[jpoudr23]

I have a 4 1/2 month old chocolate lab who is full of energy and love. The only problem is he can't seem to keep his mouth off our hands/arms. He gets plenty of attention and exercise but it is almost impossible to play with him because he is so mouthy. We have tried everything the trainer has told us, yelp out loud, say "no bite", put him in time out. Nothing is working. He doesn't really growl but it is obvious he wants to grab onto you. We are not afraid of him and he is wonderful with our 3 year old son but the behavior is getting to be really annoying because he is not a 7lb puppy anymore. He is 44 pounds!! Any advice??

[DoggieVogue]

Hmm, when you yelp do you turn your back on him and stop playing? that's one of the key things to remember that you won't play when he is being mouthy. Also make sure to always grab a toy to play with so he knows he's supposed to chew on his toys, not your arms! let me know how it goes, I hope that helps!

[jpoudr23]

We do but I think we can be more consistent with turning our back stop playing with him. We have been told by the trainer that he is stubborn. He is super smart and sits, lays down and obeys many commands when he wants to. He walks on the leash well, comes when called. This is our only real issue with him. I am hoping it is something that might fade with time and proper consistent training!!! We had a previous dog, a cocker spaniel, that was fairly aggressive and we had to get rid of him when my son started crawling because he did go after him. I hoped that a lab would be a better family dog and so far he is. I can definetly tell the difference between my cocker spaniels attitude when he would become aggessive and my lab. The lab is not mean at all!!! Thanks for your advice!!

[cigwyllt]

I had a similar problem with my dog at that age - the difference was that mine was a Jack Russell Terrier so a muuuuuch smaller mouth LOL! One thing that I read that made a difference for me was that some pups more than others are hugely over stimulated by touch. Some dogs get wound up quickly by a game of tug or by chasing but for my pup the trigger was touch.

Having wanted a dog that would crave attention and affection, and finding my dream dog, it was really frustrating to then find my dream dog, although keen to be stroked and petted would then turn every cuddle into a battle as he tried to mouth any part of me that he could reach. In the end I had to be really firm with myself as much as with him. I did not pick him up, allow him on the furniture, cuddle him - I played with him in other ways - he loved fetch. I would speak to him all the time, lots of eye contact but really limited the amount of touching. I found I could sit on the floor and stroke him at the end of the day when he was really relaxed but otherwise it was a no no.

Then when he was 6 months we started going to puppy class. It was a 45 min drive and I had to have him sitting on my lap - I was travelling with a friend in her car and her dog took up the whole of the back seat! But after a couple of weeks I realised that he was sitting happily on my knee and no longer attempting to mouth. Now he is the ultimate couch potato and loves cuddles and strokes but we had a long period of teething to go through to get there.

[jpoudr23]

I am so glad I found this website today. I am so appreciative of the responses I am getting.

Yes, a Jack Russell's mouth is much smaller! I was thinking about what you said and it makes sense to me now that he is most likely over stimulated by touch. When you reach down to pet his head he immediately goes for your hand as if he doesn't want to be pet. He will cuddle and let you pet him after he has had a long day of being outside and he will play fetch all day if you let him. I keep in mind that he is still a puppy! I guess we will have to try to ingore the urge to pet him and cuddle him if he is not in the mood. Thanks for your input!

[Todd]

this is generally a puppy thing so he should grow out of it. My dog did. Since many methods aren't wroking for you you could also try the spray bottle method by giving him a little squirt when he mouthes. Here's a link to a thread where we've be discussing this method;

Squirt Bottle Thoughts