Puppies are naturally playful and unfortunately biting is part of it. If your puppy has a biting behavior, it definitely needs to stop immediately. There are a lot of tips that you can actually find to help him stop this behavior.
Part 1: Train him not to bite
It depends on how you react on his bites. It is important to ignore your puppy each time he tries to bite you and then command him to stop by saying “No” with a firm voice. Yelp if you must especially if he is biting too hard. It is important to make him understand that teeth on human skin are not allowed.
Using a taste deterrent may help your puppy to keep from biting like bitter apple, vicks vapor rub or white vinegar. You can spray a taste deterrent on areas of your body before you start playing with your pup. Once your puppy stops biting as his reaction to the taste deterrent, praise him and continue playing. It is also important that the taste deterrent that you are using are tested as safe for dogs/animals. Not using your hands as toys can also train him that biting your hand is not ok. Instead, let your puppy play with teething toys. Each time you play, use toys instead of your hands to get your puppy engaged in playing.
Always reward good behavior with your soft and cheerful voice and cuddles to effectively reinforce good behavior. Remember that as his responsible owner, you have to encourage him to become a happy, healthy, well-adjusted family member.
Part 2: Why you shouldn’t allow your dog to bite?
If you allow biting behavior in puppy, he may not learn how to control his bite and it may get out of control overtime and may lead to serious behavioral issues when your puppy reaches adulthood
Teach your puppy that it is never acceptable to bite people, or even other animals, unless he is placed in physical danger and need to defend himself. If your puppy or dog is biting out of aggression, you need to seek help from your vet or contact a dog trainer to correct this.
If you have a puppy the bites, use caution while playing with him. Don’t play roughly as it will only encourage this behavior. Never let a child play alone with the puppy. Instead, watch them closely while playing around your puppy.
Tips
- Let your puppy socialize with other dogs and people as much as possible. Introduce him to new places and new experiences while he is still very young.
- You may also consider enrolling him to obedience training classes early on.
- You should start managing your puppy from biting before his adult teeth starts to erupt (usually around four months).
- Small breed puppies don’t mean they will not cause damage because they are small. Never ignore puppy biting – regardless of the size of the puppy. Biting is a behavioral problem that needs to be stopped early on as early intervention will prevent more serious biting later on.
