For a puppy, biting into anything within range is a natural way of expressing their playful curiosity and helps relieve teething pain. How to stop puppy biting, However, it is essential to get rid of this habit as soon as possible. Here are five simple lessons on how to educate a puppy not to bite.
Training a puppy not to bite is an essential part of training, as an adult dog accustomed to biting can be a danger to people (especially children) and other animals. Follow these five lessons to make sure your teachings are working.
Lesson 1: adjust the intensity of the bite
You may think that preventing your puppy from biting right away is a good idea. But doing so would skip a vital stage of your dog’s cognitive development. It is essential for the puppy who bites to learn to recognize the extent beyond which his bite causes pain and, therefore, to learn to regulate the pressure he exerts. It helps him develop an internal inhibition that prevents him from resorting to excessive responses in situations of stress or fear.
To teach your puppy not to bite too hard, consider the puppy’s natural way of playing. Gently nibbling is a natural behavior of every puppy, so let him do it, but as soon as the puppy bites your hand with greater intensity, let out a yelp and don’t move your hand.
This tells the dog that he has exaggerated and will soon learn to modulate his strength. All people who play with your puppy must adopt this strategy. Consistency is essential in training a puppy, and repetition helps reinforce each lesson.
Lesson 2: no teeth on the skin
Once your puppy has learned to regulate bite intensity with people, you can move on to the next lesson: teaching him not to use his teeth on the skin. To do this, continue with the previous technique, but now, in addition to emitting a yelp at the slightest bite that is too intense, it also limps the hand. You will tell the puppy that using your teeth on the skin is not okay because it causes pain.
You can also reinforce this exercise with rewards: close your hand in a fist and squeeze a treat. The puppy will smell the food and try to access it. Open your hand only when it’s not nibbling or scratching your fist. This will make your puppy understand that you shouldn’t use your mouth with your skin. It takes some time and a lot of patience in this part of training, but puppies are a bit like babies – they are programmed to learn and adapt.
Lesson 3: use toys to redirect their attention
Since biting, gnawing, and in general, using the mouth are natural behaviors in dogs, we should not eliminate them. From the start, however, the puppy must be precise that biting a toy is okay while biting people’s skin is not. In training the puppy with the previous two lessons, make sure that the dog has toys to chew to make him understand that he can indulge himself, while some limits must be respected with the skin.
Lesson 4: Sometimes, it’s best to let it go How to stop puppy biting
Puppies and babies have many things in common. One of them is that they sometimes find it hard to focus on a lesson, especially agitated. Often the best thing to do is to let it go: stop training and give the puppy some time to calm down, perhaps with a toy.
Don’t think that depriving him of the lesson with you is a punishment; it’s just a way to allow him to regain his composure. When he has calmed down, go back to training the puppy.
Lesson 5: appease his instinct to “gather the flock” How to stop puppy biting
Puppies of some dog breeds are born with a strong instinct to herd the flock, which prompts them to bite the owner’s heels and ankles in an attempt to keep the “flock” moving or lead it where they wish. This explains why the dog bites the feet with a particular interest in some instances! If your four-legged friend exhibits this behavior, stop each time he bites you and remain motionless so that he understands that his bite produces the opposite effect to the desired one. Over time it will stop doing this. How to stop puppy biting Also, avoid using flip-flops, sandals, or similar footwear – they draw too much attention to your feet.
Stay calm and focused. How to stop puppy biting
Training a puppy requires a lot of patience and persistence. Your dog may not immediately understand what you are trying to teach him, so stay calm and relaxed! Maintain focus and continue exercising. How to stop puppy biting Shouts and scoldings only serve to scare the puppy or generate unnecessary stress, all negative things that the puppy may remember even as an adult, which could cause the very behavior you want to avoid.
If you find that your puppy has difficulty learning not to bite, you can always consult a professional trainer. How to stop puppy biting Dogs that bite are a danger to you and others, and it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of anyone dealing with your pet.
Also read: How to wake yourself up
