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.
Always use toys to play with your puppy. Never use your hands. If you use your hands to roughhouse with your puppy, he will learn that your hands are toys and therefore it’s okay to bite them. By the same token, don’t let puppy attack any part of you or things that are attached to you, including clothing and shoes. You may think it’s funny when puppy is small, but this behavior can be dangerous when puppy is full grown.
Keep a variety of toys on hand for puppy to play with. There are many kinds of doggy toys ranging from soft to hard, all made with the same idea that puppies love to chew. And, they’re certainly less costly than a new couch or a trip to the emergency room! The only rule is that the toys should not resemble things that your dog is not allowed to chew on. Chew toys that look like sticks, bones or fire hydrants are fine. Chew toys that look like your cat – definitely not fine.
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 Fieldtrainer 400 and SportDOG SD 2400.
I really like puppies. I just got one a week ago and it has not been trained yet and has bitten me a handful of times but its practically nothing to worry about, i can train it perfectly. I hope