Chewing and Biting in Dogs

Should you think Puppy ingested a poison or ate something that could either cause a blockage or intestinal damage (pins, needles, nails, nylons, fishing line, coins, rocks, antifreeze, household cleaners, plants, etc.) call your vet immediately.

Puppy Biting

It is never a good idea to let Puppy play with your hands or feet - no matter how cute it seems. This teaches Puppy it is OK to bite skin. Even though tiny puppies playing tug-of-war with your big finger is cute, it is teaching a very bad habit! Never let a puppy do something once that you do not want him to repeat. It is far easier to prevent bad habits from developing that it is to retrain an older puppy or adult dog. Here are two techniques to teach puppy not bite. Technique #1 is less physical and I recommend it first. It may take a few days or so for puppy to catch on. Technique #2 involves physically stopping puppy. Some puppies (or dogs) may actually perceive this as a challenge to try again so I do not recommend it is as much.

Technique #1 - yelp and walk away
Puppies are very social creatures and refusing to engage in play can be an effective training technique. As soon as puppy starts to bite or nip, give a loud, yelping OUCH!!! Glare at the pup, get up and move away. After a minute or so, get a toy and return to puppy. Encourage the puppy to play with the toy. If he goes for you with a nip, repeat yelping and walking away.

Technique #2 - shake can
If puppy does not respond to a verbal command only, try a shake can. Get an empty and clean soda can and place about 10 pennies in it. Tape the mouth shut. When your pup starts to nip, give the verbal command and at the same time give the can a good shake or drop it next to puppy (not on him please). This will help reinforce the verbal command. As soon as he stops, praise and give him a good toy to chew.

Technique #3 - shake down
If Techniques 1 and 2 fail, then try this. I am not as fond of it as it involves physically grabbing the pup for reinforcing the "No Bite!". Start with a loud yelping OUCH; at the same time as you grasp the loose skin on puppy's neck. Give a firm scruff but not a shake and firmly say "NO BITE!" Do not pull puppy up and away, just scruff him. Release puppy and get him involved with a good toy. After a while, stop the scruff and just use the verbal.

Play Initiated Nipping
Certain games encourage biting and should be avoided when working on "No Bite": tug-of-war (my dogs are not allowed to play this with humans until they are well aware of the "pack hierarchy" and will release the toy when told to.); chase and tackle games; and other games where you actively encourage the puppy to bite a person. Dangling treats and encouraging a puppy to jump for then can encourage snapping for food as well as injure growing joints. If you play tug-of-war make certain YOU start the game and YOU stop it. If puppy brings you a toy and encourages you to play, reverse the rules (see NILIF below).