How To Stop Puppies From Biting?

If you are wondering how to stop puppies from biting, read on. There are few things more adorable than a boisterous puppy, especially when he nips at fingers or toes, but a biting puppy may become a much more serious problem later on.

By encouraging the puppy to bite, owners are, in fact, failing to teach their puppy the vital lessons he needs to learn about dominance and aggression.

Most puppies should have learned to stop biting by eight weeks of age. This is usually true in cases where the puppy has been raised with his litter mates for a full eight weeks because he fast discovers that biting a sibling (or in some cases, mom) results in a return bite.

Unfortunately, many puppies today do not spend that much time with mom or the rest of the litter, so the behavior goes unstopped.

Stop Puppies From Biting During Those Initial Days at the New Home

Puppies that are younger than eight weeks old or that still have a tendency to bite need to be corrected quickly to prevent more serious issues from arising.

This does not mean you begin by punishing your puppy. The worst thing you can do is to hit your puppy for any reason.

A dog that has been hit by his owner is more likely to learn to fear the owner and is much more likely to produce a far more angry and dangerous character as he grows older.

The best way to cure your puppy of the nips is to encourage appropriate behavior while discouraging bad behavior. For example, be careful about the sorts of games you play with your puppy.

You don’t want to add to his confusion by engaging in any play that could lead to biting. Games like tug of war, chase or wrestling should be banned.

Keep in mind, no matter how moody or pitiful your puppy manages to seem, you’re doing this for his own good. You need to be regular with your training.

Don’t throw up your hands in disappointment or succumb to those puppy sighs. If you stick with it, both you and your puppy will be much better off in the long run.

Training Your New Friend

One of the best ways to stop puppies from biting and kick off training is to sign up for a dog obedience or a socialization class.

A good trainer will be able to show you how to mimic a mother dog’s bite to let the puppy know when a behavior is not allowed. This is a great technique to stop puppies from biting.

These classes are also an effective way to develop your puppy’s social skills around other dogs so he won’t show any violent behavior when you go for walks or visits to the dog park.

Another good procedure to stop puppies from biting, in the beginning, is a redirection. If the puppy starts to go for a finger or toe, just say “no!”, then provide a chew toy or bone instead. Most puppies will speedily learn that if they need to chew, then find a toy, not a finger.

Copying the response of a littermate to a bite is also a smart technique. When your puppy bites, make a small, whimpering sound like a puppy would.

This is the same response he would get if his brothers and sisters were still around, and it lets him know that he’s hurt you in some way. Since this is not what the puppy wants to do, he’ll retreat. Make sure your sound is surprising enough that he lets go and moves away.

Now you should have some clues as to how to stop puppies from biting. Remember that training a puppy is one of the most vital aspects of bringing him into your home, particularly when it comes to biting.

By 10 weeks, your puppy should know that biting is not acceptable. If you manage this, it will make your years together much happier and greatly reduce the potential for any naughty behavior on his part.

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