Oh, the teething years. It’s nice to know that your puppy is growing up. But it’s not fun when they go around gnawing on everything. There’s some very important information for pet owners to be aware of when your puppy is teething. For all pet owners, here’s what you should and should not do when your puppy bites you. Listen closely and take notes.
Why Do Puppies Chew?
It’s in a dog’s nature to chew on something. They’ll chew on anything from a bone, the furniture, and even nibbling at your hand. It’s a puppy’s way of discovering the world.
Puppies also bite for more reasons as listed:
- The teething process (2-3 month) is uncomfortable for them
- Puppies rough play. They play hard with their siblings, mainly for attention sake
- Herding breed dogs are inclined to nip, herd, and chase small, fast-moving things.
- Retrievers are taught to pick up and hold anything within reach, which includes hands and arms
Why Does My Puppy Nibble My Hand?
It is often out of play on reasons why your puppy nibbles at your hand. Puppies are adorable, aren’t they? Anything they do as they are discovering how the world works is precious. But they should knock off this habit as an adult dog. Dogs who bite are not a pleasure to be around.
Teaching Your Puppy Not to Bite
Learning how to train dogs not to bite is very important. Dogs should understand not to bite. Warn the puppy if they have hurt you. Depending on the breed of dog, teach them about biting inhibition. Make a high-pitched ‘ow!’ sound. For some puppies, beware that this gets them more worked up and more likely to bite.
Tell Them No
You should not let your puppy bite your hand. It is a nasty habit that follows them into adulthood and it is not sanitary.
How to Stop Your Puppy from Biting
Let the training session begin. To make your puppy stop biting you here are a few simple and easy steps to knock off that terrible habit.
- Distractions
Don’t let your puppy bite you. As soon as they gnash down on your hand distract them with something else. Either a treat or a toy. It’s better to let your puppy chew on anything but you. Anytime your puppy goes to bite you, redirect their attention. Give them a toy that squeaks.
- Ignore Them
Don’t pay your puppy any attention when they bite you. Puppies are looking for attention. No matter what you do puppies are always going to under your feet yapping at you. Puppies need to get used to that.
- Teach Them to Be Gentle
Puppies have not recognized sensitivity yet. They don’t understand how to be gentle. So, it is your duty as the pet owner to tell them when that hurt. Show them the scratch mark if they did leave a bit mark behind.
The next time you play with them, let them mouth your hands. When he bites you hard, immediately voice your concern. Let your hand go limp. Making a noise startles the puppy and it will back off.
- Give Them a Good Pat
All dogs enjoy a nice belly massage. If your puppy gets too excited when you pet him, feed him small treats to distract him. This helps your puppy get used to being touched without mouthing.
- Encourage with Other Forms of Play
Play a game of tug-of-war instead of playing around with your hands. Keep tug toys in your pocket If your puppy starts to mouth you. Redirect their attention from biting you with a toy. Then, he’ll start to look for the toy over mouthing your hand. Carry the toy in your pocket to get them to stop biting at your feet.
- Prevent Them From Pounding
One other thing that puppies should avoid getting into the habit of is jumping. While it is nice for puppies to greet you when you get home, not all guests like it. If your puppy keeps pounding on your legs or feet as you walk it is recommended that you hold a high-value treat next to your leg as you walk. This helps the puppy learn to walk nicely alongside you.
- Offer Quiet Time
Sometimes quiet times is what everyone needs. For puppies, offer them quiet time so that they will stop nipping at your hands. Or take them outside for a potty break.
- Get Their Energy Out of Them
Puppies are full of energy. The biting is due to how much pent up energy they have in them. Bring them outside and make them burn all that physical energy. Watch them run around in the yard.
- Stay in Control
Dogs are learning behavioral clues from you. So, don’t run around the house like a madman encouraging this biting behavior further. If you’re trying to get away from your dog when they are biting you, do it very slowly. Running away quickly causes suspicion.
Strategy to Avoid
Avoid waving your fingers in front of your puppy’s face. Don’t slap the sides of his face to entice him to play. It only encourages your puppy to bite your hands and feet.
Do Dogs Understand?
Dogs learn from dogs. Puppies learn the biting habit during play with other puppies. Throughout this play, puppies bite at each other. But what happens if the play becomes too rough? Usually, the one who has been bitten will yelp. The one who bit will stop for a bit, but the play continues.
Socializing your Dog
Dogs need a social life. They need to get to know other breeds of dogs. Every dog has a different relationship with humans or dogs. Early in their lives take them to a dog park or enlist them in a doggy day camp. From there they can learn more about social skills and that biting is not okay.
Socialization is important for your dog. Puppies grow with the proper social development and it takes away their desire to bite. Having your puppy determine behavioral tips from other dogs is something you should take advantage of. Before dogs became domesticated they were pack animals in the wild. Dogs have always been pretty good at tracking social cues because they travel by pack.
Training Your Dog
All dogs need proper changing. A lot goes into training a new puppy. For some owners, they can’t do it all themselves. Puppy trainers are the best to help puppies stop that biting.
Use clicker training. Clicker training enables you to mark good behaviors in a consistent way to your dog. The clicker sound cues the dog that they did a good job of paying attention to your commands. Rewarding your dog is very important so they know that they are following owners. By using the clicker technique you’re able to capture when your dog makes a good decision.
Steps to the Clicker Training
- Step 1: First, place your hand in front of your pup’s mouth. Don’t praise him if he bites you. That is not the right response because it confuses the dog thinking it can continue with this behavior.
- Step 2: Once you feel comfortable, keeping doing this routine. It’s the ultimate test to see if your puppy has learned.
- Step 3: Slowly wave your hand in front of him. Did he bite you? Good, then they get a nice treat.
How to Give Dogs a Treat
Pay attention to the way you feed your dog a treat because even then your dog is biting your hand. Make your dog learn all the boundaries.
Be Aggressive
Remember, you are the owner. You are in charge. Don’t let those sad puppy eyes get to you. When they do wrong, it’s not the time to be all smiles and praise them. No, that gives the dog the wrong idea. If they do bite you, a dog, or someone else, don’t give them a treat.
What to do as Punishment
For dogs who refuse to obey your orders, stay calm. Lay down the law. Give your dog a time out any time they touch your skin. Take away their favorite toy for an hour or place them into another room where they are alone for a bit.
If the biting gets to be too much then you should hold their mouths shut by using their hands. This has worked according to some pet owners.
This is where it is very important to have patience with your dog. Never use physical punishment. Physical punishments are hurtful and it gives your dog the wrong idea. And it is also cruel. Speak to a veterinarian about how to control their behavior.
Don’t Give Up Too Soon
Puppies are a lot of work. They are not going to magically give up biting on the first day of training. Keep your patience and continue to train them. Teaching puppies not to bite is a pain, but at least you’re teaching your dog to be better.