How to stop Puppy biting is an all too familiar question that I receive on a regular basis.
Many new Dog owners are totally overwhelmed by the crazed ball of fur that seemed so cute only a few minutes earlier!
Sound familiar?
Well, there are a few very basic factors to consider when learning how to stop this behaviour.
Why Does My Puppy Keep Biting?
- Young Puppies explore much of their surroundings with their mouths. This is natural and to be expected
- They are teething and believe it or not wrapping their mouth around your ankle helps to relieve the pain
- They love to play and all Dogs play fight predominantly using their mouths and regularly bite each other in play
- Dogs have less nerves and a higher pain threshold than humans and simply do not realise they are inflicting pain
All that being said it is still no fun to us when our little cute Puppy turns in to the bite monster from hell and simply will not leave us alone!
Over the years I have learnt a few fool proof techniques that will quickly help you keep this unwanted behaviour under control. Here are a few of the best techniques I have discovered.
How To Stop Puppy From Biting
- Stay calm. There is no point getting overtly annoyed and shouting at the Puppy. It simply will not respond and does not understand anyway
- Stop being friends. When the little bundle of joy is trying to slowly eat your fingers off give a loud "yelp" in a high pitched voice, turn your back and leave the room for a few minutes. This really affirms you will not tolerate such behaviour
- Use something that tastes bad. Apply something like Pepper or a bought product that tastes bad to Dogs and put in on your hands/ankles. This will soon stop the Puppy from biting
- Substitution. As soon as the biting commences pull your hand away and replace it with a Toy for the Puppy to chew on/play with
This is by no means an exhaustive list but it will go a long way to curbing the unwanted behaviour. It should quickly lead to a much more tranquil life with your Puppy.
It also goes without saying that, as with all Dogs, if they are under exercised, and full of energy, then any training techniques employed will work nowhere near as well as if your Dog gets plenty of exercise, as is naturally in a more tranquil state of mind.
Good Luck.
The author runs a site
The Three Dog Blog full of great advice where you can find more information on
How To Stop a Puppy From Biting.
Advice on
Puppy Potty Training Tips or older Dogs, and much more.
