Under attack

We still have moments when we cuddle Dionne in our laps, stroking her velvety fur. But they are rare. During certain periods within the past few days, she's been transformed into a snapping, chomping monster.

This tends to happen most often after she's had a long nap, and she's bursting with energy. She'll lunge, trying to grab our clothes, our hands, anything into which she can sink her merciless teeth. We have scratches and scabs on our forearms and shins.

We believe one cause of this are the Big Dog Teeth that have begun erupting. Where they haven't yet poked through, her gums look bulgy and swollen. She has a variety of approved items to chew on, and sometimes we can fend off her nips by inserting them into her mouth.

We've also been clamping her jaws shut with our fingers -- relatively easy to do, as she's still so little. We both have a memory of being instructed to do this, in some long-ago puppy class. But it's not working well. The instant we let go, she snaps again.

Obviously she's not trying to be vicious. It looks like very excited play. But it's exceedingly obnoxious.

I've just done a bit of web-surfing and have read some persuasive opinions that the best way to deal with such biting is to yelp and cry out in a loudly distressed and startling voice, whenever it happens. The idea is to mimic how a puppy reacts when it's bitten too hard by a canine playmate. If the biting persists, you're supposed to immediately stop interacting with the offender.

Sounds plausible to me. Will it work? Stay tuned.