Hello, I have an 8week old Old English Sheepdog puppy. Toilet training is going really well, she is good at that and also being left in the kitchen at night. The one thing we really do have a problem with though is puppy nipping, She keeps going for our hand and clothes- and I just can not seem to stop her from doing it. I will be playing with a toy with her and she will go for my hands- I yelp really loud and high but doesn't seem to do anything, it just makes her do it even more. Same as when she grabs our clothes- we yelp and still nothing, she just growls and starts trying to play tug of war. Can anyone please give me any advise on what we can do to stop her from doing this?
Many thanks

One of my books says if yelping or 'Ouch' doesn't work to try bellowing like a wounded bull elephant! If ours persists in this behaviour we break off from play, leave the room & shut the door if possible, count to 10, return to the room and ignore him. When he is calm tell him to sit and reassert your authority before playing again.

Thanks I shall try that. Its just so hard to know what to do some times. Everyone says something different, I have even been told to bite back- yeah right as if I'm gonna do that!!! I just want to do something that wont hurt her but she will soon get the message that I dont want her to bite. Thanks for your advise.

It's perfectly normal. Sometimes yelping does excite them more. Ignore her walk away.

Have a read of this...

The Bite Stops Here

Gosh thats a lot to take in. so what I should allow the puppy to bite for now and then a few weeks later stop her? That doesn't sound right. But hey if it works....?

It's important that you first teach her to bite gently before you teach her to stop it altogether. This is call bite inhibition and the reason it's so important is that if somebody was to stand on the dogs tail in future years and she hit out with a bite it is much more likely that the bite wouldn't brake the skin.
Without bite inhibition the consequences might be far worse, and fatal for the dog.

Try this site Dog Star Daily
It has everything you will need to educate your puppy

Good luck

__________________
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

No, it's not that you allow it but stop it later, more that gentle mouthing is acceptable, but once they start getting too hard (usually because they get excited), then stop it and walk away. Later when the puppy learns that hard biting is unacceptable you can move to stop it completely. All you are doing is continuing with the lessons learned from their littermates. In a litter, there is much play biting. If a puppy bites too hard, the other puppy may squeal, will walk away and game ends.... the puppy that has bitten learns that if he bites too hard, it is the end of the game.

The other think to remember is that puppies generally have enough natural excitement. Like children and babies, when over excited or over tired, they go over the top. When this happens, simply give them some time out in their crate or wherever they are sleeping and allow them to calm down.