Most dog owners who have raised their four-legged friend from an early age are probably familiar with the problem. Puppies like to snap and bite their owner. This is not only annoying, but also particularly painful due to the pointed milk teeth.
Apart from that, such behavior is of course absolutely undesirable in dogs of all ages. It is therefore important that you do something about it instead of simply accepting the bites of the young animal. In this article, we explain how you can get your puppy to stop biting.
Key facts at a glance
- Puppies first have to learn that you can’t treat people as roughly as you can with other dogs.
- The so-called bite inhibition can be trained quickly.
- This is a normal process that all puppies go through.
Why do puppies bite anyway?
When playing with their master or mistress, it often happens that puppies bite into the clothing and sometimes catch the hand or calf of the human. Of course, this does not happen out of aggression, but is simply due to the fact that young dogs are not yet inhibited.
The little four-legged friends still have to learn what is okay in the game and what is not. Puppies behave very similarly when interacting with other dogs. There, too, snapping and biting are part of the game. If a puppy bites its fellow dog too hard, they will usually not only howl loudly, the game will also be over at that moment. Based on this reaction, the young dog learns how to behave when playing.
Since our skin is much more sensitive than that of dogs, the bites with the pointed teeth are of course more painful for us. The puppy must therefore learn that it has to be more careful when dealing with people than with its peers.
Every puppy needs to develop bite inhibition
As a dog owner, it is essential for you that you can touch your four-legged friend anywhere without him snapping at you. This includes a light bite from your puppy. This is because it is unable to judge how hard it can bite without causing you pain or even injuring you.
In this context, keep in mind that puppies are usually much rougher on each other. Your goal must therefore be to completely wean your little four-legged friend from biting people and grabbing at clothes. This is the only way he can develop bite inhibition.
How to get your puppy to stop biting
Even if puppies are eye-for-an-eye with each other, we strongly assume that you will not bite your pup back once you have felt his teeth. However, there are a few ways you can change the animal’s behavior and stop it from biting.
To do this, proceed as follows:
- Stop playing with the puppy as soon as it bites.
- A loud «ouch» or a short yelp signals that he has hurt you.
- Ignore the pup for a few minutes and turn your back on it.
- Do not pay attention to him until he accepts your behavior.
With these simple steps, your puppy will learn that biting is not part of playing with you. Most dogs internalize this quite quickly. After all, they want to play with you and definitely don’t want to be ignored.
How to protect your setup from the puppy’s teeth
There is probably hardly a puppy who, over time, does not develop a taste for chewing on furniture, shoes or other unsuitable objects. At the latest when dogs change teeth, which begins around the fourth month of life in dogs, table legs and other parts of the furniture start to become interesting.
As with biting during play, your puppy needs to learn that this behavior is not okay. Stop the little four-legged friend as soon as he starts chewing on objects that are unsuitable for chewing.
In addition, it is helpful if you offer the young dog alternatives where it can indulge its urge to chew to its heart’s content. This can be, for example, a chew toy or a tasty chew made from cowhide. However, choose the alternatives wisely. Otherwise, you can easily confuse your puppy and prevent it from learning which objects it can and cannot chew on.
Weaning puppies from biting – our conclusion
To the chagrin of all dog owners, snapping and biting is part of the normal development of puppies. It is therefore your job to actively encourage your little dog’s bite inhibition and to teach him how to deal with people properly.
Of course, this does not mean that you should get physical with the animal. Nevertheless, it is important to remain consistent and not to tolerate even light bites from the young animal. By stopping each time you play, most puppies will break the habit of biting fairly quickly.
And to protect your furnishings from the sharp teeth of your four-legged friend, we recommend that you provide suitable alternatives in the form of chews and toys.