So you've got a puppy that likes to bite?

The good news is that biting is a perfectly natural thing for a puppy to do, your puppy is not being vicious or aggressive. Most young puppies go through this biting or nipping phase as they are teething.

How To Stop A Puppy From Biting

It is very cute when very young puppies start to mouth or bite your little finger, but as they get a bit older it can develop into a real problem. That's why it is important to let your puppy know that biting is unacceptable behavior right from the start. It is much easier to prevent puppy biting problems than to re-train puppies who already nip.

Before I go into specific methods you can use to stop your puppy from biting it is important to keep these basic rules in mind:

• Never slap or hit your puppy in the face. This does not work! your puppy will just think you are playing rough or may become afraid of you. You could end up with much bigger problems than a bit of puppy biting.
• The general rule to stop problem nipping is to encourage acceptable behavior and always discourage unacceptable behavior.
• Never play tug of war or wrestling type games with a puppy who bites. It will only encourage him more.
• If you don't show your puppy that biting will not be tolerated, he will not know he is doing anything wrong. Don't expect your puppy to just know this!
• Whichever method you choose to correct your puppies biting problem the golden rule is be consistent! You and every other person who comes into contact with your puppy have to lay down the law every time your puppy has a nip.

Stop Your Puppy From Biting - Proven Techniques

1. If you catch the biting problem early on it may be very simple to fix. Just try to redirect the biting from your fingers to a toy or chew bone. This method is usually all you'll need if you have a very young puppy. As soon as your puppy starts to bite just say No! and replace your fingers with a chew toy.
2. My next favorite method is to make your dog think he is hurting you each time he has a nip. This method really replicates the way dogs sort this biting out amongst themselves. When they are biting and nipping each other it only stops when one puppy lets out a yelp. So we can use this natural way dogs learn by letting out an Ouch! or an Arrr! when your puppy starts to bite. Also as soon as you let out the Ouch! pull away and stop playing with your dog for a while. Your puppy will soon get the message that when he starts to bite, his playmate (you) goes away.
3. In bad biting cases as soon as your puppy latches onto your finger say No! and quickly put your thumb inside his mouth under his tongue and your other finger under his chin. Hold it there for about 10 seconds, (not too tightly) this will feel uncomfortable to your pup, and he won't be able to bite you.
4. Again if your puppy has a severe biting problem you can try this technique. Put on a pair of gloves and apply a foul tasting substance to it (something your dog doesn't like). Your dog will soon learn that if he bites you, it won't be tasty! This method produces a negative association every time your dog decides to bite you. Some dogs are smart enough to realise that when you take your foul tasting gloves off it is fine to sink their fangs into you again!
5. If you have an older puppy (4-5 months) that bites you can use this sure fire technique. Put a choke or pinch collar on your puppy and each time he bites you give the lead a short sharp tug. This again will be an unpleasant association to your dog every time he bites you. It won't take him long to stop.

A couple of other methods that have been recommended to me, but I have never tried myself:

• Spray your puppy with water every time he bites.
• Fill up an empty tin can with rocks or coins. Each time your puppy starts biting say No! and give the can a shake. He'll hate the noise.

Like I mentioned earlier, the most important piece of advice regardless of which method you choose is to be consistent.