I got an 8 week old puppy...about 4 weeks ago now.

She is a German Sheppard - Husky mix.

The problem is...her mouth. Endlessly, when we pet her, its nibble, nibble, nibble. There are rarely times where we can pet her without SOME kind of hand nibbling.

Sometimes, when playing, she gets out of control and bites at our hands as well. When she does this, we make sure to stop playing immediately and depending upon the severity we give her a little time out in her crate.

I am lucky enough to know the owners of almost all of her brothers and sisters, and all the other dogs seem to be doing just fine. She was the runt, so I have to wonder if she is constantly trying to compensate because she knows she is small.

I have tried everything, from the firm "no", to rolling her on her back, to lightly holding her mouth shut after biting. I have read SO much online, but none of it seems to work. Shes not skiddish at all, like most dogs I have had. I can yell or clap at her, and she just continues on doing whatever it is she is doing.

We have been told by multiple people to "just get rid of her". Well, its not really that easy for me. I know she might be a challenge, but I am ready to accept that. I hate the idea of just passing her along to someone else. I feel like I would be passing on a burden that seems unmanageable, but really is just misunderstood (I went through a lot of that as a kid, so I know just how crappy that feels!)

I'm looking for any advice...ANY that might help us out!

I have to ask if she is biting or mouthing? alot of pups mouth as that is their way of play as well as biting. usually the mom and other pups will give the biter a firm no.

i had a pup that was taken away from its mom too early( later learned that not all pups are ready to leave at 8 weeks - especially some runts) who would nibble looking for a nipple to suckle. we ended up bottle feeding her another 4 weeks and then she was much better.

there will be much more helpful responses I am sure. just don't give up. puppies are like kids going through the terrible twos. it takes some time.

if it is happening while play. stop the play and walk away. do not look back at pup. he/she will be fine. then after a while you can go back to play. continue this until the pup stops the behavior. some pups/dogs alike will get so excited that they lose all sense of "good play".

keep us posted.

Thanks for the quick reply!

How do I know the difference between biting and mouthing?

She never bites hard to break the skin (has once or twice on accident). She just likes to have our fingers in her mouth, nibbling on it.

Kind of like people you see who chew on pens when they are bored. Not chewing them to break them or eat them, just chewing them because they are there. :???:

[Yogi]

Part of the problem is you have an 8 week old dog that you have had for 4 weeks. This means the dog was only 4 weeks old when you got it and was not totally weaned. People assume the minute the dog no longer nurses and starts eating solid food it is weaned but this is in fact false. Weaning is too stage in which the sibling and dam discipline along with socializing starts. This pup should still be with it litter mates and dam. Most states have laws about this. No kitten or puppy before 8 weeks of age.
This is to be expected since the dam was not able to address and the siblings were not able to spend the time required to deal with this which is normal.

Sorry for being confusing, she was 8 weeks when I took her.

She is roughly 12 weeks now.

i classify a bite when teeth connect to clothes or skin. I classify mouthing when they put their mouth on you with no teeth.

sounds to me that if you were to stop play and make the pup get down when it does either of the two it will learn it isn't ok. when you see the pup do this at the first sight say NO. then walk away do not let the pup continue with time or play while he is doing this. it should help.

once again. there will be others with better responses than mine. I can only tell you what has worked with the dogs I have had. I am no dog trainer and do not profess to be.

remember puppies are in a high learning stage and pick up things quick. break habits when you first see them and it will be easier to break it.

good luck and keep us posted