Biting puppy

[Lollyhoney]

I have a ten week old springer spaniel puppy who is wonderful and very much loved. We have had her for 2 weeks and is toilet training beautifully, sitting to command, and retrieving toys when asked to which I'm delighted with. However, she gets a little bit too playful and bites all the time, and I don't just mean a little nip. She bites hard and has drawn blood several times, but if you tell her off she does it harder. We have been ignoring her when she bites and refusing to interact with her as 'punishment' but I'm sure there must be a more effective way to deal with her biting. Any suggestions on how to stop this??

[horselady]

The best way to reprimand a pup is to do what their mum would do. She would grab the pup by the scruff of the neck and give a low growl. I always used to tell pups off like that and it always worked. Just grab the loose fur at the back of the neck, give a tiny shake and make a low sort of growly noise, you'll find the puppy looks a bit stunned and sorry, but they do recognise it as a natural reprimand.

[shaneystar2]

They play bite in the litter so you have to nip it the bud ..pardon the pun....there is some good advice here
http://www.understandinganimals.com/article/1

[drgnrdr]

The best thing is you got her at 8 weeks old and not sooner, from about 4-5 weeks old pups start to play with each other, they learn mouthing inhibition from each other and they start to learn that when one bites to hard the one will "yip" in a HIGH pitch tone, like it is mortally wounded, then will leave the game for a short time. If puppy A wants to play with puppy B then they need to back off their bite. If they are biting you when you pet them then the next time you pet them get a toy and shove it in their mouth to redirect the teeth, then PRAISE them for chewing on it.. If you are grabbing at them or pushing them away some will think it's just your form of play. What needs to be done is you need to "YIP" in a high tone and stop all play, after about 20 seconds go back but with a toy to redirect them, and praise them for playing with it. Never rough house using your hands and feet, they don't understand and play can escalate quickly and your flesh will suffer.
They need to understand that biting makes play stop so keep teeth off flesh and we will play. This will not keep them from biting and playing with another dog, the other dog will tell them if they are too rough, but it does help with continuing to teach them about mouthing inhibition. If you'd like more help with your pup go to
http://orangedog.forumup.com/index.php?mforum= orangedog
hope this helps..let us know how it's going...

[drgnrdr]

Forgot to add get into a puppy type training class, this will help you mold your pup into the dog you want them to be.