How to Stop a Puppy Biting

A puppy is probably the cutest thing in the world, but if it’s an issue, you need to stop

puppy biting as quickly as possible. Many owners don’t realize that this behaviour

can lead to issues with dominance and aggression later in the dog’s life, no matter

how cute it might seem when your puppy is rolling around on the floor.

In fact, most puppies learn to stop biting when they are still very young. Because

they have so many brothers and sisters in their litter, they quickly learn that when

they bite, they get bitten back. By the time a puppy is eight weeks old, it should

already know not to bite. The problem then is that the mother doesn’t always get

eight weeks to stop puppy biting.

The Early Days

If you take home a puppy that is less than eight weeks old or that simply did not

learn not to nip and bite at your fingers before you got it, it’s important to take quick

action to stop the biting behaviour.

First thing’s first. Never hit your puppy in response to the bite. If they don’t think

you’re playing, they may become afraid of you, developing serious phobias and

anxieties that can lead to aggression issues later in life.

To truly stop puppy biting, you need to address the root of the behaviour. To do this,

you should encourage them in any good behaviors and discourage any negative

behaviors. Don’t confuse the puppy by playing games that might lead to this kind of

aggression. Avoid wrestling, tug of war, or chase games that will lead to nipping by

the puppy.

Consistency will be very important in training your puppy. If you really want to stop

puppy biting, you cannot grow soft or let the dog get away with anything. You’re

doing this all for its own good.

The Training

When you start training your puppy, try to enrol them in obedience or socialization

classes. There are actual bite inhibition classes where trainers will mimic the

behaviours of the puppy’s mother, teaching it that the bites are not socially

acceptable. Socialization is good for many other reasons as well. It teaches your dog

to respond well to other dogs on the street and will reduce any aggression they show

toward other dogs.

Early, when you try to stop puppy biting, redirect the behaviour to something

constructive like a chew toy or bone. If you say “No!” and then give the dog a toy to

chew on instead, they will often learn very quickly that the finger is not okay, but the

toy is.

Another good method is to make a small, hurt noise whenever the puppy nips at you.

This will replicate the response a dog gets when it bites its litter mate. A soft whine or

yip will tell the puppy that it has caused you pain, something it doesn’t want to do.

Startle the dog enough that they let go and leave you be.

Training to stop puppy biting is a very important part of the relocation process,

especially if your puppy is very young. Ideally, your puppy should understand that by

the time they are 10 weeks old, biting is not okay. It will make the years to come

much less stressful and the risk of potential aggression the future much lower.

Recommended Reading:

Secrets to Dog Training – By Daniel Stevens

http://bit.ly/secretstodogtrainingrevealed

Secrets to Dog Training presents an unusually detailed and thorough look at how to both

prevent and deal with the more common problem behaviors exhibited by dogs.

Written by a seasoned dog trainer, you can relax in the knowledge that all the tips and

advice included are tried and true, and come from Stevens' real-life experiences as a

professional dog trainer.

There is also a straight-talking, easy to follow 30-minute downloadable video which provides

real-life examples of doggy bad behavior along with solutions and remedies to change them.

What's Covered?

There's a pretty impressive range of information packed into this guide.

It's not just the problem behaviors that are covered: The book starts off with new-owner

advice (how to choose a puppy/dog, the best places to get one from, breed information,

puppy/dog-proofing your home, the first vet visit, housetraining, etc) and then moves on to

the more advanced stuff: behavioral problems (such as aggression, dominance, chewing,

digging, excessive barking, separation anxiety, to name a few), intermediate-level obedience

commands, health-related dog problems (allergies, cat/dog coexistence, fleas, heatstroke,

and so on), and advanced commands and tricks.

The 30-minute downloadable video gives a great insight into a dog's quest to be the alpha

dog and how you can prevent this.

Its quick steps to stop bad behaviors such as housebreaking right through to leash pulling

are so simple you can start trying them out on your dog straight away.

Particularly Good Parts

In addition to the contents listed above, there's also a pretty impressive section on dog

whispering, which – in case you haven't heard of it already - is a method of dog training

based on a philosophy of clear communication and mutual respect.

It's been popularized in recent years by Cesar Millan ("The Dog Whisperer"), and is

becoming increasingly well-known as an alternative and humane method for disciplining and

training your dog. Secrets to Dog Training has dedicated an entire section to dog whispering:

Daniel Stevens explains the background of the technique, how to utilize voice and body

language to your best advantage, and how to use the technique to calmly, assertively, and

effectively correct and train your dog.

Step-by-set instructions are included for the common commands (sit, down, come, stay,

quiet, etc).

If you are serious about putting a stop to your dog’s behavior problems for good (including

aggression, digging, barking, whining, jumping, pulling on the lead, bolting out the front door,

chewing, flatulence, house training and more) then I highly recommend that you get yourself

a copy of Secrets to Dog Training right now.

http://bit.ly/secretstodogtrainingrevealed