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Thanks for all the advice in this thread!

This is also the first thing I tell anyone getting any kind of dog. I also suggest that from the time that they're puppies, you regularly take food out of their mouths as they're eating it so that they learn not to be protective of their food bowl. This was especially important in my house as I had a small child when I brought my puppy home and I didn't want the dog to bite my son if he got too close at dinner time. To this day, he is the most gentle receiver of treats, and docile animal ever. The only exception to the "no mouthing" rule is when I'm wrestling with my son (his hero) and Tootsie Roll doesn't know we're just having fun. He'll step between us and gently put his mouth around my hand and look up at me as if to say "please don't hurt my boy" but once he knows it's all in fun, he's off to find his own toy to play with, or joining in our fun.

Thank you so much for these tips. We have an 8 week old that wants to put her mouth on everything, including our feet! I am starting this bite inhibition training today!

i am going to try this right away i had a bit of a fright this morning Kane my son his friwend came for him this morning to go to school lola got excited and swung her head round mouth open towards his leg he pulled away but he was shocked so i said no and put her in her crate and said no later i dont want any of my childrens friend to be frighted lola is such a love and just wants to be loved all the time she isnt vicious at all just daft going to try this starting now thanks for the advice

my little guy nips at us, I say NO and he still does it. I pick up him and say no no and he still does it. I gotta try the ignore thing to see if that works.

Hello Vitory, thank you for the great information, Toby is my 8 week puppy and loves to bite me, and i hate it, just didnt know how to train him not to. So this advice is definelty going to help, i will start that training today!

I'll let you know how it goes!

I always teach my dog when they try to bite me when they are a puppy, I take their own leg and put it in their mouth, and says, see does it hurts? dont bite me, bite your self, mommy dont like to be bitten..

all this tricks work for all my dog and they dont bite them self, not the master and not any furniture...

Can you tell me what you mean by 'mouthing' and 'open mouth approaching'? My Pasha came to live with me 5 years ago, at one years old ( so she is now 6). I don't believe she has any of these tendencies, but want to make sure I understand what you are saying. I rescued Pasha from a family with little children. At that time, there were no children in my house nor did I think there ever would be! She was crated all day, and all weekend long, by her former owners, and came to me having learned that the living room was where she was to do her business! We got her through that, and she is a great dog. She doesn't bite or even bark. I can groom her, take her food away from the first day I got her. She walks on a leash good, but I have not formally trained her to heel, etc. I didn't see a need. However, for the past four years I have also been raising my grandson (see, Pasha came first). So they are both used to each other. Pasha does 'off' really well. I tried to ensure Pasha understood her place was subserviant to my grandson. My grandson takes her for walks on a leash, and feeds her also. I have been very careful not to let the two alone together unsupervised so that play time never turned into biting (by Pasha) or hitting or hair pullling (by grandson). I have tried to teach them both to respect each others space. Now, after 4 years, Pasha has started nipping at him, and last night she got my grandson's ankle as he was walking by. I saw the whole thing, and there was no agressiveness coming from my grandson, he was just walking by as Pasha was sleeping. Pasha was very shagrin, put her head down ashamed, look to make sure grandson was okay. I scolded her and sent her to her room. I later found she pooped on the living room floor on the way to her room! I know she was upset! Now I realize that I have not done either of them good, and hope that starting the training recommended on this site will help. But I don't understand the verbage you are using. Pasha is my first dog and I have no dog buddies to get a better understanding. I hope this site will be very helpful.

Pasha has fine bite inhibition. That is not what is going on. It sounds like she woke and reacted to movement by her head, not realizing what she was doing when he walked by. The nipping may have to do with a power control. She views your grandson as below her, and now he is getting bigger, and she sees him as trying to advance his status. She is trying to keep him down, if that makes sense. The bite is unrelated to that, I believe. She was embarassed and ashamed that she bit her boy. Personally, I would use the NILF method http://www.dogo.org/Education/NILF.htm to let him rise above her in the household.

Hello all!
I'm a first time chow owner of an 8 week old pup, Razz. Thanks so much for the advice Victory! Razz was a very nippy girl, and withing 2 days of using her advice I've seen a dramatic improvement!

All of the shared comments are very helpful. . Remember that sensible dog training means teaching your Chow Chow puppy (or adult dog) to respect you. Good manners will follow and behavior problems will disappear. Respect training is better than obedience training!

I am going to start using your advice as soon as I get home today. This was SOOOOO helpful. Thank you so much! I love this community

I have started working with J.D. on this as he does have a tendency to want to gnaw on my hands when we are playing, or if he wants me to play. He is already learning not to bite but now he's taken to hitting me with his paw repeatedly to get my attention or to try and play. I've still been saying no and pulling back when he starts with that too, is this still the best approach? I don't want him to feel like he can't ever get my attention, but when he swings that paw and scrapes his claws along my hand or arm, that hurts just as much or more as him gnawing at me!

Hello. I'm new here. But we have had our puppy chow chow Gummy for three weeks now. We are still having troubles with her biting. I am scared she might be aggressive. I have been reading and reading about biting and how to stop her from biting and this by far is the best I have read. But is it corrrect that I understand that we should not even allow Gummy to have toys for biting? And if so, is it too late for me to teach her bite inhibition when Gummy has had chew toys for three weeks now? Please help. I have two kids and I really want our Gummy bear to stop biting... even playfully. -donna sy from quezon city, metro manila.

Posted few years ago but I still find it useful as I am a new chow owner. Thanks for posting this chuck of information!