# Nothing I do will stop my puppy from biting/mouthing!



## Dogdays (Nov 14, 2012)

Hello!

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am a first-time puppy owner with a 12 week Airedale pup that loves to chew on my knuckles, my fingers, my hair, my nose, etc. and sometimes instead of light mouthing he will bite down very, very hard.

I've done tons of research, read books, and talked to trainers and my breeder and I get different philosophies and suggestions from everyone. 

Some people say any form of physical punishment is absolutely wrong, and if you pull your hand away and 'yelp' loudly and then ignore the puppy, he will eventually learn to stop laying his teeth on you. I've tried this so many times and it seems to have zero effect on him. As soon as I am done ignoring him he lunges in for another mouthful!

Then I've read lots of books that recommend spraying the pup (not in the face, on his side) with a water bottle while yelling 'no!'. I tried this and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but a big part of me feels almost guilty to have to resort to spraying my puppy. Is this the right/best way to handle it? I know the water is harmless but I'm afraid I'm doing the wrong thing.

I've also tried techniques I read about in the book, "the art of raising a puppy" , which involve gently holding the muzzle closed and keeping the pup still until he calms himself. But like the water, I want to avoid physical corrections if at all possible.

My breeder recommended flicking his nose or grabbing his beard (he's an Airedale, he has a cute little beard even at 12 weeks) but I can't bring myself to do this. Am I too soft? Is this the right thing to do? I feel like it isn't.

I've also tried saying "no!" firmly and replacing my hair/fingers/pant legs with an appropriate chew toy (he has lots), but when there isn't a chew toy in sight, to the hand he goes. Does he always, always need something in his mouth? 

I've also read mouthing is such a puppy thing and he will grow out of it, so don't make too big of a deal about it. 

Anyway, my question is: Are any of these techniques wrong? Will they cause my pup to fear me or am I doing the right thing and will he get the idea eventually? Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what is the right and wrong way to correct a puppy.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

It's a puppy. They mouthe things. They can't pick stuff up and look at it. Consider it a chance to teach. You want to show your dog bite inhibition so they learn to mouthe things gently. 

Keep doing the yelp thing. Also, if it happens 2-3 times, leave the room. They learn. Just be persistent. Also, obedience school is AMAZING for learning bite inhibition. A big part of it is just puppies playing together. Dogs won't play with other dogs if they bite too hard or are too rough. They typically have just play times that are supervised as well. They get timeouts when they do something wrong. It will really help to learn.

Dogs get through it. Until the dog has it's adult teeth, the biting is actually a chance for them to learn. Biting at that age isn't a problem. Biting hard is. You want to teach your dog to mouth gently. That philosophy changes when they get older.


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## Dogdays (Nov 14, 2012)

Thanks! 

I didn't think it was such a huge deal but then I hear people say if you let them get away with putting their mouths on you as a puppy, they'll continue to think that's okay into adulthood. So they will grow out of it, as long as they learn good bite inhibition when they're young?


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

We used to use the other methods years ago, but the Yelp method is one of the best, more modern approaches.

Read the Sticky:the Bite Stops Here. This is called Bite Inhibition. Then, Read this tweak and note the 3 days and the apology....maybe, he ignored the Yelp!, because you ignored the apology. Instead of the Yelp, you can say also Ouch! or Oops! where you want a marking sound, to indicate when you are withdrawing attention. I recommend that you stick with the Yelp, b/c it seems like you got the 'desired' result ... and then got the expected second nip... 

Some Tweaks to Bite Inhibition (to get him to stop biting when he wants to play or otherwise):
1. When the pup bites, then yelp. It should sound about like what the pup does when you step on its paw... don't step on his paw for a sample . When you yelp, the pup should startle briefly and stop nipping. (Look for the startle) Praise and pet. He'll bite again.
2. When he bites the second time, Yelp. When he stops, praise and pet. He'll nip again, although it may be a little gentler. ...
3. When he bites a third time, Yelp (see a pattern?). But this time, turn your back for 15 - 30 secs. If he comes around and play bows or barks, then that is an apology. This is important. Accept it, praise and pet... and cringe in expectation of the next nip...
4. When he bites the 4th time, Yelp, then leave the area, placing him in a 2 min. time-out. It is better if you can leave, rather than moving him. Then, return and interact. (He's still hungry...)
5. When he nips the fifth time, yelp, and leave the area, stopping interaction for now.

