How to Stop Play Biting In Your Puppy
Who doesn’t like to play with puppies? They’re so cute and so much fun! But when your puppy doesn’t understand how sharp and dangerous his teeth are, it can be problematic. It is very important to teach your puppy not to bite or nip. Here are some basic rules to follow for puppy’s playtime.
One way to begin this training your dog about biting and nipping is to avoid using your hands when playing. Use a toy to play with your brand new puppy – if you use your hands to shove, bat or roughhouse with your puppy you are more likely to get them nipped at with teeth as the puppy will see your hand as a toy and not as attached to their human companion.
Fortunately, dog toys are available in a variety of sizes and materials, and they are sturdy and inexpensive. They are certainly less expensive than having to make a trip to an emergency room for stitches after a bout of rough-housing with your dog! Chew toys should be appropriate as well. Let’s face it, buying toys that resemble things you do not want your dog chewing on probably isn’t a good idea. Cats, shoes and other similar toys probably are not the best ones. Bones, fire hydrants, ropes and other similar toys are perfect for teaching your dog his play limits.
Use a deterrent like Bitter Apple Spray or similar substance to keep puppy’s mouth off things that aren’t for puppy to chew on. When puppy grabs at you with his mouth, shove a toy between yourself and the puppy to show puppy what is acceptable. Don’t say “no” or anything else to imply the toy is wrong, merely replace the unwanted behavior with the right behavior.
Do not allow puppy to chew, pull, or otherwise “attack” things that are attached to you, including pants, shoes, hands, etc. It might be fun when puppy is small to hold his mouth and wrestle, but you’re teaching him the wrong thing and he’ll learn to attack your hand (in fun) when he’s a lot bigger too.
One thing to be careful of. If you react in an excitable or startled manner to your puppy biting you, they are likely to think you’re playing a game – this of course makes them think that this is a fun thing to do. Replacing the inappropriate behavior with an appropriate chew toy is far more effective and soon your puppy will understand that toys are for biting and mouthing and not your hand or clothing.
When puppy badly misbehaves, don’t shake, hit, or loudly scold him. Instead, calmly pick him up and put him in a quiet spot (kennel, crate, etc.) and give him and yourself a few minutes to calm down. Then let him out and continue play. Do not use the kennel as a “punishment,” as you want him to be comfortable there. Instead, just put him away calmly for a few minutes and ignore his pleas until he’s calmed down.
Remember, your puppy needs to play to be happy and healthy. Teaching your dog to fetch, play hide and go seek are all great games. If you stop playing any time your dog misbehaves then soon your dog is going to behave because he wants to continue playing. Consistency in training your puppy to have good behavior will mean a happy, well adjusted, well trained dog.
Having a puppy or new dog is very rewarding, but you must keep in mind that there are many dog training tools out there that will help you train your dog as well. Some of the most popular dog training collars include: SportDOG SD 400 and SportDOG SD 2400.
