Puppy biting is a normal occurrence, so common that you will not find any owner who hasn’t experienced it. While the pictures or videos of them biting and nipping might look cute. However, they are painful and sometimes will even leave marks on your body if your puppy goes too far. While punishment is the natural response to this, there are much better and more constructive ways on how to stop a puppy from biting? This inhibits the behavior and adds more quality to you and the puppy’s playtime.
Why Do Puppies Bite So Much?
How to avoid puppy biting? Before knowing answer to this question, first understand the behavior behind this act in whelps. Puppies bite due to their instinct, but it does not mean they are malevolent and looking to hurt, they bite as a way to communicate and show their expression. Based on different situations, puppies biting and nipping might mean other things. Here are a few of those reasons and what do they mean:
#1 Puppies Bite to Interact
Sometimes, your little puppy keeps biting to get your attention or wants to play with you. Puppy nipping or biting is the only way for your pets to interact with the world around them. Do not discourage this behavior or punish them for it. It will hurt when the pointy teeth of your little teeth would gnaw at your skin. But they do not mean any ill will from it. They want to play with you or have your affection in earnest.
#2 To Play with Each Other
it is common for doggies to topple down the other and bite. This is dogs’ way of playing with each other. Any dog that houses more than one puppy will see it happen more often when they are young. Their playing with each other like this starts to dwindle when they grow up.
#3 At the Time of Pain
Like how we make an erratic swift motion at the instant pain that comes out of nowhere, dogs do so too, but in the form of biting. The excessive income from losing baby teeth and adult teeth cut marks.
How Long Will Puppy Biting Last?
Puppies don’t bite from the get-go and don’t bite or nib for all of their lives. So, how long do puppies bite? Puppies start biting when they are around three or four months of age, which can go on until they are ten months old. Some puppies can stop their biting habits earlier, and some don’t stop even during adulthood.
How to Stop a Puppy From Biting and Nipping?
Just because biting is natural for your pup does not mean you should teach them to not do incessantly on you or anything around. Your dog’s canine teeth can be pretty harmful and hurting to you. Thus, we offer you ways in which you can make your puppy to stop biting.
#1 Offer an Alternative
Biting is as natural as breathing for puppies. It is encoded deep down in their instinct. You can not get rid of this behavior, but you can redirect their behavior to less harmful things like a toy. Giving the dog chew toys for your puppy is a good idea. You can offer them the toy whenever they bring you or the things around you.
#2 Never Punish them for Biting
It is natural to get upset and scream (or even hit your dog) while they gnaw at you for no apparent reason. You must deal with them patiently and direct their behavior to someplace else. Hitting will create a metaphorical gap between you and your dog, which will hinder the growth of your relationship in the future.
#3 Give them a Cue
Giving a cue means giving an idea of what behavior is right and acceptable and what isn’t. In case of a puppy’s biting behavior, you give them a cue when they bite or nib your legs or furniture. When they are biting, you make a high pitch surround to startle them they will stop at it. Afterward, offer them their chewing toy to sink in the idea that that was the right thing to do.
#4 Teach them Biting Means No More Playing
Innocuous puppy play biting can turn the play into a painful relapse if you let them do as they wish. When you are playing with your dog, they will start biting as a way of showing they are having fun. But it won’t be for you, so you have to let them know biting is bad during playing by stopping engaging with them altogether. They will whimper at first, but given time they will stop resorting to biting you during your quality playtime with them.
#5 Teach them to Walk Around you
Puppies love to pounce around their feet, this is a common behavior, but that will soon turn into puppy biting feet; it always does. So to stop puppy biting from doing so, keep their chewing toy when they start pouncing around you. Hold it over them and walk leisurely; your puppy will follow suit, and instead of jumping and biting, they will learn to walk around you.
Aggressive Puppy Biting
After knowing the answer for why do puppies bite so much it is important to know the type of puppy biting. Sure, biting is a way for pups to interact, play, show affection, and many more. But there are times when the bite is meant to hurt. This occurs when you make your puppy do something they do not like and want to stop doing. Making them stay in a position or holding them on two feet can elicit this behavior. They will not bite at you immediately; they will show their discomfort by revealing their teeth or growling. If it goes up to the point they start barking and attempting to bite you, hold them, do not show any discomfort, or be far from your end in puppy biting training; just keep them until their rage passes away. If the biting behavior in puppy persists to be aggressive after this, contact a dog trainer to remedy the behavior.
How to Avoid Puppy Biting?(Precautions)
There are a few precautions on to prevent your pooch from nipping or biting you during the training period to make sure they don’t accidentally chew on your skin.
- Do not put your hand or feet around your puppy’s face; they take it as a sign of playing and so it results in puppy biting hands. This is an encouraging cue to bite from them. Also, over time it leads to aggressive puppy biting.
- When they come at you to bite ( as a form of play ), do not jerk back; to them, it is an invitation to pounce, follow or jump to bite. Just make it so that they think it is not fun to bite you by going limp, and you can give them their chewing toy to enforce this.
- In no manner avoid playing with your puppy; playing is important as it builds a deep bond between the puppy and you or your family. Teach puppy not to bite and encourage them to play safely and tell them their ‘no’s’, but do not stop them from playing.
- Hitting your puppy to stop them from biting is a big no. It does many things in the wrong ways. It might make your puppy afraid of you or aggressive toward you. It can go so far as to damage your relationship with them.
Conclusion
Puppy biting is painful and, at times, goes unnoticed; this leads to you in painful fits and your pet feeling guilty. Although a natural reaction from both sides, you should raise your puppy while keeping its biting tendencies in mind. Teaching them to bite is not allowed at certain times and places as soon as they start biting. You will not only help them curb their tendencies but also build the foundation for your bonding in the future