You’ve brought home a new puppy, and he’s adorable in every way—except one: He bites. Biting or mouthing your hand during play is normal behavior for a puppy, and to many people, it seems cute. However, no matter how cute it may seem, biting people—and unacceptable items such as furniture—is a behavior that must be stopped through training. The sooner you start training, the easier it will be for your new puppy to learn.
Although a tiny puppy nipping at your hands may seem cute, if the behavior isn’t nipped in the bud while he’s still a puppy, problems could arise later on. By not taking steps to stop the biting, you are reinforcing a behavior that could cause your dog, when he’s grown, to injure you or someone else.
You should never try to stop a puppy’s biting by hitting him. Remember, the puppy isn’t doing anything bad. He is simply doing what comes naturally to him. If he were part of a pack of dogs, the other dogs in the group would teach him when his biting had gone too far. You can use a similar method of teaching, as would occur among a group of dogs, by following a few simple steps.
First, let the puppy know that he’s hurt you.
Yell “No!” or make a noise similar to a dog yelping. Normally, this will startle the puppy, and he will stop. If he goes right back to biting you, make the noise again and then leave the area. This is similar to what another puppy or an older dog would do if the biting became too rough.
This approach teaches the puppy two things:
- He has hurt you, and
- If he continues, you will leave him without anyone to play with.
The puppy doesn’t want to hurt you, and he doesn’t want to be left alone. By doing these two things consistently, he will learn that biting has consequences he doesn’t like.
Giving Your Puppy a Time Out
If, when you walk away, the puppy continues to follow you and bite at your leg, gently place him in his “time out” spot. This can be his crate or a corner in the house. However, if you crate him when you leave, you might not want to use the crate as punishment, as you don’t want him to associate it with a negative experience. In that case, pick a spot in the house that he will associate with time out. It should always be the same spot. Over time, when you say “bad dog corner!” he’ll know exactly where to go.
NOTE: When teaching your puppy not to bite, or in any other training situation, it’s important not to yell or become overly emotional. Speak to your puppy in a matter-of-fact way. Even when you release your puppy from the crate or corner, do not make a fuss. Release him and then ignore him for a few minutes before petting or playing with him.
Next, you’ve got to remember that a puppy must bite something. Your goal shouldn’t be to stop him from all biting; rather, you should teach him to stop biting YOU (and your furniture and shoes!). For this reason, a good supply of chew toys is essential. When the puppy bites your hand, or if you see him about to bite into your furniture, yell “No!” and immediately put a chew toy in his mouth. This teaches him which items are acceptable for him to chew. If he doesn’t seem interested in the toys at first, you might want to try one that holds a treat inside.
The puppy will smell the treat and keep chewing until the treat comes out. Over time, he will begin to associate biting you or the furniture with bad consequences (such as you leaving or a time-out) and will associate chew toys with positive rewards. Naturally, the chew toy will become much more appealing to him.
Keep an ample supply of chew toys in every room that your puppy visits. This will help curb his temptation to bite things (and people) that he shouldn’t. If he is surrounded by items that he’s allowed to chew on, he’ll be less likely to bite you or chew on unacceptable items.
Keep in mind that some games, such as tug-of-war, can actually encourage biting. If you find you’re having trouble teaching your puppy not to bite, you should avoid rough games like these, at least until your dog is fully trained.
Another important step in teaching your puppy not to bite is establishing your position as pack leader. When you give a command, he needs to learn to obey it. This won’t happen overnight, but training should start early, as young pups are easier to train than older dogs.
Teaching your puppy not to bite while he’s still a puppy will make your life easier and help your dog become what he wants to be: a good dog!
