Why?

Well, as we all know – if it's our own 'doggie clothes' we can brush it off. That's what those clothes are for, right?

But let's imagine for a moment that we've invited Naomi Campbell round to our house for afternoon tea and our tiny terror with the Piranha teeth decides that Naomi's £20,000 Dolce and Gabbana dress looks like it's worth a chomp…then we might realise just how our puppy's clothes biting habit could land us in hot water.

OK, so Naomi visiting your house might be a tad on the far fetched side. But a puppy who loves to bite at clothes needs to have that behaviour corrected in exactly the same way as other non desirable puppy biting habits.

The procedure for correct this is similar to the cure puppy biting method taught in the eBook.

Here it is in summary form:

1. Immediately act to correct the unwanted behaviour by redirecting the puppy to stop the unwanted biting behaviour.
2. Reward the puppy for moving from biting.
3. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

The basic premise is seeking to alert the puppy as soon as possible that biting at clothes (or anything else that has not been designated as a 'legal puppy chew toy) is undesired by rewarding and 'marking' the behaviour that is acceptable.

Don't allow the puppy to bite at clothes for just a little bit. This is reward, as far as the puppy is concerned.

Act quickly, don't startle the pup and ensure the redirected (wanted) behaviour is well rewarded.

  ]]> https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/puppy-jumping-and-biting/ Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:21:31 +0000 https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/puppy-jumping-and-biting/ Puppies who jump up and bite / nip can be the cause of some rather unpleasant experiences for you, your guests and your family.

Puppies jump up.

Puppies bite and nip.

Some puppies love to jump up and bite.

So how do we go about fixing such a problems, for it is absolutely imperative that fix it we should!

In our 'Cure Puppy Biting' eBook, there is a lot of focus on the need to teach puppies correct bite inhibition protocols and this is certainly the first place to start when we approach the problem of a puppy jumping and biting.

Stage 1: Stop Puppy Jumping and Biting

Puppies reward themselves when they jump up. They are greeting you in a way that is totally natural to them and any form of contact, a pat on the head or even getting you to jump back will be a self fulfilling reward. We respond to this by simply turning our back and waiting for the pup to stop jumping. As soon as he does, we reward. If he jumps again, we turn our back again. We are seeking to 'punish' the jumping up with a form of non reward. As soon as the puppy displays the desired behaviour (not jumping up), we reward.

We ignore the unwanted behaviour and reward the desired. (The basic principles of all good dog training).

Stage 2: Focus on Stopping Puppy Biting

Biting. Puppies love to explore with their mouth. We can generate a desirable response by alerting the puppy to the fact that a nip on the hand hurts us. So we yelp, we turn our back and we remain perfectly still. We are trying to impart on our puppy the fact that nipping is unpleasant for us.

All together: Curing Puppy Jumping Up and Biting Us

When puppy jumps up, we turn our back and we ignore the behaviour until they stop jumping, at which point we reward. If the puppy jumps up again, we repeat the process.

When the puppy nips, we react by emitting a loud yelp and turning our back. We wait until the puppy is in a calm state where he is not jumping and biting and we reward him quietly and calmly.

Other techniques to stop our puppy from jumping and biting can include:

– Distraction
– Redirection
– Clicker training

Each one is worthy of topic in its own right and we will cover them all shortly. ]]> https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/how-to-get-a-puppy-to-stop-biting/ Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:14:52 +0000 https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/how-to-get-a-puppy-to-stop-biting/ We all know it. Prevention is indeed better than cure. This is so, so true when it comes to puppy biting. Not so much in terms of stopping them immediately, but certainly when it comes to preventing puppy biting escalating in to something more serious. In this guide, Kelly Perry of Oh My Dog Supplies, gives her take on how to prevent puppy biting from developing in to something more serious.

If you are living with a new puppy, there are lots of things that both of you need to learn, but one of the most important lessons that he or she is going to have from you is that it is unacceptable to bite! Dogs, just like humans, are creatures of habit, and if they form habits early on in life, you will find them much more difficult to break the longer that they get ingrained. A puppy nipping at you is one thing.

