We have the same problem at 13 weeks....no amount of akk or no works, nor does walking away makes her stop. Under
advice we have been told to mimic what a mother dog would do with an unruly pup....it sounds odd but
growl really loud, ignore for a couple of minutes then let her come to you to make up. If this fails then
carefully roll her on her back, gently but firmly hold her there until she looks away (submissive posture), let her go, ignore
for two minutes and then praise good behaviour. This is intended not to hurt but to discipline in canine terms ....it has
worked really well when walking away, saying no fails,
Having seen what this technique can do to some dogs I would never go down this route and would really encourage anyone else not to either.
If you have a pup that's prone to standing up for itself, you will seriously aggravate potential behavioural problems doing things like this. Puppies don't need to be dominated, they need to be taught firmly and consistently, but very kindly. If they are shown how to behave through methods you have described above, you may end up with an unconfident, unhappy dog that works for you (sometimes) because it doesn't want to be hurt but this isn't ideal and at worst, you may end up with a dog that starts to challenge you and go head to head. Removing the pup and ignoring bad behaviour teaches them that they can't interact with you (which is what they want) when they behave in certain ways and they learn to enjoy behaving how we want them too because when they do that, they get rewarded for it by time with us and to be happy. This technique gives you MUCH more consistent results long term and a much happier dog. You also avoid having a nasty incident with your pup which could result in it not trusting you.
Teaching a pup to play nicely and have bite inhibition does take a very long time for some dogs but it's a small sacrifice to make for a lifetime with a happy, well balanced, well behaved dog - that respects and trusts you
If saying 'ow' or 'No' isn't working then it's best to resign yourself to removing the pup to a place he can safely watch you all from but not get at you.
Some methods that used to be suggested for bite inhibition in the past are: Flipping pups onto their backs, forcing hands to the back of their mouths when they bite as there are no teeth there so it doesn't hurt the human and holding their mouths closed when they bite. ALL these methods could cause you very serious problems with you pup/dog long term and you could end up with an unpredictable adult dog. Kindness, consistency, time and patience will give you a lovely dog who treats you in the same way in the future.. and you also get the most wonderful bond with your dog - which is unbeatable and what we all want
Please don't flip puppies onto their backs, it's horrible for them and encourages them not to trust you!!
Hannah xxx