You can modify the number of steps, but not what you do... for example, you can leave in a huff , after the second nip or even the first, but you have to provide a vocal marker, to give him something to react to. I still use a light yelp with my 11 yo when he lets teeth touch skin as I give him a treat. No pressure or harm, but I want him to appear very safe to everyone.

Pups need to sleep over night in order to learn their lessons. So, keep doing this for 3 days. By the third day, you should notice significant Bite Inhibition. He may still nip, but it will be softer and he won't hit bone or draw blood. And, he should be less aggressive, especially, if you notice the apology. Keep up the training and make sure that everyone yelps.... Very powerful method.

If you learn the technique, then you can apply the "yelp" to other circumstances, also. I believe that "yelp" is "Please don't do that, I don't like it." in dog communication. I currently use the yelp when my dog plays tug, then runs with the toy, when he fetches and keeps it out of reach or when he takes a treat too quickly.... 

Dogs will grab for tug toy and take along some skin. With good Bite Inhibition, as well as withdrawing attention, you can teach most dogs to slow down grabbing, while still being able to rip your arm out of the socket but pulling. My dog is polite and will return my arm to me, so that we can continue playing.

[This method works very well with Retrievers, Pits, Rotts and other breeds. Sometimes the Yelp doesn't work with terriers, but it sounds like it did in your case. Try it for a few days, and let us know.]


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

never own the breed though I love how beautiful and striking the Airedales are, The one thing from your post where you said ( you pull your hand away and yelp) I would change that to no pulling your hand away and you can yelp or not yelp, but this is a strong terrier breed yours may find it rewarding for you crying out lol , put the pulling away is attractive and reactive for the pup as it causes motion/interest/excitment towards you hand. You should beable to tell easily if you pup likes and is rewarded for your yelping if applys more pressure to get you to yelp louder.. I had a man eater GSD PUP and he was brutle being the top pup in the litter before I brought him home. He was fun to work with didn't learn any authority from the litter situation he was the authority lol ... lol ... he got over it working with him. 

I know puppy teeth are sharp I usually let them have my hand when they go after it and let my hand go limp, (boreing nothing going on) and we move on to something else that is more interesting. Not an easy thing when the teeth are sharp I get that, I don't mind dealing with it just to get my hands off the excitment activity list it's a situation that never leads to anything and the pups move on.

Normally I would tell people to follow their breeders advice, but I am not supportive as you felt in the instructions your breeder told you. Hope Terrier people will offer their experience.. Congratulations on your pup can't wait to see pictures..


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## Jenness (May 7, 2012)

All I would add is that since you have a very playful energetic puppy, the walking away technique would probably work best. To make it work you should be doing something really fun that he loves like playing with his toys or put some peanut butter on your hand (you might need gloves). As soon as he bites, react immediately and leave the room for 30 sec to a minute. If you time it correctly he should begin to associate over time that: bite= fun stuff ends. Start off by doing this only when he bites really HARD then slowly work your way to leaving when his mouth even grazes your hand. You don't want to teach him not to bite BEFORE you teach him to control his bite. Good luck and remember dogs learn form repetition and consistency is key, it might take a week, or several months but you'll get there!


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## Dogdays (Nov 14, 2012)

Thank you for all the great advice! We have been following the instructions on "The Bite Stops Here" sticky. Leaving the room for a while seems to work wonders for our pup. I'm so so so glad there are schools of thought that center on corrections that are not in any way physical. It really is amazing that you can accomplish just as much, even more, by communicating in ways other than hits and kicks and flicks. Wish more people understood that!


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## May (Nov 4, 2012)

You've got some amazing advice, I do the yelp technique with my puppy aswell and the other day someone even complimented him on his soft mouth  

I think it's really great that you came here to ask instead of just blindly following the other advice and laying a hand on our pup! Your dog is lucky to have you!


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## Teds-slave (Nov 14, 2012)

When Ted starts mouthing, I shove a toy in his mouth to chew on LOL! Puppies mouth, it's a thing they do I just say "ah! No!" when he goes to far, and he soon gets it. They normally grow out of this


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