You may be able to ignore it, but a dog that continues to bite, even playfully, as an adult is a danger to himself and to others. Take some time to learn about puppy biting and what you can do to get rid of it.

First, be aware that biting is natural behavior for a puppy. A puppy that constantly bites and nips at you is not vicious; he is only exploring the world around him with the tools that are at his disposal. He is mouthing things and learning about them, and when he bites, he is also likely exercising his muscles and learning what kind of dexterity and strength that he has. Puppies who play with each other will play-bite at each other all day if they can.

When you are getting ready to take on puppy biting, remember that you should not punish your puppy unless you catch him in the act. Unless he is biting you when you reprimand him, he is not going to have any idea what is going on. You will also find that it is possible to correct him without striking him. A puppy who gets hit is going to one that grows up easily startled and confused and when you want to make sure that your puppy grows up healthy and happy, this precisely the wrong tack to take!

You can learn a lot from how to keep a puppy from biting by watching adult dogs deal with them. When a puppy bites its mother, the mother will utter a short sharp yelp. If the puppy persists, she will march off and refuse to play with the puppy for a while. You can take this precise technique and use it yourself. When you puppy becomes too energetic or stops paying attention to how hard he or she is biting, say "ow!" in a high pitched sharp voice. The idea is to startle the puppy into stopping. If the puppy starts up again, walk away and refuse to pay any attention to the puppy for a while. This will tell the puppy that too much biting will result in playtime being over.

When you are training your puppy not to bite, remember that you should not engage in games like tug of war with the puppy. This can be a confusing thing for a puppy to deal with, so just avoid games like this for the moment. Dress your puppy up in cute dog clothes, take them for walks, but avoid rough and tumble games for a bit.

There are lots of ways to stop your puppy from biting, so take some time and really consider what techniques you want to use! ]]> https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/how-to-stop-puppy-biting-the-easy-way/ Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:33:22 +0000 https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/how-to-stop-puppy-biting-the-easy-way/ How to stop puppy biting is so commonly searched for, we realised we had to have an entire website and eBook dedicated to the whole topic. We've also got these handy little caresheets to guide you as well.

Puppy nipping can hurt. In fact, their little needle sharp teeth can often cause injuries that hurt even more than a gentle mouthing from an adult dog.

It sometimes seems like puppies have a mission to be doing everything possible to seemingly want to annoy you, get in trouble, or worse – hurt themselves. But at the same time they are incredibly cute – they have to be so you'll still love them when they are being really bad, which happens often while they are learning how to behave in a human world.

If your puppy is misbehaving, don't fret. You can do plenty to help teach him the right way to act in just about any situation. Let's look at a very common puppy problem of nipping and how to solve the issue. If you follow this approach then you can rest assured that your pup will stop nipping in no time at all.

The Nipping Problem: An Easy Approach

It's natural for a puppy to nip while playing, and your puppy surely will do it to you, especially when he's excited. But no matter how cute he is and how harmless it seems, you must put a stop to nipping the moment it begins.

Puppies need to learn that their teeth should never touch human flesh, even in play. This will pay off when your dog grows up – he'll be less likely to bite anyone, especially if you have a big dog. And even the smaller breeds can give a good bite if the nipping behaviour is not taken care of.

When you play with your pup, redirect his biting behaviour to his toys, especially soft plush toys that have a satisfying “give” in his mouth and have rubber toys that you can stuff with treats to engage his interest – and his teeth.

Even if your puppy is as young as 8 weeks old, he can still learn that biting is not acceptable. If your puppy bites you during play, say “ouch” in a low voice, and remove your body part from his mouth.

If he continues to bite, walk away from him. If he follows you, step through a door and close him on the other side, but just briefly – don't leave him alone long enough for him to get in trouble!

You're teaching him that biting too hard makes the fun stop. He'll learn to control how hard he bites so you'll keep playing with him. As he starts to get the idea, you'll notice that he bites hard with less frequency. Then you raise the bar, and start applying your “ouch” to softer bites, until he learns to keep his mouth off of skin completely.

