How can I stop my puppy from biting me sometimes badly during play?

Question

I have had around 20 bites on my right arm and hand my puppy has very very sharp teeth. What can I do to prevent this happening every day? Marty

Answer 1

In a litter he'd get bitten back. Thats a bit cruel though. try a pet correcter spray keep it to hand and every time he nips spray him and say NO firmly. Repeat every time he nips you and he should get the picture soon..

Answer 2

I'm not sure why no one has mentioned submission. I was a vet tech for 10 years, and have had many dogs of my own. I currently have 2 american staffordshire terriers, an english bulldog and a maltese. None of my dogs would ever consider biting a human! I have 2 small children as well, so being alpha is the key in my house. I don't know what kind of puppy you have, but if it's a strong breed you better get the upper hand ASAP. The next time the pup even attempts to bite you put it on its back and balance yourself on top of it. Stay there until the pup gives in and relaxes. Be consistant, most of all! I always put my face really close to my dogs ear and growled. I know it sounds freakish, but I have never been challenged by my dogs. This is what their mom would do. You might want to start watching The Dog Whisperer, too.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Simple... When the dog bites you say OUCH! in a hurtful yelping type voice, then say NO! in a firm forceful voice, then turn your back and walk away ignoring him completely and do not play with the dog anymore for at least 25 min. After the time has passed start playing again, its best not to encourage the pup to play rough and bite you, use toys instead... anyway so start playing again and if the pup bites you again to the exact same thing described above, keep repeating until the dog strats to get the idea that biting you=no attention, no play no nothing. When the dog bites you gently still say NO but in a long drawn out tone like Nooooo! and remove your hand, reward the pup when he doesnt bite you or is extremely gentle. This will teach your pup "bite inhibition" they usually learn it from their mother or other dogs but sometimes they dont get to... basically they learn how hard is too hard to bite and what is acceptable as play and what is not. If you do it properly your dog will never even want to put its mouth on you and bite even if you stick your hand in there. If stronger measures are needed, when your pup bites your hand grab his mouth and hold on and press down on his tongue, or roll his own lip under his teeth so he can feel how hard he is biting you and feel the pain himself.

Answer 4

I have a 11 week old Lab puppy. I have bites on my hand and arms as well. You have to be very stern that is what my husband says. The puppy does not bite him as much. Of course I am home with her all day she is used to be being around all day. I like the pennies in a can thing! Try it or use a newspaper and hit the paper against your hand then say no stern but not in a loud voice you don't want to scare it. The puppy is teething give it some ice cubes that will help its sore gums. Puppies due get nervous very easily and scared be careful. Good Luck

Answer 5

You dont say how old your puppy is Marty but I bit my dog back when she was a puppy! I tried everything else. The ignoring, shouting, nipping, yipping and the pleading (!!) - nothing worked with her. She was just too excited when she was doing it. I was scratched and bit to bits! The time I did bite her - she had bit me hard (she broke the skin) and I grabbed her paw and bit it - not hard - but just hard enough that it caused her to pull it back. She just sat there - shocked. She has never done it again. She mouths now (she's 7) - but doesnt bite.
I also got her soft rubber toys for when she was teething - this also helped - something she could really get her teeth into.

Answer 6

At our shelter we use the following technique and it always works within a day or two:

Whenever the dog tries to bite (or even tries to put it teeth on you without biting), wrap your hand around its muzzle, close its mouth, and tell it firmly "no bite". Do this EVERY TIME the dog tries to bite. If the dog persists in its bad behavior, stop your play immediately and walk away. The dog will learn that YOU are in control of play time and that it has to behave or it gets no attention.

Never strike the dog, spray it, shake a can at it, knock it down, or anything like that. That does nothing except to teach the dog to be afraid of you. You don't want your dog to be scared of you; you want your dog to respect you and do what you ask... and you get that by being consistent and firm with your commands and actions.

Answer 7

Placing a firm fist, but not painfully, just enough to close the snout, and say no in a firm voice, is enough that after a few days the puppy will be more carful and less inclined to bite. Puppies need a cognitive approach to learning. After a few times of the same result as a punishment the puppy will learn. On the other hand it is good that the baby wants to play. It says that he/she considers you to be one of the same. Puppies play naturally and biting is a natural act for them. : )

Answer 8

Well, I had the same problem with my dog. What you want to do is if he starts to bite fold your arms across your chest and just ignore him until he settles down. If the biting gets way out of hand, put him in a cage or small safe room until you feel he can come out. Dogs learn better and more quickly with lessons that are consistant and clear to him.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

First, don't use pain or the can trick. Both can create other undesirable behavioral issues, some quite serious. Also, do not "Yip" as suggested. The yip is not telling the other dog they are playing to rough. It is telling the puppy that you submit to them and that they are your Alpha.

If the dog goes to bite, don't wait for him to have your hand in your mouth. As soon as you see the dog going for the bite, tell them "NO" firmly, and take them at least 10 feet from you and set them down.

Ignore them for a few minutes and then you can give them another shot at doing things appropriately. Repeat as necessary but it won't take them long.

C

Answer 10

OK i just got a puppy and it did that to me. i did not know of any way to deal with it but here is what i did. A person cant really control where a dog bites so just watch out. if you have toys try to keep the puppy focused on them and not u. In the end i just comes down to being careful and if your puppy gets too rough with u just back away for a little while.

Answer 11

This worked for us!! Yip loudly when he bites you!(you know a loud noise like a puppy would make when he gets hurt!) This is how puppies tell each other that they are being to rough! I asked the same question last week and this really worked for our baby Akita puppy!! He is doing much better now and it only took a day os so for him to get the idea!!

More info: Just because this is not what you said dose not mean it is a bad answer. I have used it on my puppy and it worked well. I do not give thumbs down for your answers just because it is different from mine. Let this person try it and see for them selves

By the way great answer V Stupid