Puppys and Nipping

Hi

I have a little seven week old staffie and she is gorgeous! now I know all puppys nip but I am a little concerned she tends to nip and it can actaully hurt sometimes, whats worrying me if I say NO!! in a stern voice to her she sometimes growls agresively and jumps forward and nips again . She does not do this when my partner says No however she stops. I just feel like I am not winning and Im actaully pretty worried about having children round our house and also worried she will be like this with me when she is older. I feel she listens to my partner but not me no matter how loud I shout at her.

Does anyone else have any tips on how they stopped there puppy nipping and help, advice or ideas would be great.

Thanks Lucy

Consistency and keep taking them off saying no and redirecting them onto a toy they are allowed to chew,ice cubes are good they cool the gums.We have all been there my pup is nearly 6 months old and only just stopping he still does nip occassionally but now knows the word no,we also found excluding him for a few minuets helped.We have a stair gate across our kitchen and we would either go in there and do something and ignore him or we would put him in there but not for long they soon forget what they have done wrong.
Your pup will have all its adult teeth by 6 months and i think they then take another couple of weeks to setle into the gums it will soon pass just keep on being positive.
You must praise him when he gets it right,there is a good link about bite inhibition but sorry can,t post it have new computer and not able to do links on it yet,sure someone else will be along soon and do it for you.

Minihaha has a thread on mouthing/biting somewhere which I found really helpful

Willow (aged 5 months) was mouthing terribly, but she seems to be subsiding over the last two weeks. I also tend to distract her with a toy when she gets too boistorous or plays too hard. I've now started a firm 'NO' when she bites really hard, and then I ignore for about 30 seconds, which she hates bless her!

I think it is just another stage in the pups life, though those little piranha teeth are very sharp .

I am looking forward to teething now, and having to replace skirting boards, wall plaster etc.

I have a 14wk old staffy x american bulldog and we are just coming out of the stage you are at now.

My advice to you would be to be firm, consistant, and start as you mean to go on. You cannot tell pup off for doing something once, and ignore it another time. They do get the message in the end. We stopped Georgie nipping by telling him " No biting " in a firm. low voice. Never shout, it can sometimes excite them more and they think it's a game. We used to say no biting and them immediatly give him a toy, chew or bone and when he started chewing that we would tell him "Good boy "

The thing with staffys is they strive to impress, and will - in time - be very obedient. Staffys, like many other breeds, love to please and once your pup knows he's doing something you like you will find he will cotton very quickly that that's what he has to do.

Always remember to praise good behaviour.

Thanks for all the replys, I dont't think a firm No with me is working as she only gets worse and doe'snt listen even if i redirect her to a toy or play with a toy with her she goes for my hands to me so i think i am going to try ignoreing her and if she nips me and growls I will pick her up and put her in the the other room for a minuite or so.

My partner's cracked it with a firm No but not me

With a litter of puppies playing, if one gets hurt by an over enthusiastic sibling, he/she will yelp loudly and ignore the biter for a couple of minutes, before resuming playing nicely. So, next time you get a nip, try squealing like someone's just jabbed you with a pin (Shouldn't be too hard to imagine...:smt002 ) and ignore the young madam for a few minutes. She'll get to realise her teeth hurt you and she should pack it in!

Thanks rich I will try that tonight

Its just so frustrating that all my partner has to say is No and its like she could care less when i tell her so i will try that.

hi Lucyf welcome to Dogsey and congratulations on your new puppy.

Biting is normal behaviour in puppies, if a puppy doesn't bite there is something wrong with it . Puppies bite for a number of reasons, to explore the world around them/during play/and when teething.

When you shout at your puppy and she growls and jumps she is playing with you , if you watch a litter of puppies playing this just mimics their behaviour,your puppy is practising to be an adult dog who may need to defend herself and obtain food.

Play biting is best curbed and channelled in the right direction when the puppy is small, she should be encouraged to bite ever more gently until no pressure is exerted at all . The best way to do this is to teach bite inhibition so that as the puppy grows up and develops powerful jaws, should she bite for any reason (like if she is in in pain/at the vets being treated /gets accidentally hurt) she will have been taught never to sink his teeth into human skin.
Bite inhibition, learning to developer a 'soft mouth' is one of the most important lessons you can teach your dog.


Teaching a puppy bite inhibition takes time and patience and won't be achieved in just a few days also everyone in the household needs to adopt the same approach.

Link to teaching bite inhibition ..click here

Addedthis is an article by Shadowboxer on puppies and Children, you may find it of help to you...
and one on basic training ,and housetraining..

I tried this when my puppy was doing the nipping bit. I can honestly say... It was the worst thing I could ever of done. It made him bite all the more as he got excited and thought it was a really good game. I didnt!

Like you, my husband says NO and our puppy stops straight away. I think its because he has a much deeper voice than me, and dogs respond to tone of voice. When I tell Georgie no now, I say it in a low tone and never shout....shouting makes him bark to try and be louder than me. No is said in a low tone, but firmly.

...and yet another link to more good advice...

http://www.apdt.co.uk/advice.htm

Scroll down a bit for info re puppy biting