How to Stop a Puppy from Biting

It is very natural for a puppy to teethe or bite. It is a natural part of the puppy growing up. Normally the bites are completely harmless and do not hurt at all. However, you will want to stop from your puppy from developing this as a habit or it will become incredibly difficult to rectify the problem at a later stage. Learning how to stop a puppy from biting is just another aspect of being a good trainer and the earlier you can achieve it the better.

Training Puppies not to Bite

One of the best and easiest ways training puppies not to bite your flesh is to give them something else to bite. This only works when you catch your puppy biting very early on in his life as he can learn very quickly. Simply stop him from biting you by giving him a chewy toy instead of your hand. When he bites you tell him off sternly and then give him a chew toy. This way he will begin to realise that your hand is not for biting.

Another method to consider if your puppy is continuously biting is to tell him off sternly with a “No”. Then take your thumb in his mouth and other fingers under his chin and squeeze softly. Squeezing softly is the key here as you don’t actually want to hurt the puppy. You simply want the puppy to feel uncomfortable, leave your fingers there for a few seconds until he shows that he is uncomfortable and then remove it. This should soon teach him not to bite you and stick to his soft toys.

An effective and largely pain free way for your puppy to learn not to bite flesh is to show discomfort when you get bitten. This method works because it copies how dogs behave in their pack when they are biting each other. When puppies bite one another it only stops when one of them lets out a yelp or noise of discomfort, If you let out a clear noise of discomfort and show that you are in pain, your puppy will pull away. It’s a great method to teach your puppy because it takes advantage of his basic instinct. It also doesn’t involve telling him off by shouting at him which you may not feel comfortable with.

Teach your Puppy the Leave Command

How to Stop a Puppy from Biting

You could also look to teach your puppy the leave command. Teaching your puppy the leave command is quite easy. If you give your puppy something and then say leave, take the item out of his reach and then give him a treat, the puppy will soon begin to associate the discipline he shows with reward. You can then slowly wean him off the treats, secure in the knowledge that he fully understands the leave command. If he decides to bite into your flesh you can then apply this same rule. Simply tell him to leave and he will do so. Teaching your puppy the leave command has its advantages because as well as deterring him from biting your hand you are training your puppy with a useful command. It may take a little more time but when your puppy grasps the concept of leave, it will be well worth it.

Training a puppy is all about teaching them through experience. If they realise that something is not in their interest then they will eventually stop. A method that harnesses this concept well is to put on some gloves with a horrible tasting substance. Every time your puppy decides to sink his teeth into your hand he will be hit with a horrible taste. This will stop him from biting you after a few times as he learns from the experience. This method works a lot of the time, however certain clever dogs actually realise this only occurs when you are wearing the gloves. This means that when you take the gloves off the puppy will go back to biting you.

Teaching Older Puppies to Stop Biting

Sometimes when you come across an older puppy it is harder to break their habits. As soon as a dog gets used to behaving in a certain way it is hard to get them out of that routine, although this is not to say it’s impossible. For older puppies a great technique is buying a choke collar. Every time your puppy decides to bite you give it a short sharp tug. The sensation will be very unpleasant for the dog and so he will stop biting immediately. Do not feel bad about the process as it is simply something a puppy has top learn. As long as you are not permanently injuring the puppy it is fine. Do not hurt your puppy or prolong the tug and choke him excessively. This is simply a learning technique where he will associate biting your hand with an unpleasant feeling, nothing more.

A few other ways to control your puppy also centre around the idea of making your puppy feel uncomfortable when he bites you. One is to fill up a spray can full of water then, when your puppy bites, you spray him in the face with the water. The puppy will not like this one bit and will soon learn to stop biting you. Another is to fill up a jar full of stones or coins. When the puppy bites you tell him off and then shake the jar. The puppy will not like the noise the jar makes and again it will make him think twice before biting you.