Ok ,  We have had lots of pups, always at 6-8 weeks not 17 weeks, like Gunner. Is it going to take longer to get him to stop biting? He is getting good about not jumping & potty training & I realize he is getting new teeth but he bites me all the time. He doesn't bite my hubby as much. He was just with me in the motorhome for a week before we came home. I yell NO when he bites, I have tapped him under his jaw, & held his muzzle & said NO. If I get up from the chair he will bite my butt. Is it going to take longer because of his age? Just wondering, he is a pretty good pup & seems very smart. I also have lots of thing for him to chew on.

Seems like Gunner is making his own pecking order.

I'd give him a good swift slap across the muzzle,even make him yelp, and he will start to see things differently.

I know it sounds harsh but, it nips it in the bud real fast and the lesson is learned. His mother or another dog would do a similair action.

And I would never allow him on furniture or to rest any part of his body on mine.This gives him the opportunity to claim you and your possessions.

He sounds fiesty. I like that.

Francine

I have a book called"Civilizing you Puppy" it said to only hit them under the chin & never on there head, it would make them head shy. Its not always easy to get under there jaw when they attack from the back haha

Do you think being older when training is starting is worse??

What we did with Rocky when he started being bitey to us. We would shake our heads say AHAH!!! And follow that by making Rocky sit and go into a "down stay "for a few minutes for redirection and time out.  The whole family has to be on the same page. And that is what worked.   Choose your word and tone of voice fo No and keep it the same for all family members. ... You could also sign up for a manners obedience class (Puppy Kindergarden)!!!  Good luck with Gunner

I wish I could take him to puppy kindergarten but I don't think they have it around here. We live very rural & the nearest one would probably be over 100 + miles. Our nearest Wal-mart is 120 miles & the nearest Petco is 180!! AAAAGH. I don't live at the end of the earth, but you can certainly see it from my house, hahaha

A 4 month old puppy who is biting your tushy when you get up is going overboard.

Anticipate and make a correction before it happens.Every time.

Francine

tried the squirt bottle, he loves the water so much he thought it was fun. I have noticed he does it more in the am & then again right before bedtime. That is when he gets his super playful spells. Today he has actually been a lot better about it & he is starting to sit instead of jumping for treats. I put up a baby gate in the hallway I will put him there when he gets to wild. He is pretty laid back except for his playful puppy spurts. I tell him NO & then try giving him a toy. He has lost 2 baby teeth this week, so I know he needs to chew.

The Late Great Kate was a puppy biter, forever!  Till we started biting her back and yelling OWIEEE!  She got it then and gave it up!  

I learned this from the series of books from James Herriot.  

When dog is doing the naughty, hold the dogs head between your 2 hands (kindly and gently, as if you were to give him a kiss), and look into his eyes and say sternly "No!".   Hold the gaze, shake his head from side to side, and repeat the "No!".  Do this until you see the light bulb in his/her eyes light up.  Repeat as necessary.  This works amazingly well for me.

Love the dogs, they will love you, and want to behave properly.

Man, I wish I could help with this one!  A few months ago, I was exactly where you are today.  From the very beginning, we knew Otto was a "bit" of a dominant personality, so we were diligent about making sure we walked through the door before he did, that the kids took turns feeding him, that we initiated petting/playtime, etc...but he just wasn't too happy being low man on the totem pole.  I tried rolling him as a puppy and the bear hug exercise--and it would easily be a 20 minute ordeal.  And when he began teething?  Yikes!  So I came to this message board and tried literally every single suggestion offered (committing to one method for a time, and trying another when I didn't see any improvement).  Nothing worked.  I tried grabbing his muzzle and growling No, lifting him up by his front paws and staring him down, etc...  Each time I released him, he'd come back for more.  We were both digging our heels in and no one wanted to be the first to give in.  Then I payed very careful attention to when the biting was the worst (for Otto, it was midway through an off-leash run.  After dashing around, he'd go into attack mode).  THEN I started taking a bumper out with me--and that made a HUGE difference.  He just needed someone to focus his energy and give him a job to do.  That helped tremendously.  Shortly thereafter we began his puppy obedience class, and I'm sure that the daily obedience sessions (constant reminders that we humans give the orders, and you four-legged types must follow them) helped cement his place in our pack.  Now Otto is to a point where he rarely puts his teeth on anyone.  And when he does, it's with a very soft mouth.  I'm still correcting this, as I don't want teeth on humans EVER, but he's much improved.  It quite literally is a pain in the a#@, but it does get better!

Prairie Fire, what do you mean by a bumper? like a board that you put between you?

Also, I did the face hold and growl thing, I also bit her nose when she was too squirrely, she rarely mouths me now, she still

Also I agree, I keep telling myself and everyone else that in a year we won't remember some of the irritating things she now does. My dad has a Great Pyranese that was a pushy mouthy thing until a year old. Nothing like 120 lbs of puppy pushing you over and grabbing your hand YIKES. Now at 2 yrs she is a sweet heart that listens great and never mouths anyone. Time and patience is my mantra with my GSP girl and I know she will only get better as we work with her.

Newton

Newton,

Here's a picture of a bumper/training dummy for you--it's just a retrieving tool.  Once I had a way to direct Otto's energies, he improved drastically.

Though, I have to say, some sort of protective barrier might have come in handy when fending of that bloodsucking puppy!  Ole'!

There were a few weeks when I was really worried we had made a terrible mistake, but he's made quite a turn around.  We just had to stay consistent, give him plenty of exercise, and wait out the obnoxious puppy/teething stage.  I definitely think you're right.  In a year, we'll have forgotten all about the "labor pains"!

I tried the bear hug thing with my male when he was a pup and he peed all over me. Didn't like that. I did the separation thing when they were bad. Not just for biting. Another trick you could try ( except when you are attacked from behind!) is when the pup is biting you put your thumb onto her tongue and squeeze it against the bottom jaw and hold it. Not hard enough to hurt the pup, but hold it for a moment. That worked for me because they don't like their tongue being held. After a few times of that mine quit being a Tazmanian devil! Little vampires they are! It will get better!!