[Medic Batista]

After I postedd how well Jezabel was doing with potty trainning and how good she is with kids and the nipping issue is almost gone. She has to go and make me a liar. Came home form work and my wife is laying on the couch p/off - apparently while playing with Jezabel(16 weeks old) Jezabel bit her - guess she was playing fetch fine then when my wife had the squeakr in her hand Jezabel grabbed her arm, nice scratch and teeth marks through her shirt, asked her what she did -- like one of the post said when she bites to grab her bewtween two fingers on the neck like a momma dog and also topped it off with a little bitter apple. After which she went to her crate on her own.

I knwo she is a puppy culd have gotten overly excited but this is becoming a little issue especially where my wife is cocnerend she plays with her on the floor and she lunges at her sometimes, barking and playing but what can we do. With my APTB I had no problem he nipped twice bit once and that once was enough for him not to bite again. This one here thinks it is a game when she bites -- I know there are gonna be some changes like no rough housing of any sorts and maybe even no tug of war until I can be assured the nipping is gone away as well as the biting - this is the 2nd time 1st time she has bit my wife.

I am slowly coming to witts end, I know my wife is mad that she got bit and probably hurt too cause she plays with her constantly. she has stated a time period for her to kick the habit but I don't know if I can train her that well in a month.

 

[tohall]

16 weeks is such a small puppy - you must be patient.
At that age YOU are responsible for how the puppy behaves. Being mad at a puppy that age for behavior such as you describe is like being mad at a 4 month old baby for spitting up on you. It makes no sense.

It's just plain silly to get down on the floor and play with a pup, get it all riled up, and then get mad when it gets excited and does something stupid. Kick it's ass and let it know who's boss if it gets out of line, but there's no reason to be mad about it.

If a puppy that age bit your wife it's your wife's fault, not the puppies. She wasn't paying close enough attention.
If the puppy didn't get the idea immediatelly following biting her that biting your wife is a VERY bad idea, that's your wife's fault, not the puppies.

Problem is, both your puppy and your wife need to learn the proper ways to behave with each other. The puppy will learn, as long as you are consistent and dominant, but it will take awhile. Your wife - that's up to her. It might help to have some strict rules about how she interacts with the puppy. It might help to have your wife take Jezebel to some obedience classes.

Consider this:
At one year, your dog will still be a puppy.
At 2 years, your dog will probably still be a puppy.

 

[Tara<3Boss]

This is completely normal. Boss used to mouth and nip me all the time when he was that young. I found what really works is saying "ouch!!" really loudly, and then removing yourself from the dog, ie. go into your bedroom for about a minute. That way, the puppy associates biting with the end of play time, which is not fun for the pup. Of course, when you go back into the room with your puppy, start playing again. Make sure you're consistent. No biting means no biting at any time. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[Chynasmom]

PLEASE find a good book on puppy training

AND have your wife read it. It sounds like she might not have much puppy experience, and some good information on what to expect may help her see that biting is REALLY normal puppy behavior and it's up to the people to teach the puppy good "mouth manners".

Some titles I'd recommend:

"How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With" by Clarice Rutherford & David Neil (there's also a video)
"Puppy Primer" by Brenda Scidmore & Patricia McConnell (really - anything by Patricia McConnell)
"Positive Perspectives: Love your Dog, Train your Dog" by Pat Miller (really - anything by Pat Miller)
"Positive Puppy Training Works" by Joel Walton
"Puppies for Dummies" by Sarah Hodgson
Anything by Karen Pryor is bound to be good, too.

In the mean time, as the other poster said - being mad at your puppy for biting is like being mad at an infant for spitting up. Worse, really, because you CAN TEACH your puppy not to bite, but the kid is just going to have to grow out of spitting up, so you should be mad at yourself for not being more consistent with your training.

The "OUCH" and end of play method works well with most puppies. It's NOT a quick fix, but good training never is. If you have a really dedicated mouther who goes for your hands despite being offered a toy, try spritzing a little Bitter Apple on your hands, letting it dry, then going to play. When the puppy mouths and discovers how BLECHY your hand is, he might be a bit more willing to try the toy. If you don't have any Bitter Apple, a little plain vinegar will do the same.

A variation on the "OUCH" that worked well with my puppy: Instead of going high pitched (which just jazzed him up), we used a low growly OUCH and kept whatever he was mouthing VERY STILL (didn't try to pull away). When he backed off, we praised and offered the toy. Let's face it, if you don't pull away, a 16 week old puppy is not TRYING to do damage - he's trying to play. Keeping still isn't any fun for him, so he'll probably back off and look up at you ("Hey - why aren't you playing this really cool 'I bite your hand' game?"). Then you show him that his game isn't much fun, but YOUR game (chase the toy or whatever) is TONS of fun!!

 

[Bustersmommy]

I have a 13 week old AB.When we first got him and I would sit on the floor just like your wife and Buster would lunge and bite me and get all worked up and I tried the yelling OUCH or NO or ingnoring him and it wasnt working with him.So after having enough and knowing he needed to be put in his spot or this pup was going to rule me I had to use the summit move on him.After having done this he knows that I am the leader of the pack and wont tolerate that behavior.Dont get me wrong he still acts up but all puppies do.They are being themselves and they will nip and bite but you need to let him no when enough is enough.You have to try to find what works for you and stick with it. Like Tara said she used "OUCH" try that or try one of the other suggestions until you find one that works for you.You and your wife need to find something that works together and stick with it.He'll come around but you need to show him who is Alpha in that house or down the road you are only asking for trouble.

 

[Medic Batista]

With me

With me it was easy she grabbed me twice first time was a tap on the mouth and me saying ouch no bite. 2nd Time it was basically a summit hold and the stay command that clicked with her. When she grabbed me the second time grabbed her by the scruff of the neck basically pinned her to floor and made her lie on her side until I thought she should get up, when I did i gave her the heel command she got up and lay down by my side on the floor. My wife has tried pinning her, bitter apple crying ouch and ignoring her its just not working so we have to start from scratch and see what works. Maybe ob school or a few books - she heard about using a can with six pennies in it as a deteretnt and I thought about using the clicker?

 

[Lylasmum]

My 2 Cents

Ok, I am a first time dog owner, and very much the quiet one of the
group her....lol BUT....My thoughts after reading your last post is
this... I think you are using far too many commands for a puppy
that age. My girl is 9 months old now and I am still just on my
3rd or 4th command for her. It will confuse the dog and waste
a whole lot of your time if you don't work on teaching her one rule,
therefore, one command at a time. All this tapping the nose, pinning
down, saying heel, ignoring her, bitter apple, etc...it's too much for
your dog to understand. Even saying "ouch no bite" is too much IMO. How
about just saying "ouch" or "no"? Make it as simple as you can, and
do it until it is instilled in her.
Again, I'm no pro here. There are trainers here who are experienced
with this sort of thing.
Good luck to you! Be patient!

 

[Chynasmom]

WTF is the "summit move"??

Just wondering.

And if it's a maneuver to physically dominate the puppy, do you really think that a puppy needs to be forced into "seeing you as Alpha"?

I've always established a leadership position through control/distribution of assets (dinner/treats, toys/playtime, going outside...) and through instilling confidence in my command of the situation (by being a reliable leader), rather than through physical force.