How to Stop a Puppy from Biting

If you are wondering how to stop a puppy from biting, you need to understand that your goal should be to control the behavior, not stop it altogether. It is very natural and healthy for a puppy to bite and chew, it is your responsibility to teach your nipping friend what he can bite on and what must be left alone.

That being said, you do have to learn how to stop puppy biting when it comes to people or other animals. While those cute little nips may seem innocent enough, puppy biting turns into adult dog biting which is not only undesirable, it's extremely dangerous, playing or not. If you don't learn how to stop a puppy from biting and you just allow the behavior to continue, you will have a very hard time training your adult dog that these actions are not permitted.

It is also important to understand that you don't have to have an aggressive breed to want to learn how to stop puppy biting, a Beagle can be just as dangerous as a Doberman. Well, almost! The point is, any dog who has not been properly trained can pose danger to you, your family, friends, neighbors, strangers and other pets.

Unfortunately, many areas are very strict about dog bites and if your canine bites someone, regardless how severe, he may be ordered to be put down. It is rather unfortunate how many dogs have to be put down because their owners didn't take the time to learn how to get a puppy to stop biting.

Command and Replace

The first thing to learn when you need to know how to stop a puppy from biting is to react to the action immediately as soon as those sharp little teeth get near your skin. Say No in a calm but firm tone and replace your fingers, toes, arm or leg with an appropriate chew toy.

When the puppy bites or chews on the toy, shower him with praise so he knows he is doing something right. Eventually he will learn that biting you is not appreciated but taking out his aggression on a chew toy is welcome, encouraged and gets him a lot of attention.

Whenever you say No when you're trying to figure out how to get a puppy to stop biting, never yell! You don't want to scare your dog, he certainly doesn't understand that what he's doing is wrong. For the most part, puppies really want to be accepted and make you happy, you just need to teach them how.

Mimic

Are you wondering how to stop a puppy from biting if you don't have a chew toy nearby? All you need to do is mimic how is mother and littermates would respond to his bite. When he bites simply offer a whimper and turn away. After a few times, your puppy will learn that his biting translates to pain for you and no attention for him.

Be Consistent

You cannot use these methods on how to stop a puppy from biting only part time. Consistency and repetition is how a puppy learns. This means to not encourage playing games like tug-of-war or allowing him to play bite while you're wrestling. Allowing a dog to do something one minute and not the next is very confusing and frustrating for them.

 It is also important to note that while your puppy is teething, you will definitely find yourself wondering how to get a puppy to stop biting several times per day. Be sure to offer him plenty of things to chew on, those toys you throw in the freezer feel very good on teething gums!

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