# Mouthing is getting out of control!



## bradys_mum (Mar 16, 2010)

Brady is 15 weeks old on Thursday and this past weekend he has been really mouthy... more then normal!
He is at his worst, first thing in the morning (after breakfast) and then early evening... also, when we bring him in from going pee outside, he attacks our ankles really bad and won't let go of our pant legs!
We can't stroke him without him constantly biting our hands... his teeth our so sharp that he is drawing blood!
I know he is a puppy and we are trying to be patient... but its getting so frustrating, because he is not listening to us at all!
We have been trying things from this forum... he has loads of chew toys, gets plenty of exercise and love... and has 100% of our attention... but its making us really miserable because we just don't know what to do with him?
Everything else is going so well... we are teaching him basic commands, a few tricks and they are going great.... he is almost completely house broken/potty trained and sleeps through the night in his crate without any problems... if we could only get this mouthing/biting under control!
At what age does this get better?... and any suggestions?, because we are hiting our heads against a brick wall!

*Frustrated puppy parents*


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

We have all been through the land shark days. It does get better in time just be sure everyone is using the same method. Putting Bitter Apple on your hands has worked for some. I was able to just do the loud "Ouch!" and then give an appropriate chew toy. It will take some time.


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## bradys_mum (Mar 16, 2010)

Land shark is very accurate... haha!
We are just having one of those days... i'm sure it will get easier as he gets older!


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## kaysy (Jan 9, 2010)

Yep, where they're about 5. Kidding. Marty is still faily mouthy, but he's getting so whenever he starts he looks at me and backs off. He IS getting more possessive about junk he picks up, so I know I have to work on "leave it" and "drop it." Hang in there.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

It's a shock, we don't expect that cute, little, fluffy puppy to be a shark in disguise! It will get better as they lose those baby teeth (starting around 4 months) and grow up. Hank wasn't bad about mouthing but our last golden and a lab-X we had were brutal. No one in the family had clothing that didn't have holes or tears from the knees down. 

Hank gets the 'zoomies' every morning after breakfast too. He may not nip but imagine 65 lbs of happy puppy running & lunging at you for a morning kiss followed by a big burp!


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## Makino82 (Oct 23, 2009)

LOL at the "He may not nip but imagine 65 lbs of happy puppy running & lunging at you for a morning kiss followed by a big burp"

You'll be so happy when the puppy teeth are gone, makes a world of difference! Mine was fairly mouthy / still can be when she gets excited. I found calming her down such as giving her a 'time out' when she got really mouthy tended to help.
For example: If I went to pet her and instead she was grabbing for my hand with her mouth, I would say "No Bite!" And if she did it again I would back off, make her stay for a bit, then go try to pet her again. If she didn't attempt the mouthing that time I would praise her immensely and move on. She started to make the connection that mouthing = no attention.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Start to teach him "no bite". Play with him and when he puts his mouth on you shout loudly NO BITE and take your hand away. The shout will stun him for a minute go back to playing and when he does it again, shout NO BITE again. If he still mouths after the second time, next time shout NO BITE and take him to his crate and put him in for 20 - 30 seconds. Do not get mad or frustrated and don't talk to him. After 30 seconds let him out again no talking, go back to playing and if he mouths - shout and take him to his crate. Keep it up, lengthen the time outs to a minute. He will get the message, so dogs are more stubborn and take longer but they do get it. You need to be positive and patient, I know those needle teeth hurt. Both of mine were mouthy and both stopped it with this training. Kirby took a little longer.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Dont feel bad I am having the same problem with my little land shark Holly...my arms are all cut,,her teeth are SHARP and she bites HARD. I do the no bite and make her sit...but at times she keeps coming after me..again and again.so then I put her in her crate for a time out. I have to do this sometimes to protect my other golden Misty..she looks at me like..HELP!! Holly is 13 weeks..I cant wait till this phase is over!!


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## bradys_mum (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks for the advice everyone!
I'm going to celebrate, the day those baby needle teeth are gone... LOL!
I just can't wait to have a cuddle without the puncture wounds!


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## elh1232 (Feb 20, 2010)

Morgan is so much better now with the mouthing. I noticed the change when she started losing her baby teeth.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I agree, Jack is much better now. He's lost most of his teeth at this point and has learned to pick up a toy (instead of my arm) if he wants to hold something when he's with me.


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## Brady's_Pop (Mar 22, 2010)

For us, leaving the room is the best and pretty much the only way to avoid being bitten. Whenever I try to give him a chew toy to substitute, he intentionally avoids it and goes for my arm or hand. Is there a reason for that?


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## GoPack (Jan 3, 2010)

I just have to comment because we had such a frustrating morning with Maggie. She's six months. She has all of her adult teeth. This sounds weird, but we notice she's ESPECIALLY mouthy when she has to poop. Is that too weird or what? Why can't she just go to the door and bark???  ... but it's not always. The thing is, we know she knows it's not acceptable (guess we have to remember she's still young). The yelping helped when she was littler but doesn't now. She just looks up at you with your arm in her mouth. Thankfully she has a gentle mouth (we did something right because we worked hard on that) but it's still annoying and so frustrating. Maybe we're making it worse. 

Today for the first time since she was little, we tried the time-out in the crate without a treat. I hate to do that because she loves the crate. Otherwise, we're getting up and leaving and/or turning our back on her like many of you have been doing. 

Thanks for listening. I know we have to hang in there and be consistent...


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Just keep the crate time short. It's a time out not a punishment. She will get it, but it may take a little time. I think girls are more stubborn then the boys, mine sure is.


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