My puppy is nosy!

[Kyle]

Bear is 5 months now, and he is very nosy. He is constantly coming up and and trying to mouth your legs and hands. He also has a bit of a nipping problem. I have tried grabbing the lower jaw, the lip against the tooth trick, holding the mouth shut, yelling no, and nothing seems to get him to stop being mouthy. I have heard lime juice works, but its just not realistic to carry around a spray bottle all the time....any ideas on how to teach him to keep his mouth to himself?

[jeffreyd]

we used sour apple spray worked pretty good. i think it is just the age, our pup is 6 months and when he wants to kiss you will get some tongue if your not careful

[Ufatz]

Relax. Normal behavior in a young dog. Remember, his teeth and everything about him is growing. Please DON'T holler at him too much. You want him to love and respect you, NOT fear you.

Keep grabbing his head like that and he is going to shy away from you when you reach to pet him. Be patient and Bear will grow up to be a nice guy.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I disagree. He needs to learn that mouthing/nipping/biting people is not acceptable and needs to stop now. If he wants to do that with other pups and dogs, that is fine, but he should not be allowed to mouth a human. Momma dog wouldn't put up with it, either. People have been sued over a little puppy bite. Scroll through the past few pages. This question gets brought up a lot.

Lime juice is great for barking and whining. Never tried it for nipping, though.

[OutlawTorn]

I algree with RW - unaccaptable. It is normal for many puppies to act like this, but no excuse not to let him understand biting is OK.

When he nips, try a high pitched "Ow!!!" like another dog would if it was bit too hard. 9 times out of 10, the pup doesnt want to hurt you and will come to try and lick where it bit you.

If pup does it more than once and doesnt get the "Ouch that hurt" idea, grab him by the scruff and roll his furry but onto his back the moment it happens. Hold him there until he looks away from your eyes.

Let it be done there. Other dogs will almost always give a warning before becoming physical and the moment after it happens, any animosity is gone.

[Hooves]

My 5 month lab is the same way. I have been saying ouch and yelping if she comes back again I just tap her on the nose and say NO. Seems to be working she still tries but she is a puppy so you can only expect so much. I also have the problem with the whining. I am hoping that it just a puppy thing and that she will grow out of it but it can get old.

[deerminator]

I think what Ufatz is trying to say is that yelling at your dog and grabbing his head is going to make the dog fear you. He may not do it any longer but that's because he's scared of you. I'd rather teach the dog to respect me and the rules of the game. Alternatives like shooting water at him with a squirt bottle or simply moving away from him and ignoring him when he jumps or bites at you will produce results without fear. Pretty soon, he associates biting you with the end of play so he doesnt do it anymore. It's always seemed to work for the dogs I had as a kid and our first family dog. It just takes a little more time than yelling, etc.

[Surreal Deal]

Remember, to him you are some sort of highly evolved dog that walks around on it's hind legs. If you are not the pack leader, he'll assume that you're just another dog he can push around.

I suggest a strong authoritative "No!" in a deep voice along with some enforced eye contact - He needs the pack leader to keep him in line. Grabbing his snout and holding it shut while doing this is OK, pinning him down to the ground and holding him there until he becomes still is also acceptable. Upon submission you should immediately release him and make friends with him again. Dogs do not understand grudges.

None of these things should be drawn out for a long period of time nor EVER done in anger. Yelling hitting and prolonged disciplinary measures are not native language to a dog and he won' understand them the way that you want him to.

[TeamXtreme]

Work on his obedience. I.e. The basics! My lab was/is the same way when he's all excited. I make him sit at heel and patiently wait for praise and to be touched. This causes him to slow down and calm himself. His excitement is what drove the reason for his mouthiness. He never bit or nipped, but always wanted to touch you with his mouth. This should calm him down, which gives him time to think and be a good citizen, and allows you to pet him without all of the nipping. He'll eventually learn that when he wants to be touched, his first thought in his head should be to heel and sit and wait. Makes for a very plesant best friend.

The three best things that you can teach a dog... obedience, obedience, and obedience. Everything else stems from that. And don't forget, that training never ends, no matter how old the dog. Always take them back to the basics. It never fails.

[Ufatz]

Ooooops! Didn't mean to imply you let the dog get away with BITING you. He bite...you grab him right around the snout,not GRAB which will scare him, just wrap your hand around his snout, look him right in the eye and SAY NO! If you can't get hand on snout easily don't LUNGE at him.....just get him next time. It can be cured. Take your time. Remember: he loves you, he will want to do what you want. After you tell him NO, scratch his head and tell him what a good dog is is. Even it he ain't right now!! Ha!