Stop Puppy Biting - Why Your Puppy Bites

By Anthony W Robinson

For most pet owners, it is a daunting task to try to stop puppy biting. Before you try to stop your dog from biting, you must first understand why he bites. When puppies are born, they use their mouth to explore the world. Puppies learn bite inhibition from their litter mates. When a puppy bites one of his brothers or sisters too hard, the puppy that was bitten lets out a yelp and will not play with that dog for a short time. Since dogs are pack animals, this social isolation teaches them that biting too hard leads to being shunned by the group. This is the most effective way to stop puppy biting.

For you, as the owner, you must mimic this behavior to teach your dog to stop puppy biting. The first thing that you must do is figure out how much biting is acceptable to you. Keep in mind that puppies also bite to help develop their jaw muscles so you should not expect your puppy not to bite at all. There are several methods to teach your dog to stop puppy biting.

The first method to teach your dog to stop puppy biting is to offer something to him that it is acceptable for him to bite. Remember that your dog is cutting teeth, and will need something to chew on besides your arm. Purchase a few chew toys, and offer them to your dog the next time he starts biting on something he should not. The best chew toys are the ones that allow you to insert a treat into it, since this not only gives your dog something to chew on but keeps him entertained.

The second method to stop puppy biting is called a social isolation. Since your puppy seeks your constant approval, isolating him is a highly effective technique for correcting unwanted behavior. To do this, the next time your dog bites stop what you're doing and turn your back to him. For this to be effective make sure that everyone in the room does the same. Make sure that you do not ignore him for more than 30 seconds, since after that time he will forget what he did wrong.

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