Dog behavior Problem, Dog Biting

One of the major problems owners face with new dogs is puppy biting. Most young dogs will bite because they are playing, exploring, need attention, teething or frightened. This is natural since dogs do not have hands and explore with their mouths.

The problem may not just go away and you should look into puppy bite training. Most puppies can easily be taught to minimize hard biting, and know when to let go.

Guidelines of Puppy Biting Behavior Training

Like all other training in a puppies life, reward good behavior, discourage bad behavior. It is very important to always reward the dog when they do the right thing. This is more important then punishing the dog for bad behavior as the puppy will easily connect positive reinforcement to the action that caused it. Usually punishment comes far after the action that deserved it and the dog will believe the actions they do at the present time of punishment is the bad behavior.
Never physically hit your puppy, especially in the nose or face. Physical abuse in general is bad but even if it's a rolled up newspaper across the nose. This will only encourage biting or create a fearful dog. When training you need your dog to trust you and not be scared of you.
When training a puppy not to bite, do not play physical games such as tug-of-war or chase. Any wrestling type of activity will encourage biting as these activities are common among puppies and their littermates.
Biting puppies do not know any better and only believe they are doing the right thing. If you want to discontinue the biting you must train them. Be consistent in your training and follow the guidelines. If you do one thing then another you are only going to confuse the puppy.
Some puppies will try to become the dominant dog in the pack. You and your family are all pack members and this must be stopped. This behavior problem is covered more on how to be the leader or alpha dog between you and your pet.
Puppy socialization training is a key step to help reduce biting behavior. This training will keep their minds busy learning new things, not frighten easily and behave well around other pets and people.

Proven Techniques to Stop Your Puppy From Biting

Stated earlier, puppies explore the world with their nose and mouth. You will never eliminate the dogs natural instinct to put things in their mouth. What you do have control of is how hard they bite. Once properly trained your only concern is removing the drool from your hand.

The puppy bite training below will teach you how to show your pet the force of their bite. Then how to reduce bite force through positive and negative reinforcement.

1 - Some times, if trained early, the only step you will need to do is provide non living object for them to chew on. Chew toys, chew bones or even simple things like ice cubes in their water bowl will teach them not to bite you. As a young puppy they will quickly learn that people are not as tasty as their favorite dog bone. When the puppy does bite you, say a cue world such as "NO" and quickly replace your hand with a nice chew toy.

2 - Another way to train is do what puppies do. When puppies are playing with their littermates they learn about bite strength when one puppy is bitten to hard and yelps. The playing stops and the puppy that did the biting over time will understand the connection. As the owner if your puppy bites you, let out a loud ouch noise. End all playing and ignore your puppy. Over time your puppy will make the connection that when they bite hard you stop playing with them.

3 - You can use a fowl tasting substance that the dog dislikes and spray your hand or a glove. When they bite your hand you must still say "NO" or another loud cue word. The bad taste will build up an unpleasant association with biting and can reduce biting behavior.

4 - On puppies you can be more aggressive and use your thumb and fingers to create a negative feeling when the puppy bites you. As soon as they do, say a firm "NO" and place your thumb under the dog's tongue and your finger under the chin. Do not squeeze to hard as you do not want to cause pain. You just want to create an uncomfortable feeling for the dog. Holding the puppy's mouth like this will make it very hard for them to bite you further.

5 - Create an unpleasant noise when the puppy bites you. Something simple like a tin can with pennies inside or a whistle will do the trick. Anything that can be loud and scare the puppy to stop what they are doing. This step should only be used if the techniques before have not worked.

6 - Using a mist spray bottle, spray your dogs face with water when they bite or nip you. Water in the face will just make the whole situation of biting annoying for your dog. Most dogs will not enjoy being sprayed in the face with water. Not always a recommended method but if the first few steps have not worked this may.

7 - Using a choke or pinch collar and giving it a sharp tug when the dog bites may also create an uncomfortable association with biting. Only use this on older dogs at the appropriate age to wear such a collar. Remember the idea here is not to harm the dog, just generate an unpleasant situation with biting. This method should be a last resort training technique.

If your puppy or older dog has not reacted to any of the techniques above then perhaps your dog has some underlying behavior issues. You may need to speak with a dog training specialist or behavior trainer.

With all the training techniques, training your puppy or dog to stop biting hard should be quick and easy. Just remember the key is to be consistent with the training. Pick one or two from the list and use them for a few days to a week. If you see no improvement then try another. If they begin to bite less and have softer bites continue with the training methods you are using.

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