# "mouthy" puppy



## Jaxreemurph (Apr 2, 2013)

My trainer tells me my almost 7 month old boy is "mouthy". He says its his thing and its going to be hard to train him to stop. He's amazing in every other way but when he wants your attention or wants to play he bites - not aggressively but its not soft - it definitely hurts. I have an 8 yr old who doesnt love it but amazingly he steers clear of my 4 yr old daughter (her crying would deter most people!). Trainer claims this doesnt go away with age - any advice on stopping it? His was this collar called iQ plus - I am instinctively not a fan of these type of gadgets but curious if anyone has used them or again other suggestions.

Thanks!!!


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

First, I would take a cue from your 4 year olds play book. As soon as his teeth touch you I would stop and scream. He will back away in surprise most likely and then I would put him in his crate.

Second, I would do more to drain his energy. A dog that wants to play in the house usually is not getting enough RUN time. A seven month old has a great need to get out and do some serious running on a regular basis. Use a tread mill if you cannot get out.

Last, I would work with his desire to retrieve. The desire to put things in his mouth is built into his dna. Use it to your advantage. Teach him to pick up what you want him to pick up. Make that a game. Teach Fetch, Hold, and Drop. This will help to satisfy some of the innate retrieve.

As for the e collar. I use them with every retriever we have and will ever have. They are great tools but they are not magic. They require training of the handler, conditioning of the dog, and consistent application of pressure. They are not for problem household behaviors.


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## tcamp33 (Nov 7, 2013)

Leslie B said:


> First, I would take a cue from your 4 year olds play book. As soon as his teeth touch you I would stop and scream. He will back away in surprise most likely and then I would put him in his crate.
> 
> Second, I would do more to drain his energy. A dog that wants to play in the house usually is not getting enough RUN time. A seven month old has a great need to get out and do some serious running on a regular basis. Use a tread mill if you cannot get out.
> 
> ...


I totally agree with all of the above. Rylee was mouthy when we got her at 14, even though the breeder had her around their kids (2, 4 and 6) and my 5 year old and 16 month old kids were targets of her loving nips, especially my daughter because she runs everywhere she goes, so of course rylee thinks they are playing.

Now the kids, hubby and I "yelp" whenever she uses her teeth to teach "no" to human skin (without saying no) and it totally works. She pricks her ears at us and tilts her head like, wha? Are you okay? Then we toss her an acceptable replacement chew toy and she goes on her way.

Now at 17 weeks she does not nip or mouth at all. She does love those chew toys and we take her out to romp in the leaves and always an evening bike ride ( building up and going easy at HER pace since she is still a puppy)

After our ride last night she slept under the covers ( for the first time) and for 10 hours. Seriously. I didn't even know her bladder could last that long, silly girl!

Best of luck and thanks Leslie for all of the amazing advice!


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## Jaxreemurph (Apr 2, 2013)

Thank you - this is all great. We walk him but clearly not enough so yesterday we started running and an epic game of fetch outside! Fingers crossed


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Your four-year-old apparently has the secret. My guess is the rest of you pay attention to him when he bites, and she probably screams and freezes. Biting behavior gets reinforced accidentally, and the key is not to do that. A high pitched sound can help communicate that it hurts and you don't like it, but it's really important that you don't give him any attention, even negative attention. You need to make a really clear equation for him that biting stops play and only good dogs get attention.

I would NOT put an e-collar on him in order to shock him when he bites. That's a recipe for disaster with a dog who clearly doesn't need anything like that to learn his manners.


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## ally1h (Nov 27, 2012)

I agree with everything above! But I will also add...


At 14 months old, my pup is still super mouthy, so I agree when someone said he won't outgrow it with age. My pup was stubborn and never responded to the crying/yelping, so I had to teach him soft mouthing. It helped him learn to be very gentle with his mouth. Most dogs hate the feeling of metal in their mouth. I put a treat/piece of kibble on a spoon and had him take it from the spoon. He learned quickly to not bite hard. Then I added a word, "gentle". You can look online or on the forum for other ways to train this gentle mouth. 




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## itried (Jan 6, 2013)

As others have already said, an e-collar is not necessary at all for this situation. The suggestions that have been given about yelping and walking away when your puppy bites you will be very effective in solving this problem. Exercise your puppy more, mentally and physically. How much are you training your dog? While it can be hard to do obedience at this age, doing more may be a key to tiring out your dog because dogs tire out mentally as well. Treat puzzles and kongs can keep them occupied and focused


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## Jaxreemurph (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks! I think this all makes sense. I was observing last night and realized that he is much better with me, never bothers my husband and steers clear of my 4 yr old! Unfortunately (or fortunately) my son loves playing with him and tends to play the way Rudy likes to play. When Rudy gets too rough then my son gets upset but clearly sending him mixed messages. Maybe I need a trainer for my son!


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