# How do I teach my puppy not to bite?



## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Hi,

I think this might have been a hot topic in the past but can't seem to find a good post about this. We've adopted Bailey July 4, 2009 and he's a very playful pup, but when he gets too playful, he nips air and tries to bite you! He does this also with our 4 and 6 year old daughters (which have no experience around pets at ALL). He loves to grab their pants and pull them down! lol

All humor aside, my husband told me to jam a finger in the inside of his jaw after his last tooth where he can't bite the skin and tell him a firm, "No biting!" This doesn't seem to work. I'm thinking, logically, it would take more than a few days for him to learn this. Today, I read that clamping his mouth (not too tight) enough to keep it shut and saying a firm, "No biting!" would help, or bunking the tip of his muzzle with two fingers.

We're trying to find a 'universal' way of teaching him this, a way that I could also teach my - especially - 6 year old daughter to do when we've walked away for a moment while she pets him, that way she could be the one to discipline him when my 4 and 6 years old are petting him.

Any advice? He's 7 weeks old.

Thanks!!!


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## lmkersnick (Jul 10, 2007)

Hi, Maya ~

We are going thru the same thing, with our Bailey - but she's a little older than your Bailey.








I read on a link from one of the stickies at the Puppy training section here, to say "IPE" (as in YIPE) instead of the more human "OW" -- puppies will respond better to the IPE and pause a moment - supposed to make them realize they bit too hard. -- this is supposed to be the way that puppies learn from each other about biting & controlling their biting. 

But, look in the puppy forums. Try to always have soft, chewie toys that you can stuff in your Bailey's mouth to re-direct him from your fingers and hands. There are other suggestions there -- walking away (making the pup realize that biting means end of playing) is one. Personally, I'd like to figure out how to use the clicker training to stop the biting.

A vet I no longer go to, had told us to try to hold our last GSD's muzzle and tell her "no" when she got bitey -- absolutely did not work. If anything, I think it made her worse. And she was a more laid back dog. 

But again - look in the puppy forums... 
good luck!


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

whenever a puppy bites me too hard, I yelp like a litermate would and I stop playing for a few minutes. It startles them and they usually back off and are gentler. They have to learn bite inibition, however you spell it. You may sound funny yelping but its a language they know, they catch on quick. Then if there is a puppy toy around I redirect him to that.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

You can try a modified version of Balabanov method of teaching the "out" to your pup - when he bites "inappropriately", say "no" or whatever negative marker you want to use (just be consistent with the word/sound so he understands that word means disapproval) and walk away. If he follows you, ignore him. If he grabs your pants leg, stand really still and do not move and provide no resistance (don't pull back or even talk to the pup or else he will think you're still playing with him). Make yourself as boring to him as possible. As soon as he stops doing what he is doing, show him a bite toy and say "ok" or "yes" and start play again.


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## ldw6559 (Jun 1, 2009)

Maya,
First welcome to the forum there are really great folks with great advise here. I wish I had some for you now, but he is just a baby and this is normal behavior. I would recommend that you give him toys to chew on instead of family. This will be a large dog someday and if he is anything like my Griffin who is now 5.5 months old those little razor teeth will continue to get you until he's through teething. I always have toys of different hardness, and materials as sometimes one is better than the other depending on teething pain and the how strong his desire to chew is. I never physically try the things you suggest and frankly at his age I would think it will encourage further biting as he will see this as play and the more firmly you do this the harder he will bite. I would just remove him from whatever activity he is doing when this starts and put him in timeout for a short while with firm but not loud no's being used. Hey it works for mine hope this helps.


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## BigArn (Apr 23, 2009)

Surround yourself with his toys, when he goes for your hand say NO, then grab a toy and give that to him. I thought Rocky would never stop bitting but it's just about stopped now. He's just about has all of his adult teeth now, and that is helping also.


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## new_wind (Oct 24, 2008)

I got my GSD at 6 months so she was not a biting puppy, but my last dog was with me at 12 weeks and even when it was funny at first let her to pull my pants while I was dressing for work I found not so funny when I found my clothes have holes of her pulling.
Walking my girl one afternoon I met this old guy with a couple of mix rat dogs and my dog want to play with them since she was restrained with the leash turn back and start to bite my pants again, I was yelling “No” but my dog didn’t care less, the guy look the moment and peacefully told me “Bark to her”, I guess I look at him like he was from another planet, but he insist, “Bark to her in disapproval” I look down to her and I Bark softly, she stop and look at me like “What the...” just when she tried to charge again the old man got closer to us and give a good bark close to my girl, she stop and sit right away, like somebody change the tape on her....
After that every time she tried to bite instead of wasting NO’s and one thousand human words on her, I just barked, it always work like a charm and she never bite again....


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## tyler (Dec 2, 2008)

i had the same problem with my dog. i had a trainer come over and he told us 3 things you could do.
-yelp when your dog bites your hand and ignore for a little while.
- hold her mouth closed and say a firm no.
-and to spray bitter apple on your hand so she wont bite it.
they sort of worked for my dog.


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