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How To Stop A Puppy From Biting

It's an annoying fact of dog ownership that most puppies love to bite.

The good news is that biting is a perfectly natural thing for a puppy to do, your puppy
is not being vicious or aggressive. Most young puppies go through this biting or nipping
phase as they are teething.

How To Stop A Puppy From Biting

It is very cute when very young puppies start to mouth or bite your little finger, but as
they get a bit older it can develop into a real problem. That's why it is important to let
your puppy know that biting is unacceptable behavior right from the start. It is much easier
to prevent puppy biting problems than to re-train puppies who already nip.

Before I go into specific methods you can use to stop your puppy from biting it is important
to keep these basic rules in mind:

- Never slap or hit your puppy in the face. This does not work! your puppy will just
think you are playing rough or may become afraid of you. You could end up with much bigger
problems than a bit of puppy biting.

- The general rule to stop problem nipping is to encourage acceptable behavior and
always discourage unacceptable behavior.

- Never play tug of war or wrestling type games with a puppy who bites. It will only
encourage him more.

- If you don't show your puppy that biting will not be tolerated, he will not know he is
doing anything wrong. Don't expect your puppy to just know this!

- Whichever method you choose to correct your puppies biting problem the golden rule is
be consistent! You and every other person who comes into contact with your puppy have
to lay down the law every time your puppy has a nip.

Stop Your Puppy From Biting - Proven Techniques

- If you catch the biting problem early on it may be very simple to fix. Just try to
redirect the biting from your fingers to a toy or chew bone. This method is usually all
you'll need if you have a very young puppy. As soon as your puppy starts to bite just say
No! and replace your fingers with a chew toy.

- My next favorite method is to make your dog think he is hurting you each time he has a
nip. This method really replicates the way dogs sort this biting out amongst themselves. When
they are biting and nipping each other it only stops when one puppy lets out a yelp. So
we can use this natural way dogs learn by letting out an Ouch! or an Arrr! when your puppy
starts to bite. Also as soon as you let out the Ouch! pull away and stop playing with your
dog for a while. Your puppy will soon get the message that when he starts to bite, his playmate
(you) goes away.

In bad biting cases as soon as your puppy latches onto your finger say No! and quickly
put your thumb inside his mouth under his tonque and your other finger under his chin. Hold it
there for about 10 seconds, (not too tightly) this will feel uncomfortable to your pup, and
he won't be able to bite you.

- Again if your puppy has a severe biting problem you can try this technique. Put on a
pair of gloves and apply a foul tasting substance to it (something your dog doesn't like). Your
dog will soon learn that if he bites you, it will won't be tasty! This method produces a
negative association every time your dog decides to bite you. Some dogs are smart enough to
realise that when you take your foul tasting gloves off it is fine to sink their fangs into
you again!

If you have an older puppy (4-5 months) that bites you can use this sure fire technique.
Put a choke or pinch collar on your puppy and each time he bites you give the lead a short sharp
tug. This again will be an unpleasant association to your dog every time he bites you. It won't
take him long to stop.

A couple of other methods that have been recommended to me, but I have never tried myself:

- Spray your puppy with water every time he bites.
- Fill up an empty tin can with rocks or coins. Each time your puppy starts biting say No!
and give the can a shake. He'll hate the noise.

Like I mentioned earlier, the most important piece of advice regardless of which method you
choose is to be consistent

About the Author

Chris Smith is a dog lover and creator of
www.dog-obedience-training-review.com
. The key to correcting any dog behavioral problems is basic dog obedience training. Find the latest cutting edge techniques here.

My Puppy is still nipping? Any other suggestions?

My schnauzer is now 10 weeks old and he is still nipping. When he does it I immediately put him on his back, cover his mouth with my hand, and say no bite. I hold it for a while maintiaing eye contact. Eventually i let go and he tries to bite again. SHould i repeat the procedure or just put him in the crate (time out). I can't walk away from him. He refuses to be ignored...

