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Hi, we have a 9 week old female springer called phoebe who is very clever and already sitting at the door to get out to do her essentials, although , she is really bad for chewing hands,toes,ears,necks you name it she'l nip it how do we stop her chewing body parts before we take her out for her walks after her injections and she playfully nips a stranger stroking the cute pup.
thanks john & andrea
Re Puppy Nipping
Hi. I think you may be expecting too much too soon ! this is normal behaviour for a 9 week old puppy ! but, you are right to want to nip (no pun intended ! ) it in the bud now. Tryto get as much advice as you can re the internet / books but basically you need to distract her when she does nip etc. when she mouthes or bites your skin tell her in a very firm voice 'NO !'. if need be, hold her muzzle (without hurting her) and tell her 'NO'. and have something nearby that you can offer her instead. then give lots of praise and cuddles etc. you will have to repeat this quite a few times before she catches on that you do not like her biting. if you see her nipping anyone else in the family or chewing objects that she is not supposed to then reinforce 'No' and remove her or give her something that she is allowed to bite. reprimand straight away though so phoebe relates this to the unwanted behaviour. puppies have very short memories ! you could also make a very loud 'ouch' sound or yelp as soon as she bites you. if she continues, leave the room and ignore her for a few minutes. she needs to realise that biting stops play. make sure she has plenty of her own toys and chewing objects to occupy her and that she gets plenty of exercise (appropriate for her age), rest (time on her own / in her own space) and a good diet. ruby loves to chew an old teatowel ! just remember that it is part of her normal development - abit like when a baby puts everything to its mouth to learn and explore. you need to distinguish between play biting / normal development and anything that gets out of hand. try not to get too tense about it all and enjoy her. hope this helps. please send us a photo for the website ! good luck, liz
Re Puppy Nipping
Hello,as the comment above says I think this is just puppy play (when puppies play in the litter they nip and bite each other until one yelps to say hold on that was a bit to much) and is normal but you must try to stop her from nipping before it gets out of hand ... she must know its wrong so be firm with asharp NO !! also dont wave hands fingers etc around her head as she may think your playing be firm and direct and she will soon grow out of it, just warn any strangers you meet that she is still a puppy and liable to nip ...........
Paul