Adding a pup or a dog as a new member of the family brings lots of love and happiness. However, you also need to face some new challenges while helping them adjust to their new home. One of them is ‘play biting’.
You must have found your dog chewing random things - from a valuable item to something that jeopardizes their safety. They also chew your fingers or toes, which can be painful for you.
Biting is a natural behavior for puppies. Like human babies, puppies also start to chew on objects when their teeth are growing. However, it is necessary to train your dog for your and their safety. Until they do not learn what they can chew and they can not, you need to manage the situation.
Here are some tips that can help you stop your dog from biting. Let us explore!
Here’s How to Stop a Dog From Biting.
1. Give Them Bite Inhibition Training
Dogs may not know how much force to apply while chewing. They may, at times, chew so hard that it becomes painful or frightening for themselves. In this emotion, they may cause some harm to you or other people around them. Therefore, your dog must apply moderate force. You can help them with bite inhibition learning.
To give your dogs bite inhibition training, make a loud “Ow!” sound or yelp in a high-pitched voice “Hey, it hurts” when they bite with force. It is what their mother does to warn them. With time, they will understand and learn to chew softly. However, in the beginning, they can bite after you yell, so put them into their crate for a few minutes to help them calm down.
2. Apply the Method of Redirection
To teach your puppy that biting human skin is not acceptable, use the redirection method. Pull your hand back and give them a treat when they urge you to bite your hand.
You can also play non-contact games like tug-of-war or fetch to satisfy their biting urge. Teach them the commands like “let go” or “leave it” to remove things from their mouth when they get into aggressive biting.
3. Use Positive Reinforcement
Dog biting can make you feel frustrated, and you may feel like getting physical or aggressive. However, it is not the right way to discipline them. Instead, you can use positive reinforcement training like treats and praise before using aversives - shock collars.
Puppies tend to bite the ankles when you take a walk with them. To stop this behaviour, stop moving immediately. When they realise that you want them to stop biting, offer their favourite toy. The idea behind this is to make them understand that when they stop bad behaviour, good things happen.
4. Try Time-Out Training
All the dog-biting methods give results over time when you do them constantly. If in the meantime you are not able to handle your dog’s biting, give them some time off. Put your pup in their crate gently and let them calm down on their own. However, make sure they don’t relate the time-out in the crate with punishment. Therefore, do so calmly and not in frustration or they will sense it.
5. Burn Physical and Mental Energy
If your pup continues to bite you even after giving them the alternative toy to chew, they need to burn some physical and mental energy. The two most common reasons for destructive puppy chewing behaviour are boredom and high energy levels. Take them in an open yard, let them run and play. It will burn off their energy and keep them entertained.
Play biting does not mean your dog is aggressive. With the right training, it will get moderate with time. If it does not, consult a dog trainer for their biting behaviour.
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