Tips to Stop Puppy Biting

Biting puppies can be really cute, but they might not be so cute when they grow into biting adult dogs. Worse, adult dogs can do more damage with their teeth which could cause injury to someone or even cause you to be sued. Several methods are worth a try to get the biting to stop.

Mothers teach their puppies how to behave properly around humans. Unfortunately, many youngsters are removed before these lessons can be taught. Preferably, a puppy should be three months old or older before being taken to a new home. Six weeks is not enough time for the mother to teach a puppy all he or she needs to know.

If you have other dogs, letting your puppy interact with them after allowing a period of time for the new family member to be accepted. You could also borrow a friend's or relative's dog to play with your puppy. Your new pet can learn how to interact with humans and pets by modelling the behavior of the older dogs.

If your puppy puts teeth on your skin, say 'no' and remove your body part as soon as possible placing a bone or other chew toy in the dog's mouth. This will hopefully help the pup to make a connection between wanting to chew and what things are acceptable to chew.

Be sure to offer corrections immediately after the undesirable behavior. If your response is not instantaneous, the dog will not associate your displeasure with the biting.

If you or a family member is sporting a lot of bites, you may want to try applying a product called bitter apple to exposed skin. Bitter apple has a terrible taste, and some dogs will refuse to bite anything that tastes awful after one time. Your dog could come to associate your hand with the bad taste and not want to be petted, so carefully consider your options before trying this strategy.

Since puppies will protect their toys and food, be sure to teach children to stay away from these possessions. Any kids that are around dogs should be taught the signs of an unhappy dog such as growling and laid-back ears. If a dog wants to be left alone at times, family members should respect the dog's wishes to avoid upsetting the dog and possibly causing biting behavior.

To stop puppy biting permanently, you need to teach the dog to mind you through training. By doing this, you can eliminate other undesirable behaviors in addition to the biting.