How To Train Your Puppy To Stop Biting

Puppies in a litter will naturally nip and bite at their siblings during play. This is how they develop and refine skills such as eating, carrying and investigating objects, chewing, and, of course, biting.

Through this interaction with their mother and siblings, puppies begin to learn how to moderate their bite according to the situation – this is known as ‘bite inhibition ‘.

However, as humans get injured by biting far more easily than dogs, it is essential that when he joins your ‘pack’, you teach your puppy to stop biting, as it is no longer an appropriate behaviour in any situation.

A young puppy trying to nibble on your fingers may seem cute whilst they are so small, but you must remember that if you allow it to continue, then they will repeat this behaviour through to adulthood, and may cause serious injury as a result.

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As a responsible dog owner, it is vital that you deal with this issue as soon as take your puppy into your home, as it will become harder to deal with the longer you leave it.

So, how do you train your puppy to stop biting?

1. Next time he nips at someone, they should immediately let out a loud, shrill high-pitched squeal. Of course, you will probably feel quite self-conscious when you first do this, but it is an important step, as this is how his siblings would have reacted if he bit them too hard during play. By mimicking what has happened to him previously in the litter, he will instantly realise that you are unhappy with him biting you.
   
2. Immediately turn you back on the puppy, and exclude him from what you are doing. Give him no eye-contact or attention whatsoever – not even to reprimand him. By consistently withdrawing attention from the puppy when he repeats this behaviour, you will be teaching him that this behaviour never achieves a positive outcome for him, and so he will eventually try a new one in its place.
   
3. After 2 or 3 minutes, return to your dog and offer him a chew toy. If he takes it in his mouth, praise him and give him positive attention. If he starts to mouth or nip at your hands again, quickly take him by the collar, and tell him firmly ‘Ah-ah-ah’, or ‘no biting’ . It is a good idea to pick a phrase which you will only use for this issue, as it will help him to get a consistent message when he repeats this undesirable behaviour next time.
   
4. By consistent repetition, he will quickly learn that it is ok to chew his toys, but not ok to try and chew or nip at us. By withdrawing attention from him when he does not obey the new rules, he will eventually drop the old ‘biting behaviour’ since it no longer brings him a positive consequence.
   

This method is used to train a young puppy to stop biting when they are fresh from the litter. However, dealing with dogs who bite out of fear or genuine aggression requires a very different approach.

To read tips on fear-based biting in dogs, see How to stop dogs biting (page 2).

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