Bullied by a black lab ( she keeps on biting me and won't listen to my firm "NO"! :(

[ilovemyblacklab]

I have an adorable six month old black labrador, she's all I ever wanted in a dog- she's got a very shiny coat fit for a doggie shampoo model, playful and very very smart. she moves like lightning too. there's one problem though- she's very mouthy. everytime i sit down on the couch, she would go for my hands and bite! bite! bite! and when she bites, it really HURTS! I've got bruises all over my arm, in my ankles, and my legs. whenever she'd bite my hand i would grab her gently on the collar and say a firm NO! but no amount of NO's would make her stop. at one point, i got off the couch and tried to ignore her but she tugged at my shirt and bit my ankle. ( I've read somewhere that it is best to ignore the pup and walk away when they bite, but how could you ignore the cheeky lil pup when she's having a go at your arm as if it were a chewbone?) any other insights on how to make a pup stop biting? also aside from biting problems, she tends to me up really, really early.. she'd bark and wail at her crate at 3am. and I've no choice but to go downstairs and keep her company ( usually,i'll just sleep on the couch, where she'd easily see me) otherwise, she'd drive the neighbors crazy. she's got a loud bark that resembles a ship honking from miles away. LOL. ( her bark is loud enough to be heard from 7 houses away) i love my black lab, she is my first puppy and i love her to bits but the biting and barking at 3am is driving me nearly bonkers. also, she doesn't seem to listen to any word i say. she won't come when called, won't stop biting even if i say NO. i think she doesn't believe me when i scold her. any insights on this? any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Sophiesmama]

How long have you had her? We started the "don't bite" command as soon as we got Sophie at 8 weeks. We would say the command in a stern voice and put our hand over her muzzle. She quit doing in at a little over 3 months old. I have heard people buy the sour apple spray for older pups and spray hands etc. I never tried it, but it might be worth a shot. As far as the 3am barking, can't you mover her crate into your bedroom? What time do you take her out to potty before bed? Maybe she needs to "go"... I would try putting the crate by my bed, so I could comfort her when she starts to cry. Also, you are learning about the "deaf ear" labs have. They'll listen when they feel like it. They are stubborn! We still leash Sophie even walking to the car. She wants to run, and won't always come when called. Sophie is 6 months too. Good luck....

[ilovemyblacklab]

I've had her since June. I'm a first time dog owner and It's been quite an adventure. I also tried saying a stern NO whilst holding her muzzle, but it didn't work, she got even more aggressive. I'll try the sour apple spray. *crossing my fingers that and hoping that the spray would work* I would go downstairs and let her out to go potty, but she wouldn't. she thinks it's play time. she'll run about like a wild energizer bunny and I would chase after her ( she usually grabs the first thing she can reach and runs away with it) she doesn't potty until 5am, but it seems like she's wired to wake up at 3am, and when she wakes up, she wants her 'people' awake too. her crate is too, too heavy to carry upstairs near my room. i tried to let her roam freely around the house at night but i don't think it's a good idea because she's just so hyper, she might knock my antique jars and hurt herself. I've been toying with the idea of having her leashed near the stairs- a few steps near my room but I don't think she'll be able to sleep properly in such an arrangement. thanks for the advice, sophie's mom! i'm gonna get myself a sour apple spray.

[ilovemyblacklab]

love the pics, btw. your lab looks adorable! i want to scratch her ears! too cute!

[Sophiesmama]

Well, Sophie can be a pill! You haven't been on this forum long enough to read the Sophie-tales I post! She too runs like a bullet! Always wants to play the chase game. Must be a labby thing... I don't think I would leash her for bed. One thing, she'd prob eat your carpet or the stair rail! Maybe you could purchase another crate and have one upstairs and one down. I think she is waking up and all that barking is her saying, "where's my mama? I'm all alone down here!" When we taught Sophie not to bite us, we used the Don't bite command with the hand on the muzzle because they get told No so often that we wanted a specific command for the biting. We were thankful when she figured it out and quit biting with those needle sharp teeth! We got Sophie in June, same as you. She sleeps with us, and always has. Every once in awhile, she will get up early and prowl the house for something to get into. Usually tho, she sleeps till we get up, or till she gives us the pittiful-need-to-potty-whine....You said something about antiques. I'd be putting those away just to be safe. Sophie loves to counter surf, and has a long reach! Your antique jars might be a casualty of lab curiosity. All my silk flower arrangements have either bit the dust, or are now put away. Same with my wicker baskets. I don't think your pup is being agressive with you, I think its just lab-play. You were put on this earth to entertain her, didn't you know? LOL! You might feel sticky from green apple spray, but maybe after a few sour tastes, she'll quit. Good luck, and post pictures soon!

[Dani]

NO is too general. No, bite, or a firm AHT! You need to get her to obedience and get her out and exercise her (more than a walk around the block)...this is typical attention getting behavior so you need to exercise her mind and her body.

[kassabella]

Kassa was like that as a puppy. They take time to mould into the dogs you are proud of. Lots of patience, time and positive reinforcement worked for me. I read a story where a man kept saying no to his dog. Ater some time it didn't respond to anything.Long story short, the dog thought his name was no. I could see that so made a mental note to stop myself every time I said no. I didn't realise how often I use it. Poor dog probably wondered if there was anything she could do. I use it as an emergency type word as often that is the first thing that comes out of my mouth.

If the mouth I over exagerate the ouchh.. and if I were sitting on the couch I stand up. I find if Erns or Gems gets a bit like they are going to push my buttons I stand up and give that...go on dog make my day look. Once they get used to the fact the action has a consequence they learn. I use aaaghhh if mean leave it or else. Other times I use a command to distract them. Sit.down, paw or whatever.

I play lots of games to keep them mentally stimulated as I think it is just as important as walks. Not sure, but works for me.

It takes time so hang in there.

[hannahmae19]

I also have a 6 month old lab got him in June his name is Bronson. I am having the same problems with the biting, waking up at 3,4, or 5 am every morning, and he loves to jump (all over me, my family, and furniture). For the crying and waking up in the crate, I bought a bed that is made to go into the bottom of the crate and that really seems to help (maybe this could help your puppy?), he will sleep till 6 am during the week and longer on the weekends! I also hired a dog walker (my 14 year old sister) to take him on walks/jogs when she is done with school; then at 8:30 or 9 I take him on another walk/ jog to get out the extra energy. As for the biting we are still working on that... I have started to hold the muzzle and say 'no bite', it seems to be helping but we still have some work.

[Sophiesmama]

Holding the muzzle and commanding: Don't bite! worked for us. We kept at it, never letting her slide, and she quit at about 3 months... good luck!

[km08stei]

I'm having the exact same problem with my black lab Addie! We learned that Addie is very food motivated. What I started to do was carry some of her food in my pocket. I would sit on the couch and when she would start to bite I would hold her muzzle and say "no teeth" firmly for about five times. I then would slowly release her muzzle. If she would bite again I would repeat. When she wouldn't bite, I would give her a piece of her food. I also am constantly putting my hand or arm in her face to try to tempt her. It started to work, but she recently got spayed and we had to pause her training and now she is right back to being a puppy with big dog teeth!