As your puppy gets older his penchant for biting will subside. If it doesn't, you need to take quite urgent remedial dog training action. As the pup grows, if he hasn't yet learned bite inhibition, you may have a much more serious problem on your hands. ]]> https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/training-puppies-not-to-bite/ Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:23:28 +0000 https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/training-puppies-not-to-bite/ Training puppies not to bite? You'd be surprised just how many owners are, maybe unwittingly, training their puppies TO bite and nip!

At no time is it okay for your dog to put her teeth on any part of a human body. Nipping and mouthing – whilst natural behaviour as far as the puppy is concerned – are not acceptable and should not be encouraged, ever.

Remember that puppy teeth may not hurt very much, but they'll soon fall out and be replaced with adult ones that will. So don't ever encourage your dog to nibble or teethe on you, and don't play games that encourage her to nip at you. Teach your small children to keep their hands away from her mouth.   

     
Puppies love to nibble our hands and they mean no harm by it. In fact, their mouth is the way they explore many new things – including humans.

Owners are often surprised at just how easy it is to allow some gently mouthing to progress in to something all together more painful.

So here's a simple rule if you're struggling with a nipping puppy:

Don't tolerate it – ever.

How do we go about stopping puppy biting habits?

Firstly, a good rule of them with any new pup is not to encourage behaviour that we don't want to continue later on.

If your puppy nips, move away and yelp. This is a surprisingly effective method as the puppy has usually been 'taught' this response from his brothers and sisters and even his own Mum. It shows him that what he did hurt you and he will more often than not take that on board.

Resources

Click here if you feel you need to hire a professional dog trainer.   ]]> https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/teaching-bite-inhibition-to-puppies/ Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:36:51 +0000 https://www.puppybiting.co.uk/teaching-bite-inhibition-to-puppies/ Razor sharp, needle like teeth. A seeming never ending desire to chomp down on the most delicate of human fleshy parts.

No, I'm not talking about piranhas, I'm talking about puppies!

One of the first dog training protocol you will want to initiate when you get a new puppy is to teach him to inhibit (puppy bite inhibition) the force of his play-bites. It is not necessary to reprimand the pup, and certainly physical punishments are not called for. But it is essential to let your puppy know that bites can hurt.

A simple "Ouch!" is usually sufficient. When the puppy backs off, take a short time-out to "lick your wounds," instruct your pup to come, sit, and lie down to apologize and make up. Then resume playing.

If your puppy does not respond to your yelp by easing up or backing off, an effective technique is to call the puppy a "Bully!" and then leave the room and shut the door. Allow the pup a minute or two time-out to reflect on the association between his painful bite and the immediate departure of his favorite human chew-toy. Then return to make up. It is important to show that you still love your puppy, only that his painful bites are objectionable. Have your pup come and sit and then resume playing once more.

It is much better for you to walk away from the pup than to physically restrain him or remove him to his confinement area at a time when he is biting too hard. So make a habit of playing with your puppy in his long-term confinement area. This technique is remarkably effective with lead-headed dogs, since it is precisely the way puppies learn to inhibit the force of their bites when playing with each other.

If one puppy bites another too hard, the dog who gets bitten yelps and playing is postponed while he licks his wounds. The biter soon learns that hard bites interrupt an otherwise enjoyable play session. He learns to bite more softly once play resumes.

The next step is to eliminate bite pressure entirely, even though the "bites" no longer hurt. While your puppy is chewing his human chew-toy, wait for a bite that is harder than the rest and respond as if it really hurt, even though it didn't: "Ouch – Gennntly! That really hurt me, you bully!" Your puppy begins to think, "Good heavens! These humans are soooooo sensitive. I'll have to be really careful when mouthing their delicate skin." And that's precisely what you want your pup to think: that he needs to be extremely careful and gentle when playing with people.

Your pup should learn not to hurt people well before he is three months old. Ideally, by the time he is four and a half months old (before he develops strong jaws and adult canine teeth) he should no longer be exerting any pressure when mouthing.

Summary:

Teaching bite inhibition to puppies is actually a really important step as it is the ideal time in their learning cycle to initiate a response that shows them that they are capable if inflicting unwanted pain on species other than their own. They must learn early that human flesh is gentle and sinking their little teeth in to people's skin is highly undesirable. ]]>