at 2 and a half she will play fight with clothing/hands if she is excited. A firm ohoh is enough to stop her now. We ignored as much as possible/replaced with a toy/and removed her when things got too silly (either we left the room or she went to her crate). Labs are not the worst or the best they are just dogs and do dog stuff. You will be fine and so will she. Ruby left marks and occasionally superficially broke skin on our hands in the first few weeks but they learn if you are consistent. If you have not had a puppy before it can be un-nerving when they appear so "aggressive" but this will pass. Something else will then take it's place ;-)
What a beautiful puppy she is I hope you have many many happy years together.
 

Morwenna

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I felt mean about putting mine in her crate / pen at first but a trainer friend told me the best gift you can give your dog is to teach them to be bored. Puppies need 18-20 hours sleep a day and if being with you is too exciting then going in a crate is the best thing for them. I work from home so my puppy has to learn that just because I’m there doesn’t mean I’m always available. I take her out for regular toilet breaks, training breaks, playtime and food but she does have to learn to settle herself. At the moment she’s always in the same room as me if she’s in her pen so I know she’s safe and my house is safe.
 

SAujla

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There are plenty of puppy toys you can get, this will stop or ease off drastically once she has lost her baby teeth. You can get teething gel which you could use. Put some on a toothbrush and rub it on her gums, its a good way to get her trained up to have her teeth cleaned.

She shouldn't be awake for more than an hour at any one time and sleeping for 18 hours at least. Engage with her and distract her when she is biting. This will pass quicker than you think if you go about it in the right way. You don't sound like the type of moron than would smack a puppy so just ignore that "advice". That is not how a puppy becomes part of your family, thats just bullying something into being scared of you.

As she is a Labrador you can distract her with food. Use her daily allowance of kibble and make her use her nose to go looking for it, just hide it and she'll love sniffing it out. In 10 minutes she'll be knackered and want to sleep. Take lots of photos as she won't be super cute like this all the time and embrace the process.

I got some fantastic advice on here, and some people I still go to now 2 years on, but this is a forum and there will be some dunces who give bad advice, if smacking a puppy can even be considered advice
 

ecb89

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Please be assured she will not be smacked or tapped.
I was roughly using a puppy crate schedule I found online which might have the sleep gaps a bit far apart so will give her more sleep time and hopefully that helps. She definitely gets overtired sometimes
 

Morwenna

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I have a stock of celery and watermelon in the freezer. She loves it and it’s good when it’s hot and will help with the teething element too. It also takes a bit longer to get past the teeth into the bottomless stomach! Mine is also my first puppy and first lab and I was ready to give her back on day 2 but now I wouldn’t be without her. Your girl is gorgeous, enjoy her.
 
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