3 1/2 month puppy biting

Question
I have a male 3 1/2 month old boxer puppy. He is doing very well, with one exception. When he plays, he is all about 'nipping' with his teeth. This has caused some difficulty with our 14 yr old daughter, and 5 yr old grand-daughter. Any suggestions to get him to play w/o 'nipping' with his teeth? Thanks.

Answer
That is completely normal playing for a Boxer puppy.

He learned to play by nipping, attacking, etc., with his brothers and sisters (litter mates) and was taught how to play by his mother in order to be a "big, bad Boxer."

If you've ever watched puppies play together (litter mates) you will see that they roll around entwined together, nip each others ears and legs, etc., and pounce on each other, etc.

When you play with him, and he nips, stop him and verbally reprimand him immediately. A simple "no" will work. I suggest start using a whistle early at this age.

Blow the whistle and then reprimand him. The whistle sound will stop his mind-set and behavior, startle him, etc., then you can tell him "no" and withdraw from playing. By stopping and ignoring him, tells him he cannot have attention when misbehaving. Just get up and walk away and ignore him.

The sound of the whistle will soon signify he is doing something bad and learn soon enough to stop when he hears it. He will also learn people will walk away and ignore him too.

Maybe put a whistle on a string and wear around your (or kids) neck when playing with him so it is easy to blow at the moment he begins nipping and playing rough.

If all else fails after a few weeks time, you can add a "pat" (light pat) on his nose to the whistle and verbal reprimand.