Biting behavior in older puppy

[Renee]

I have a very spunky Bichon Frise that evidently has found me to be the best chew toy in the world. Sometimes she really can get out of hand despite my repeated strong verbal "no" commands. I understand the need to be the dominant animal in our relationship, but I have never had a dog in my life with such will to be the top banana. Any suggestions.

[queenkarlata]

i suggest walking away from her and ignoring her when she does that. if that doesn't work, then hold her mouth shut when she does it while saying firmly "NO" and don't let go until she calms down (as bad as some may think it sounds). This worked for my dog, and now when he gets rough with people while they play, all they have to do is say "NO" and he stops. good luck.

[JessMaster]

hold her mouth shut when she does it while saying firmly "NO" and don't let go until she calms down

I'm in 100% agreement on this tactic. She will wiggle to get away and try to continue the bite fest, but just hang on firmly and calmly and she will realize that you aren't playing and are exerting your dominance. You won't hurt your puppy this way and you will be speaking the language she understands.

[Iamme]

Please do not hold the mouth shut. You could be asking for more trouble. Try rubbing original Listerine on your hands...your dog will hate it. It is perfectly safe. Dogs can sometimes get even more aggressive if you hold their mouth shut. It is uncomfortable and the have difficulty breathing. Also, dogs do not have opposable thumbs so they may nip more to get your hand away from their mouth. I have seen this happen many times in my training classes. Walking away, though, is a great idea. It tells the dog you do not want to play his/her game.

[luv4gsds]

You need to teach the bite inhibition.

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm