Help! We have a 9 week old Rottweiler that we've had for two weeks. He is very nippy, and we need help curbing this behavior. We have tried the following: giving a firm "NO" and replacing our hand with something he is allowed to chew on, ignoring him as soon as he starts to nip so he isn't getting the attention he wants, and also tried giving a firm "NO" and putting him in his kennel for several minutes (a local trainer said minimum of 15 minutes, but we don't want to reinforce the idea that if he howls, we will come, so we usually wait until he settles down). It isn't a mean or vicious biting, he never snarls or growls, but we need to stop this behavior. It's hard to play with him or even pet him without getting nipped. Some people may think it is a dominance thing, but I'm not sure. We work on that in other ways that are going well (for example, not letting him come in the house first, but instead, making him sit and stay while we walk in and then telling him when it's OK for him to come in, etc). Someone help! This is very frustrating!!

Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about
Biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting
Another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are
Alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months
They are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking
Moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another
Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find
One that won't yelp and jerk their hand away, or growl "Bad dog." and clamp
Their mouth shut. Then offer a chew toy. They keep trying despite hundreds
Of corrections. Another good technique is to quit playing and go away. Be
Sure to praise them when they are playing nice and not biting.

You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens.
Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can
Chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords.
Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into
Pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
There to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
Close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
Pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
Chewers such as Labs.

Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made
Lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the
Foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get
Them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch
Carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

He is a puppy. All his life he has lived with littermates that loved biting games. Now he is in a strange new pack, and can't believe nobody will play right. Some of my more recent training suggests the silent treatment, just walk away. Plan on it taking hundreds of corrections. Some dogs are much worse than others. I have been enjoying a run of easy puppies, but I really struggled with some of them in the past.

I also think it helps to have a chance to bite somebody. Perhaps you could even arrange a play date with a litter mate. Like their owners are fighting the same thing. You need to be very careful about strange dogs. Sometime shots and all, there will be a window where he could catch parvo. In sniff where a sick dog eliminated in the last 6 months and you have a major emergency.

Dominance is a big issue. He is going to be a big boy. Start obedience now if not already. The more strong willed the dog, the harder it is to teach them not to nip. Also see ''What does a puppy need?'' in the sticky, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251802