Puppy Training- How to Train a Puppy Not to Bite
Stop Your Puppy from Biting with Exercise, Supervision and Patience
Apr 17, 2009
Puppies possess a natural sense of curiosity and one of the ways puppies satisfy that curiosity is by exploring with their mouths. Biting is a perfectly normal puppy behavior. However, most puppy owners find the behavior annoying.
Successful Puppy Training Requires Structure and Routine
The key to successfully training a puppy is to set the puppy up to succeed. The puppy should have very little opportunity to make mistakes.
Training your puppy to perform basic obedience commands such as sit, stay and come will give your puppy something positive to work toward and when you fill your puppy's time with this activity, your puppy will have less time and inclination to bite.
Regular exercise is also a must for young puppies. Frequent walks with your puppy will keep his time occupied and make him less likely to bite on inappropriate items.
Appropriate Play Exercises as Part of a Successful Puppy Training Program
Appropriate play with your puppy is necessary to keep your puppy from becoming bored and to provide adequate exercise for your puppy.
Appropriate play sessions may involve:
- chasing a ball,
- playing frisbee with your puppy,
- playing tug of war with a two-sided toy,
- or play sessions for your puppy with another puppy or adult dog.
You can be creative with your play sessions, inventing activities which you and your puppy enjoy. However, inappropriate play activities must be avoided. Inappropriate play includes:
- rough-housing with your puppy
- wrestling with your puppy
- allowing your puppy to chase you or any other person
- allowing your puppy to play with any body part (fingers, toes, etc)
Play sessions for your puppy should occur several times a day and should not be neglected.
How to Stop a Puppy from Biting
Be certain to provide plenty of toys and other objects which your puppy is allowed to chew. Remember that chewing and biting is normal puppy behavior and in itself is not incorrect. Redirecting the behavior toward acceptable items will allow your puppy to pursue his natural tendencies and still allow you to be successful in training your puppy not to bite inappropriately.
If at any time your puppy becomes too excited to respond to your commands to sit and/or stay and is persistent in biting or chewing inappropriate items, place your puppy in "time out". Place the misbehaving puppy in a crate or small room secured with a baby gate and do not interact with your puppy again until he is calm and relaxed.
When placing your puppy in "time out", it is important that your puppy does not view being placed in the crate or confinement area as punishment. Do not scold or punish your puppy before confining him. Simply place him calmly in the crate or confinement area and walk away.
Adequate Supervision is Necessary to Stop a Puppy from Biting
When your puppy is not in his carrier or confinement area, close supervision is necessary. Allowing your puppy to run loose and explore without supervision will set your puppy up to fail. Just as a child needs a guiding hand to lead him along the correct path, your puppy needs your guidance as well.
When you are sleeping or are busy with other activities, your puppy should be placed in his carrier or confinement area. This area should become a safe haven for your puppy, a place where your puppy can go to feel safe and secure. The confinement area should not be a closed area. A baby gate placed across the door of a small room works well as a confinement area.
Why Punishment is Not Acceptable when Trying to Stop a Puppy From Biting
Punishment and other confrontational techniques such as alpha rolls, hitting the puppy's muzzle, holding the puppy's mouth closed or pinching the puppy's tongue can cause your puppy to become fearful of you and can ruin the bond you are seeking to create with your puppy.
Fear can also turn to aggression over time and these confrontational techniques can result in a dog which may eventually become uncontrollable.
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