It is a puppy thing, definitely; however, you do need to let him/her know that it is not acceptable.
I had a heck of a time with Chloe. That "ouch!" and ignore thing did not work for us at all. What I finally learned was this.
I take her snout gently in my hand, give it a gentle wiggle and say in a deep, ominous "no biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite." It's not even loud, but it sounds like disappointment the way I say it. It's hard to describe, but I maneuver her into a submissive position on her back when I do it. When she stops squirming, I let go and say good girl. I did this every time she bite, mouthed, or even got close to biting. It didn't take long, but it wasn't super fast either.
Now I am confident that she would never bite anyone, because she just knows its not acceptable. Even now, when we're playing, and she's older now, if she even begins to get mouthy, I do it again, and she totally understands what no bite means. |