Train Your Puppy to Stop Biting & Nipping

if your new puppy is biting everything and everyone. Why do puppies bite? Is it normal for them to bite or nip? How to stop your puppy from biting you?

Here’s a breakdown of puppy biting behaviour and what you can do to keep your puppy from biting you.

The great news is that puppy nipping/biting is normal for a puppy to want to chew on all they see. They have sharp puppy teeth that can hurt and cut your skin!

You will need to stop this habit by training your puppy and redirecting it to chew on a toy instead of your hands or anything that is not acceptable.

Besides training the puppy on his nipping behaviour, creating a safe environment to keep your puppy out of danger is essential, especially with electrical wires.

Learning

Young Puppies learn a lot from biting objects. They receive internal information on how hard they should bite at a specific thing, perhaps what the object tastes like, or whether they can repeat the behaviour or stop.

It will depend on the object’s taste, whether it is soft or complex, and how it smells, a may continue to bite it.

When puppies are exploring their new environment, you may catch them chewing on furniture, an area rug, a throw pillow, clothing, smelly shoes, remote controls, window frames, door jams, crates, beds, food bowls, and more.

Puppy is chewing Your Personal Belongings.

Giving the puppy many toys to nibble on will help stop chewing on household items that are within reach.

When you see the puppy biting on objects around the house, try making a whistling noise to get its attention.

Scheduling play sessions outdoors to exercise your puppy will keep them occupied. 

My Puppy is Teething. 

A dog’s Adult teeth come in between twelve and sixteen weeks; during this age, you may see your puppy’s chewing has increased. Dog’s gums may be sore when they lose puppy teeth while adult teeth push through the gums.

Toys can help Puppy Redirect Their Attention.

Puppy is Teething

Teething Toys can help your puppies ease sore gums and are created of soft plastic, helping baby teeth or incoming adult teeth.

Supervising your puppy when playing with toys ensures they don’t ingest small pieces.

Reasons why your puppy may be Nipping

Puppies want to play: Redirect your puppy focus to dog toys like the Kong Brands, as they are durable and don’t fall apart.

Puppy is exhausted: There may be lots of excitement around your puppy with a family event, so placing the puppy in a room with many different toys to help occupy it is best.

Your puppy is bored: Many Puppies love exploring their world with their mouth—exciting activities with new chews and toys to keep their minds occupied.

Your puppy is tired: Puppies tend to get tired very quickly. Do we all get cranky when we are exhausted? Puppies need to nap throughout the day, and placing them in their crate or a safe spot like their puppy room if they are nipping excessively.

They want your attention: Puppy nips to get attention from humans. Once your puppy learns that nipping works to get your attention, whether it is in a good way or wrong, they will likely try it all the time. Work on teaching your puppy that a different behaviour, such as sitting, works better to get their focus.

Your puppy might be hungry: Many puppies get nippy before mealtime, incredibly so when hungry.

They may be teething, and gums hurt from teething pain. Try giving your puppy a soft toy made especially for teething. 

Check the site at www.barkavenuebycucciolini.ca for top teething toys and other helpful tools to help puppies soothe the pain from teething.

What to do if the puppy is biting you to get your attention?

Never encourage a puppy to nip by teasing them to play with your hands or feet. If your puppy bites to enable them to play, create a high-pitched noise like a whistle and stop playing with your puppy immediately. Leave the puppy for a brief moment by moving it to another room and closing the door; if your puppy is persistent with negative behaviour and continues nipping, leave until it has calmed down. 

If the puppy continues to bite, it will soon learn not to bite. If the puppy does not receive the attention, your puppy will realize that there are consequences if the biting does not STOP.

You are helping your puppy to stop biting.

When puppies are biting, it is a normal part of their development, and you need to manage the behaviour by distraction. It is best to stay calm, persistent, and consistent. If you are frustrated by your puppy’s behaviour, seek professional help from your vet or a vet behaviourist.

Successful Tips to help puppy stop nipping. 

Never use inappropriate language or physically hit a puppy. 

When you are Verbal or physical with your puppy to help correct behaviour that is not acceptable, it only teaches your puppy to suppress negative behaviours. If you are using punishment to train your puppy, it will lead to fear and anxiety in your puppy. 

Offer Your Puppy Age-Appropriate Toys for teething.

• Begin with toys that are safe for puppies, such as soft rubber toys, small rubber balls, rope toys, and toys with squeakers.

• Help to encourage the puppy to interact with toys while rolling or moving them around to distract them from the negative habits.

• If your puppy grabs onto the toy, offer praise.

• Do not immediately pull back if your puppy grabs your hand or clothing. Instead, make a yelp and move away.

• Suppose your puppy follows you and continues biting your feet, ankles, or legs. Leaving the room briefly and closing the door every time your puppy bites, it will eventually notice you will stop interacting.

Waiting 10-20 seconds, then coming back.

• If you’re your puppy comes running to you, immediately engage them with a toy. They will soon learn it’s more fun to bite the toys than you.

Redirect the puppy to focus on training.

• You can redirect your puppy to perform better behaviours when teaching your puppy some basic training commands.

When your puppy bites, make a noise using a whistle to distract the puppy from nipping.

• Teaching a puppy to help to control the biting behaviour, immediately redirecting them to exhibit non-biting behaviours, using commands such as sit, stay, come, and no biting. 

I am offering the puppy praise while using treats to reinforce good behaviours.

Attempt to engage Puppy in Socialization Classes. 

When attending puppy socialization classes, it is a crucial part of your puppy’s understanding not to nip.

Your puppy will interact with many puppies of different sizes, breeds, and sexes in the class. Puppy classes provide a controlled environment where they interact with other puppies and learn what appropriate play behaviour is.

Nipping and Biting in Mature Dogs and how to stop.

If you do not teach your puppy to stop biting and provide appropriate toys to chew on, they will mature into an adolescent dog that may be very difficult to control.

Staying Calm and Focused when training a puppy.

Training a Puppy requires patience and dedication as your puppy may not understand the concept you are teaching them, so it’s best to stay calm and focused. 

Shouting at your puppy will cause it to become frightened and cause more stress, which can lead to an excess of the same behaviour you’re trying to eliminate.

If your puppy struggles to understand, hiring a professional trainer is vital. Dogs that continuously bite are a danger. It’s your responsibility to ensure your puppy is safe to be around people.

Patience and consistency are essential to training that will help your puppy to stop biting and nipping.