Good Stuff Happens in 1:1 Meetings: Why you need them and how to do them well
Help - My Puppy Won't Stop Biting Me
1. Help – My Puppy Won’t stop Biting Me!
A puppy is probably the cutest thing in the world, but if it’s an issue, you need to stop
puppy biting as quickly as possible. Many owners don’t realize that this behaviour
can lead to issues with dominance and aggression later in the dog’s life, no matter
how cute it might seem when your puppy is rolling around on the floor.
In fact, most puppies learn to stop biting when they are still very young. Because
they have so many brothers and sisters in their litter, they quickly learn that when
they bite, they get bitten back. By the time a puppy is eight weeks old, it should
already know not to bite. The problem then is that the mother doesn’t always get
eight weeks to stop puppy biting.
The Early Days
If you take home a puppy that is less than eight weeks old or that simply did not
learn not to nip and bite at your fingers before you got it, it’s important to take quick
action to stop the biting behaviour.
First thing’s first. Never hit your puppy in response to the bite. If they don’t think
you’re playing, they may become afraid of you, developing serious phobias and
anxieties that can lead to aggression issues later in life.
To truly stop puppy biting, you need to address the root of the behaviour. To do this,
you should encourage them in any good behaviors and discourage any negative
behaviors. Don’t confuse the puppy by playing games that might lead to this kind of
aggression. Avoid wrestling, tug of war, or chase games that will lead to nipping by
the puppy.
Consistency will be very important in training your puppy. If you really want to stop
puppy biting, you cannot grow soft or let the dog get away with anything. You’re
doing this all for its own good.
The Training
2. When you start training your puppy, try to enrol them in obedience or socialization
classes. There are actual bite inhibition classes where trainers will mimic the
behaviours of the puppy’s mother, teaching it that the bites are not socially
acceptable. Socialization is good for many other reasons as well. It teaches your dog
to respond well to other dogs on the street and will reduce any aggression they show
toward other dogs.
Early, when you try to stop puppy biting, redirect the behaviour to something
constructive like a chew toy or bone. If you say “No!” and then give the dog a toy to
chew on instead, they will often learn very quickly that the finger is not okay, but the
toy is.
Another good method is to make a small, hurt noise whenever the puppy nips at you.
This will replicate the response a dog gets when it bites its litter mate. A soft whine or
yip will tell the puppy that it has caused you pain, something it doesn’t want to do.
Startle the dog enough that they let go and leave you be.
Training to stop puppy biting is a very important part of the relocation process,
especially if your puppy is very young. Ideally, your puppy should understand that by
the time they are 10 weeks old, biting is not okay. It will make the years to come
much less stressful and the risk of potential aggression the future much lower.
Recommended Reading:
Secrets to Dog Training – By Daniel Stevens
http://bit.ly/secretstodogtrainingrevealed
Secrets to Dog Training presents an unusually detailed and thorough look at how to both
prevent and deal with the more common problem behaviors exhibited by dogs.
Written by a seasoned dog trainer, you can relax in the knowledge that all the tips and
advice included are tried and true, and come from Stevens' real-life experiences as a
professional dog trainer.
There is also a straight-talking, easy to follow 30-minute downloadable video which provides
real-life examples of doggy bad behavior along with solutions and remedies to change them.
3. What's Covered?
There's a pretty impressive range of information packed into this guide.
It's not just the problem behaviors that are covered: The book starts off with new-owner
advice (how to choose a puppy/dog, the best places to get one from, breed information,
puppy/dog-proofing your home, the first vet visit, housetraining, etc) and then moves on to
the more advanced stuff: behavioral problems (such as aggression, dominance, chewing,
digging, excessive barking, separation anxiety, to name a few), intermediate-level obedience
commands, health-related dog problems (allergies, cat/dog coexistence, fleas, heatstroke,
and so on), and advanced commands and tricks.
The 30-minute downloadable video gives a great insight into a dog's quest to be the alpha
dog and how you can prevent this.
Its quick steps to stop bad behaviors such as housebreaking right through to leash pulling
are so simple you can start trying them out on your dog straight away.
Particularly Good Parts
In addition to the contents listed above, there's also a pretty impressive section on dog
whispering, which – in case you haven't heard of it already - is a method of dog training
based on a philosophy of clear communication and mutual respect.
It's been popularized in recent years by Cesar Millan ("The Dog Whisperer"), and is
becoming increasingly well-known as an alternative and humane method for disciplining and
training your dog. Secrets to Dog Training has dedicated an entire section to dog whispering:
Daniel Stevens explains the background of the technique, how to utilize voice and body
language to your best advantage, and how to use the technique to calmly, assertively, and
effectively correct and train your dog.
Step-by-set instructions are included for the common commands (sit, down, come, stay,
quiet, etc).
If you are serious about putting a stop to your dog’s behavior problems for good (including
aggression, digging, barking, whining, jumping, pulling on the lead, bolting out the front door,
chewing, flatulence, house training and more) then I highly recommend that you get yourself
a copy of Secrets to Dog Training right now.
http://bit.ly/secretstodogtrainingrevealed