Bite Inhibition

Train Your Puppy to Stop Biting & Nipping

You’ll need to teach your puppy that teeth and skin just don't mix. Puppy Mouthing is normal and can even be cute when your puppy nibbles and even lunges at your hand. However, that behaviour grows old very quickly when your puppy starts to grow and the bites start to hurt more and more.

Seeing as your puppy has been up to this point with it’s littermates who would naturally mouth and bite each other during play it makes perfect sense why it would take for granted that playing with you wouldn't be any different. However, as they start to grow up and they soon get bigger and their bites become very uncomfortable, and this can very quickly turn dangerous during rough play bites. This is why you must teach your puppy right from wrong, and it’s better to start as soon as your puppy comes home with you from your breeder or rescue.

Your puppy has to very quickly learn how to be gentle with you, as even giving it a treat their sharp little puppy teeth can rip through flesh like a hot knife through butter if they catch your finger from the wrong angle. Believe me I should know.

When you visit your puppy at the breeder’s home, watch how the puppies interact with its mum and littermates. If a puppy bites one of its brothers or sisters too hard, the puppy that’s been bitten soon “yelps” and the puppy rough-housing will stop immediately. This is a sure indicator that they have listened and understood that the bite was too hard. This is how we can teach our new pup bite inhibition, with us it’s human family.

How to stop puppy biting: training tips
Firstly take a treat, and hold it in your hand, then wrap your fingers around so the puppy can’t get it out of your hand no matter how much it tries to get at it, be aware that I will bite, nibble at your hand or even paw at your hand, but under no circumstances let your puppy have the treat. This may take a little while for your puppy to work out, however as soon as your puppy’s nose comes away from your hand, reward your pup with that treat. You’re rewarding your puppy for leaving the treat in your hand and stopping biting you. Your puppy needs to know that it's never, ever, receive that treat by biting your hand. The only way it's going to get it is to stop the biting, nibbling behaviour and taking its nose away from your closed hand with the treat still in it. Your puppy is learning that biting and pawing at your is never going be rewarded with that tasty treat it wants to eat so badly.

This method is a safe way to offer a treat to any dog that you don’t know, as it protects your fingers from being bitten. You need to again wrap the treat in your hand and then open your fingers gently and let the dog have it.

Obviously biting you is not a desired trait that any dog owner wants, so it’s vitally important to teach your puppy that toys are to play and bite and fingers and hands are not. The next this is to teach your puppy how to reduce the force of its bite, you can do this by playing with toys and it’s a very easy way to teach a puppy. Play time also increasing the bond you will have with your puppy, just remember that you control the play time.

When you're playing with your pups teeth must never touch your hand. However, if hey do accidently you need to think about how your pups littermates reacted to this and “yelp” or use the word “Owe”! Then immediately turn away from your puppy, because like its littermates, the game stops straight away if anyone got hurt. Now if you feel his teeth on your hand at all you let him know with a little "Yelp or Owe!” turn away and let the game stops for a few seconds. You must be sure to repeat this process every time your pup bites your hand. If you stick to this method your puppy will so learn your threshold for what is and isn’t acceptable. Again after a little cool down period you return to play time, your pup will learn not to use his teeth and to be more aware when the next play time begins.

It’s so important is that everybody in the family is on the same page, and consistency is most definitely the key. So be sure to tell anyone who plays with the dog has to teach him that teeth and skin don't mix!