Puppy Bite Control

A puppy doesn’t really know that biting someone else actually hurts, because to her it's just another object to chew on or play with. You can’t make her understand by punishing her or being angry, it will just confuse her even more. In order to fix her biting habit here are some of the things you can do.

Socialization

A puppy needs to be socialized with other dogs and puppies. You can check your local listings for puppy socialization classes. Over there a puppy basically gets to know other puppies and dogs. When a puppy bites very hard, a grown dog would assure her that it is too hard. It is a dog’s way of communicating with each other. By observing other puppies she will also learn how to behave in a positive way.

What she will do is bite other puppies or older dogs to play. If the other dogs or puppies find it too hard they will let her know by biting her back. This is how your puppy will learn to control her own biting strength. It is usually easier for a puppy to observe an older dog and learn this behavior. But if you don’t have an older dog or socialization class is not available, then you can try to teach her yourself.

Hand Train

This method is recommended when you are alone, the puppy doesn’t have an older dog with her and or socialization is not an option. Play with the puppy for some time. Use a toy or something for the puppy to chew on. Now engage her to bite it. You can do this by moving the object next to her mouth, rub the toy around her body, poke gently and eventually she will learn that you want her to bite it. If she shows any sign of aggressiveness or even bites you by chance, stop the game immediately.

Then gently put her in laid back position and try to keep her mouth on the ground. Do not use any extra force; just a gentle press would be enough. After she calms down, give her a treat and play along. Also when she bites you, do say something like “Ah…”, “Ouch.” A puppy can understand the difference when someone is happy with her and when someone is hurt due to her actions.

Keep repeating the same steps in a regular basis. As soon as you stop playing with the puppy, she learns that biting is just not an option, or if she makes any contact with her teeth the play stops. Puppies love to play, so they will stop making contacts with their teeth.

Also you must make sure your puppy learns not to bite humans in about four months, because after that his teeth not only will hurt, but could do severe damage. If you can’t train your puppy to control his biting habit, it is recommended to seek help from an expert.

Please do take the time and effort to train your puppy now, because later this issue could be very serious.