# Puppy bites hard



## alejandro52 (Mar 7, 2015)

Hello! I have a half blood Labrador which is 2-3 month old. Every time i want to play with it the way it plays is biting hard on everything. If i let him bite my hand without pulling it off it will probably injure me(Which it did a couple of times). The other day i took it with me to play with a small dog and it kept biting it hard to the point the other dog cried.
Is it normal for puppies to bite that hard. What should i do to stop this?


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## broll441 (Mar 8, 2014)

All puppies nip and chew—especially while they're teething—but hard biting is definitely a bad habit. 

While playing, you should be redirecting the chewing and biting onto appropriate objects (toys), without creating a game out of it. As difficult as it is to do otherwise, yanking your hand away or making sudden movements comes across as a game and entices the puppy to nibble more. Push your hand _towards_ the dog; most likely, he'll be thrown off because it's not the usual game. Afterwards, calmly place a toy into his mouth. Rinse and repeat.

For _correction_, try a "time out". Turn around, cross your arms, and completely ignore the puppy for a minute or two. Once he's calmed down, resume playing. Rinse and repeat. You could also put it in a puppy-proofed room for a few minutes (I used to put Leia in the bathroom) until they calm down. The idea is to send the message that inappropriate mouthiness means no attention or playing.

I'm not a training expert by any means, but I hoped it helped.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Your dog is perfectly normal, but I would not allow him to nip other dogs until they cry. Remove him from the situation if he's not listening to the other dog's "go away" signals. You might find a vaccinated, calm, good with puppies, adult lab or other larger breed dog for him to play with. A good role model dog can really help pups learn how to behave.

I posted this for someone the other day:


> Here's some information on puppy biting from another thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## alejandro52 (Mar 7, 2015)

cookieface and broll441 thanks for your response. I used to pull my hand away fast when he bit it and he though i was playing. I will try what you said - push him away or stop playing with him. Broll441 i'll surely try the steps you wrote.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Be aware that pushing him away may have the same effect as pulling your hand away, especially with a lab - they think everything is a game. I'd try to be calm, slow, and booooring.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

cookieface said:


> Be aware that pushing him away may have the same effect as pulling your hand away, especially with a lab - they think everything is a game. I'd try to be calm, slow, and booooring.


Yes, this. I would leave the area calmly and don't look at him. Being physical in any way will probably just make him come back harder since he will think you're playing.


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

alejandro52 said:


> cookieface and broll441 thanks for your response. I used to pull my hand away fast when he bit it and he though i was playing. I will try what you said - push him away or stop playing with him. Broll441 i'll surely try the steps you wrote.


My puppy thought being pushed away was a hilarious game that meant bite harder and faster, so just keep in mind that method might not work for your little guy.


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## TheDarkestMinds (Feb 28, 2015)

I agree that your puppy is perfectly NORMAL especially for a lab puppy! There is a reason they are called "land sharks" when they are pups . And you have been given great advice above. Your best bet when your puppy starts to bite and play rough is to completely ignore him. If he won't "let you" ignore him stand up or even walk out of the (puppy safe) room for a few minutes. So that he learns when he bites you, you stop playing with him or you leave him. And being a lab puppy he won't like that. Good luck!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

What people haven't told you is that a Lab puppy is a different species from a Lab adult. TheDarkestMinds was being gentle by saying that Lab puppies are land sharks. They are in fact the spawn of the devil, a cross between a needle-toothed vampire and a goat - not only will they bite, but they'll eat everything. Read through ALL the links and steps that cookieface provided. I wrote that expressly for Labs. And, as a bonus, you may be able to train your pup to understand that whenever you Yelp, say Ouch, or Oops that you mean, 'I don't like that, please stop.'


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## titiaamor (Nov 17, 2011)

FWIW, my chi uses her yelp to mean "I don't like that" If someone she doesn't trust tries to pick her up, she screams. If another dogs takes her toy, she screams. I feel confident it is solid communication.



hanksimon said:


> What people haven't told you is that a Lab puppy is a different species from a Lab adult. TheDarkestMinds was being gentle by saying that Lab puppies are land sharks. They are in fact the spawn of the devil, a cross between a needle-toothed vampire and a goat - not only will they bite, but they'll eat everything. Read through ALL the links and steps that cookieface provided. I wrote that expressly for Labs. And, as a bonus, you may be able to train your pup to understand that whenever you Yelp, say Ouch, or Oops that you mean, 'I don't like that, please stop.'


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

titiaamor said:


> FWIW, my chi uses her yelp to mean "I don't like that" If someone she doesn't trust tries to pick her up, she screams. If another dogs takes her toy, she screams. I feel confident it is solid communication.


It's solid communication. It's just that some dogs a human yelping/screaming apparently sounds more like wounded prey that needs killed or a squeak toy than another dog staying 'stop it'.


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## alejandro52 (Mar 7, 2015)

After a month im still not able to control my dog bitting. THe dog believes that bitting is short of a game and it bites hard. When it's not able to bite my hand it barks because it wants to bite it. Does this technique posted on youtube works?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXMyAvIlUSk


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

What techniques have you been using? Be aware that puppies bite, often for a long time, and it can get worse around teething time (~5-7 months). 



alejandro52 said:


> After a month im still not able to control my dog bitting. THe dog believes that bitting is short of a game and it bites hard. When it's not able to bite my hand it barks because it wants to bite it. Does this technique posted on youtube works?
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXMyAvIlUSk


Does it work? Depends on the result you want: Do you want a scared, shut down dog? Yep, it might work. Do you want a dog that will fight back faster and harder? Yep, it might work for that. 

On the other hand, do you want a dog who can control the frequency and strength of his biting? If so, look at the strategies outlined by HankSimon in my earlier post. Techniques used by by someone like Kikopup or Zak George are more appropriate and don't have the risk of fallout of the video you posted.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Lab pups are VERY tough and think that everything is play. When my Lab mix was 9 weeks (!!!), he nipped and drew blood, thinking it was all great fun. As was the normal method ... 30 years ago, I slapped him on the butt. So, he snarled at me, decided the game was afoot, and nipped me again. I tried to escalate and he thought the game was fun. Then, I learned about the methods for Bite Inhibition, which cookieface posted, and followed that method step-by-step, making a few mistakes in the process. But, eventually, I learned to Yelp, withdraw attention, and communicate better. Based on successes that I had teaching this method (originally from Dr. Ian Dunbar) to a number of classes, I published an article in JustLabs. I condense that article for this Forum.

Please try this technique for about 3 days, then let us know what is NOT working. There are a lot of details and a lot of steps, but many people on this Forum have used this method with great success, especially with Labs! So, you'll have lots of help.

BTW, my Lab-mix is 14yo, and he has a very soft mouth. Moreover, even when hurt, he still has good Bite Inhibition and a soft mouth, thanks to this training method.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

No. Don't use that YouTube video. Listen to cookieface and hanksimon. And everyone else who gave you advice, for that matter. You're not going to get an instant fix, you need to be patient and consistent.


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