how do you stop a pup from biting

shamrock55

we have a beagle pup about 12 wks old who constantly runs around biting legs we cant walk around and she is at your feet biting we have 2 small kids and we cant have her in the house anymore because she is always at the kids now its only playfull biting but its a real pain in the ass and im afraid it might get worse we cant even pet her as all she is interested in is biting im thinking of getting rid which is a shame as she is a lovely pup im hoping she might just grow out of it

tk123

OP this is NORMAL puppy play biting. There's loads of posts on it already if you do a search but a few methods

1 - make a yelp sound
2 - turn around and fold you arms and IGNORE the pup
3 - say nothing and put the pup out of the room for a few seconds and then let herback in (this is what worked for us) - do this every time and she'll catch on
4 - have you been to puppy classes or does the pup have any playmates in the park etc- they learn bite inhibition from each other (again this worked for us - my friends dog is the same age/size as my guy so they learned from each other)

You just need to teach her that biting = game over. Don't react, shout etc as this just gives the pup the attention they want - much like if one of the kids was acting up. Also you need to make sure everybody in the house is doing the same thing - so no screams from the kids etc!

shamrock55

yea we normally just put her out which means she is out more than in:D but i normally roar at her so i will just try the calmly pick her up and remove her method soee how that goes youd want some patients with her though she is a real handfull i often give her a tap on the snout too and wag the finger at her which i prob shouldnt do

DBB

OP, this is normal puppy stuff, which you can work through, but as with every pup, it's going to take time and careful management where small kids are concerned.
First, the pup needs to be contained so that the kids can move about without pup getting unsupervised access to their feet. A crate or puppy playpen is ideal. These should not be used as prisons, just as a management system for short periods.
Biting ankles is reinforced when people scream and screech when pup does it, when they wave their foot around with pup hanging on, or when they run away with pup chasing. All of these things are hilarious for pup, so as long as these keep happening, pup will continue to target ankles.
So, start this with adults. When pup starts to bite your ankles, stand stock still, and say "ouch", just like you do when pup bites hands, noses etc. Pretend your clothes/shoes are your skin. If pup ignores the ouch, and he probably will, say "enough" calmly but firmly, then place him calmly into his playpen or crate. Leave him there for 30 seconds, ignore the inevitable whining.
Then let him out and continue what you were doing. If he targets your ankles again, do exactly the same thing.
You will have to do this again and again, repetition and consistency are key. Do not lose your temper or become exasperated. Eventually, when you say "ouch", the pup will recognise this as a precursor to being put on a Time Out, and the biting will diminish.
When you have this fairly well established with adults, you can now let pup have more free time around the kids. But, when he targets their feet, you say "ouch", and if ignored, as above, say "enough", and into a 30 sec Time Out he goes. If the kids are old enough, they can do the "ouch" themselves, but you do it on behalf of smaller kids. The pup, now that he's gone through the initial learning process with adults first, will "get it" more quickly with the kids.
The kids might want to wear wellies or boots at first, so that pup doesn't hurt them during training.
If you're not available to act as the "ouch agent" for your kids, don't allow pup have free access to the kids. Into his crate with a nice, stuffed Kong toy with him instead.
On leading him into his crate, it's best to have a string, ribbon, or short lead attached to his collar so you can lead him to his crate without manhandling or having to plead with him. But always take the lead/string/ribbon off when pup is not supervised.

Edited to add: no tapping on the nose, or slapping. There's no need for it, and it doesn't work the way you might think it should!

shamrock55

cheers thanks for that

Dunny

You dont.