# 8 months old and still mouthing



## Darth_Ariel

Vader is 8 months old now and I still have not managed to stop this mouthing problem! 

I seem to be the only one he does it to, occasionally he'll put my mother's hand/arm in his mouth but no real pressure and my father and strangers are an absolute no go it seems. 
It's never aggressive, he doesn't break skin. It does hurt but it's only ever playfully or what seems to be him trying to say he's in charge. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong that I can't get him to stop. 

I do his training. 100% I am in charge of all training, he thinks the world revolves around me. It has gotten better since he was very young, I'm no longer covered in cuts and holes, but it's not where I want it to be. 

Things Tried: 
Yelping (got him more excited and he'd come back for more) 
Walking away (chased me down the hall to grab legs/feet *no longer does this but doesn't really care now*) 
Disgusting tastes --Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Tobasco, Bitter anything
Time Out--Doesn't care

I'm sure there's others I just can't think of. Help


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## MarkMulder

When he bites you too hard, grab him by the scruff, (the fur behind his head) and pinch his nose with a decent amount of force. It's important that you do NOT let go when he tries to get away. Try to pinch for 4-5 seconds. If done right, he'll have a very contrite attitude, and be sorry for having used, or threatened to use it's teeth. If, however, the he snaps, barks, growls or bites again right away, then you did not do it correctly. You pinched only hard enough and long enough to annoy the puppy, not enough to make him sorry for biting.



I know it sounds harsh, but the adults in the pack do the same (with their teeth, instead of pinching) to correct the biting.


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## NTexFoster

Kaiser is also 8 months and gets sharky when he is excited. the worst is when the girls are coming home. I have no problem doing the muzzle grab, but the girls don't seem to be able to do it.

I'm working to get him to sit when he is greeting us at the door. I suspect it will take a while


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## Linck

Darth_Ariel said:


> Vader is 8 months old now and I still have not managed to stop this mouthing problem!
> 
> I seem to be the only one he does it to, occasionally he'll put my mother's hand/arm in his mouth but no real pressure and my father and strangers are an absolute no go it seems.
> It's never aggressive, he doesn't break skin. It does hurt but it's only ever playfully or what seems to be him trying to say he's in charge. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong that I can't get him to stop.
> 
> I do his training. 100% I am in charge of all training, he thinks the world revolves around me. It has gotten better since he was very young, I'm no longer covered in cuts and holes, but it's not where I want it to be.
> 
> Things Tried:
> Yelping (got him more excited and he'd come back for more)
> Walking away (chased me down the hall to grab legs/feet *no longer does this but doesn't really care now*)
> Disgusting tastes --Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Tobasco, Bitter anything
> Time Out--Doesn't care
> 
> I'm sure there's others I just can't think of. Help


Its like reading my own story. I'm the same exact situation. I tried everything I could think of. Right now we stick with crating him when he bites. But it doesn't really work. I just hope he gets over it. I know my post is not helpful just want you to know you are not alone. My pup is 9 months old 75 lbs little terrorist who chew through my dry wall and leather couch.... if that makes you feel better :wild:


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## Firehawk_1066

Darth_Ariel said:


> Vader is 8 months old now and I still have not managed to stop this mouthing problem!
> 
> I seem to be the only one he does it to, occasionally he'll put my mother's hand/arm in his mouth but no real pressure and my father and strangers are an absolute no go it seems.
> It's never aggressive, he doesn't break skin. It does hurt but it's only ever playfully or what seems to be him trying to say he's in charge. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong that I can't get him to stop.
> 
> I do his training. 100% I am in charge of all training, he thinks the world revolves around me. It has gotten better since he was very young, I'm no longer covered in cuts and holes, but it's not where I want it to be.
> 
> Things Tried:
> Yelping (got him more excited and he'd come back for more)
> Walking away (chased me down the hall to grab legs/feet *no longer does this but doesn't really care now*)
> Disgusting tastes --Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Tobasco, Bitter anything
> Time Out--Doesn't care
> 
> I'm sure there's others I just can't think of. Help


I am also in the same boat. I have a 7 month old Female German Shepherd/Siberian Husky Mix (she is fixed) and she still bites both me and my wife. We have tried the exact same things you have an seem to the exact same response as you got. 
Shoving a toy in her mouth she just spits it out and goes for the hands or arms.
Walking away and going into another room for a few minutes she just lays by the door until we come out. When we proceed to sit down on the couch or at my desk its right back to biting me. 
If we yelp she just bites harder.
I've tried grabbing her scruff, I've tried grabbing her muzzle and rolling her lips under her teeth so when she bites me she is actually biting herself......she doesn't care. I've held her mouth closed until she whimpered and as soon as I let go it tries to bite my hand again.
She doesn't even cry when we put her in her crate for a time out. When we let her out its right back to biting my arms and hands. 
My wife is home with her all day so she isn't alone and my wife plays with her and takes her on 15-20 min walks every 2-3 hours and when I get home from work I usually take her for a 30-45min walk.
Giving her rawhide or a pressed bone will occupy her and get her to stop biting us but once she is done she gets up, runs over to us on the and starts biting again.
This behavior usually gets worse at night. Once 8:30-9PM rolls around she really gets wound up. We then put her in the crate until we go to sleep usually around 12-1AM. At that point we let her out as we have been trying to allow her the chance to let us get to bed without biting us so she can sleep on the bed with us instead of in the crate but that never happens. She thinks its play time and stars biting us on the bed and then its back in the crate for the evening.
I know she is just playing, tail is wagging and she isn't growling or breaking skin but it hurts and gets old and tiresome after a while.
I don't know what else to do...she is very smart but she seems too stupid to understand that this is not a desirable behavior and that it lands her in the crate for the night (though there were two times she just laid down on the bed and went to sleep so she didn't have to be crated. This has been going on for the last 6 weeks.
Any ideas or suggestions?


