My puppy is always hyper and biting. How can I train him to stop?

Simba is a great age for starting puppy kindergarten! This is a beginner obedience class and can help the both of you learn how to speak each other's language, tire Simba out, and get some basic behaviors started. Looking for a positive reinforcement class specifically for puppies is best, and be sure to check how many vaccines Simba needs in order to enroll. At home, you can help stop nipping behavior by yelping "ouch!" as high pitched as you can to mimic a litter mate that was played with too roughly. You can also simply stand up and walk away, stopping the play session. Once Simba is calm, you can then start playtime again. This will help teach him that getting too excited and nippy is no fun because it stops play. Giving him a treat when he calmly plays or chews on his own toys can also help to teach him what you want him to chew on instead of your hands.

Congratulations on your new puppy! It takes some time for puppies to learn to mind their manners. I recommend making sure that Percy has plenty of toys to chew on as his adult teeth are coming in. As you are playing with Percy and he starts biting, you should stop playing and tell Percy "no" and only begin paying attention to him again once he is calm. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have about Percy!

Instead of you walking away, "banish" him to another room whenever he bites. Don't use his crate, if he has one, for this. You can also spray a bitter agent, such as Bitter Apple or Phooey, on your hands, just remember to wash well before you eat or touch your face. Be patient, firm and consistent in your training. He's still young and has a way to go in learning good behaviors.

Biting is normal puppy behavior but it is something you want to try to get under control quickly. There are a few methods to deal with biting and my favorite is to imitate another puppy. As soon as Apollo puts his mouth on you, 'yelp' and then walk away from him. Completely ignore him until he calms down. As soon as he does so, give him calm attention and encourage him to chew on something like a toy. If everyone is consistent with this behavior, most puppies learn quickly because they want their human's attention. That being said, not all puppies are cuddly. They are individuals just like people. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

First off, I highly recommend a beginner training class with Nero, and also getting him into something fun and active such as agility or flyball, as Sheepdogs are extremely smart and extremely prone to boredom. Sometimes, having a focused training class or activity can help get out that energy and put your dog to work so they are less likely to become bored and destructive. As for nipping, there are a few things you can try out: Have a toy or bone handy that you can put in Nero's mouth when he gets excited to give him something to chew on and be mouthy with other than your hands/arms. If he picks up a toy on his own, be sure to give him lots of praise to help teach him this is a good thing. If walking away or yelping doesn't help, teaching him something such as "settle" can help him to focus on calming down and relaxing instead of ramping up the behavior with more excitement. Grabbing his collar and holding him down is likely just exciting him more, but focusing on training such as sit, down, settle, etc can divert his focus into something productive instead. Practice "airplaning" treats. This involves having Nero sit and slowly bringing a treat down to him. If he jumps up or gets excited, you have him sit again and start over. Once he can focus on staying still, he gets the treat. This can help teach some impulse control and reduce excitement behavior. Give him a job! Redirect his attention by telling him to go find a specific toy or bone. This can help him get out that excited energy and focus on chewing on the toy, instead of jumping all over you.

I recommend getting him into a puppy kindergarten obedience class. The trainer can help you guide his energy into less aggressive, destructive paths. Also, make sure he is getting lots and lots of exercise, going for long walks, take him for a jog, throw the ball for him, get a tug toy and let him play tug of war with you or another dog, get him out for play dates with other dogs (best left after his vaccination series is finished, at about four months of age). A tired dog is a happy dog, and one less likely to get himself into trouble with boredom. When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.

It can always be tough with a new puppy. Some chewing is normal with a young puppy however it is important to start trying to control the behavior now. I would recommend when Blue starts to bite to replace it with something he can chew on. Also, I would recommend starting with some basic training. This would be sit, stay and come. That way when Blue starts to bite you he can be re-directed with the commands. I hope that helps