Coping and curbing puppy biting problems can be a major challenge for us dog fans. Puppy biting or pinching starts out as a small bit of fun, but needs to be contained quickly to keep away from ongoing problems...
For most young puppies biting is a dead instinctive and essential phase to go through, especially when we are teething.
The nice news is that most puppies can be conditioned to regulate and minimize the biting basically. The earlier you begin to educate your puppy in bite inhibition (having a soft mouth) the simpler it will be - for all concerned.
Cease Your Puppy From Biting - Proven Techniques
This is probably the most popular method & my personal favourite. Make your puppy think they is hurting you each time they has a nip at you. This method replicates the way dogs sort out this biting amongst themselves. When puppies are biting & nipping each other it only stops when one puppy lets out a yelp. They can use this natural way dogs learn by letting out an Ouch! or an Arrr! every time one of our puppy's bite. The trick is to startle your dog with your voice, & then pull away & cease playing with your puppy for some time. Your pup will soon learn that when they starts to bite, his playmate (you) goes away.
Your aim to start with is to teach your puppy how to control the force of his/her biting. Your puppy's littermates will initiate this method & then it is up to you to continue on with it when your new puppy arrives home. This will be positive (not guarantee) that if your dog does bite somebody in the future the destroy will be minimized. When you have given your puppy sufficient feedback regarding the strength of his bite only then are you able to start to reduce the prevalence of the biting behavior.
In case you catch the biting issue early on it may be simple to rectify. try to redirect the biting from your flesh to a toy or chew bone. For very young puppies this method is often all you'll need do. As soon as your pup starts to bite your hands set free a firm "No!" & replace your fingers with the chew toy (or ice cube if your puppy is teething).
Teach your puppy the obedience training command "Leave It!". This method works great but is more suitable for older puppies.
In bad biting cases as soon as your puppy latches onto your hand say "No!" & quickly put your thumb inside his mouth under his tongue, & your other finger under his chin. Hold it there for about 10 seconds (not tightly). This will feel uncomfortable to your puppy plus they won't be able to bite you.
"Always Praise & Reward A Gentle Mouth & Ignore Or Withdraw From Inappropriate Nipping"
For older puppies (around 6 months) this is a sure fire method to cease puppy mouthing. Put a pinch or choke collar on your puppy & each time they bites you give the lead a short sharp tug. This correction will form an disagreeable association to your dog every time they bites you. It won't take him long to cease. Some trainers think this method to be extreme, & I concur that you would only need to call on it in very rare circumstances - I have seldom needed to go to this level. I think it is far more effective to educate your puppy than inflicting punishment or trying to extinquish a behavior altogether.
How to cease a puppy from biting - these methods have been recommended to me, but I have seldom tried them myself:
Again if your puppy has a extreme biting issue you can try this training method. Put on a pair of gloves & apply a foul tasting substance to them (something your dog doesn't like). Your dog will soon learn that if they bites you, it won't be tasty! This method produces a strong negative association to your dog every time they decides to bite you. Some dogs are intelligent to recognize that when you take your foul tasting gloves off, it is fine to sink their fangs in to you again!
Like I mentioned earlier, the most important piece of advice irrespective of which training method you pick is to be consistent & provide the clear feedback your puppy needs to learn.
Spray your puppy with water every time they starts nipping.
Fill up an empty can with rocks or coins. Each time your puppy starts biting say No! & give the can a shake. Apparently puppies detest this rattling noise.
If you are worried that you may have an excessively aggressive puppy on your hands, seek the advice of an experienced animal behaviorist or dog trainer.
