Help my puppy bites me

Could anyone help please we have our first staff puppy she is just over 9 weeks old and has been with us almost 2 weeks she is pretty good a lot of the time but sometimes she almost goes crazy she jumps up at my face grabbing and biting she grabs my clothes arms hands just about anything she can sink her teeth into I've tried yelping that seems to make it worse I've tried keeping still in hope she will get bored I've tried standing up and turning away from her she just continues biting any part of me she can get to ive tried distracting her with toys and chews I've also tried a stern NO she just seems to move to biting a different spot. She is also doing this to my daughter who is 12 I'm worried she won't stop and I don't know what else to try or if this is her being aggressive and dominant or just play.

I am in the same boat check my post in the puppy section  x

Thanks had a look seems there is nothing in particular that works it's just a case of hoping she grows out of it and in the meantime trying different things

My puppy is 13 week old and shes quite bad for nipping us we have been using a firm "OFF" long as its consistant it should work... i hope anyway haha

Hi and welcome from Misty and me. We got Misty at 14 months and she was a terrible mouther- bits of us always ended up in her mouth.

Don't worry your puppy isn't being aggressive or dominant- at 9 weeks old they are just learning new things. Some people use the yelping technique and it works for them but it didn't work for us. The only thing that worked was completely ignoring her- not even saying no as it was still attention and it was attention/play time that she wanted from us. As soon as she mouthed us we stuck one of her chew toys in her mouth. It did take a while but it worked well and now she hardly ever mouths. she learnt that by mouthing us it meant all play time immediately stopped and this is the last thing she wanted!!!

Don't forget we love puppy pics.

I agree with Mistys mum above completely. An arm leg or torso needs replacing with a toy straight away, you need to reinforce what toys are and what aren't toys. Absolutely everyone has to do the same thing otherwise mixed messages will be received. Also, at this very young age it's all play, all the same you do want/need it to stop as soon as possible

Thank you for your replies I'm going to try and ignore her and try to always have a toy near by. If I could work out how to add a picture I would lol

This link https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12017-how-to-post-a-photos-onto-the-forum tells you how some post pictures.

Another way is to look just above the reply box and see the YouTube icon, now to the left of that is an icon that looks like a floppy disc (to the far left of the same box) click on that and follow the prompts then simply copy the link and paste it in the reply

I agree with the others. Ignoring (even getting up and walking away) is very effective but you have to do it every time so your pup learns that biting gets the opposite of what she's after.

It is a puppy thing, there is absolutely no aggression or anything, and they do grow out of it if you keep your reactions consistent and quiet. Honest!

Hi & welcome.

i would echo what's already been said - it most certainly isn't aggression or dominance (i hate that word!), and all puppies do it to a greater or lesser extent.

if you are consistent, the ignoring/walking away method should prove enough, although it will take a little while. once she's allowed out for walks she'll lose a lot of pent-up energy as well, which will help.

Well I've had enough now something needs to work I have for the last 2 hrs benn either sat on my sofa so she can't get to me or her attached to my foot or any other part of my body I can't live like this she is going to chew shoes etc and going in to the hall knowing that I alway get up to watch her then running as fast as she can to get hold of me when she does I try not to make any sound as try to stick one of her toys in her mouth she just drops the toy and continues to bite me and it's not just little nips she actually locks on and won't let go

Ok, deep breath. It sounds like you're getting frustrated and injecting more energy into the situation, which doesn't help. She sees this as a huge game, being chased is a puppy's idea of great fun (and many adult dog's too). If you want to catch a dog, the last thing to do is chase it.

If Skyla is playing with things you don't want her to, the easiest is to move everything out of reach, either high enough up or put away in cupboards. Instead, leave her lots of fun things to play with and explore. One of my favourite toys is a cardboard box, for instance an old cereal packet, with a couple of treats in. Things like this give lots of good mental stimulation as well as helping redirect the natural urge to chew. Don't forget that puppies use their mouths to learn about their world, this is just a normal and essential part of growing up.

Very often, pups chew at us because they are looking for interaction. The 'normal' environment for a pup is to grow up with its siblings, where there is constant interaction. Puppies seek that with us, especially if there is no other dog in the house. It's important to spend good quality time playing with your puppy but finding ways that don't involve biting you. Run a rope toy round the floor for Skyla to chase, teach her to chase balls, hide treats round the room for her to find, even look into buying activity toys that engage the brain. Without this sort of interaction play provided by us, they will seek it themselves.

The main thing is to remember that this is a puppy. She means nothing deliberately because she simply cannot think like that. She has no way of knowing this winds you up, only that it's a brilliant game. It's up to you to give her the response that makes this game no fun (ignoring/walking away), and then providing her with games that she can play instead.

