Sharp Teeth

[Deacon2009]

Hey guys, I know that puppies are going to chew and nip at everything they can but how long does this last? How and when do I begin training her so she does not bite as an adult dog? She is a beagle/cocker spaniel mix and she is about to turn 4 months old, and I don't know how to stop the biting. Please help

[Ghilly]

If she was less than 8 weeks old when you got her, it's far from impossible, but it takes diligence to get them out of the biting thing.  Bite inhibition is something that is learned in the litter from the mother dog and from the littermates between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks of age.  Many people mistakenly believe that it's OK to remove a puppy from its litter at 6 weeks of age because they can eat solid food by that point, and as a result, the puppies that are taken at that age miss out on important socialization lessons.  And while it is entirely possible for their new owners to teach these things to them, they understand it far better and pick it up much more quickly if it's taught to them by their own kind in their own language.

When your puppy bites or mouths you, YELP as loudly and as much like a dog as you can, and then turn your back on the puppy and refuse to have anything to do with her.  Ignore her until she loses interest and moves on to something else, then resume your normal interaction with her.  If she bites or mouths you again, YELP again, turn your back, and ignore her.  This tells her using a sound she instinctively knows means pain, coupled with body language that dogs use on each other, that she has done wrong and you want nothing to do with her when she does that.  She will quickly figure out that if she bites you, all it gets her is ignored, and the LAST thing puppies want is to be ignored.  She'll catch on quickly enough.  Good luck!

Ghilly