Our 12 week old puppy is very energetic and when she plays she mouths a lot and sometimes her "play" bite hurts. Any suggestions to stop this behavior?
Whenever she mouths at you make a loud sound and see what she does. If she continues to mouth then get a toy to play with her or just simply walk away and come back a few minutes later.
The "ouch" only works if you pair it with removing your attention from her. Actually turn your back to her and don't give her attention no matter what she does. If this doesn't work, e.g., she still solicits your attention, leave her sight (go to another room, go into the house and leave her alone in the yard, etc).
Use a clicker or positive reinforcement to reward her when she's being calm. She would be classified as reactive by some behavioralists, meaning, she reacts to stimuli in an undesirable manner. (Note: this does not mean she's a bad dog). Help her learn that calm behavior will be rewarded. Read, "Click it Calm" by Emma Parsons for more extensive exercises if you need more ideas than what's been posted here.
Play biting is pretty normal for a puppy, but it's great that you're trying to stop it right away. You'll want to teach her that people have sensitive skin, which will actually http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/biting-puppy-how-train-puppy-bites (train her to control the strength) of her mouthing.
http://www.luckypetcare.com/blog/2016/1/2/controlling-your-dogs-biting (Time-outs from play time) are also a great method, because the dog will soon connect that their mouthing/biting means no more playing.
To help a puppy get over biting and mouthing humans, consistency is most important. If someone in the dogs home lets them do this, then that will set you back. If they are starting to mouth you, give them an appropriate toy to play with. If they bite you, my favorite trick is the high pitched yelp, followed by turning my back briefly. You can also give them a very brief time out if they don't stop the behavior.
I do two things. First, I yelp (I don't say "ouch," I actually making a yelping sound). That is usually plenty to get my puppy's attention, then I stop all excitement for a few seconds or go back to what I was doing. I don't usually turn away or pull my hand away necessarily because this can trigger her to chase it. Second, what I recently started doing was teaching her a "stop" command (you can also do "leave it," "drop it," or "be gentle") and giving her a treat when she lets go of my hand. (In the beginning, you can have a treat in your other hand and wave it in front of her nose to trigger her to let go as you say the command.)
Puppies need to chew, just like babies. Provide lots of chew toys. Don't play tug or any games that encourage potential aggression. Make sure your fur baby gets lots of walks and exercise. Work with teaching "fetch". When you get nipped say "Ouch!" and when giving a treat say "Be Gentle" When your puppy takes a treat gently "Praise, praise, praise". Praise for everything your puppy does "right or correctly". And, most of all be patient.
Usually I just say "OUCH!" and remove my hand will do the job but if you really hate the "bite play" you can spray some bitter apple or tree tea oil on your hand so that the puppy doesn't chew on your hand.
I've found that a very effective method for any types of unwanted behavior is using a spray bottle of water. The dog will learn to understand very quickly exactly what it is that you don't want him doing.
A high pitched OUCH is usually best. Puppies usually play fight with their litter mates and learn pretty quickly what sounds mean they need to cut it out and be more gentle. Avoiding hand play altogether is also pretty helpful -- use toys instead! The older a dog gets the more frightening/painful its biting can be especially to a small child or someone who is a little nervous around dogs. If they think its okay to chew even gently it can seriously damage their relationship with people who aren't so comfortable with that!
The ouch doesn't work for her. She gets more excited & bite more when I let out a loud yelp. But turning my back & walking away works. She's more calm when I get back to her a few minutes later.
You have to teach your puppy bite inhibition. Meaning that they can control how forceful their bite is. Never allow a puppy to chew on your hands, even if it does not hurt. When a puppy is play biting you or even accepting a treat from your hand, say OUCH and remove your hand until it bites gently. Repetition is the key in teaching anything to a puppy. Do it over and over and over and he will finally get that he has to bite softer to get what he wants.......the treat or you.
I agree with all the folks who say "ow" or "ouch" and stop playing. This also works with rabbits.
Dont use your hands as a play toy. Only play with toys. They'll associate hands with toys forever and then always wanna bite. And yes, when they do bite the hand, always scream by saying a key word. Always use one word so it's consistent. But definitely stop using your hands as toys. Play only with toys.