Labrador retrievers are mouthy breeds. Usually at around 10 weeks old, they start putting everything in their mouths. This is how they explore their new worlds, how they communicate with other dogs, and often they are teething and that hurts. What this means for you is that your perfectly adorable puppy is suddenly a no-fun-at-all biting machine. Those puppy teeth are razor sharp and hurt! Now, some lab puppies never bite, and some stop after a few redirections, but a lot are what we call on this board "piranha puppies." They bite and bite and bite until their adult teeth come in (around 4 months). So first:
1) Your puppy is not "aggressive." New owners, especially those with small human children, worry that this biting phase means their puppy is unbalanced and evil. No, this is just a (very unpleasant) phase. But also a really important phase, because this is the time you'll be teaching your pup bite inhibition.
2) Bite inhibition means your dog will learn that as soon as human skin comes in contact with her mouth, she needs to be very, very gentle. Labs have an amazing soft mouth; they can carry eggs shells in their mouths without breaking the shell. But this ability comes with training from you and any other dogs she encounters.
3) Patience, patience, patience. People with biting puppies often post to the board reporting they tried x, y, or z, and it didn't work! No, this is one of those problems where there's no quick or instant fix. Get ready to settle down and redirect, correct, and train for 1 month+. You'll say "no bite" a million times, and you won't see improvement. But keep doing it, over, and over, and over, until you're saying "no bite" in your sleep. It *will* click. But puppies are babies, and you need to be patient and consistent.
The most often-used strategies for dealing with a land shark puppy:
*Yelp when the puppy bites you. This mimics the feedback they get from other puppies, but the noise can actually excite some.
*Redirect to another toy. When you get bitten, (gently) shove an appropriate toy in the puppy's mouth.
*Time outs. Put the puppy in a crate or safe place if she is too wound up or overtired.
*More exercise. Sometimes a puppy needs the opposite of rest and it's time to go run around the yard to release some energy.
*Come to this board and vent. Many of us have been through this and know the pain!
I invite fellow members to share their techniques for getting through this stage.