If you're really struggling on your own, I'd strongly suggest you call in a good trainer to help you. Getting it right (or rather not getting it wrong) now is so important to setting Skyla up to be a happy member of the family forever.

Pups tend to see this as play so the more frustrated you get the more they will see it as play, as Liz suggested however biting is also unacceptable play too so you really need to redirect their biting to toys and to be consistent in this approach but also to offer up praise to her when she does direct her attention to the toy and a firm no when she mouths your hand. If she doesn't go for the toy, then walk away to an area she can't get to.

The other option, of course, is to smother your hand in something that tastes disgusting (but dog safe) so she will learn that hands and fingers are yukky.

Just remember, be consistent (including family members too) and do not get frustrated, remain calm and eventually she will understand.

Your right I am getting frustrated but more with myself for getting frustrated with her I'm here on my own with her in the day and really want to build a good relationship with her but it is just so hard. I do play with her we have a skipping rope she likes and she will fetch a ball although she gets bored very quickly and then goes back to biting it's like she has a switch she can sit with me for cuddles and I can play ball etc and have even managed to get her to sit and can even put a treat down tell her to leave and she will leave it until I i say go on and then she gets the treat and fuss we have also got her to ask to go out and come in so in some respects she is doing great but she just seems to go mad and switch into a biting machine it wouldn't be so bad if it was just 10 mins then I could get her to stop but she can be like it for up to 3 hrs and she won't listen to anything when she is like it she won't leave she won't come when I call her and she won't even sit. I have asked the vet and they have said that she is fine health wise we have been advised to change her food (currently on bakers puppy as that's what breaded was giving her) but everyone keeps saying it's normal and just to ignore her I am trying but it's so hard especially when it's just me and her at home.

if I move all shoes etc doesn't that mean that she is not going to learn that she shouldn't chew them surely she needs to learn that they are not her toys and by removing them she won't learn that or is this something I should do temporarily until she has stopped biting so much ??

Would like to say thank you for all advice from everyone I never thought having a puppy would be harder than a child and make you feel so alone and helpless. Having people on here reply and give advice really helps you not feel alone and give ideas that help x

Never having had a child I can't compare but yes, puppies are hard work! However, their phases do all pass and you can help them pass with some help from us. And from Victoria...

First of all, though, you are doing amazingly well! Reading through what you've written now, I'm impressed you've taught her so much already! She's a bright girl and clearly responds when you get it right, so now we need to help you get it right with the biting etc.

I would absolutely change her food. Bakers is fairly toward to bottom of the growing list of dog foods. There's website called All About Dog Food, which scores a heap of different brands according to nutritional value. Bakers gets 0.1/5, and the stupid thing is that it's not even cheaper than some really good ones. I use Millie's Wolfheart, some of their mixes score 5/5, and are cheaper than Bakers, delivered!

http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory

https://www.millieswolfheart.co.uk/

You'd need to check which ones are suitable for puppies. All of their range are grain free (that's one of the things that can, in some dogs, cause excess energy problems).

Re putting things away, it want mean she doesn't learn. In fact, I'd argue the opposite because at the moment she'd learning shoes and things are brilliant fun! She will grow out of it on her own, so just keep everything tucked away for the next few months until she does. It's a good idea to get down to her level and see what you can see. Things like electrical cabling can be tempting, anything that's got bits sticking off, random small things... It's amazing how much tidier I became for having a puppy in the house again.

I think something else that will help you is my favourite videos (I can hear everyone yawning, I bang on about them so much!). Victoria Stilwell ('er off telly, It's Me or the Dog), has a great set of training videos specially for puppies. They are easy to do, fun and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C724F6F6A597540

Using her techniques, you can teach Skyla to come when you call her (even if she's holding something), to drop what she's got, and a whole host of other things. On top of the direct lessons of each session, you will also be working on communications and bonding, and you'll tire her. Mental work can be very tiring, which also means you don't want to overdo it, just a few minutes several times a day is much better than one big session where she won't take anything in after two minutes.

Victoria uses the 'yelp' method for mouting, which some find effective but others don't. Try it and see. I would still go down the route of walking off. Even if she's attached to your leg, walk off, leave the room and close the door for 30 seconds. She drove you away! Do it each and every time you feel her mouth on your skin or clothing. The very, very second, so she knows exactly what she did that caused the reaction. And do it very calmly and quietly, in other words boringly.

It won't be immediate and even when the penny has dropped there will be lapses, but persist and you should get there. I do have another idea but would rather you try this first for a good week or so.

I hope all this helps you feel armed and less at the mercy of those little teeth. Remember, just about everyone of us on here who has had a puppy knows exactly what you're talking about, and we all survived!