Originally Posted by
Labradorks
Before you start lip curls, holding the dog's mouth shut, corrections, etc., ask yourself if the puppy's needs are being met. If the puppy's needs are not being met, start there. Tanya had a lot of good suggestions. Just because you cannot afford a class, does not mean you can't train and mentally stimulate your puppy. There are books and there are online classes. The online classes I attend cost $65 for six weeks of lectures and auditing of 12 working pairs trained by world-famous trainers. Lectures and practice is 3-6 days per week. There is a class right now called Baby Genius for puppies your dog's age. That is about $100 less expensive than in in person, once a week class, often held by a sub-par trainer in a strip mall. Unfortunately, because your puppy is now five months old and still exhibiting this behavior, this is your puppy's go to behavior when she is feeling a certain way. It will take longer to break no matter what avenue you end up going. That said, it's bound to go away on its own before the pup hits a year old.
Personally, I would never use the lip curl or hold my dog's mouth shut. Not because it doesn't work (some dogs just get mad and come back harder, but it can work) but because I am not into punishment, pain or potentially causing my dog to distrust me. What I do is not "touchy feely" but the path of least resistance and something that trains the dog to do something different when he is over-aroused. I teach my dogs what I want them to do instead and for me, that was shoving a toy in their mouth and not reacting to biting. As soon as the pup was getting excited and before the teeth came out, I shove the toy in their mouth then party. I created value in the toy because he learned that biting did not get a reaction, but the toy in the mouth did. For many dogs, the party starts when the teeth touch the skin or the clothes and the person starts to scream or run. To this day every single one of my dogs has defaulted to toy in mouth when overly stimulated. When they know they are getting super excited, they actively look for a toy and come back with it. Consistency is key regardless of what you decide. I've never had any issues with my dogs or the couple dozen young and untrained Labs and Goldens I've fostered.