Stop Puppy Biting

 Bringing a new puppy into the house is a wonderful time. A puppy brings with him a ton of energy, cuteness and special innocents that makes you fall in love with them. But their teeth can be razor sharp and pain full. It is natural for a dog or puppy to play bite or mouth hands or cloths, but it can also be a sign of a dog that has not been taught the proper bite inhibition. Dogs explore the world threw their mouths, a dogs mouth is as important to him as hands and eyes are to us.

 I the allowing article we will explore why your dog or puppy might bite too hard during play time and how to use the proper techniques to teach your dog or puppy bite inhibition. Let’s get started before we have too many scares on our hands feet and fingers.

Get the ultimate guide to eliminating dog behavior problems here.

 First off let’s not confuse nipping with true aggression, nipping is a form of communication. Dogs use nipping to interact with others, play and exploration. Puppies from birth use their mouths to explore their den, mother, brothers and sisters. Starting in the first few weeks of their lives, puppies use their mouths to play with their brothers and sisters by biting or mouthing each other.

 Some adult dogs will continue to play this way if encouraged by their owner or if they were removed from their litter before they could learn proper bite inhibition. Puppies learn the all important bite inhibition though play with their siblings.

 When a puppy bites one of its siblings or mother too hard, the other puppy lets out a loud yelp in pain and stops playing with the biter. This teaches the biter that when he bites too hard an undesirable action is the result, playtime is over. Also when the biter has a chance to be bitten just as hard, he understands what it feels like to be bitten too hard (a great reason why you should make sure your new puppy is not removed from its litter too soon, his mother and siblings have important things to teach him).

 Even when a puppy has had the proper amount of time with his siblings, his bite inhibition training should continue. Humans are a bit more fragile than dogs are, so it can be necessary for you to refine his bite pressure even further. A dog who doesn't understand bite inhibition is not only annoying to have around, but he could be dangerous as well.

 Although puppies don't have the power to inflict serious damage, a harmless play session can quickly turn into a painful ordeal. Their razor sharp teeth can tear though cloths and break the skin fairly easily, but an adult dog bite, whether he meant to do it or not can be fairly serious.

 How to teach bite inhibition

 *Note: This technique can also be taught to an adult dog as well, although it may take a bit longer to get your point across. When playing with your dog you need to set a level mouthing you are prepared to accept. Some dog owners don't mind if their dog lightly mouths their hand or arm as long as there isn't undo pressure applied, where as owners of lager dogs with powerful jaws may not want teeth contact at all. The choice is yours.

 When your puppy places his mouth on your hand or finger, it could be a painful nip or a gentle mouthing, let out a loud squeal and turn your entire body away from your dog. Get up and walk a few feet away from him. Don't look, touch or talk to him any further.

 Socially isolate him for the next 20 to 30 seconds, long enough to get your point across but not too long as to give him a chance to be distracted by something else. If there are other people around, make sure that they do the same action with you. You don't want someone to start playing with him or give him any attention or the lesson will be for nothing.

 Chewing:

Puppies as well as some older dogs have a need to chew. To prevent your hand or finger from being the object his chewing desire, make sure you supply him with some good substitutes. Rubber squeaky toys, raw hide or pig’s ears are a good idea to have around to teach him the proper things to chew on.

 If while playing, your dog snaps at your hand or face, correct him quickly with an authoritative "NO!" or "No Bite!" Startled, he should stop. When he does stop, praise him. (Remember, you are praising him for stopping the behavior, not the behavior it's self). Then redirect his attention to a proper chew toy. When he bites the chew toy praise him.

 Never use physical force when correcting your dog for chewing or mouthing. In most cases, physical corrections can actually further chewing or nipping. Using the above "cold shoulder" technique is not only more humane it is also been proven to be more effective than physical correction.

 Because of a dogs inherent need to please you, social isolation is much more effective than corporal punishment when it comes to changing dog behavior. If you find that the cold shoulder technique is not having the desired effect, a short "time out" may be in order. Sometimes a puppy can get a little too revved up to notice the cold shoulder, so leading him to his crate or a small room for a 5 to 10 minute cool down by himself can help a great deal to calm him down.

 After the 5 to 10 minute time out, you can continue to play but you may want to tone it down a bit. Some high energy breeds need little encouragement to get overly excited and mouthy (herding breeds can be prone to this). If you find yourself in this situation, playing other games such as fetch or tug-of-war might be a better choice than contact play.

 Avoid playing games that bring a dog’s instinctive aggression to the surface. Games like slap-boxing or full on wrestling can encourage your dog to nip and bite. Picking games that are friendly and low key will greatly reduce your dogs need for mouthing, nipping or biting.