Once bitten twice shy, is that how you have been feeling recently after bringing your puppy home? Don’t worry, there are ways to stop your puppy from biting. One of the first ways to do so is by discouraging your puppy to bite. Don’t play any games such as wrestling or chasing because they only encourage nipping or biting.
Why socialization matters
Socializing your puppy and stopping her from biting go together. Don’t hit or slap the puppy in it’s face as it could either become scared of you or think you are playing a game. Make sure your puppy has lots of opportunities to play with other puppies and with friendly and vaccinated dogs. It is important for your puppy’s development and it will feel less motivated to bite or be rough with you. Lack of socialization is what makes your dog aggressive. The best time to socialize your puppy is before she reaches four months.
Other methods
- Whatever way you take up to train your pet, stay consistent and teach the puppy not to bite with the same signals every time. If you don’t let your puppy know that biting is not acceptable, the puppy will never know it is wrong to do so.
- It is easy to curb the habit in the very early stages by distracting your puppy’s attention to a chewing bone or a toy. The other way to curb the biting habit is to firmly say ‘No’ each time the puppy tries to bite your hand. Make sure to quickly replace your hand with a toy.
- Another method is to communicate to your puppy that she is hurting you when she bites, so scream or say an ‘ouch’. the idea is to surprise your dog with your scared/startled voice, and withdraw from her. The puppy will quickly learn that when she tries to bite, her playmate withdraws.
- Provide your dog with new toys that are interesting so her attention is drawn to them rather than to gnaw at you or bite you.
- Learning to build trust and respect in your puppy towards you is a very important aspect of your relationship. However, using methods that make you loose your cool will not help as your puppy will no longer respect or trust you.
- Make sure that your puppy understands that it is the biting that you don’t like and not her. So, it is important to take up some follow-up methods like food rewards or toys to encourage her when she doesn’t bite.
