Puppy Biting...What should I do?

I'm in a similar situation with my puppy.  Here are the two things I am doing.  When he bites down hard, I yelp and walk away.  I live in a small apartment and believe me there are not too many places to walk away to.  lol  Only once has he followed me biting at my pants legs.  That time I again yelped and retreated to the bathroom and closed the door.  Fortunately for me, Buddy will whine and cry at the door and wait for me to come out so I don't have to worry about him getting into things he shouldn't.  When he is not biting hard, but still mouthing a bit, I stick a nylabone in his mouth and praise him for chewing what he should.
 
Sue

What a cute puppy....he is only like you said 8-10 weeks he is playing..he is just a baby it's very normal for pups to bite...Mine did that till she was around 5-6 months..Around the time she got her adult teeth..My suggestion to you is when he bites tell him NO..and put a toy in is mouth to keep him busy he is teething and biting you or a toy feels good on his gums..he is just a baby it's normal ..Fustrating at times but normal

Since pups don't speak English, I like to give them a command that tells them what I WANT them to do, or NOT do.  When I have a pup....although I generally have litters......I tell them "eh eh, no bite" and give them something else to chew on besides ME.I tell them "here, THIS is for biting"  Then I praise for chewing on the appropriate item.  This works quite well and I'm pretty typically REALLY outnumbered!

Thanks for the quick responses!  I will try always having a toy on hand.  One thing we noticed tonight that was he bites me a lot more than my girlfriend.  He actually broke my skin tonight...I am guessing others have had this problem too.  I really hurts, but I don't feel threatend.  I guess I am just trying to make sure he is just playing.
 
As far as aggresiveness, am I safe to believe that this is not an agressive behavior?

It is absolutely not aggressive behavior.  I want to tell you one important thing to consider;  even if you think a certain behavior is "cute" now, ask yourself..."will I want him doing this as an adult?"  If the answer is no, learn how to redirect that energy towards something positive. 

You've got a cute pup, keep posting pics...[]

Last night was really good.  I tried something new.  When Hercules (the puppy) would start biting I would say ah-ah!  If he did not stop, I would squirt him with water.  This usually distracted him enough were I could get him something else.  By the end of the night just saying ah-ah! would usually stop the behavior.

He is really good 75-80% of the time, but when he gets hyper it really takes alot of effort to keep him under control (and sometimes we cant, so then it's a time-out).

Great way to address the biting problem. You dealt with it the same way his mom would have. She would not run away and show submission. She corrects unwanted behavior.
 
Would what you did (telling a puppy no and correcting him, the squirt) be considered an acceptable training method for most on this forum?
 
 

ORIGINAL: adogwhisperer
Would what you did (telling a puppy no and correcting him, the squirt) be considered an acceptable training method for most on this forum?

I have wondered this too.  Hercules doesn't seem afriad of the water, but more confused and distracted when I squirted him just long enough for me to get something else in his mouth.

The water isn't supposed to be a punishment...just a distraction so you can shove something ok to chew on in his mouth.
 
I typically don't reach this stage because I tell pups "eh eh, no bite" and then give them something good to chew on and praise for that.  I've got to say, I don't typically see momma dogs doing a ton of corrections, but I do see littermates walk away when someone is too rough.
 
Shadow was a singleton and I did use a spray bottle with him....kind of hard  to learn from your littermates when you don't HAVE any!

I personally have never seen a mother dog "correct" a puppy by spraying water in his face.
Go watch a litter sometime. The ups chew on each other and on mom pretty much non-stop. If any pup bites too hard, the bitten dog yelps loudly and walks away. Pups usually don't master bite inhibition until age 12 weeks, and may continue to make mistakes with their teeth until age 16 weeks. Squirting a 10 week old puppy in the face is really unfair. Would you squirt an infant in the face for pulling on your hair?

Ah, well, if the pup is THAT young, I retract what I said.  Shadow was well OVER 16 weeks before I got tired of trying to teach him without an aversive.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy
Squirting a 10 week old puppy in the face is really unfair. Would you squirt an infant in the face for pulling on your hair?

I guess I should have clarified that I don't squirt him in the face, I was squirting him on his back, just enough for him to see what was going on and get my legs out of his mouth.  By the time he would turn back around I would have a chew toy for him.  I should also mention I primarily have tried this outside when going for walks when,because of the leash, I cannot walk away from him.

Whould people suggest that I stop using the water? I seemed to be very effective last night (we both seem to be much happier).

Would what you did (telling a puppy no and correcting him, the squirt) be considered an acceptable training method for most on this forum?

 
I, for one, have never been a fan of water squirting, especially in young puppies.  It can be effective for shock value, but it can also traumatize the pup so it won't drink water from a squirt bottle (which is handy on long hikes.)
 
Somehow, even though she's not armed with a squirt bottle, a pup's mother can get them to stop biting her.  How?  By walking away.  It's not submissive to walk away.  In fact haven't you ever heard the "it takes a bigger man to walk away..." saying?  By walking away the mother teaches the pup..."bite too hard, I won't play with you anymore."  Pups like to play.  Therefore the pup learns.  Some pups are more stubborn about learning than others, but the pups mother still doesn't have a squirt bottle, so she still just walks away.  I'm not sure why we want everything NOW, but we do.  So we employ tools and hope that the pup learns as efficiently as it would from it's mother.  Hey, if we don't have a squirt bottle we can shout "HEY" or throw a can filled with beans or whatever to distract the pup.  It's not consistent but it works at the time.  But since we don't leave the pup doesn't get a clear message.
 
It's hard to put up with puppy teething.  That's why you should have chew toys at hand, in your pocket, on the coffee table, on the night stand, everywhere you possibly will be spending time with the pup.  When the pup bites, you put the appropriate toy in his mouth, reward.  If he ignores the toy and goes for you again, you leave or at least separate him from you.  Pups learn quickly if you're consistent. 
 
Dogs aren't wired the same way that we are.  They generally don't have abstract thoughts and if you aren't consistent in their training they don't get it as quickly. 

Original: MinnMonkey
I have wondered this too. Hercules doesn't seem afriad of the water, but more confused and distracted when I squirted him just long enough for me to get something else in his mouth.

 

MinnMonkey, great to see the relationship you're building with your pup. By stopping the unwanted behavior, you are showing the pup your leadership position, just like his mom. I probably would not put something else in his mouth. The pup might see this as a reward for biting. Best way is to correct, give him something else to do, then praise. Won't be long the pup will respect you and want to please the pack leader.
 
As far as the running away, yelping, etc., that may be what other pups in a litter might do but it's not what mom would do. She would teach respect by stopping the behavior. You don't want your pup to see you as an equal, you want him to see you as his leader and teacher.......his mom. 
 
Also I believe a time out is too harsh for a young pup. He sees that as being abandoned by his pack. There is nothing more frightening for a young dog.
 
Just my 2 cents worth. Enjoy that pup.