I was told to soak a cotton ball on the bitter spray and put it it in his mouth... they get such a strong dose that they don't want anything to do with it and run the other way when they smell it...
The problem is bitting a ton. Tried yelping worked for 30 mins, standing up and ignoring worked briefly also just goes for pant legs and now apple spray which he just licks. Also redirecting to toys but he goes around the toy to the hands.
have you tried time outs? praise when he licks instead of biting? the second pup bites, he gets a timeout. A timeout consists of 10-15 seconds completely cut off from you aka behind a closed door. Bathrooms work well for timeouts but make sure there's nothing pup can get into. You can also work on licking instead of biting but using a stick of butter. Rub a little on the back of your hand, allow the puppy to lick the butter spot, praise for "kisses" and treat. Repeat. Enourage pleasant behaviors. Dont reward the bad.
The 10-15 seconds is the time frame for a timeout. Only negative side effects are if people abuse them and just lock the dog up and forget about them. In order for a timeout to work, the very second teeth connect with skin or clothes, say no and put pup in a timeout. Any longer than that and the pup will forget why they're in there and find something else to do. Max you could do would be 30 seconds but thats usually reserved for older pups/dogs.
I worked with a client who had an english mastiff pup (6 months old) who was very mouthy. She was far less mouthy after a week because her owners were consistent with the training. It was nice going back a week later and not getting chewed on.
A timeout is good because your pup chewing on you or your clothes is obviously undesireable behavior. by putting your pup in a timeout behind a closed door AWAY from you, they learn to associate the mouthing with the action and since 98% of puppies want to engage with their person/people, they learn the action of mouthing gets them removed from where they want to be.
Dog mouths you/clothes, firmly say no/no biting, and lead them calmly to their timeout room. When you put them in the room, as you're doing so, say "timeout" and close the door and count to 10. Let them out and try again. Repeat as needed.
You can carry him but it would defeat the purpose of minimalizing contact. Its best to lead him by the collar or if you have him dragging a leash still (or ever), lead him by the leash. He shouldnt bite your hand but being a puppy, its always a possibility. Its more likely he'd be more surprised that he's being corrected for the mouthing and follow along. Be prepared for a little resistance to the timeout once he connects it with "oops, i messed up". Just remain firm and calm when taking him to and putting him in the timeout room.
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