my dog has has a biting problem?

Question

i love my dog, but she has this thing where she is always snapping at our hands. when i try and pet her head, she just wants to clamp her teeth around my hand. she is six months old, but she does seem to have all of her adult teeth in. but she hasn't been spayed yet so i don't know if that has anything to do with it. will it improve after she's spayed, or will she grow out of it, or is that just the kind of dog she is? and what can i do to help discourage this bad problem?

she never bites very hard, she doesn't break the skin or anything like that. it's more of a nuisance that she snaps at hands, when all you wanna do is pet her.

oh yeah i forgot to mention that she's a yellow lab. and so far she hasn't responded very well to yelling no and clamping the muzzle...

Answer 1

Rub some Bitter Apple or Bitter Orange on your hands. Most dogs hate the taste. My dog used to bite hands too but decided it wasn't worth getting that nasty taste in his mouth.

You can find the Bitter products at Petco or a vet.

Answer 2

This is something that is just about your dog, as Labs are extremely loving,loyal part of your family. My guess is she is feeling threatened when you bring your hand down over her head. Try to approach her from the front with your hands down and open. Don't talk baby talk, just talk to her normally, baby talk tends to makes dogs irritatted. Let her know that you can be trusted and not going to hurt her. Never hit her snout, this is damaging to the dog both physically and emotionally. When she okays it that you can touch her, do so gently and before long I think she will trust you forever. Are you sure the clamping isn't more when you are playing and she grabs hold a little too tight? My dog does that sometimes and we just firmly tell her that behaviour is bad and to stop. We follow that with more playing and wrestling as long as she is gentle with her bite, she is a St.Bernard and they are stubborn, but she does know the difference now. Now she will come up behind you and do these nibbling motions with her mouth on the inside of my hand when I'm walking.........she gives our family alot of love.

Answer 3

When she does this grab her firmly by the top of her muzzle push down to the ground and tell her "No bite". This is the same form of discipline their mothers used on her since birth, this is already imprinted on her mind. This practice works on everything from biting , soiling, chewing, etc.. Enjoy your pup & Good luck with the biting.

Response: Continue to clamp the muzzle until she completely surrenders to you, its going to take some time, but it will work . She is a pup with high energy and a short attention span. Don't scream at her or raise your hand to her , you don't want her to fear you , you want her to obey you. I never yell or use violence towards any of my dogs or the ones I train, and all is well in my yard.
Instill in her daily what you expect from her sit, stay, no bite, etc.. Take a few minutes everyday to set aside for training, she truly needs this kind of discipline.

Answer 4

She's still a puppy so naturally shes going to be mouthy. You need to start letting her know that this is bad behavior. next time she does it snatch your hand back and sturnly tell her NO! and that thats BAD. Continue this and also reward her for good behavior, even saying Good Dog in a nice voice will work. Its all about training and her being spayed has nothing to do with it although i do recommend it. By the way i work at the humane society so i have experience.

Answer 5

Since she is only six months old she is porbably teething. Think about maybe get her some chew toys and snacks. I have a beagle puppy that does the same thing. When she snaps it doesn't hurt it could be a sign of dominance but if u don't want her to do it scold her for what she does.

Answer 6

*Please don't ever, ever hit, "lightly smack" or otherwise strike your dog! Doing this will totally damage your relationship, and your dog will not trust you.*
Wondering what other body language accompanies the biting. Are her hackles raised? Ears pressed back? Is she giving you a low growl, and freezing? If she's not displaying aggressive signals along with the biting, then she's being a puppy and experimenting with behaviors like this. If that's the case, then you just need to keep working on extinguishing this behavior. Here are some sites to help:
http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
and
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/spt/SPT_Puppies.htm

Answer 7

Just say no in a loud voice and bump her on the head (not hard, just a tap) when she bites. Show her that it's nice to get petted. I also highly recommend her getting spayed as soon as possible. It becomes a huge problem when she's in heat and isn't worth dealing with for any other reason than breeding.

Answer 8

She is asserting her dominance over you and other family members. She wants to be top dog. You can't let her do that or you will have untold problems with her. You need to let her know that you will not stand for that type of behavior. I would suggest that the next time she mouths you, grab her by the scruff of the neck and give her a firm, but gentle shake and tell her no firmly. Then ignore her for a few minutes. You will have to be consistent and everyone will have to do it. She will soon get the idea.

Answer 9

Watch "Good Dog" or "The Dog Whisperer" on TV. They suggest the next step is that your "pup" will bite you or hurt someone you love if this continues. That could mean a huge law suit. Seek professional help immediately.

Answer 10

Hopefully she out grows it soon. Make sure you have good homeowners insurance and make sure she doesn't bite the mailman, school kids, or meter readers. It will cost you.. and you could lose your homeowners insurance.. She could be just playing.. Sounds like a typical puppy.. Hopefully she's not a pit.. Those bites hurt. I've been on the receiving end of a bite.. Loved their insurance company too. lol