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It's natural for pups to nip and bite and we just need to teach them to use their mouths softly. I followed Dr. Ian Dunbar's advice to a T and taught both our dogs that nipping too hard was a BIG NO-NO while also teaching them it was OK to chew on other things. We followed the advice in the book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy - the Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy & Well-Behaved Dog" by Dr. Ian Dunbar. Basically he says (and we followed his advice to a T) when the puppy nips too hard, pretend you're really injured and yelp and turn away and ignore him for a bit. Give him a chew toy instead to chew on. Eventually, I assure you, the dog realizes that they must not nip too hard or they will be ignored and they will get a "soft mouth". We have a 16 mo old grandson now (i.e tail & ear pulling machine) and while we supervise 100% of the time, we are confident that our dogs will not react to him negatively. As well, we were able to see another example of how good our girl's bite inhibition is when our vet had to manipulate her sore leg (torn ACL) and she just kind of growled a bit and turned towards him but didn't try to bite him. Be patient and remember they're only being dogs. I find, if I try to act more like a "mother dog" (i.e, not talking but instead using body language to quiet them) it's ever so much better. Berners need a gentle hand in training - they have a sensitive and shy nature naturally.
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