How to Stop Puppy Biting

Biting puppies can be really cute, but they might not be so cute when they grow into biting adult dogs. Worse, adult dogs can do more damage with their teeth which could cause injury to someone or even cause you to be sued. Several methods are worth a try to get the biting to stop.

Puppies should spend the first few months of their lives with their littermates and mother. The mother dog will teach her offspring that biting hard in play is not acceptable. Commonly, pups are adopted at six weeks of age when this socialization process has not been completed. Dogs are much like children in that the earlier desired behaviors are taught, the better.

If you have other dogs, letting your puppy interact with them after allowing a period of time for the new family member to be accepted. You could also borrow a friend's or relative's dog to play with your puppy. Your new pet can learn how to interact with humans and pets by modelling the behavior of the older dogs.

If your puppy puts teeth on your skin, say 'no' and remove your body part as soon as possible placing a bone or other chew toy in the dog's mouth. This will hopefully help the pup to make a connection between wanting to chew and what things are acceptable to chew.

Remember that any intervention needs to be done immediately after the pup bites as they otherwise will not understand why they are being corrected.

If you or a family member is sporting a lot of bites, you may want to try applying a product called bitter apple to exposed skin. Bitter apple has a terrible taste, and some dogs will refuse to bite anything that tastes awful after one time. Your dog could come to associate your hand with the bad taste and not want to be petted, so carefully consider your options before trying this strategy.

Since puppies will protect their toys and food, be sure to teach children to stay away from these possessions. Any kids that are around dogs should be taught the signs of an unhappy dog such as growling and laid-back ears. If a dog wants to be left alone at times, family members should respect the dog's wishes to avoid upsetting the dog and possibly causing biting behavior.

If you want to stop puppy biting permanently, you will need to train your dog. to mind you.