Warning; long, exhausted, crabby post
I'm doubtful that any strategy is actually effective, and it's just something that has to be ridden out. I feel like these corrections are just a band aid that makes the person feel like they have control over the situation, when in reality time (maturing) and reminders of "I don't like this" is the only thing that will meaningfully change the behavior.
The yelping, the reverse time outs, the ignoring, the cessation of play, redirection, the "bite inhibition" games. Not a single thing has worked in the last 6 weeks of having my puppy. If something does work temporarily, it is forgotten the next day and we are back at square 1.
Has anyone actually had any success with this before their puppy was finished with their teething phase? Has anyone stopped their puppy biting for more than a few hours with any of these methods? Because I'm getting extremely frustrated with the same regurgitated tips, and I genuinely cannot believe these methods work in any meaningful capacity before teething is done.
People never come back with a 3 or 4 month old puppy and go "here's what fixed it". It's always either "My puppy still bites but she bites less if I walk away!" Or "The reverse time outs just started working on my 6 month old puppy, this is great!" And its not the method. It's either you walking away causes your puppy to calm down a bit (not teaching them not to bite, just reducing their immediate stimulation levels), or its the age of the dog.
And yes, I know its a puppy thing and puppies do it because thats what they know and how they explore. It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell, and it doesn't mean that it stops making my puppy miserable to be around without her being tethered out of reach at home, or busy doing something else. It has turned into "if we are not walking, socializing, playing, eating, going to the bathroom, or actively training, she needs to be tethered away from me because I cannot deal". ESPECIALLY now that her adult teeth are cutting in.
The only thing that has come close to reducing biting is redirecting to a toy, and thats because she actively has something else to bite. Which isn't teaching her not to bite me, only tangentially that there are things that I will let her bite without yanking away or getting upset.
This turned into more of a vent sesh but I am at the end of my rope. Or maybe I'm just overtired myself and having my own tantrum.
If it truly is just that we have to wait this process out with frequent reminders that we don't like the biting, we need to say that, rather than offer false hope that there is a way to "fix it" before the puppy grows out of it. Or maybe I'm just particularly bad at correcting the biting, and everyone has a perfect non-bitey 14 week old puppy after 7 repetitions of reverse time outs.
What has everyone else's experience been?
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