Do’s and Don’t’s: How To Prevent Your Puppy From Biting

The Ultimate Guide to Dog Training For First-Time Dog Owner:

While it’s natural for puppies to bite, you don’t want them to be biting and nipping at everything and everyone! The best way to control their biting is to give them proper learning methods.  Pups bite for different reasons, but mainly because it’s a way for them to explore new environments. This learning stage is the perfect time for you to train your pup not to bite at everything he or she encounters.

Below are some more tips on how to control your puppy’s biting and nipping tendencies and instill good training practices.

Do Give Your Puppy some exercise

This is a common theme throughout the dog training process. One of the reasons your puppy bites is because they have so much energy in them, and it can sometimes get out of control. Giving your puppy enough exercise (around 1 hour per day) will help control its energy. There are a lot of different exercises you can do, and the benefits go beyond energy control. For those dog owners that are busy with work and don’t have the amount of time or space to exercise their dog, dog daycare is a viable option to keep your dog social and active during the day.

Do have chew toys when playing with your puppy

In the process of teething, puppies will bite at everything they encounter. You don’t want your clothes, shoes, or other favorite items at home to be the victims of your dog’s biting and chewing tendencies! Having some chew toys will provide an outlet for chewing behavior. Refer back to these chew toys if your dog starts venturing elsewhere to reinforce the positive behavior. Constant reinforcement builds positive habits.

Do use a Tie Back method

Tie your puppy in a. Play with your puppy and praise her for being gentle. If she ignores and starts biting and nipping, leave her and return after 1 minute and give it another try. The tie-back method is also useful for controlling other types of attention-getting behavior such as jumping and barking.

Don’t leave your kids and dogs unsupervised

For safety reasons, don’t leave your kids and your puppy unattended. Also, teach your kids not to scream and run when playing with the puppy as this may frighten them and can hinder progress. Furthermore, make sure that your whole family has a go at playing with your puppy. However, it is also important that everyone in the family has the same approach when playing with the puppy. Consistency is key.

Don’t forget to give them a rest

First-time dog owners might be surprised by how much energy this cute little creature has, but you will soon find out that they sleep – a lot. In fact, in general, puppies can sleep 15-20 hours a day. And there is a good reason why: sleeping is essential to your puppy’s health and growth. Make sure you let your puppy have their required rest time.

Do let them understand how delicate the human skin is

To prevent biting people, let your puppy get used to the human skin and let them explore it. If they start biting too hard, give a gentle warning. Remember, harsh punishment is not necessary. It will do more harm than good. Your innocent pup can develop fear from physical punishment, and you don’t want your dog to be an aggressive one.