Bite Worse Than Bark

Another interesting aspect in the adventures of raising a Labrador puppy, is getting over their natural instincts to bite and chew everything in sight; including their owner's hands. The fascinating thing that you learn very quickly, either from research or simple word of mouth from other Lab owners, is that there are one million and one methods to remedy a chewer, you simply need to find the one that works for you. "Crating" as punishment is a commonly spoken solution. Another somewhat peculiar one I heard from a Vet's nurse was dipping fingers in bleach when in contact with the dog. Somewhat brutal in my opinion, but what works for others is their business.

Me for example with Jazz, started with simply shouting "OUCH!" any time her teeth touched skin. Normally if Jazz was biting me for no apparent reason, it was because she was craving attention, so another way to avoid biting puppies is to give them as much attention as possible. Puppies will be puppies and biting is essentially just another form of playing to them, so it's not advised to be too negative with reinforcement of punishment for biting. It's a "phase" they may or may not grow out of, especially with Labs, and its best to examine new ways to find a solution rather than make matters worse with aggressive responses.

Another interesting tip comes from Joseph Doughtery with Ecology Photographic:

"Training a puppy not to bite or chew is actually quite simple: each time the dog nips a person, place your thumb and forefinger over the muzzle. Push down on the dog's upper lips until they curl in and you can feel they are over the sharp little upper canine teeth... then give it a little squeeze. This lets the puppy know just what it feels like when it uses its teeth on soft skin... and soon the nippy puppy learns to reserve its sharp little teeth for the tennis balls and chew toys."

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