How to Keep a Puppy From Biting

New puppy owners often find that their adorable dog has started to get mouthy. It's not uncommon for a puppy to start biting, particularly during the teething phase. There are several effective strategies that every puppy owner can use to discourage a puppy from biting.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bitter apple spray Kong rubber dog chew toys Cream cheese or peanut butter Washcloths Water Freezer

1. Begin by tending to the dog's teething needs. Many puppies will bite and mouth because the pressure feels good on their gums during the puppy teething process. Soothe a teething puppy's gums by wetting a washcloth, tying it in a knot and then placing it inside a freezer for a few hours. Give the dog the frozen washcloth as a cold chew toy to soothe the teething puppy's gums. Always supervise when using this teething toy.

2. Interrupt a puppy biting or mouthing a person or object with a sharp, sudden sound such as "Tsst." Then, place the dog in a "sit." Once the dog complies, give him a more suitable chew toy. Kong rubber chew toys are very appealing to puppies, particularly when the hollow center is filled with peanut butter or cream cheese.

3. Vocally praise the puppy when he's chewing on an appropriate item, like a chew toy. Give negative verbal feedback (like "Tsst" or "No!") to interrupt inappropriate behaviors.

4. Some puppies will bite a person's hands, feet, legs, arms and clothing as an attention-getting technique. When this occurs, give negative verbal feedback to interrupt the puppy's behavior, and then provide a suitable chew toy. Ignore the dog for 5 to 10 minutes to discourage biting as a method to garner attention.

5. Discourage biting by spraying an area with bitter apple spray. Use this for puppies who bite hands, feet, legs, arms and clothing during play or other interactions (when the dog already has your attention--this means it's not an attention-getting behavior). The dog will dislike the taste of the bitter apple spray, serving as negative feedback for his behavior. This makes the behavior less likely to occur in the future.

6. Get the puppy's attention by making an "injured puppy sound" if it is mouthy during play. In a litter of puppies, dogs learn bite control from siblings, who will cry out if a littermate bites too hard. Dog owners can mimic this with a sharp, high-pitched "Eee-eee-eee" or other similar sound. Try a few sounds to see which one your dog reacts to the best.

7. Push your hand further into the dog's mouth when it starts biting your hand. This unexpected action on your part is unpleasant for the dog; he will instinctively stop biting and release your hand. Trying to pull your hand away can create a "tug-of-war" type challenge for some playful puppies.

Tips & Warnings

• In dog training, praise and reward makes a behavior more likely to occur in the future; negative feedback makes a behavior less likely to occur in the future. The best dog training methods use this simple, yet effective rule. Remember that some dogs seek attention by biting. To some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all. Therefore, it's important to ignore the dog after interrupting the inappropriate behavior and redirecting the dog's attention to a more appropriate chewing/biting activity.

Resources

• Why Is My Puppy Biting Me?
• Why Is My Dog Biting the Leash?