New puppy - how to discourage chewing on fingers
We got a "choodle" or "chipoo" or whatever nickname you have for a cross between a chihuahua and a poodle. She is 11 weeks old, and we have had her about a month. So far she is doing pretty well with training. Still having some potty training issues (it's us that really needs to be trained to be responsive) but when I take her out she is good about going potty. It has been extremely rainy here for the past couple months, so we use puppy pads inside. She already knows the sit and stay command. She recognizes me to be her alpha dog.
So the thing that drives me crazy is that when I pick her up to pet her, or lay in my lap, she like to chew on my fingers. It isn't painful, but annoying. I want to nip this in the bud, now. What I have been doing so far, is to roll her on her back, hold her tightly, keeping my fingers out of reach and tell her "no" while she struggles to get my fingers. As soon as she settles down, I praise her, rub her belly and roll her back over. That almost works, but is very time consuming and doesn't have lasting effects. The other thing I have done is try to keep a chew toy on hand so when she starts chewing on me, I say NO and then give her the toy. When she chews on it I praise her and pet her. That, again, only work for a minute or so.
Am I expecting too much for such a young pup, or should I try another method?