Can You Train a Puppy Not To Bite?
According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year, and more than 800,000 people require medical care. Half of all people bitten are children. Dog bites, however, don’t have to happen. Puppies can be taught that biting is not allowed, and this lesson, when learned in puppyhood, will carry on into adulthood. So, what do you do about puppy biting?
All puppies should be taught from their first day in their new home that biting people and clothing is not allowed. Although puppies chew on each other in play, people are not other puppies, and your puppy needs to learn this.
How Do I Stop My Puppy From Biting During Play?
If your puppy tries to bite or chew on you during play, stop the game as soon as her mouth touches you. You can tell her, “Ouch! No bite!” and immediately move your hands and arms out of her reach, stand up, and walk away from her. If she chases you, trying to bite your legs, feet, or clothes, put her outside (in a safe place) or in her crate. You will have to repeat this lesson several times, but she’ll gradually learn that biting you means the fun and games stop.
The games you play can also affect whether your puppy bites you during play. Tug of war games can encourage your puppy to chew anything and everything because, during tug games, your puppy grabs onto something and pulls. If your puppy bites during this game, stop playing it until your puppy is older and has more self-control. It would be best if you didn’t wrestle with young puppies, either, because this is too much like the wrestling your puppy did with her littermates when they chewed on each other. Instead, play retrieving games with your puppy.
If your puppy likes to chase you, bite your legs, feet, or clothes (as many herding breed puppies want to do!), you can use a squirt bottle to stop it. Fill a squirt bottle (or a child’s water pistol) with water and carry it with you when you know the puppy will be excited and will likely try to bite you. When she does, tell her “No bite!” and squirt her with the water. The water itself is not the correction (your voice is), but it will startle her enough to stop the behavior. When she stops, praise her, “Good girl!”
How Do I Stop My Puppy From Biting Kids?
Suppose children live with or play with your puppy, teach them how to play with her. Of course, there is no wrestling or tug of war, but they should also learn not to run from her. If kids run, the puppy is going to want to chase them. If she chases them, she will want to catch them, and she catches things by grabbing with her teeth! Kids need to learn to interact with the puppy by throwing toys for her to fetch, rubbing her tummy, or petting her.
How Do I Stop My Puppy Biting During Grooming?
If your puppy tries to bite you when you are brushing her, bathing her, trimming her toenails, hooking up her leash, or caring for her in any other way, close her mouth as you tell her, “No bite!” Close her mouth by cupping her muzzle with your hand and gently holding her mouth shut. If she tries to bite again when you let go, repeat the correction. Be firm but not rough.
Destructive Puppy Chewing – Best Toys For Puppy Chewing
Nutrichomps (healthy rawhide alternative), canvas, and durable rubber are just a few of the many different materials used to make puppy teething toys. A company called Nylabone constructs several chew toys out of safe nylon that is impregnated with dog drool-inducing flavors, like ham. You can also try filling a hollow rubber toy with a few dog biscuits. That could keep your pup busy for a while since he can chew the toy itself, search for what’s inside, and then eat the biscuits. The longer he spends with such toys, the less time he’ll have to investigate other objects in your house, like your favorite pair of slippers.
Why Is My Puppy Biting Me Aggressively?
Most puppies typically do a bit of harmless hand-nipping. For all animals, playtime is meant to develop skills that the individual will benefit from in later life, so puppies use their mouths, tails, and everything else when playing with you and other pups. It’s one thing to have a little puppy nip at your hand, but it’s quite another to have a toothy adult dog take a chomp, as you point out. The goal is to redirect your dog’s natural tendencies toward something more productive and less potentially dangerous.
How Do I Stop My Puppy From Biting Hard?
The Humane Society of the United States advises that you offer a chew toy whenever you pet your puppy. If you have kids, have them do this as well, saving more sensitive hands. As you pet your puppy, let it continue to chew on the toy. Chewing will keep its mouth busy and reinforce how much fun it can be for your pet to be around people.
According to the Humane Society, one tip is to alternate which hand you use for petting and scratching and which one you use to hold and provide the chew toy. Try petting or scratching your pup first, since this stimulation usually gives puppies more energy and brings out the nipping/playing tendencies. When you think those might surface, hand over the chew toy.
Even without a chew toy at the ready, you must educate your puppy about proper social behavior. If your pup does bite, look right at it and yell, “Ouch!” and then ignore your pet until it’s calmed down. You might have to leave the room for a short while. Once things have settled down, try the petting/chew toy approach again. Your puppy should soon learn that one behavior results in a negative outcome, while another makes everybody happy.
Keep in mind that in dog training, aggression begets aggression. When you tell your puppy not to bite, be firm and consistent, but don’t be rough. If you are aggressive toward your puppy, your puppy will react with fear or will be aggressive in return.
During your efforts to teach your puppy not to bite people, keep in mind that this is a natural behavior for your puppy. Therefore, teaching her will take some time, and you need to be patient. It would be best if you also were consistent (as does everyone else in the family). If you let your puppy bite you during playtime but correct her when you’re brushing her, the problem will continue.
Article written by Author: Liz Palika, and The Dog Daily Expert
