Basenji puppies. Supposed to be this way?

My puppy is a Basenji, 7 weeks old.
She is constantly BITING us.
We try telling her no BITE, giving her a chew toy, and saying CHEW, but nothing seems to be working.
We tries hitting her on the nose, too.

Is it normal for her to be acting this way? Does she hate us already? (We've had her for a week now.)

Not hitting..flicking. I don't think it's not abusive, but we won't do it anymore.

My pup was taken away too early as well, and the yelping technique didn't do diddly squat. My version:

When the puppy nips even once, get up and walk away. Ignore it for a few minutes. You can start playing again, but if a nip pops up, repeat. Biting means that fun ends.

Some important tips:
--Make sure EVERYONE in the household follows the same technique. If not, this could confuse the puppy and keep up the bitey behavior.
--Be sure to get up as soon as nipping begins. If you let it get away for a bit, thinking it's "cute," this can and will make the pup even more excited and teethy. Don't turn it into a game.

Good luck!

PS--No, your dog doesn't hate you. All puppies go through the same thing. =)

It is possible that whoever had her before did not correct her on biting . If she just got taken from the mother and sibling she may be missing the play fighting that all puppies do. The best thing to do is just be persistant with what you are doing. She will catch on.

She is really missing out on important bite inhibition they learn from their dam and siblings, she should not have been taken from them so soon. Puppies play bite and learn from what happens. When she bites either turn away from her and ignore her or hold her muzzle and put her on her back for a few seconds. She should get the message. And make sure she has appropriate toys for mouthing and chewing.

Puppies learn bite inhibition from their siblings between the ages of 6 weeks to around 16 weeks. Being that you have had her for a week means that she was removed too early to have learnt this from her siblings. So now you need to teach her.

Firstly, sit down with her quietly and stroke her. If she goes to bite, give a low growl or a deep AHA! Make it deep and menacing. If she insists on biting, let loose with a very loud high pitched yelp, then immediately get up, pick her up and put her out of the room, into an area which is safe for her but very boring. After five minutes, let her back in and start again. Every time she puts teeth to skin, repeat the procedure. Its time consuming but a must.

When playing, offer her toys and give her plenty of praise for choosing a toy over your hands. At this fundemental stage, don't play any kinds of hand orientated games or smack her as it will encourage her to bite.

And of course, even at this young age, she is ready to start learning basic obedience. Basenji's are hunting dogs and tend to work away from their owners so she may be a little on the stubborn side to train.

Have fun though!

A 7 week old dog...does not bite...it nips. Hitting her on the nose is abusive, also. She will develop negative habits from you doing that to her and she will develop anti-social behaviors, as well. Keep giving her her chew toys and praise her when she takes the toy and give her a small treat when she does, too.....be consistent!!! Never hit, slap , kick an animal when they act not to your liking...it makes the problem worse. Positive and loving reactions work best...always!

Depends? Is it play biting or aggression biting. If its aggression biting I'd be worried and return it to the breeder. Otherwise that dog will be a huge headache walking lawsuit for the next 15 years.

Is it showing teeth like curling it's lip at you and growling or lunging at you? Grasping your skin and not letting go? Then you have a seriuos problem. Or is it just nipping and chewing on your hand with some play growling? There's a huge difference between play biting and aggressive biting. If its play biting that's completely normal because the dog is teething and wants something to chew on.

Don't ever tap or hit your dog on the nose otherwise that will make it aggressive. When correcting the dog always use a deep stern voice and never yell at the dog.

Unfortunately, she was separated from mom and litter mates far too early. It's critical they stay with everyone until at least 8 weeks of age. It's when they learn bite inhibition, which could explain why she's constantly biting and why she won't stop.

When she bites you, yelp in a high pitched voice. It'll startle her and you'll be imitating her litter mates when she bites too hard. Immediately give her a toy she can chew on. If she keeps trying to bite you, leave the room. She'll learn that biting = no fun.

Just be patient. She's only been with you for a week, and is just a baby. It'll take time for her to learn what's acceptable and what isn't. Consistency is key.