puppy biting

Biting human hands is something that many puppies will try in their first weeks in their new home.

Biting a human is totally unacceptable for any puppy or dog of any age to do. If you allow this behaviour to continue….at what age is it going to be unacceptable? How are you going to tell an 80 pound Doberman that you want him to stop that biting?

The time to stop it is right now and not a moment later! One bite from a dog can often be a death sentence for that dog.

When he bites you, scream like someone just cut your throat. Stop interacting with the dog and turn away from the dog, wait a few seconds and turn around and act like nothing happened. This is what their mothers and siblings do.  When it gets rough the puppies stop playing and this teaches a pup his limitations. Dog trainers refer to this as bite inhibition! Whatever you do though, keep it non confrontational. If you try to make a big huge issue out of this, the dog will become more aggressive.

Don’t engage in rough play with the dog using your hands. If you want to play with the pup use a rope toy or something similar. In this way, you teach the dog to play but you also teach him to play with a toy and not your hands. Always make sure that the game stops when YOU want it to stop. Use a word like out or give when you want to end the game and have the dog drop the treat. Exchange a treat for the toy in the beginning while the dog learns what out or give means. Dogs understand giving up something of less value for something of greater value.  Don’t engage in roughhousing with your If the game becomes too intense.  Avoid it until you can control the game.  For some dogs even tug of war will be too intense for them and should be avoided.)

Some puppies may respond to you holding your hand firmly over their muzzle. You can add a command like “no bite” to these exercises but the behaviour should stop after about 3 or 4 episodes if you use these techniques.

Sometimes biting can be a bit worse when pups start teething. Take some hard rubber toys that your dog really likes and put them in the freezer and give those to your puppy to soothe his sore gums.

Instead of feeding all of your dogs kibble to him in a bowl, offer him pieces throughout the day in exchange for a sit, or a down or shake a paw. Hold the food in such a way that your fingers are entirely covering the food. The dogs first reaction is going to be to grab your fingers. If he tries to do that say “AHHH” in a growly tone of voice. When the dog looks up at you offer him the treat. This teaches the dog that you are in control of the resources and the food and he has to behave himself to get what he wants.

These exercises are important for all breeds of dogs especially the cute little toy breeds.