[first state]

We have a 9 month old "buddy" he is a little over 70 pounds. He just can not stop biting us. He has had every toy, every type of bone, but nothing keeps him occupied like our hands. We have tried many different techniques like saying no, and yelling when it hurts. We use bitter apple, but he only stops until it dries and he is back at it. He will stop chewing a bone and bite our hands. What are some other things we can try. Our family is getting tired of this behavior.

 

[darbysdad]

Coffee can with coins in it. Keep it right by your side and when the pup starts biting shake it hard. Tell him no bite. Works wonders for our pup. Oh yea....Make sure EVERYONE in the family does this so he knows that no bite is for everyone.

 

[BriGuy]

Is your dog mouthing you to get attention? Cookie went through a phase of this too, and when she mouthed us, we would just calmly lead her away to another room that we had gated off, and withhold attention for a minute or so (turn your back). If we were in the gated room to begin with, we'd just leave her alone. Within a week, she understood that mouthing = sitting by yourself....and no longer did it mean getting extra attention.

Also please take a look at this link:
Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star Daily

I really like his strategy for dealing with this.

 

[kidznpupz]

another vote for the shaker can

Just wanted to say that we had great success with our totally untrained 15 month old rescue golden.
Sadly, after two months with us she bit me without warning while I was removing a keenex from her mouth. She grabbed anything she could find and hid with it. I had taken things from her a million times before but this time she just bit Off topic, I know but we were so sad to have to return her to the rescue. Aggression is a deal breaker for us.
Anyway - the shaker can was a great way to train her and we managed to eliminate/control her mouthing greatly by using it.

 

[GoBigRed]

The only two things that work on our 7 month old is a shock collar (which we don't use anymore unless he's outside digging and then just the beep of it works) or a water bottle (with just plain ol' water). Nothing else will stop him from biting, showing his teeth, hair up on end and pouncing at us when he gets in that mode. I have tried it all with him and so far only those two options work. Now all that being said he was worse between 8wks and 5 months. He now only gets into "shark" mode maybe once or twice a week. : ) Keep trying different things.

 

[Faith82]

A water bottle worked for us too. Now we don't even have to spray him anymore, just picking up the bottle will make him stop. It's definitly an teenage puppy thing!!!

 

[Wyatt's mommy]

The only two things that work on our 7 month old is a shock collar (which we don't use anymore unless he's outside digging and then just the beep of it works) or a water bottle (with just plain ol' water). Nothing else will stop him from biting, showing his teeth, hair up on end and pouncing at us when he gets in that mode. I have tried it all with him and so far only those two options work. Now all that being said he was worse between 8wks and 5 months. He now only gets into "shark" mode maybe once or twice a week. : ) Keep trying different things.

You used a shock collar on a pup between the ages of 8 weeks to 5 months

 

[solinvictus]

Welcome to the forum first state.

I posted this on another thread that asked about bite inhibition. The beginning was specifically for the other thread but here goes.

Many puppies do a lot of biting this is one of the ways they learn and experience their world. It is natural for them even if we owners don't consider it appropriate behavior. They need a lot of training to learn what is acceptable and during the process they usually need to be managed (when they get over excited they need to be put in a crate, x-pen, and given something quiet to do. Over time you will learn if you watch them and can stop play or slow down play doing more calming behaviors before they get over that threshold.

(this part applys to the other thread)I personally wouldn't do either.
The reason I wouldn't squeeze or put any preasure on their nose/mouth is because I don't want my dog to ever think I will cause them discomfort.
It is a traditional method of training and works well for many owners and their dogs, it just isn't for me.

In the 4 quadrants of operant training it is what would be considered a positive punishment. Positive punishment = adding something to lessen a behavior (preasure to the nose)

Looking at the spray bottle of water it is also a positive punishment. Again adding something to lessen the behavior. (water to the dog)

These traditional training methods may teach the dog faster but may also break down your bond of trust. Mom's hands cause discomfort. Mom is unpredictable and may squirt something in my face.

It also doesn't teach the pup to learn to use their mouth gently.

I prefer holding a low value treat in between my thumb and index finger and giving the dog the treat. If the dog bites hard I say ouch loudly and do not give the dog the treat. I wait for this to go through the dogs mind and try again. After a few or a lot of times not getting the treat the dog takes it more gently I say yes and give the treat. You are looking at increments of the bite changing. It does take some time.

In operant conditioning this is a form of negative punishment. Negative punishment is subtracting something to lessen a behavior. When the dog bites hard you are not giving the treat.

This training set up does not cause the dog any physical discomfort.

The reason I believe we have seen more traditional training and use of positive punishment in the past is that it is easier to do an action vs an inaction for us humans.

Squeezing the nose = action.
Spraying the water = action

Not giving the treat = inaction

One more thought to this. When applying the preasure (you do not allow the dog to make the choice)
When presenting the food the dog actually has to process this through his/her brain and make their choice.

Dr. Ian Dunbar's book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy" has a chapter on bite inhibition. In the hardback book it starts on page 135.
There are links somewhere on DogStarDaily to this book separated into Before you get your puppy and the other one is After you get your puppy I am not sure but it might be in there also.

video by kikopup

video It's Yer Choice by Susan Garrett

 

[Kaila]

I love your advice, Solinvictus. I was going to say the same. And I was even going to provide the link to KikoPup's channel! I just love her. <3

I'd like to add that when you have a mouthy puppy, hands should be completely off-limits. That means that for every single person in the family, in every situation, hands are NOT used to rough-house with the dog. Replace hands with a toy used to play tug, but don't use bare hands EVER. But teeth are bound to graze skin even while using a toy, and that's where teaching bite inhibition comes in.

Be overly sensitive at first. If the pup's teeth even graze your skin while playing, make a yelp noise and jerk your hand away. Stand up, fold your arms, and look up at the ceiling (or just avoid eye contact with the dog--even eye contact is positive attention to a hyper dog). Keep your back to the dog if they try to circle around you or jump up. Be boring. The message is that playtime ends when they play too rough. If the dog won't stop jumping up or biting at your clothes, either leave the room silently and close the door in the dog's face, or quickly but gently take the dog to his/her crate (or a bathroom) for time out--about a minute, or however long it takes for the dog to calm down and stop barking/whining/scratching (if they do at all).

Dr. Ian Dunbar uses this method and says that he actually tells the dog "You're a jerk!" before leaving the room. (Haha.) I guess his tone of voice implies his disapproval, and leaving the room lets the dog know that he refuses to play with the dog if they continue to be rough. When he comes back to the room, he first asks for a sit, then rewards them by playing with an appropriate toy.