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## dogfaeries

Honestly, it sounds like they all need a LOT more exercise, or some mental games to play.
I have a puppy that will be 8 months old next week, and if he didn't have my two adult dogs to wrestle with, I'm pretty sure he'd drive me crazy. They wear him out.


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## gsdsar

My 8.5 mo will mouth occasionally. It's usually in the morning or when I get home from work and he is super excited. He runs around and grabs my hand from behind then keeps going. 

It's pretty much my cue that he needs to burn energy. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## dogfaeries

gsdsar said:


> My 8.5 mo will mouth occasionally. It's usually in the morning or when I get home from work and he is super excited. He runs around and grabs my hand from behind then keeps going.
> 
> It's pretty much my cue that he needs to burn energy.


This is what Russell will do too. 

He just got through chasing Carly around the living room. It was practically NASCAR in here. He's out like a light right now. I love it.


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## dagda

*puppy mouthing*

Wow....good to hear others are having same issue as me. Nothing i have tried as worked but it has gotten better in last couple weeks....not perfect just better. I was told to try rubbing peanut butter on your hands (gross, i know) and have them lick it off. Do this a couple times a day. This was told to me by a vet assistant that has to pit-bulls and this worked for her.


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## Waldi

dagda said:


> Wow....good to hear others are having same issue as me. Nothing i have tried as worked but it has gotten better in last couple weeks....not perfect just better. I was told to try rubbing peanut butter on your hands (gross, i know) and have them lick it off. Do this a couple times a day. This was told to me by a vet assistant that has to pit-bulls and this worked for her.


 
My 9 month olf female does taht to me when I arrive from work and it is out of pure excitment as she know that i will play with her shortly. When she get too rough I tell her to stop biting, if that does not get her attention, I depress gently bottom of her mouth with my finger and this sends the message. Now when i say stop biting she immediately stops, in general she is very gentle with her mouth.


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## David Taggart

Actually, this behaviour is of a puppy, who asks his mother for food. In nature dogs first feed their litter by regurgitating their meal, little wolves lick their mother's mouth asking her to regurgitate. At your arrival back home, ask him to sit first and to bark. Change biting into barking. Something tasty out of your pocket will do a good job, it will divert his attention away from your hands.


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## wolfy dog

David Taggart said:


> Actually, this behaviour is of a puppy, who asks his mother for food. In nature dogs first feed their litter by regurgitating their meal, little wolves lick their mother's mouth asking her to regurgitate. At your arrival back home, ask him to sit first and to bark. Change biting into barking. Something tasty out of your pocket will do a good job, it will divert his attention away from your hands.


This is an eight month old and past this puppy licking behavior stage. And why would you teach a dog to bark at you? 
I am all for the gentle approach but WD was a little shark and the scruff treatment worked. But that was when he was 3 months old. 
I never imagined I would ever do something like that but at one point I had enough of this disrespectful behavior. 
An 8 month old should never do this anymore and it is a sign you need to work on your leadership and increase his exercise. It is bratty adolescent behavior and they need leadership and exercise, just like human teens. Also practice the "Nothing In Life Is Free" treatment. Be consistent as well. He is smart enough to detect the loopholes in your training.
I have pulled out my hair sometimes when WD was that age but by sticking to it, he turned out fine when he was 1.5 years old.


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## Rbeckett

Dont feel bad, my 2 year old is still mouthing me every morning when she wants me to get up and give her breakfast. She never bites down or hurts me, but the thought of the big ole toothesess is still pretty scary. She never barks when we have visitors and rarely even gets up when the other dog is barking in the yard. The outside dogs voice has to be a certain kind of bark before she will rouse and go out to see what is going on. She rarely even barks when she goes out to see what Indi is barking at either. so it isn't dominance I think it is just over zealous and she doesn't know what else to do. She starts yawning a lot when she gets over stimulated and that is when she mouths me. Never Momma or anybody else, just me in the morning and during intense play.

Wheelchair Bob


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## Jiniwrenna

Our lab/GSD (maybe) mix is 6 months old and very mouthy, too. We have taught him "no bite" and "easy" and now he seems content with just holding onto my arm in the morning. I'm working from home now so we spend way too much time together! But, he is SO mouthy when my husband comes home and tries to pet him (no one else, he's all licks with strangers). I've just chalked it up to excitement basically. 

But, I have corrected him hard a couple of times - a slap on the face and a hard NO! and left the room. He was so upset, he went to his hiding place and hid his head. And before anyone corrects ME, I know better, but it was a complete reaction because he nipped the tender bit of the back of my arm which hurt like heck. I guess my point is that I think your pup is smart enough to know a fake "yelp" from when you are actually hurt and angry. Maybe up your reaction??


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## drparker151

I make it unpleasant, that has worked with all my dogs. Grab and hold on to the tongue or grab bottom jaw and press thumb down on the tongue. We rescued a ACD that they was very mouthy, this technique took 3 weeks to completely stop it.


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