Stop Puppy Biting Problems

This is part 2 of our guide to stopping puppy biting. For part one see how to stop a puppy from biting.

Some of the problems you may face in getting your puppy to stop biting are:

You feel embarrassed yelping like a puppy

Well if that’s the case I’d probably suggest doing this in the privacy of your own home. Like most things once you’ve done it a few times you’ll be less embarrassed. Don’t be too concerned about the actual noise you make as long as it conveys to your puppy that you’re in pain. Don’t overdo it though-you’re not trying to win an Oscar!

I don’t like ignoring my puppy

I know your puppy’s cute but this training is for his and your good. Make sure you limit the time of any exclusion to only what’s necessary to train him.

I tried it yesterday and my puppy’s still nipping me

You should note that this is not something you do just once. You’ll have to repeatedly show your puppy the level of nipping that you find acceptable. Over time he will learn to inhibit his level of nipping to the amount that you’ve taught him is acceptable.

My partner or children play roughly with the puppy and let it bite them

Make sure that your other family members use the same technique and don’t for instance allow much higher levels of nipping as this’ll only confuse your puppy. In general it’s best to involve everyone in the household with training your dog as this means your dog gets a consistent message. This also helps in reinforcing your dog’s position in your pack which is important in avoiding dominance based behaviour problems. (Basically problems caused by your dog thinking that he’s in charge)

My puppy’s too excited for this to work

If your puppy’s over-excited and is nipping at you repeatedly then the above cold-shoulder technique may not be enough. In this situation you can physically exclude him – I prefer to use a separate room, though I know that some people favor crate training. Once he’s calmed down, usually after a few minutes, you can reintroduce him and continue playing. You’ll probably want to try to keep the level of excitement down while playing to try to prevent excessive nipping from becoming a problem.

My puppy’s snapping at me during play

If your puppy snaps at your hands, or worse your face, when you’re playing try rebuking him with a sharp ‘No!’. You can use other words, or even sounds – the main point is that it’s a sharp sound that startles your puppy. Immediately once he stops snapping praise him. As mentioned before you have to work within the dog’s sense of time regarding cause and effect. Straight away encourage him to chew or play with a toy and praise him when he starts chewing on the toy. This again will teach your puppy to associate praise with chewing what you want him to chew, rather than your fingers.

For this to be successful you’ll want to make sure that you have a good supply of dog chews or toys available when playing with your dog.

In general I’d probably advise against getting too physical when playing with your puppy as this can encourage their aggressive tendencies and will increase the amount of nipping and biting. You’ll find that different dogs and breeds will have naturally different levels of play. When trying to teach your puppy the appropriate levels of nipping, using less physical forms of play will make it easier for them to avoid becoming over-excited. This will make your use of the above techniques more effective.

For more detailed advice on preventing unwanted dog behaviour such as nipping and biting I highly recommend Secrets to Dog Training. It contains lots of useful advice and tips and will help you develop a better relationship with your dog, no matter what its age.