Biting and mouthing is common in young puppies and dogs especially in play and while teething. It's up to you to teach your puppy or dog what is acceptable and what is not.
Biting dogs are generally loving, sweet, adorable, affectionate and wonderful 99% of the time. Only 1% of the time does something specific happen that makes the dog bite. This article will discuss the causes of biting and what you can do to prevent your dog from biting.

Inhibit Biting
First of all, dogs must learn to inhibit their bite before they are 4 months old. Normally, they would learn this from their mother, their littermates and other members of the pack. But, because we take them away from this environment before this learning is completed, we must take over the training.
Socialization Prevents Biting
By allowing your puppy to socialize with other puppies and socialized dogs they can pick up where they left off. Puppies need to roll, tumble and play with each other. When they play, they bite each other everywhere and anywhere. This is where they learn to inhibit their biting. This is where they learn to control themselves. If they are too rough or rambunctious, they will find out because of how the other dogs and puppies react and interact with them. This is something that happens naturally and it is something we cannot accomplish. It can only be learned from trial and error. There is nothing you can say or do to educate them in this realm. They must learn from their own experience.
Another major advantage of dog to dog socialization besides the fact that it will help your dog to grow up not being fearful of other dogs is that they can vent their energy in an acceptable manner. Puppies that have other puppies to play with do not need to treat you like littermates. So the amount of play biting on you and your family should dramatically decrease. Puppies that do not play with other puppies are generally much more hyperactive and destructive in the home as well.

Lack of Socialization Causes Biting
A major cause of biting is lack of socialization. Lack of socialization often results in fearful or aggressive behavior. The two major reactions a dog has to something it is afraid of are to avoid it or to act aggressive in an attempt to make it go away. This is the most common cause of children being bitten. Dogs that are not socialized with children often end up biting them. The optimum time to socialize is before the dog reaches 4 months. With large breed dogs, 4 months may be too late, simply because at this age the puppy may already be too large for most mothers of young children to feel comfortable around. For most owners, the larger the dog is, the more difficult it is to control, especially around children. If there is anything you do not want your dog to be afraid of or aggressive towards, you must begin to socialize your puppy with them before it is 4 months old.
Trust and Respect Inhibits Biting
There are many other reasons your dog will bite and you will have to take an active role in teaching them. However, before you can teach your dog anything, there are two prerequisites that are essential. They are trust and respect. If your dog doesn't trust you, there is no reason why he should respect you. If your dog does not respect you, your relationship will be like two 5 year olds bossing each other around. If your dog does not trust and respect you, then when you attempt to teach your dog something, he will regard you as if he were thinking, "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
Use of Reprimands and Biting
Never hit, kick or slap your dog. This is the quickest way to erode the dog's trust in you. Yes, he will still love you. Even abused dogs love their owners. A unique characteristic of dogs is their unconditional love. You don't have to do anything to acquire your dog's love. But you must do a lot to gain your dog's trust and respect. Another area where we destroy our dog's trust in us is when we scold or punish them for housesoiling mistakes and accidents. When housetraining your puppy, there is never an appropriate time to punish or reprimand. If you catch your dog in the act, just head for the towels and cleaner. You have no right to scold him, because if he is going in the wrong place, it is your fault, not his. If you find an accident after the fact, just clean it up.
Summary Tips on Biting
Just a few tips:
1. Reprimand alone will never stop biting.
2. If no respect exists, the biting will get worse. If you act like a littermate, the dog will treat you as one.
3. If trust is not there, the dog may eventually bite out of fear or lack or confidence.
4. Inconsistency sabotages training. If you let the dog bite some of the time, then biting will never be completely eliminated.
5. Don't forget follow up. The dog must understand that it is the biting that you don't like, not the dog itself. Make up afterwards, but on your terms, not the dog's.
Most owners wait until a bite just "happens to occur" before trying to deal with it and are therefore totally unprepared when it happens - and do all the wrong things, thus making the problem worse. If your dog already has a biting problem you might want to order the book "Help! My Dog Has an Attitude."

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