What I am referring to is puppy biting that is way beyond the usual. Before we talk about what you can do to stop it, it’s important to understand why puppies bite in the first place.
Dogs use their mouths the way we use our hands and feet, to explore their environment, from their surroundings to their siblings to people. So while a some mouthing or nipping is usual, you have to determine what is acceptable to you to prevent undesirable results from it.
One of the key reasons dog lack the bite inhibition that comes naturally to them is because they are removed too soon from the litter. When puppies play together, they bite and nip at each other.
This not only teaches them not to bite too hard, but also what it feels like to be bitten. As soon as a puppy bites another puppy too rough, the bitten puppy will yelp loudly and not play with the offending puppy.
This social isolation makes the biting puppy realize that biting too hard is not acceptable. The same holds true when other puppies bite him, he learns that being bitten too hard is not pleasant.
So what can you do about stopping puppy biting?
Fortunately, it’s rather easy to stop this bad behavior. You will of course need to make the decision what is okay to you.
If you have a bigger dog with powerful jaws, it may be better to train him that no contact with his teeth is acceptable. I guarantee you that it will matter very little to you whether he meant to do it or not when he latches onto your arm. This holds really true if you have any kids.
The simplest way to end puppy biting is to mimic the behavior his litter mates would have. If your puppy is biting you too hard, let out a loud, shrill squeal (like his brothers and sisters would have) and turn your back for 20 to 30 seconds.
This teaches the dog that biting too hard leads to social isolation, which is much more effective in training your dog than any other form of discipline. It is vital to have other individuals do this as well so you can be certain that puppy biting won’t be tolerated.
One key to this that hast to be adhered to is the time you isolate your dog. Make sure you turn your back for only 20 to 30 seconds. This is long enough for the dog to get the message, but not long enough for the dog to forget what he did wrong and start playing with something else.
