How do you get your puppy to stop nipping/biting all the time?

Question

I adopted a 4 month old puppy from a shelter/ She is a lab and terrier mix. She is great dog and almost all house trained and also crate trained. However in the evenings she has bursts of energy and all she wants to do is nip and bite. I have tried everything to get her to stop, she doesn't listen at al when she is having he tantrums of nipping and biting fun. She isn't hurtful in any way but the playing is getting out of hand.

Answer 1

My 6 month old pit bull pup does the exactly the same thing. Well she use to, and still does, but has calmed down with the nipping and the biting.

Get your puppy some chew toys so that way she can bite on them and not on you.

Answer 2

Dealing With Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping And Rough Play

When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. Therefore, puppies usually want to bite or
“mouth” hands during play or when being petted. This behavior is rarely aggressive and, therefore, not
intended to cause harm. Because puppies are highly motivated to exhibit this type of behavior, attempts
to suppress it or stop it are unlikely to be successful unless you give your puppy an alternative behavior.
The goals of working with this normal puppy behavior are to redirect your puppy's desire to put something
in her mouth, such as an acceptable chew toy, and to teach her that putting her teeth on skin is never
acceptable.
Encourage Acceptable Behavior
Redirect your puppy’s chewing toward acceptable objects by offering her a small rawhide chew bone or
other type of chew toy whenever you pet her. This technique can be especially effective when children
want to pet her. As you or the child reach out to scratch her with one hand, offer the chew bone with the
other. This will not only help your puppy learn that people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep
her mouth busy while she’s being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has the
chew bone. At first, you may need to pet or scratch your puppy for short periods of time since the longer
she’s petted, the more likely she is to get excited and start to nip.
Discourage Unacceptable Behavior
You must also teach your puppy that putting her teeth on skin is unacceptable and that nipping results in
unpleasant consequences for her. Teach your puppy that nipping “turns off” all attention and social
interaction with you. As soon as you feel her teeth on your skin, yelp, “OUCH” in a high-pitched voice,
then ignore her for a few minutes. (In order to ignore her, you may need to leave the room, or
alternatively, have her tethered by a leash while you play, so when you leave she can’t follow.) Then, try
the chew toy and petting method again. It may take many repetitions for your puppy to understand
what’s expected.

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/pup-nip.pdf

Answer 3

This worked for my Doberman puppy although it took awhile to do. This is what the breeder told me to do when he was nipping or biting. When your puppy bites or nips, put your thumb in her mouth and wrap your fingers around her muzzle. Apply a little pressure with your thumb and fingers to the roof of her mouth and tell her "no bite" . Just continue doing it evrytime she does it. Repetition is the key! It may take awhile but it worked for me. You can also do this if she chews. just do that and tell her "no chew". Hope that works for you!

Answer 4

Your puppy is teething. It is natural for her to nip/chew. I don't have any helpful suggestions other than a muzzler, which I don't like. My dog dislikes hearing a loud clap. Maybe some of the other suggestions will work . Good Luck.

Answer 5

Puppies love to chew on things .. do you have a lot of toys for your dog to chew on ? Go to a pet shop and ask for toys, or special bones to purchase ... there are also toys that your dog can bite his teeth around at one end .. and you hold the other end . as they pull on it .. it is built to stretch .. your puppy will be very active and love to chew on things until it is about 2 years old. Good Luck ! :)

Answer 6

Every time your dog nips and bites at you yell "owwwwww" in a high voice. That's what the mother dog does when they do it to her. It's effective and only takes a little while to sink in.

Answer 7

You might want to start training your puppy.
Basics first, then go from there. Good puppy classes out there....

Answer 8

consult a good puppy training book

Answer 9

Teach it bite inhibition.

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

Answer 10

put a toy in there mouth instead.. like when she nibs and bite u stick a toy in her.. it work on my dog now he never bites me