How To Stop a Puppy from Biting
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Ouch! Puppies have very sharp teeth and it seems they love to use them! Here you are with your new puppy and you want nothing more than to play with and love him. But this kind of love hurts! It’s also dangerous if you have young children in your household. So, how to stop a puppy from biting everything and everyone?
When puppies are teething, they will chew on and bite anything they can put in their mouths. This makes managing the problem really challenging. You want your puppy to only chew on his toys, but he’s poking his fangs into your hands and feet and chewing up your sneakers.
The steps to stopping your puppy from biting are easy to follow:
Redirect Your Puppy’s Focus
If your puppy bites you, say “No!” with a firm voice and give your puppy an appropriate toy to chew. Always keep a variety of chew toys on hand for your puppy. When he’s teething, it’s good to have cold toys to sooth his gums. There are special teething toys that you can put in the freezer or you can go the inexpensive route and give him ice cubes to chew.
Be a Puppy Yourself
When a puppy is playing with his littermates, they know when they’ve bitten too hard when their sibling lets out a yelp and runs away. You can do this as well. Even if the bite doesn’t hurt, pretend you are an injured puppy. Give a yelp and then remove yourself from the area where the puppy is playing.
Teach Him to Leave It
If your puppy is old enough for obedience training, the “leave it” command works to get them to release their grip on people as well as objects.
Give Him What He Wants
This one is a little extreme, but can work well if nothing else does. When your puppy bites you, say “No” and slide your thumb under his tongue. Hold his lower jaw between your fingers for a few seconds. The uncomfortable sensation will make your puppy think twice about biting you again.
Taste Horrible
Coat your hands with something that tastes horrible. (Wear gloves if you want!) There are specific products you can purchase for this or you can get creative with ingredients from your kitchen. When your puppy realizes that biting you tastes awful, he’ll learn to chew on tastier things.
Make Some Noise
This one works better if you have a friend to lend a hand. Fill a can with coins, nuts and bolts, anything that makes a loud noise. Have one person be in charge of the can and another play with the puppy. Whenever the puppy goes to bite, shake the can to startle the puppy. He will eventually associate biting with the unpleasant noise.
Nothing Working?
If you’ve tried these methods and your puppy is still biting you may be dealing with an aggressive dog. Seek the advice of your vet in choosing a dog trainer or animal behaviorist that specializes in aggressive dogs. All dogs are trainable, but you need to start when the problem is small!
