16 week old - biting all the time

My boyfriend and I purchased an Old English Sheepdog from a breeder in upstate NY. Lucy was calm and great for about a week and a half. After that she started biting everything and everyone. Though it is playful she doesnt stop no matter what we do. Yes, we have a toy in our hand to put in her mouth when she bites but that doesnt matter to her. She would rather chew my designer jeans and sweaters while on my body. The breeder stated that the mother was very calm but Lucy is a ball of energy. Does anyone have tips on how to stop her from biting all of us??
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A dog's mouth is like your or my hands. A young puppy is going to check everything out by putting it in their mouth. And at that age, their teeth are super sharp, so the biting is going to happen. Also, teething will start soon, so lots of chewing will result in that as well.

There is training you can do to help promote what is called "Bite Control". Its very simple to do, but you must be consistent at it. both of my girls very bad about biting in the beginning, and the training worked like a charm.

This link describes what we did pretty well. We didn't say "ow"; we yelped like a puppy would. My girls are as gentle as can be when it comes to their mouths now; I think this method worked really, really well for us.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/D ... bition.php

I believe I learned about bite control training, as silly as it sounds, from our copy of "Puppies for Dummies". If you don't have this book, you may want to get it, or a similar "what to expect with a new puppy" type of guide. We had about a half dozen books, and it really helped us a great deal. Good luck!
Also; the mother may have been calm, but a puppy isn't going to be. Its just not a puppy's nature to be calm. Especially a breed like an Old English Sheepdog, which can be very high energy for the first year or two of their lives. My girls didn't begin to calm down until they hit 12 months of age. And even now, I have one that I would call "calm" and one that is a complete high energy spaz. And they are half sisters, they share the same father.

Be prepared to give your new puppy LOTS of exercise. Once they are past their last Parvo shot (about week 16) trips to the park, puppy training classes, and long walks are a great way to interact with you pup, train him or her, and tire her out. And consider signing up as a member to our board. I found the forum here invaluable source of advice and help while I was dealing with new puppies.
Thank you so much for your advice!!! I will try this out immediatly!
Just to make you feel better, I had what I called "doggy clothes" when both of mine were pups. Clothes I wore at home and for walking them. This way I didn't worry about them damaging my regular clothes.
I just pulled my "winter clothes" out of storage, put on one of my favorite shirts, and found a huge hole in the sleeve. It made me smile to think of my girls as pups, putting the occasional hole in things. Now they just dig holes in my yard... :evil:
Just a suggestion - put away the designer clothes until your pup is about 8 months old. 8O I still have holes in favorite slacks and flannel pjs. Of course, now they are for painting and romps with the dog.

Another suggestion is to make sure the puppy is getting enough sleep. Yes, exercise is important, but young pups need 16 or more hours of sleep a day! :o I was surprised too.

Also, it's never too young to start training cause that engages their minds just as good exercise wears out their bodies.

Having a crate for rest, night time and time outs also is a good idea. We sure used the crate for all three - OK, so some advise not to use the crate for a time out, but we have and Winnie still goes in there to rest and for the night.

Most of all, be patient. OES pups aren't always like any others....we had biting and nipping for so long we weren't sure we'd keep Winnie. But we were patient and worked through it and now - at 15 months - she is a WONDERFUL dog!
I bought a pair of winter boots a couple weeks ago got home and realized they are going back!! they have pompoms and fake fur trim. :roll: I was on the fence with them anyways so it was a easy return. I just didn't feel like the hassle. :?
You have gotten great advice . Now for the questions:) where in NY did you get your puppy? Just asking becasue I am trying to uncover all the NY OES people :) :) :)
spacegirl21 wrote:
I bought a pair of winter boots a couple weeks ago got home and realized they are going back!! they have pompoms and fake fur trim. :roll: I was on the fence with them anyways so it was a easy return. I just didn't feel like the hassle. :?


Hahhaaa :lol: Ahhh, yes I remember those days. And ditto on the comment about puppy clothes. My husband and I are one week away from having a one year old. It does get better, MUCH BETTER :D :wink:
Darth Snuggle wrote:
I just pulled my "winter clothes" out of storage, put on one of my favorite shirts, and found a huge hole in the sleeve. It made me smile to think of my girls as pups, putting the occasional hole in things. Now they just dig holes in my yard... :evil:



EXACTLY!!! LOL!!!!!! The other day I found my "chiquita jeans" these were the only pair of jeans I wore while puppy training. Yes you read that right. I wore the same pair of pants for 6 months straight (while at home). :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: LOL! That just reminded me of sprinting in the door once home to run to my bedroom before hubby let chiquita out of the crate and she ripped into any other clothes. Ahhhhhhhh, puppy teeth.
3 1/2 years ago I posted this exact same post, now that Chauncey has matured and my sweaters and jeans are intact, but I find myself missing some of that puppy behavior...I must be losing my mind.
When Georgie was a puppy he ws really mouthy. I would be covered in bruises! It was especially rough with those razor sharp puppy teeth! We did all sorts of things-yelp when he would nip; push my fist into his mouth when he would try to bite my hand- but the thing that worked the best was stopping everything when he nipped, no activity and no attention. He eventually stopped the mouthy behavior when he was about a year old. My advice is just consistently respond to the bad behavior and they'll get it!
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