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Location: Dogsey and Worcestershire
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 49,483
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Originally Posted by
Lunas_Mama
Just wondering if anyone had any advice or tips on how to stop my little girl (chocolate lab/ huskey mix)
from nipping at my feet when i walk? She seems to always wanna go after my slippers or the bottom of my pant legs. Its frusterating and i dont wanna step on her or hurt her in anyway. Those puppy teeth are sharp when she gets at the skin. I tell her No! and Bad! and she'll stop for a few minutes but then she starts again.
Hi Manda
this is normal puppy play behaviour. Telling her no is a waste of time and you are actually rewarding the unwanted behaviour with attention and turning it into a game .
Better to stand still/turn your back/no word no eye contact until she has calmed down then when she does bend down (to prevent jumping up ) and praise the wanted behaviour.
Originally Posted by
Lunas_Mama
Lunas about 8 weeks old now, ive tried to give her her toys i do that
when she trys nipping at my hands or anything else to, so that she knows its the toys she can chew not me lol. But it hasnt worked. No! works best for her when it comes to hands but feet, seems like nothing
Puppies use their mouths all the time to explore and play, it is 'play biting' and again it is normal behaviour.
You don't really want to stop a puppy play biting straight away , if you do you will miss a valuable opportunity to teach your puppy 'bite inhibition' ,to bite evermore gently
then not at all . Teaching bite inhibition ensures that as the puppy grows up and develops powerful jaws, should she bite for any reason (say she is in in pain/at the vets being treated /gets accidentally hurt like standing on her tail) she will have learnt never to sink her teeth into human skin.
Bite inhibition, learning to developer a 'soft mouth' is one of the most important lessons you can teach your puppy, however teaching it takes time and patience and success 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
So to reacap for biting hands teach bite inhibition, for clothes or other parts of the body use the turning away /waiting to be calm method.
And lastly, make sure your puppy has a good selection of things to bite on . This will be particularly important as she starts teething. A frozen carrots is soothing to painful gums caused by teething . As an alternative teething aid you can knot an old cotton tea towel and moisten and freeze that for you puppy to bite on.